Indians rally in 11th to gain ground in Central Brantley, Santana each drive in an extra-inning to drop Royals By Jackson Alexander / MLB.com | 8/31/2014 1:23 AM ET KANSAS CITY -- Whether it was the seven relief the Indians used, the three bases-loaded jams to extract themselves out of, or the one hit from the middle of the fifth to the start of the 11th, seemingly nothing went right for Cleveland on Saturday night.

Except for the final score, that is.

The Tribe remained unfazed through it all, and snatched a 3-2 extra-inning win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

"That was one of the funner games to be a part of, it certainly helps when you win," Indians manager said. "There was so much that was going on and not a lot of scoring though. They had baserunners it seemed like every inning, and we found ways to wiggle out of a few."

Michael Brantley delivered the game-winning hit in the 11th, when he chopped a single over a drawn-in Kansas City infield, scoring Jose Ramirez, who ignited the rally with a leadoff triple.

Ramirez took an extra base on what looked like a routine .

"I [just] about swallowed my tobacco when he rounded second. But he made it," Francona said. "You were going to have to lasso him to stop him."

Carlos Santana padded the lead with an RBI single.

The Royals threatened in the bottom half of the frame. Salvador Perez drove in Jarrod Dyson, but was left stranded after Josh Tomlin struck out Erik Kratz.

Tomlin was the seventh reliever Francona used, and he gutted through two innings after finishing off Friday's 6-1 win.

"He means so much to that group out there, he was wiped out, but he was going to figure it out," Francona said.

Cleveland's second straight win over the Royals closed the gap to 3 1/2 games in the American League Central with the finale of the series coming Sunday. Kansas City dropped into a tie for first place with the Tigers in the American League Central.

Yan Gomes drove in the Indians' first run with an RBI double off Royals starter James Shields in the fourth inning. Gomes returned from the seven-day concussion disabled list just one day earlier.

Kansas City tied the game in the eighth inning on a fielder's choice by Lorenzo Cain. But they squandered myriad opportunities in the last four innings.

"We weren't getting any hits with runners in scoring position. It was plain and simple," said Royals manager Ned Yost, whose team went 2-for- 18 with runners in scoring position. "We had a multitude of opportunities starting in the first inning, we just couldn't take advantage of it."

Trevor Bauer twirled 5 2/3 scoreless innings, registering his second straight zero-run outing, a career first for Bauer.

An even more impressive feat was the first-inning jam he escaped.

Bauer allowed the first three runners to reach for a bases-loaded, no-out conundrum. This looked ominous at the time, particularly considering he has allowed 16 runs in the first inning this season, five more than any other frame.

But Bauer struck out the next two batters to bring up Raul Ibanez.

"Early innings for me are tough and so I was fired up just being able to get to that position, to get two outs and have a chance of getting out of it," Bauer said.

He got ahead of Ibanez, 1-2, then bounced a in an attempt to get him to chase. Ibanez checked his swing, ruled third-base umpire Bill Welke, which prompted an argument from pitching coach Mickey Callaway, who was ejected.

Bauer ignored the drama and struck out Ibanez four pitches later, ending the threat.

"The way the rest of the game went, turned out to be a really big inning to get out of that with giving up none," Bauer said. "Usually in a situation like that, you try to give up just one or two, just don't let it be a big inning."

Cleveland got on the board when and Gomes whacked back-to-back doubles in the fourth inning. The seven relievers combined to toss 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs (one earned).

"Down the list, everyone did exactly what they're supposed to do," Bauer said.

Duffy, House to square off in key division matchup Royals look to regain sole possession of first as Tribe hopes to move up By Matt Slovin / MLB.com | 8/31/2014 12:56 AM ET Left-hander Danny Duffy is finding a lot of fun and excitement as he helps the Royals chase their postseason dreams.

On Sunday night, that will include pitching before a sellout crowd at Kauffman Stadium against the Indians. The game was switched from an afternoon game to an ESPN national telecast.

Cleveland will be going for the sweep of Kansas City after pulling to within 3 1/2 games of the division lead Saturday night. The Royals dropped into a tie for first with the Tigers.

In Duffy's last start, he pitched into the seventh inning and held the Twins to one run. The Royals won, 2-1, on 's two-run walk-off homer in the ninth.

"It's fun, it's a challenge. I just go out there and try to put up a zero. That's all you can do," Duffy said.

So far, he's done that very well. Although his record is 8-11, his 2.47 ERA ranks third in the American League, behind only and Felix Hernandez.

Duffy has been impressed with the Royals' ability to focus game by game this season, shaking off losses and downplaying scoreboard watching.

"As long as we just take care of what we know we can do and not worry about the rest of it, we'll be fine," he said. "We're not paying too much attention [to the other contenders] and when something happens that doesn't go our way, we go out the next day and have some fun and keep it simple and do what we can to win."

Another left-hander, Cleveland's T.J. House, will be opposing Duffy. He's coming off a start against the White Sox in which he gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings, snapping his streak of eight starts with three runs or fewer allowed.

House didn't factor into the decision in his last start.

"We know exactly where we are," House said afterward. "And we know that we have to turn it on at this moment in time if we expect to catch anyone, whether it's the Wild Card or division. But, I don't think we're pushing or forcing anything."

Indians: Walters hopes to become more complete player Zach Walters is slugging at an impressive clip over his first 17 games with the Tribe, but he's not satisfied.

"I'm pretty cold right now," said Walters, who disagreed with the assessment that he's just a power hitter. "No, actually, I think I'm just a good hitter, believe it or not, but I don't say that because of my stats, obviously."

Walters' batting average (.175) and on-base percentage (.224) in 67 plate appearances with Cleveland jibe with his proclamation of the current cold streak. However, of Walters' 11 hits with the Tribe, seven have been for extra-base hits, including six home runs.

"If I can drive in runs while I'm not feeling really well, that's fine with me," said Walters, who went 0-for-3 with a pair of Saturday.

Royals: Callups coming just around the corner The Royals might be making some announcements on their September callups on Sunday.

They already know that pitchers Aaron Crow and and infielder Christian Colon will be returning on Tuesday from Northwest Arkansas. They were sent to the Double-A club earlier this week to accommodate roster additions.

Reliever Louis Coleman has already arrived from Triple-A Omaha. Eric Hosmer started his rehab assignment there on Saturday, but needs three or four more games.

Some of the moves could be affected by whether Omaha wins the division to enter the Pacific Coast League playoffs.

