(Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO -- After giving up 5 runs in the fifth inning, Trevor Bauer heaved the baseball from the pitcher's mound over the center field wall before being taken out of the game by an angry Terry Francona. The Indians never looked the same after the Bauer incident, losing to the Royals by the final score of 9-6.
Carlos Santana got the Indians off to a quick start, launching a 3-run blast over the left field wall. The Royals responded with three runs of their own in the first three innings to tie the game back up. American League Rookie of the Year candidate Oscar Mercado drove in his 30th RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly to left field in the fourth inning. Jose Ramirez continues to stay red-hot, hitting his third home run of the series on a no-doubter to right field.
As Bauer long-tossed a baseball over the center field wall, Lindor watched in awe, Mike Freeman flinched out of the way of the throwing Bauer, and Oscar Mercado watched the ball fly over his head. As tribe manager Terry Francona approached the mound, he and Bauer appeared to immediately exchange words. Francona pointed Bauer towards the dugout, then followed the distraught pitcher closely before heading into the tunnel. After exchanging words behind closed doors, both Bauer and Francona emerged in the dugout, sitting separately from each other.
Kansas City left hander Danny Duffy earned his first win against the Indians since May of 2015, snapping a personal 10-game losing streak against the tribe. Despite picking up the win, Duffy was less than stellar, giving up 4 earned runs over 6.0 innings.
After an Indians loss to the Royals and a Twins victory over the Chicago White Sox, the Indians move to two games back of the division leading Twins. The tribe will have a much needed off day on Monday before beginning a 9-game homestand. 2019 All-Star Game MVP Shane Bieber will take the ball for the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday evening, facing off against Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros. First pitch is set for 7:10 pm ET at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. Check out Trevor Bauer's incident below! (Tweet courtesy of Sporting News MLB)