UPDATED: The Indians, on the way to one of their worst performances of the season, scored five runs in the eighth inning to beat Kansas City and avoid a sweep by the Royals.
View full sizeAsdrubal Cabrera ties the game in the eighth inning Thursday in Kansas City, Mo., with a sacrifice fly that scores Jason Donald. Updated at 12:40 a.m.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Next time manager Manny Acta calls a team meeting, maybe he should wait until after the game.
Acta talked to his ballclub Thursday afternoon. They'd lost nine of their previous 12 games and he was trying to get them turned around.
The Indians, with Acta's words ringing in their ears, went out and for seven innings played one of their worst games of the season. Why the Royals weren't leading, 10-0, is their own fault because the Indians certainly gave them enough opportunities as they made four of a season-high five errors.
Maybe it just took time for Acta's words to sink in because in the eighth inning the Indians scored five runs to come from behind and beat Kansas City, 7-3, at Kauffman Stadium. The Indians avoided getting swept in Kansas City for the first time since May 2006 with the victory.
"About the seventh inning that's what I was thinking about," Acta said. "We made those errors. We made some blunders running the bases. I was thinking, 'Bad meeting, bad meeting.' But it turned out to be a good meeting at the end."
Royals pitcher Kyle Davies entered the eighth with a 3-0 lead and in command. The Indians were in disarray.
Trevor Crowe started the rally with a one-out single. He took second on a wild pitch and scored on Matt LaPorta's single after a 13-pitch at-bat against Davies. It was LaPorta's second hit in his past 29 at-bats.
"That was a great at-bat," Acta said. "It's the kind of at-bat that gets everybody fired up ... I think it took a lot out of Davies."
Jason Donald singled as Blake Wood (1-3) relieved. Shelley Duncan followed with his sixth pinch hit of the season, a bloop single to right to score LaPorta and put Donald on third. Michael Brantley walked to load the bases and bring Asdrubal Cabrera to the plate.
Cabrera fouled off two pitches with a full count and sent a line-drive sacrifice fly to deep center field to tie the score. Shin-Soo Choo put the Indians ahead, 4-3, with a single to right to bring Dusty Hughes into the game to face Travis Hafner. Hafner beat out a single to the hole at short as Brantley scored to make it 5-3.
The Indians added two more runs in the ninth on Brantley's ground-out and Cabrera's double. Brantley never left the box after making contact because he twisted his left ankle. He was helped off the field. X-rays on the ankle were negative. He's had injury problems over the past three years with the same ankle.
The win went to Rafael Perez (4-0). Chris Perez recorded the last four outs for his 15th save. It was the second time he's saved a game this season where he's pitched more than one inning.
"The bullpen was tremendous," Acta said.
The Indians made for errors and had a runner thrown out at every base through the first seven innings. Third baseman Jayson Nix made two of errors. Andy Marte, inserted for defense in the eighth, made it a three-error night for Tribe third-sackers.
It was the first time since July 12, 1996, that the Indians have won a game while making five errors.
LaPorta and Mitch Talbot accounted for the other two errors. It was a hit-the-wall game for LaPorta.
His bases-loaded throw to the backstop in the fourth gave the Royals a 1-0 lead. His brain cramp in the seventh -- he fielded a ground ball and stepped on first thinking it was the third out -- didn't show up in the box score as an error, but all one had to do was look at Cabrera's face as he waited in vain for LaPorta's throw to second to complete a double play to know that it was not well-received.
In the fifth, Talbot victimized himself. After Chris Getz started the inning with a single, Gregor Blanco dragged a bunt single down the first-base line. Talbot grabbed the ball, but made a wild throw to first to put Getz on third and Blanco on second.
Talbot struck out Jason Kendall and intentionally walked Billy Butler to load the bases. He retired Kila Ka'aihue on a pop-up to second, but Wilson Betemit blooped a two-run single into left field for a 3-0 lead.
"It was kind of crazy how we turned it around," Talbot said, "but through it all we gave up only three runs."
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