Worth noting The Indians are going for their first sweep of the Royals since July 12-14, 2013.

Callaway ejected after arguing check swing call By Jackson Alexander / MLB.com | 8/30/2014 7:58 P.M. ET KANSAS CITY -- Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway was ejected in the bottom of the first inning Saturday for arguing a disputed check swing.

With the bases loaded and two outs, Raul Ibanez nearly offered at a Trevor Bauer slider in the dirt with two strikes. Home-plate umpire James Hoye asked for help from third-base ump Bill Welke on the appeal, but Welke deemed that Ibanez did not go around.

Welke tossed Callaway for arguing from the dugout. It was Callaway's first career ejection.

Bauer struck out Ibanez four pitches later to end the inning.

Walters working to become more complete hitter By Jackson Alexander / MLB.com | 8/30/2014 7:27 P.M. ET KANSAS CITY -- Zach Walters could focus on the positives of his first 16 games with the Indians -- for example, his .508 slugging percentage -- but the youngster prefers to look at areas of his game that require improvement.

"I'm pretty cold right now," said Walters, who continued by disagreeing with the notion that he's a power hitter. "No, actually, I think I'm just a good hitter, believe it or not, but I don't say that because of my stats, obviously."

Walters' batting average (.186) and on-base percentage (.238) in 63 plate appearances with Cleveland jibe with his proclamation of the current cold streak. However, of Walters' 11 hits with the Tribe, seven have been for extra-base hits, including six home runs.

"If I can drive in runs while I'm not feeling really well, that's fine with me," said Walters, who clocked an RBI double in his team's 6-1 win on Friday.

In an admittedly small sample size, Walters carries the highest isolated slugging percentage -- a stat that attempts to quantify one's power- hitting capabilities -- among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances. His .296 ISO trumps all 412 MLB players that qualify, according to FanGraphs.com.

"Well, he's got a lot of sock in his bat," Tribe manager Terry Francona said. "I think he's enjoyed the fact that he's playing and when he swings at strikes, man, he does some damage."

Walters displayed similar power tendencies in his first 32 games this season with the Nationals. He posted a .205/.279/.462 slash line in 34 plate appearances, before being dealt to Cleveland for Asdrubal Cabrera on July 31.

The 24-year-old is attempting to break the power-hitting archetype that he views as restrictive and inaccurate.

"I want to get on base, I want to put together multiple-hit games like every other guy," Walters said.

Tribe looks to do damage before getting to KC 'pen KANSAS CITY -- Visiting teams to Kauffman Stadium paying tribute to the Royals' fantastic bullpen has become a theme this season. The Indians were no different when they began their three-game series with Kansas City on Friday.

Cleveland Jason Kipnis recognized the importance of jumping out to an early lead, thus neutralizing the Royals' killer unit, something the Tribe did in their 6-1 win Friday.

"That's why you got to get on a team like this early and make sure you have the lead, going into the late innings," Kipnis said. "When you have a strong bullpen, and guys that you can count on in the back end it shortens the game for you, to where you only need to play small ball for five- to-seven innings kind of get that lead, and let the bullpen take it from there."

The most terrorizing arms are seventh-inning man Kelvin Herrera, setup man Wade Davis and Greg Holland. The trio has combined for 166 2/3 innings, a 1.30 ERA and 209 strikeouts this season.

"Those three guys at the end, we were going over our advanced report today -- and we probably shouldn't have looked because it didn't help," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said, adding: "It's like [video] game numbers, they're good, they're really good."

Cleveland avoided all three in the first game as it led from the second inning on.

"It's not just stuff alone, because all of them are hard throwers, all of them are 95 [mph] plus, got nasty stuff," Kipnis said. "But they know what they do well, they throw strikes they don't walk too many people, and when you've got guys in the back of the bullpen that do that, they're pretty effective."

Indians Lonnie Chisenhall saw a similar dynamic in his team's bullpen, with closer Cody Allen and a cast of solid middle relievers sporting the fourth-best ERA in MLB.

"We have that situation with our bullpen too," Chisenhall said. "We know that if we're winning in the fifth, sixth, seventh inning, we've got a really good shot at winning the game."

Quote to note "I think Murph's getting antsy to play. He's been pretty diligent about getting here early, he's been here as long as I have every day." -- Francona on injured David Murphy.

Smoke signals • The Indians' win on Friday was the franchise's 9,000th victory. They trail only the Yankees (9,899) and Red Sox (9,134) for most wins by an American League team.

• Francona said Friday's acquisition of Russell Branyan revolves around providing depth for Triple-A Columbus. The 14-year veteran is unlikely to contribute at the big league level "unless something happens," said Francona. "I think [General Manager] Chris [Antonetti] was really honest with him about that."

• Jason Giambi and received days off Friday on their rehab stints at Double-A Akron. Both are expected to play Saturday. Giambi is eligible to return from the disabled list on Sept. 1, while Rayburn can come off on Sept. 2.

• Cleveland donned 1974 throwback uniforms for Retro Night at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday. The Tribe wore bright red tops with "Indians" on the front, with black and white trim.

Indians beat Royals 3-2 in 11 innings KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- It's getting very crowded at the top of the AL Central. The surging have turned the division into one of baseball's best playoff races. Michael Brantley and Carlos Santana each had an RBI single in the 11th inning, leading the Indians to a 3-2 victory over the sliding on Saturday night.

Kansas City has lost three in a row to fall into a first-place tie with Detroit, which split a at Chicago. Cleveland, which has won six of seven, is just 3 1/2 back.

''It's extremely agonizing,'' Royals manager Ned Yost said. ''It's frustrating.''

The Royals got a run back in the bottom of the 11th when Salvador Perez's two-out double scored Jarrod Dyson. But Erik Kratz struck out to end the game.

Jose Ramirez sparked Cleveland's winning rally with a leadoff triple. Brantley followed with a base hit against Scott Downs (0-4).

''It was a hustle triple,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said. ''I about swallowed my tobacco when he went around second. Instead of Brantley trying to get the runner over they have to bring the infield in and he hit a chopper over the infield.''

Brantley then stole second and went to third on Perez's throwing error before Santana singled into center field.

The Royals loaded the bases with one out in the 10th, but failed to score off Josh Tomlin (6-8). The reliever got Alcides Escobar to hit a grounder to third, forcing Perez at the plate. He then struck Jayson Nix, who was making his Royals debut.

The Royals went 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position and stranded 16 runners, twice leaving the bases loaded.

