Indians at Royals
Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber will make
his seventh attempt at his first victory when he leads the Cleveland Indians into the finale
of a three-game series at the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. Kluber, who won a
league-leading 18 games a season ago, has dropped each of his last three
starts while allowing 14 earned runs in 17 1/3 innings.
One of those three setbacks came against the Royals on April 27, when Kluber was reached for six runs and 10 hits in 6 1/3 frames. Opponents are hitting .397 against Kluber in the three-game losing streak and .289 for the year after they posted a .233 average in 2014. The right-hander is 4-2 with a 3.11 ERA in his career against Kansas City but owns a 4.58 mark in six appearances at Kauffman Stadium. His run support has been limited, but the Indians had five extra-base hits and 13 overall in a 10-3 win Wednesday night and will look to win consecutive games for the first time since April 8-9 in Houston.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland), FSN Kansas City
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Corey Kluber (0-4, 4.62 ERA) vs. Royals RH Edinson Volquez (2-3, 2.10)
Despite his early struggles Kluber remained among the league leaders in strikeouts, but even that has vanished from his arsenal. Since fanning 10 batters against Detroit on April 11, he has seen his strikeout total drop in four straight outings, bottoming out at three in five rocky innings against Toronto on Saturday. That is Kluber's lowest total in a span of 11 appearances dating to last season, but he still maintains a run of 13 straight starts with two or fewer walks.
Volquez returned from a five-game suspension to pick up a tough loss against Detroit on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits in six innings. It marked the fourth time in five starts this year that he has let up two earned runs or fewer and the fourth time that he has kept the ball in the park. The 31-year-old has been reached for 15 runs in 10 1/3 innings over three career starts against Cleveland, the last coming in 2011.
WALK-OFFS
1. Royals 3B Mike Moustakas is 11-for-25 with five doubles and a homer against Kluber.
2. Indians 3B Lonnie Chisenhall has scored a run in five straight games and has an RBI in four of them.
3. Cleveland is 4-4 in series finales, compared to 6-12 in all other games.