Blake, Indians slam Kansas City

C.C. Sabathia was the recipient of the Tribe’s 15 runs for his first win of the season.

GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Indians on Tuesday looked like a married couple that had just kissed and made up. As they strolled down the street with wide smiles on their faces, no one would guess anything had ever been amiss.

C.C. Sabathia returned to his Cy Young form of a year ago and Casey Blake led a 17-hit barrage with a grand slam and six RBIs as Cleveland bashed Kansas City, 15-1, at Kauffman Stadium.

The Indians had dropped eight of their last 11 to fall within a half-game of last place in the Central Division. Sabathia (1-3) had a 13.50 ERA and the .235 team batting average was dead last in the American League.

A revival took place Tuesday, however, at the expense of the equally struggling Royals. Kansas City has lost five in a row and nine of 12.

There were encouraging signs all around, but Sabathia’s performance was perhaps most meaningful.

He worked six shutout innings, striking out 11 and walking two. The big left-hander had walked 14 batters in 18 innings during his previous four starts.

Only one Kansas City batter reached scoring position during the first five innings. Hits by Mark Grudzielanek and Billy Butler put runners at the corners with two out in the first inning. Sabathia threw five consecutive fastballs to Jose Guillen, then struck him out with a slider.

Butler walked and went to second on a balk in the sixth. Sabathia then finished off his workshift with another strikeout of Guillen.

Sabathia has fanned 1,167 in his career, passing Mel Harder (1,161) to move into sixth place on the club’s all-time list.

Cleveland’s previously anemic offense seemed to find new life against Gil Meche (1-3), pounding the veteran Royals right-hander for eight runs and nine hits in 31‚Ñ3 innings.

The Indians led, 3-0, in the fourth when they erased any doubt as to the final outcome. Singles by Jhonny Peralta and Asdrubal Cabrera were followed by a bunt hit from Franklin Gutierrez that loaded the bases.

Blake watched Meche miss twice, then unloaded. His screaming line-drive curved along the left-field line, but stayed fair and rocketed over the fence inside the left-field foul pole. The grand slam widened the gap to 7-0.

Blake is 11-for-23 (.478) against Meche in his career.

Two batters later, David Dellucci clobbered a 402-foot home run to right and Meche was sent to the showers.

Blake, who was 4-for-4, threatened to hit for the cycle. He singled before his home run and doubled after it. He came to the plate in the seventh and sent a long drive that rattled around the left-field corner, but Blake hesitated rounding first and had to stop at second.

Gutierrez had two doubles among three hits, including a three-run double in the eighth.