''We weren't getting any hits with runners in scoring position, it was plain and simple,'' Yost said. ''One was an infield hit and didn't score a run. We had a multitude of opportunities starting in the first inning. We just couldn't take advantage of it.''

Cleveland grabbed a 1-0 lead when Yan Gomes doubled in Jason Kipnis in the fourth.

The Royals tied it in the eighth without the benefit of a hit. Alex Gordon led off with a walk. Billy Butler then hit a comebacker that should have been a double play, but reliever Scott Atchison threw the ball into center field, putting Gordon on third. With the bases loaded, Lorenzo Cain's grounder scored Gordon for an unearned run.

''That's tough, leaving that many runners on base,'' Cain said. ''We should have definitely beat these kids. We had a few chances to walk it off. I did myself. We just didn't get the job done. We've got to come through in those tight situations if we want to get to the playoffs.''

Indians rookie Trevor Bauer pitched 5 2-3 scoreless innings despite issuing five walks. He allowed four hits and struck out six. The Royals loaded the bases with none out in the first, but Bauer escaped the jam. With Justin Masterson and Asdrubal Cabrera, the Indians’ winning percentage this year was .491 (53-55). Since trading Masterson and Cabrera, they have a winning percentage of .640 (16-9). And it wasn’t like the Indians traded either player in exchange for a player or players who they thought could come in and impact the team the rest of the season, even though one of them has. The decisions to Masterson and Cabrera are two of many made by the front office this year. Here’s a quick review of them and a thumbs up or thumbs down verdict on all of them: Not re-signing reliever : At the time it seemed like a shaky decision because he was a valued reliever last year. In hindsight, not so much. He signed with Houston and has been hurt and on the disabled list most of the season. Verdict: Thumbs up. Not re-signing reliever Rich Hill: He had a bad 2013 for the Indians, and has done nothing with the Yankees or Angels this year. Verdict: Thumbs up. Not re-signing Scott Kazmir: He’s 14-6 with a 3.08 ERA for the A’s, and was selected to the American League All-Star team. He would have looked very good in the Indians’ rotation, especially early in the year when the rotation was a mess. Verdict: Thumbs down. Not re-signing Ubaldo Jimenez: The season he has had in Baltimore, a record of 4-9, a 4.74 ERA and a recent banishment to the bullpen, is exactly why the Indians chose not to give him the big bucks the Orioles did (four-years, $50 million). Verdict: Thumbs up. Not re-signing Joe Smith: He got $5 million per year for three years with the Angels. The Indians weren’t going to go that high for a setup man, although he’s now closing for the Angels. Given the Indians’ bullpen depth, and how well they have all pitched this year, the Smith decision hasn’t hurt them. Verdict: Thumbs up. Releasing Chris Perez: Does this even need an explanation? Verdict: Thumbs up. Signing free-agent David Murphy: A two-year, $12 million deal isn’t a budget stretcher, and the Indians have gotten their money’s worth. He’s not a star, but a solid regular. Just what they thought he would be, although he’s currently on the disabled list. Verdict: Thumbs up. Trading to Colorado for Josh Outman: Indians officials seemed to quickly lose interest in Outman, and would eventually trade him, even though he was second on the staff in victories at the time. Stubbs has played well in Colorado, but how much of that is Colorado and how much of it is Stubbs? Verdict: Thumbs down. Signing free-agent John Axford: He was signed to be the closer. By May, he had lost the job, and by mid-August, he was claimed off waivers by the Pirates. It was only a one-year, $4.5 million deal, but that’s money that could have been spent elsewhere. Verdict: Thumbs down. Signing free-agent Nyjer Morgan: He had his moments early in the season as a fill-in for injured Michael Bourn. But he hurt his knee, and was never seen again, eventually being released. You almost get the feeling something triggered a falling out between the player and the organization. Verdict: Thumbs up. Signing free-agent Scott Atchison: A 6-0 record and 2.79 ERA in 59 appearances? At age 38? Who knew? Verdict: Thumbs up. Signing but not keeping Aaron Harang: He’s 10-8 with a 3.60 ERA for a contending Braves team. Only one Indians starter has more wins than that. Verdict: Thumbs down. Trading Justin Masterson for James Ramsey: Here’s how far free agent-to-be Masterson has fallen: He was the Indians’ opening day starter and was traded for a minor-league outfielder (James Ramsey) in the heat of the playoff race, and everyone in Cleveland was fine with it. Verdict: Thumbs up. Trading Asdrubal Cabrera: The same holds true of Cabrera as Masterson, except that the player the Indians got from Washington has been machine Zach Walters. Cabrera hit nine home runs in 378 at=bats for the Indians. Walters has hit 6 in 59 at-bats. Verdict: Thumbs up. Traded Outman to the Yankees for player to be named or cash: So in essence the Indians traded Stubbs for a player to be named or cash. Verdict: Thumbs (both of them) down. Final scorecard: 15 decisions, 10 thumbs up, 5 down. JIngraham

