(Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO -- Carlos Carrasco looked like a shell of himself tonight, as he was unable to get out of the opening inning. The Royals hit for a team cycle in the first inning, which began with a Whit Merrifield lead-off single, followed by a Adalberto Mondesi triple, then a 2-run bomb by Alex Gordon, and lastly, a two-out, two-run double by Chris Owings.
The Kansas City Royals came into tonight with the MLB's worst record, losing their last ten consecutive games, Alex Gordon had a huge game, hitting a homer, two doubles, and a single to help take the Royals out of their recent funk. Royals' right hander Brad Keller secured his first win of the season, as he had a phenomenal outing, pitching 6 2/3rd innings, giving up only 1 run on 3 hits and striking out a career-high 10 batters.
The only bit of offense for the tribe came from Tyler Naquin, who hit a 420 ft missile off of Brad Keller, who was near-perfect tonight on the mound. The Indians used a total of 7 pitchers to get through tonight's game. Nick Wittgren came out of the pen to relieve Carlos Carrasco, and did an excellent job of cooling off the Royals' bats, as he went a strong inning and 1/3rd, only giving up one hit.
The Cleveland Indians will look to bounce back against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, April 13. Tribe youngster Jefry Rodriguez will get the start for the Indians, Homer Bailey will get the nod for the Royals in the second game of a 3-game series. First pitch is set for 7:15 PM ET at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.