Indians rally in 11th to gain ground in Central Brantley, Santana each drive in an extra-inning run to drop Royals By Jackson Alexander / MLB.com | 8/31/2014 1:23 AM ET KANSAS CITY -- Whether it was the seven relief pitchers 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 Terry Francona 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 double. "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 slider 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 Jason Kipnis 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 Alex Gordon'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 Chris Sale 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 strikeouts 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 Liam Hendriks 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. First baseman 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.