Jim Ingraham's baseball notes: Cleveland Indians face tough stretch in schedule

By Jim Ingraham, The News-Herald & The Morning Journal Right now they are in the eye of the hurricane. This is the worst of the Indians’ remaining schedule. They are in the middle of a stretch in which 11 of 17 games are against the Royals, Tigers and Angels — three potential playoff teams. Aug. 31 will be Game 3 of that 17-game stretch in which the Indians must win more than they lose if they hope to reach the postseason in consecutive years for the first time since 1998-99. Starting Sept. 1 in Cleveland, they will play the Tigers seven times in 14 days. A four-game series in Cleveland, and a three-gamer Sept. 12-14 in Detroit. On Sept. 8, the Indians will play the Angels at Progressive Field, the makeup of a postponed game from earlier in the season. If the Indians can weather this segment of the schedule, the last two weeks look favorable. Ten of their last 13 games of the regular season are against the Astros, Twins and Rays. The Indians’ last six games of the season are all at home: three with Kansas City and three with Tampa Bay. Anybody home? Manager Ned Yost ripped Kansas City fans after only 13,847 showed up for a game against the Twins last week. “We’re in a pennant race, yeah,” said Yost. “We’ve been working on trying to build this team for the last three or four years to put ourselves in a position where we can contend for a championship. But there’s a real need for our fans to be a part of this. We had a great crowd last night, and I was kind of hoping we’d have another great crowd tonight, and we really didn’t. This was a fun night. I just wish there could’ve been more out here to enjoy it with us.” The backlash was big in K.C. as Yost went on the radio the next day to profess his love for Royals fans and General Manager Dayton Moore talked about how much the team loves the fans. The price is wrong In the third inning of a game against the Yankees on Aug. 27, faced nine batters, and they all got hits. Price leads the American League in strikeouts, but none of the nine hitters he faced in that inning swung and missed. Price didn’t retire a batter in the third, so his official line was two innings, 12 hits. He is the fourth starting in the last 101 years to give up 12 hits in an outing that didn’t last more than two innings. The big bopper Giancarlo Stanton could become the first National League player and just the third major-leaguer overall after Harmon Killebrew (1959) and Frank Howard (1970), to lead his league in home runs, RBI, walks and intentional walks in the same season. Stanton leads with 33 homers, 97 RBI, 87 walks and 23 intentional walks. Run, don’t walk The Phillies’ Ben Revere could become the first player since Zack Wheat in 1918 to win a league batting crown while drawing fewer than 20 walks in a season. Wheat hit .335 with 16 walks in 1918. Revere this year is hitting .310 with 11 walks. Triple trouble The Dodgers last week hit into a 5-6-3-2 triple play when Matt Kemp hit a grounder to Mets’ third baseman Eric Campbell, who threw to second baseman Daniel Murphy, who relayed to first baseman Lucas Duda, who then alertly threw home to Travis d’Arnaud, who tagged out trying to score. It’s the seventh 5-6-3-2 double play in the last 114 years. What’s up, Joc? Dodgers farmhand Joc Pederson of Triple-A Albuquerque, joined Tony Lazzeri (1925), Lefty O’Doul (1927) and Frank Demaree (1934) as the only Pacific Coast League players to hit at least 30 homers and steal at least 30 bases in the same season. Shrinking Giants On Aug. 25, the Giants grounded into four double plays and made four errors in the same game, a 3-2 loss to Colorado. The Giants are the first team in at least 65 years to ground into four double plays and make four errors in a game. It’s just the 36th time since 1949 that a team had at least four of each. Canadian clubber Justin Morneau has moved into second place for most career hits by a Canadian-born player, with 1,468. Larry Walker is all-time leader in hits by a Canadian player with 2,160. Quick pitches On Aug. 25, former Indian , now with the Astros, faced four batters in an inning and walked all of them. He’s just the fifth pitcher since 2000 to do that. ... The Mariners pitching staff posted a 2.53 ERA in June, a 2.57 mark in July and 2.59 in August. ... The Rockies lead the majors with 96 homers hit at home while the Orioles lead with 88 on the road. ... The Dodgers have reached the 3 million mark in home attendance for the 28th time since moving to California in 1958. ... On Aug. 25, for only the 11th time in major-league history, a team hit back- to-back and back-to-back-to-back homers in the same game when the Orioles did it against the Rays. ... On Aug. 22, Eduardo Escobar became the first for the Twins/Senators franchise to record a triple and a home run in the same game since Joe Cronin in 1929. ... The Mariners won their 72nd game of the year on Aug. 26, topping their win total for all of last year. ... The Angels’ Matt Shoemaker (13-4) is the first non-drafted American-born rookie to win 13 games in a season since John “The Count” Montefusco went 15-9 for the Giants in 1975.

