Bruce Chen leads Royals over Tribe

Photo by: Ed Zurga

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Kansas City Royals second baseman Chris Getz (17) leaps past Cleveland Indians' Michael Brantley as he throws to first to complete a double play in the third inning during a baseball game, Tuesday, April 19, 2011, in Kansas City, Mo. Asdrubal Cabrera was out at first on the play.

By Sheldon Ocker

Akron Beacon Journal

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

Why would it be easy? A four-game series that pits No. 1 against No. 2 should be knock-down, drag out.

Unfortunately for the first-place Indians, they were the team that got knocked down and dragged out Tuesday night, as the second-place Kansas City Royals earned a 5-4 decision to even the series at one game apiece.

However, in the last three innings, the Indians picked themselves up and almost turned the tables and had a chance to win in the ninth.

Joakim Soria has spelled certain death to most teams as the Royals’ closer, but he has proven to be vulnerable early this season, and he was again Tuesday night.

Summoned to protect a two-run led in the ninth, he loaded the bases with two outs on an error, a single and a hit batter, then he walked Shin-Soo Choo to force home a run before Soria retired the side by striking out Carlos Santana.

Santana looked at three pitches, never taking his bat off his shoulder.

“They were very good pitches, back-door cutters,” said Santana, who had never faced Soria. “Next time I’ll know what he does. Tomorrow is a new day. I have to be positive.”

The Royals might have lost the game if not for a diving, sprawling catch in left field by Alex Gordon of pinch hitter Grady Sizemore’s sinking line drive with one on and one out.

“Gordon’s play saved the game,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “That was the key for them.”

The Indians were virtually helpless against the assortment of breaking balls, low velocity pitches thrown at different arm angles by Bruce Chen, whose fastball can best be described as off-speed. But give the guy credit, he came into the game with a 2-0 record and 2.37 ERA, and he validated those numbers with his performance.

For six innings, the Indians amassed three singles and drew three walks off Chen. To say that they had no legitimate scoring opportunities would be an understatement.

“It took us too long to get to Bruce Chen,” Acta said. “He did a good job of changing speeds and changing arm angles.”

But in the seventh, something happened to undermine Chen. Maybe it was fatigue, maybe it was the fact he was facing hitters for the third and fourth time. Whatever the reason, the Indians awakened.

Orlando Cabrera singled with one out and stopped at second on Austin Kearns’ single. Lou Marson’s double brought both runners to the plate, and it looked like another run would score on Michael Brantley’s two-out single.

However, Gordon was playing an extremely shallow left field and threw out Marson at the plate to end the inning.

The Indians made it a little closer in the eighth against Blake Wood, as Choo singled with one out, stole second and scored on Santana’s single.

The game featured the 2011 debut of Jeanmar Gomez, who has been inserted into the rotation while Mitch Talbot is on the disabled list with a strained right elbow. Talbot isn’t expected to go on a rehab assignment for four weeks, much less be activated.

So Gomez has an extended period to assert himself in the consciousness of Acta and general manager Chris Antonetti, who happens to be on the trip.

Of course, there are different ways of gaining attention, and Gomez picked the wrong one Tuesday night. Retiring the side in order only once, Gomez flirted with disaster much of the time and lasted only 41/3 innings.

“I worked in the bullpen to keep the ball down, but in the game I got some pitches up, and that cost me a couple of runs,” he said.