Nick Cafardo / Sunday Baseball Notes Theo Epstein’s Cubs on the verge of hitting it big | Globe Staff August 31, 2014 Since leaving the Red Sox after the 2011 season, this is the place Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein wanted to get to, where his young talent is ready for prime time and where he now can spend some of the Ricketts family fortune on free agents. Epstein and sidekicks Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod have revamped the team they inherited from deposed general manager Jim Hendry, whose last draft did produce Javier Baez, an impressive, power-hitting infielder. So, where does Epstein take it from here? There are signs he’s about to spend on front-line pitching. There were reports that he claimed Phillies lefthander Cole Hamels on waivers earlier this month but was unable to come up with a trade that made sense for both sides. There’s talk that Jon Lester could be an offseason target, given Epstein’s familiarity with him. And add to the list. But Epstein sounded iffy on whether he’ll make a high-end pitching purchase. “I wouldn’t necessarily say we would or we wouldn’t in the offseason. I think it’s going to be a gradual process between now and next year’s trading deadline and into 2016,” Epstein said. “We don’t want to force anything. If we come across something we feel makes sense for us, there’s no doubt we’ll do it.” “Everyone is starting to predict that we’ll be the team to watch, but we’re going to go through our period of development at the major league level with our young guys, which is why we’ve got Baez and [Jorge] Soler up here now, to get them used to major league at-bats. We know there’s going to be a period of adjustment for these guys. We’re really heavily invested in our positional players, but now we need to focus our resources on pitching, and if something makes sense to us positionally, we’ll consider it as well.” Epstein has built his team around Anthony Rizzo, the former Red Sox farmhand that Epstein sent to San Diego in the Adrian Gonzalez deal, then reacquired when he took the Cubs job. Rizzo got to 30 home runs this season before back issues sidelined him. Baez, who hit 23 homers at Triple A Iowa this season, crediting, among others, coach Manny Ramirez, is playing second base for the moment, and All-Star Starlin Castro will likely stay at shortstop for the time being. It appears slugger , who was taken No. 2 overall in last year’s draft and who has hit 43 homers between Double A and Triple A this year, will likely play third base or a corner outfield position when he comes up next season. Soler has missed time this season with hamstring issues but appears to be a superstar in the making. He has power, speed, and a plus arm from the outfield. His first at-bat in the majors last week resulted in a home run. The Cubs stayed out of the Rusney Castillo sweepstakes after he had a poor individual workout with them not long ago. And we haven’t even mentioned shortstop , acquired in the Jeff Samardzija deal with Oakland. Russell also has power, and he may end up playing a different position. There’s also infielder Arismendy Alcantara and catcher/left fielder Kyle Schwarber (18 homers in Single A) to consider. Also, former first-round pick Albert Almora, a center fielder, is hitting close to .300 between Single A and Double A. “There’s enough versatility there where we can move guys to different positions off of shortstop,” Epstein said. Epstein has been pleased with the work done by his staff with regard to trades, the draft, and in the international market. The Cubs have used 125 players in the two-plus years since Epstein took over. They haven’t always gotten their man, but have had a lot more hits than misses. Epstein knew he had to tear it all down, and he did so by deleting veterans such as Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Dempster, Aramis Ramirez, Samardzija, and Jason Hammel to get to this point. It’s been painful — 197 losses in the first two years — but Epstein sold his bosses that this is the way it had to be. And now the Cubs are a trendy pick to become a powerhouse if Epstein can find veteran pitchers to go along with , his big find when he traded Scott Feldman to the Orioles last season, , and Felix Doubront. Epstein can remember plenty of examples of the patience he’s exhibited. He recalled Dustin Pedroia’s struggles when he first came up. “All of a sudden in May of 2007, there was one pitch — a high, inside fastball against — that he hit, and he never looked back and became rookie of the year,” Epstein said. “Everyone’s different. Everyone is going to react differently when they come up. It would be unusual if they didn’t struggle at first.” The Cubs have a lot of controllable players 25 and under. Rizzo, at 25, is essentially the elder statesman of the young guns. As the Red Sox have found out with their young players, there’s no guarantee they will all blossom into All-Stars. Epstein is aware of that, which is why he keeps the door ajar for a big free agent positional player or two. But it’s clear the Cubs went the positional route rather than the pitcher route in acquiring prospects. The hitters seem to be tougher to get. Sometime, somewhere, whether it’s this offseason, the trade deadline next season, or next offseason, Epstein will strike. NEXT IN LINE Teams keeping an eye on Japan’s Maeda has yet to draw the attention Masahiro Tanaka did at this time a year ago, and that’s probably because most scouts don’t believe Maeda is as good. But if you’re a team like the Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers, or Cubs, and you’re looking for a in the market, Maeda’s name will be front and center in free agency. The scouts who pegged Tanaka as a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher were wrong. When he was healthy, he was a No. 1. Now Maeda, who pitches for the Hiroshima Carp of the Japanese Central League, is being pegged for the middle or end of a rotation. Not sure I buy that, either. The fact is, the 26-year-old righthander, who is 10-7 with a 2.73 ERA and 1.141 WHIP in 142 innings this season, has pitched 200 or more innings three times. The rap against Maeda will likely be the same one Tanaka faced, that there’s too much wear and tear on his elbow and shoulder. After an incredible start, Tanaka was shut down because of elbow soreness, avoided Tommy John surgery, and is on the comeback trail. One of the biggest adjustments for Japanese pitchers is getting used to the schedule, going from pitching once every seven days to once every five. But everybody’s different. One National League pitching evaluator who has seen him pitch this season and in past years, said Maeda, who is listed at 6 feet, 154 pounds, is a “very sound guy, nothing flashy, has four or five pitches he can throw for strikes.” Maeda is considered a smaller version of Tanaka, but his split-finger isn’t the same caliber. Yet he still can throw in the mid-90s and has five pitches, which sounds impressive until they get to the big leagues and that number is reduced. Japanese pitchers usually draw interest from the same teams. With the Yankees employing Tanaka and Hiroki Kuroda, you wonder if they would venture into the Japanese market for pitching again, or has Tanaka’s injury scared them off? The Dodgers, Angels, Cubs, Orioles, Blue Jays, and Red Sox will likely be involved. Apropos of nothing 1. Being early apparently is not Colby Rasmus’s strong suit. Constantly the last Blue Jay to arrive, I’m told by a Toronto source. 2. Sounds like Ryne Sandberg has his hands full managing the Phillies. Sandberg is a tough, proud guy, a Hall of Fame player, but apparently he’s a little too tough and is receiving backlash from his players. As Bobby Valentine learned in Boston, you can’t be tough on players. You have to pat them on the back and treat them with kid gloves. Sandberg has had issues this season with Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Domonic Brown, and others. Not that any of them, with the exception of Hamels and Rollins, should have anything to say given their poor performances. 3. Since 2010, the year he came up, Allen Craig leads the majors with a .363 average with runners in scoring position. is second at .362, followed by Adrian Gonzalez (.356), Joey Votto (.342), (.338), Willie Bloomquist (.336), and Matt Carpenter (.333). 4. Both Red Sox lefthander Tommy Layne and Blue Jays manager John Gibbons told the story last week of how Layne became a reliever when he asked Gibbons, who managed him in the San Diego system, to move him to the bullpen. Layne said it was the best thing he ever did. 5. Entering Friday, the Indians had the lowest ERA in the majors in August at 2.54. Over the last 16 games, their starters had a 2.23 ERA. Only Corey Kluber has been in their rotation all season. This is a team that traded its supposed ace, Justin Masterson, who was not having a good season, at the deadline. One of the biggest contributors has been Carlos Carrasco, who was 0-3 with a 6.95 ERA before being banished to the bullpen in late April. In his first four starts in August he was 3-0 with a 0.73 ERA, with opponents hitting .131. 6. Please, please adopt Red Sox chairman Tom Werner’s pace of game suggestions. And let’s add one more: limit shifts. They’re limiting offense when the game needs it. 7. It seems to me it’s going to be more difficult for the Red Sox to sign a front-end starting pitcher because of the competition they’ll receive from other teams and the willingness of those teams to offer five- and six-year deals to the likes of Max Scherzer, Jon Lester, and James Shields. The Red Sox may have to go the trade route, and if the Phillies take Hamels out of the equation, then what? Updates on nine 1. Melky Cabrera, LF, Blue Jays — Cabrera is going to make a lot of money this offseason, but it may not come from the Blue Jays. Among the league leaders in hitting and an excellent defensive outfielder, Cabrera is likely to land a four- or five-year deal. Rogers, which has more money than Canada, just won’t extend itself for its baseball team. Look for a team such as the Orioles to have interest. 2. Casey Janssen, RHP, Blue Jays — Janssen is a free agent the Jays expect to lose, but they aren’t fretting about it. Janssen has California roots and would like to move to a team out West. The Jays will likely devote their resources to different areas. 3. James Shields, RHP, Royals — Shields is expected to be a strong Red Sox target, according to a team source. The Sox love that he’s battle-tested in the American League East and also tough. One emerging issue, however, is Shields may not be the bargain, second-tier guy many teams thought he would be. He’s behind only Max Scherzer and Jon Lester among free agent starters and there’s a growing feeling he won’t be confined to the four-year contract at which the Sox would like to snatch him. Why won’t the Royals bid for him? Who knows? Didn’t know WalMart was bleeding money. 4. Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Brewers — There’s a mutual option on Ramirez’s contract and it’s interesting from both ends. There’s a $4 million buyout, so is it in Ramirez’s best interest to sign elsewhere for another $15 million or so, or just stay put at age 36? From the Brewers’ point of view, they probably don’t want to pay Ramirez $14 million, but free agent options Chase Headley, Hanley Ramirez, and Pablo Sandoval might be as costly. Aramis Ramirez continues to have a good season — .301, 14 homers, 61 RBIs, and an .803 OPS in 395 at-bats. 5. Brandon Morrow, RHP, Blue Jays — Morrow will be a free agent and it doesn’t appear the Blue Jays will re-sign him given his long injury history. But he won’t be without suitors. John Farrell loves his stuff. It wouldn’t be a long shot to see the Red Sox have some interest in Morrow as a secondary starter. 6. Jose Bautista, RF, Blue Jays — While there’s been speculation for a couple of years surrounding Bautista and a possible deal out of Toronto, this offseason might be when it happens. The Blue Jays need to do something dramatic to replenish their team and trading Bautista would bring back a good haul. There would be a few teams lined up to acquire a righthanded bat with power. 7. Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers — It’s bad enough the Tigers are losing Anibal Sanchez for the rest of the season, but they may be faced once again with entering the playoffs (if they make it) with an injured Cabrera, and we saw how tough that was on them last season. Cabrera’s right ankle injury has reared its ugly head and is likely responsible for the longest home run drought of his great career (25 games heading into Saturday). 8. Jesus Montero, C/DH, Mariners — Montero has been one of the biggest busts in recent major league history after being dealt by the Yankees for Michael Pineda in January 2012. Pineda went through injuries but has salvaged something. Anyway, Montero made the news again last week on a rehab assignment in Tacoma. According to MILB.com’s Tyler Maun, Montero was coaching first base when a cross- checking scout yelled at Montero to hustle off the field, and then ordered an ice cream sandwich and had it delivered to the heavy-set Montero in the dugout. Montero emerged from the dugout with a bat and screamed profanities and threw the ice cream sandwich at the cross-checker, identified as Butch Baccala. Montero had to be restrained. Baccala would appear to be in some trouble. 9. A.J. Pierzynski, C, Cardinals — The Cardinals kept Pierzynski and optioned backup Tony Cruz to Double A when Yadier Molina was activated off the disabled list on Friday. The Cardinals feel Pierzynski did a good job handling the pitching staff in Molina’s 50-day absence and will now use him to rest Molina and as a pinch hitter. Pierzynski also has fit in well in the clubhouse, according to a major league source, a far cry from what was perceived in his time with the Red Sox. Extra innings From the Bill Chuck files — “David Ortiz leads the majors in slugging since the All-Star break at .634, followed by Chris Carter at .624.” . . . Also, “Adrian Beltre has the lowest rate (5.8 percent) since the All-Star break. Chris Davis is at 38.8 percent, the worst in the majors.” . . . Happy birthday, Tracy Stallard (77), Jeff Frye (48), Stan Royer (47), Hideo Nomo (46), Nate Minchey (45), and Ramon Ramirez (33). Boston Globe Omar Infante returns to Royals lineup with shoulder not yet 100 percent ANDY McCULLOUGH Omar Infante stood at least 100 feet away from Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar as they played catch Saturday afternoon. With each throw, Infante tested the viability of his sore right shoulder. His face revealed the occasional grimace, evidence of the discomfort still lingering in his arm. “It feels better,” Infante said before taking the field. “But I can’t throw hard, you know?” The pain kept Infante out of four consecutive games, but he felt able to return for Saturday’s 3-2 loss in 11 innings to the Cleveland Indians. Infante went two for five with a walk in the game. His readiness prevented the team from starting newcomer Jayson Nix, who was activated earlier in the day after being claimed on waivers Thursday. To make room for Nix, a 31-year-old journeyman with a .133 batting average for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh this season, the club optioned Christian Colon to Class AA Northwest Arkansas. The maneuver was procedural. On Tuesday, when the Class AA season ends, Colon will rejoin the Royals along with fellow temporary Naturals Aaron Crow and Liam Hendriks. Until then, Nix is the backup infielder. He can handle second base, third base and shortstop. The role is critical on this club, in part because of Infante’s fragility. Manager Ned Yost insisted Infante could have played Friday, but the team opted for caution. “We just don’t want to be stupid,” Yost said, and later he explained he expects the discomfort to stick with Infante for the foreseeable future. “It’s not going to subside,” Yost said. “Forget it subsiding. He’s probably at about 80 percent right now, which is good enough to play. We’re trying to get him to a spot where he’s somewhere around 90 (percent). This is something that’s going to be there. But it won’t affect him once he gets going.” The Royals signed Infante to a four-year, $32 million deal this winter. He has taken advantage of opportunities created by his No. 2 spot in the batting order, and is tied for second on the club with 59 RBIs. But he has also been an ineffective hitter, with a .648 on-base-plus-slugging percentage that is his lowest since 2005. Part of the reason may be his health. At 32, Infante, who has never played 150 games in a season, has shown signs of brittleness. Injuries have nagged Infante all season. Inflammation sprouted in his shoulder and elbow during . He missed three games after getting hit in the face with a pitch in April. He spent 17 games on the disabled list in May because of an irritated disk in his lower back. The training staff has performed maintenance on Infante’s arm and back throughout the year. “Man, he got hit in the face,” Yost said. “He had the back thing, which he battled through. Some of that plays into it.” With Infante ailing, Colon started at second base all week. Colon, the No. 4 pick in the 2010 draft, has been impressive with his versatility and his hitting this season. In 19 games, he posted a .790 OPS. Hosmer hero in Omaha First baseman Eric Hosmer, coming back from a stress fracture in right hand, experienced some success in his first rehabilitation game for Class AAA Omaha on Saturday. He got a walkoff single for the Storm Chasers in a 10-9 victory over Colorado Springs. Hosmer went two for six with two RBIs and two strikeouts. The Kansas City Star LOADED: 08.31.2014 Royals manager Yost tries not to be a Negative Ned ANDY McCULLOUGH Only one man can understand the inner sanctum of Ned Yost’s psyche, but its inhabitant advertises the space as a place of optimism. “I do not allow negative thoughts into my mind,” Yost said one day last week. “If they start creeping in, I stop it. Kick ’em out.” Asked for a demonstration of this practice, his hands gripped his chair. His head shook. His eyes bulged. “Stop!” he shouted. The display could be interpreted as comedy, but Yost is not joking. He credits relentless confidence, in part, for his longevity as a manager. Inside Yost’s office at Kauffman Stadium, four plaques hang along a wall. They commemorate the 500th, 600th, 700th and 800th victories of his career, four milestones accrued as manager of the Royals. The fourth was hung a few weeks ago, after the Royals pushed toward the lead in the American League Central and Yost pushed toward a unique place in franchise lore. On Sept. 24, Yost will manage his 771st game for the Royals. He will surpass Dick Howser in September for the longest tenure as skipper since the organization’s dawning in 1969. As the Royals hunt for October for the first time since 1985, Yost resides on a curious precipice. If the club makes the playoffs, he could win Manager of the Year. If the team falls short, critics will place the blame on his shoulders. For the organization, the situation is far more nuanced. Yost is under contract through 2015. He retains a healthy relationship with his front office and ownership group. Both general manager Dayton Moore and owner David Glass have vouched for him during the season’s low moments. Yost diverts credit for the club’s success to the passion of his players and the doggedness of his coaching staff. Even so, the juxtaposition of Yost between hero and goat is fitting. The man is a study in contradictions. He is remote yet loyal, brusque yet protective. He disdains small talk and “his B.S. meter doesn’t go very high,” Moore said. Yet he projects positivity. He insists the circumstances of his ouster in Milwaukee, with the playoff-bound Brewers slumping in September 2008, bear no relationship with his current predicament. Yet he carries the lessons of his firing with him. “I always felt like there was something I could do, something I could say,” Yost said. “Do this. Do that. And it doesn’t work. They’re the ones that have to produce. So what I’ve learned is control what you can control. Don’t worry about what you can’t control. And it makes life so much easier.” For those pondering how Yost may handle a crisis this September, his behavior during a five-day stretch in July may be instructive. During games in Boston and Chicago, Yost demonstrated both his fallibility as a tactician and his deftness as a leader. Both qualities will be under the microscope this month. *** The narrative of the Royals’ second-half revival revolves around a series of extracurricular events. The visit of a South Korean fan coincided with an eight-game winning streak. A clairvoyant ball boy predicted Alex Gordon’s walk-off homer on Tuesday. Within this saga, a players-only meeting on July 22 became the season’s pivotal point. Yet the events of two days prior carry little weight. On a Sunday afternoon, Ned Yost called a meeting. He addressed the players for about five minutes before they boarded a flight from Boston to Chicago. His speech coincided with the season’s rock bottom. The opening night of the Red Sox series featured Yost’s signature managerial blunder of the season. Last week he admitted the decision was the lone maneuver he regretted in 2014. The Royals held a 4-3 lead with two outs in the sixth inning, and Yost called upon lefty specialist Scott Downs to replace ace James Shields and face left-handed-hitting Boston outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. Before the series began, members of the coaching staff suggested Yost should only use Downs against David Ortiz. He was the one lefty hitter Red Sox manager John Farrell could not remove from the lineup. But Yost wagered Farrell would not turn to his bench this early in a game. The gamble failed. Jonny Gomes launched a pinch-hit homer for the eventual game-winner. As a manager, Yost cedes control of the game until the final innings. He does not handle preparation and positioning — he leaves that responsibility to his coaches. He feels he cannot control the effort level of his players — they are grown men, and he trusts the Royals’ scouting staff to provide him with gamers. So Yost feels his chief responsibility is in-game strategy. He understood the weight of his mistake soon after Gomes’ homer crashed into the center-field stands. He impaled himself on a verbal sword to reporters, and delivered a similar message to his players. Mike Moustakas had stranded a runner at third base twice that night. When he approached Yost afterward, the manager shushed his apology. “We had enough runs to win, if I had run the pitching right,” Yost told Moustakas. Later on, Yost found Shields and admitted he erred. “Everyone’s got to be accountable for your own actions,” Shields said. “That’s the way you create chemistry. That’s the way you create a winning atmosphere.” Despite the magnanimity from Yost, the team looked listless the next two days. Boston completed a sweep that Sunday when Jon Lester gave up four hits in eight scoreless innings. Yost witnessed a lethargic effort, and “my whole thing is we’ve got to have energy when we play,” he said. This is when Yost chose to speak. He did not yell. He dredged his wellspring of optimism. “We played like crap,” Gordon said. “And we really didn’t have any energy. We didn’t play well at all. He could have easily yelled at us. But it was more of a positive talk to us. It woke us up, and got us going.” Pitcher Danny Duffy added: “He told us that he loved each and every one of us. And why not succeed with the group that we have?” In this moment, Yost exhibited poor timing. In Chicago the next night, Chris Sale bested the Royals. They lost for the fourth time in a row, and for the seventh time in eight games. They lagged eight games behind Detroit and two games under .500. The next afternoon, as Moore flew to the Windy City to visit the team, Raul Ibañez approached Shields. Ibañez suggested a players-only meeting. Shields agreed and went locker-to-locker in the visitors’ clubhouse at U.S. Cellular Field, telling his teammates to attend. Shields referred to it as “an accountability meeting” and a “gut-check,” with Ibañez and fellow veterans such as Downs and Jason Frasor praising their younger teammates. The Royals won that night. They won the next day, too. They won 16 of their next 19 and snatched first place from the Tigers. The meeting on July 22 became part of this club’s mythology. Yost’s address on July 20 became a footnote. “Everything that they heard in that meeting, they hear from us,” Yost said. “They hear that from us every single day. And every once in a while, a different voice, especially if it’s a teammate saying it, can make an impact.” *** Ned Yost’s office is decorated with memorabilia. Besides the plaques for his milestones, there are photos featuring him with Moore, with Gordon, with his arms wrapped around first-base coach Rusty Kuntz. On a shelf above his desk rests a collection of Royals caps and a bottle of Billy Butler’s barbecue sauce. Yost says he has never slept on the room’s black leather couch. He can often be found here before games, peering into his iPad or poring over matchup breakdowns. “We don’t always see him before the game,” Shields said. Interviews about Yost hit around a common theme. He treats the players like men. He allowed Shields to craft a post-victory ritual involving strobe lights, a fog machine and players drenched in bottles of water. During these celebrations, Yost lingers near the hallway connecting his office to the players’ lockers. “He just stands over there and has fun and watches,” Gordon said. “Maybe throws up his arms a little bit.” The credit does not belong with him, Yost said. The players will decide the ending of this story. One day last week, Yost was asked his greatest challenge for September. He rejected the premise of the question. “I don’t have a challenge,” Yost said. “I don’t have a challenge. I go out and manage the game. I stay positive with them. It doesn’t matter what happens.”The Kansas City Star LOADED: 08.31.2014 Royals lose 3-2 heartbreaker to Cleveland in 11 innings ANDY McCULLOUGH The solitary stay at the summit lasted 19 days, long enough to spur a Sports Illustrated cover, elevate expectations and dare a long-suffering group of fans to dream. The Royals ascended into first place of the American League Central on Aug. 11, and spoke as if they never would abdicate the throne. With a 3-2 loss in 11 innings to the Cleveland Indians on Saturday, their fifth defeat in seven games, no longer can the Royals claim sole ownership of the lead. They now share the real estate with the Detroit Tigers, their overlords for so long, setting up for the most thrilling September in nearly three decades of Kansas City baseball. That is, of course, if you can bear the heartburn and heartache. The 4-hour, 23-minute game Saturday tested the patience, frayed the nerves, and, in the final moments, boggled the minds of the 35,089 fans packing Kauffman Stadium. “It’s agonizing,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “It’s extremely agonizing. Tremendous crowd. Tremendous energy. And not being able to perform in front of them.” One of his final decisions added to the agonizing. For the 11th inning, Yost called upon Scott Downs, a southpaw pried off the scrap heap in July. Yost had burned through his late-game trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland. He believed he had two choices, Downs or Jason Frasor. He chose Downs because he wanted him to face left-handed-hitting outfielder Michael Brantley. First, Downs had to get through switch hitter Jose Ramirez. A rookie with a .324 batting average against lefties this season, Ramirez smashed a first-pitch triple. He scored when Brantley bounced a single over the drawn-in infield. Yost brought in Frasor, who gave up another run-scoring hit to Carlos Santana. Downs, 0-4 with a 5.40 ERA, ended up with the loss. He did not stop by his locker to speak with reporters afterward, and his utility in the majors remains questionable. Yet the primary culprits on this evening were the hitters. As the season winds down, the offense remains the organization’s primary concern. An old curse, the Royals’ inability to perform in clutch situations, reared its head on Saturday. The Royals stranded 16 runners and managed only two hits in 18 at-bats with runners in scoring position. The second was an RBI double from Salvador Perez in the 11th. Erik Kratz struck out, ending the game and officially wasting a seven-inning, one-run effort from James Shields. “We have to win these games,” Shields said. “Bottom line. We didn’t get the job done today.” At one point in extra innings, Jarrod Dyson pointed up to the scoreboard. Lorenzo Cain saw the double digits under the marker for “L.O.B.” He could not believe the total. “Leaving that many runners on base, we should have definitely beat these guys,” Cain said. “Had a few chances to walk it off. Had a few chances myself.” Cain, at least, extended the game. Alex Gordon ignited the Royals’ first scoring sequence, and a bit of luck aided the cause. After Gordon walked, Billy Butler smashed a grounder back to the mound. Indians reliever Scott Atchinson spun and fired a low throw that second baseman Jason Kipnis could not handle. The ball trickled into the outfield, and Gordon sprinted to third. The jam inspired Indians manager Terry Francona to use three more relievers in the inning. Royals finally scratched across a run when Cain reached first before a double play could be turned. Mike Moustakas grounded out with two of his teammates aboard for the third out. The next two innings provided more of the same. Dyson stared at strike three with two runners on to finish the ninth. After loading the bases with one out in the 10th, Alcides Escobar grounded out and newcomer Jayson Nix struck out. The usage of players like Kratz and Nix stemmed, in part, from the absence of Josh Willingham. He reported to the clubhouse with a stiff back Saturday. When he tried to loosen up during the sixth inning, his body did not cooperate. Thus the Royals used their substitutes as they lost three in a row for the first time since July 21, when the White Sox’s Chris Sale mastered them at U.S. Cellular Field. The next afternoon, Shields organized a players-only meeting at the request of Raul Ibanez, a collective gathering that represents the mythological Maginot Line for this season. The mythology ignores the reality of the situation: The Royals experienced positive regression with Billy Butler, took advantage of good fortune and watched the Tigers crumble. As September beckons, Butler has cooled down, the luck has evened out and Detroit has arrested their descent. The combination should make for a fascinating final month — as long as the Royals can reclaim the offensive ability they demonstrated in August. In five of the last seven games, the hitters have managed two runs or fewer. “We haven’t been playing well the last couple of games,” Gordon said. “We had a good streak going, but you’re going to hit a bump in the road. You’ve just got to be mentally strong and keep grinding through it.” Kauffman Stadium played host to “Retro Night” on Saturday, and harkened back to 1974. George Brett threw out the first pitch. The players wore throwback uniforms and stirrups. Yet the first inning reminded of a much more recent version of this club, the hapless offensive unit from May and July. The first three batters reached to load the bases against Indians starter Trevor Bauer. Bauer appeared annoyed by the strike zone of umpire James Hoye. The next three at-bats calmed him, even as they vexed his hosts. Butler flailed at a in the dirt for strike three. Perez did the same. Ibanez lasted eight pitches before swinging through a 96-mph fastball. “We had a multitude of opportunities, starting in the first inning,” Yost said. “We just couldn’t take advantage of it.” The inning set an unappealing tone. The offensive inefficiency allowed Shields little margin for mistakes. His team found itself in a similar predicament. The Tigers lost in the afternoon against the White Sox, blowing a three-run lead with reigning American League award winner Max Scherzer on the mound. But Detroit’s victory in the nightcap of their doubleheader once again reduced the Royals’ division lead to a half-game. To protect their advantage, the Royals turned to their most decorated pitcher. Shields looked sturdy, save for giving up an RBI double to Yan Gomes in the fourth. The Indians remained ahead in the sixth, when the Royals added another chapter into this novella of batting failure. With two outs in the sixth, Ibanez coaxed a walk out of Bauer. Cain knocked Bauer from the game by smashing a double into right-center field. Ibanez held at third. Francona tapped his left arm to invite southpaw Kyle Crockett to face Moustakas. In this critical moment, Yost could not turn to his bench. Moustakas entered the game with a 14 hits and .179 batting average against lefties this season. The result of this encounter was no surprise. Crockett threw a 1-2 fastball that was belt-high and down the middle. Moustakas rolled it to the second baseman to extinguish the threat. It was not the first moment of failure with runners in scoring position on Saturday. It would not be the last. “We’ve got to come through to get to the playoffs,” Cain said. “We’ve got to come through in those tight situations.” The Kansas City Star