KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Indians manager Terry Francona sat in the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium, moments after a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals, and knew only that Boston awaited his club in the postseason.

He didn’t know where the series would begin. That was still to be determined by games elsewhere, as was whether Cleveland would need to make up a rained out game in Detroit on Monday.

“Well,” Francona said with a grin and a shrug, “we’re either going to shower and go home or shower and go to Detroit. Either way, I’m showering.”

Suds up that loofah, Tito. You’re heading home.

The Tigers’ loss to the Braves coupled with Boston’s loss to the Blue Jays gave Cleveland (94-67) homefield advantage in the divisional round. The newly minted AL Central champions open against Boston (93-69) on Thursday at Progressive field with Trevor Bauer slated to take the hill.

“You get to the last weekend of the year, you see a lot of guys kind of tailing off,” said Francona, who has yet to win a postseason game in Cleveland. “Our guys never did that.”

Not even in their regular-season finale.

Josh Tomlin (13-9) dueled with the Royals’ Ian Kennedy (11-11) into the eighth before finally pulling ahead. Carlos Santana drew a walk off Kennedy to start the inning, Jason Kipnis followed with a double and Frnacisco Lindor hit a fly ball deep enough to right field for the lead.

Tomlin got the first batter in the eighth before Andrew Miller finished it up, and Cody Allen handled the ninth to earn his 32nd save and give the Indians a nice boost heading into the playoffs.

“I’ve never really experienced the postseason,” said Tomlin, the expected Game 3 starter,” so I know I’ll be ready when that time comes. We knew we put ourselves in good position.”

It was a frustrating finale to an injury plagued season for the Royals, who had been to the past two World Series and were coming off their first championship since 1985. A dismal July nearly buried them, an inspired August got them back into contention, and a stumbling finish left them at 81-81.

It was their first non-winning season in four years.

“We were just one win away from having a winning season. We had four cracks at it at the end of the year and just couldn’t get it,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Offensively, we just couldn’t do it.”

Meanwhile, there were so many playoff permutations riding on the final day of the regular season that Francona was still trying to sort everything out 3 hours before first pitch.

The only thing he knew was his club was playing Boston on Thursday — somewhere.

They fell into a 1-0 hole when Jarrod Dyson and Whit Merrifield opened the game with doubles off Tomlin, the expected Game 3 starter in the divisional series, but the lead didn’t even last the two innings.

The Indians answered in the third when Tyler Naquin was plunked by a pitch from Ian Kennedy, and Yan Gomes went deep to left field on the first big league pitch he’d seen since July 17.

Kansas City tied it up when Cheslor Cuthbert homered leading off the fifth inning, but the Indians were able to coax across one more run to once more beat a team they’ve dominated this season.

“One mistake, I gave up a home run and it kind of cost me,” Kennedy said. “Overall, I was really happy how the outing went. At least, I gave our team a real solid chance.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: Gomes, activated from the 60-day DL on Friday, started for the first time since breaking his right hand in a rehab game Sept. 14. “It’s been a long way back,” Gomes said. “They said I can’t hurt it any more. You’ll just have to play through it, play through the pain.”

Royals: 1B Eric Hosmer missed the finale with a wrist issue he’s been battling for weeks. C Sal Perez was the DH to protect an ailing hamstring. … RHP Dillon Gee is scheduled to have another procedure Oct. 11 for blood clots in his shoulder and lung. The issue popped up during a start in Detroit.

UP NEXT

Indians: The chase begins for their first playoff victory since 2007, when they lost to the Red Sox — managed by Francona — in a seven-game AL championship series.

Royals: Time to think about next season. General manager Dayton Moore has some roster decisions to make, including whether to exercise team options on SS Alcides Escobar and RHP Wade Davis.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Trevor Bauer was already in a foul mood when he learned he would start the Cleveland Indians’ first game of the AL Division Series on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox.

After giving up two runs and three hits in the sixth inning of the Indians’ 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, Bauer was told by manager Terry Francona in the dugout he would start the postseason opener.

“I told him why I was taking him out — because he was going to start Game 1,” Francona said. “But he was kind of in the middle of beating up the dugout. So much for that feel-good moment.”

Bauer threw 96 pitches, tuning up for the postseason by striking out nine over six innings of three-run ball.

“I have a lot of confidence in my teammates and hopefully they have confidence in me,” Bauer said. “It should be fun. Like I said before, they tell me when to pitch and I go out there and pitch. Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, or whatever, they’re all important.”

Cy Young Award candidate Corey Kluber will pitch Game 2 on Friday after throwing a bullpen session Sunday. Kluber has not pitched since leaving a start Monday with a quadriceps injury.

“He’ll throw an extended side on Tuesday, which will line him up for Friday,” Francona said. “Klub really wanted to pitch Thursday. We’ve been talking about it for three or four days, but I just kind of overruled him.

“In fact, I know it’s the right thing for everybody. I don’t think it’s fair for Kluber to have him sit for 10 days and have him pitch two games in four days (possibly in the postseason). He certainly wanted to. I kind of — again not just me — but talking to everybody — I just took it out of his hands. Now he can prepare for Game 2. He can do that without the anxiety and worry or rushing.”

Francisco Lindor hit a two-out two-run double during an eighth-inning rally, helping the Indians beat Kansas City.

All three Indians runs in the eighth were unearned after second baseman Whit Merrifield’s error on pinch-hitter Abraham Almonte’s grounder, which allowed Rajai Davis to score with one out.

Royals rookie left-hander Matt Strahm (2-2) issued Davis a leadoff walk and Davis stole second, his AL-leading 43rd steal.

“Walks killed us,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Four runs scored off of walks. That got us a little bit.”

Kevin McCarthy replaced Strahm and walked the bases loaded before Lindor’s double over third base.

Mike Clevinger (3-3) won for the AL Central champs by retiring the only two batters he faced. Cody Allen worked the ninth for his 31st save in 34 opportunities.

Tyler Naquin singled home Coco Crisp in the second for the Indians’ first run. Lonnie Chisenhall tripled in the third and scored on Edinson Volquez’s wild pitch. Chisenhall’s sacrifice fly in the fifth scored Lindor, putting the Indians up 3-1.

Bauer yielded two runs in the sixth on successive doubles by Kendrys Morales and Paulo Orlando to lead off and Alcides Escobar’s RBI single. Merrifield’s two-out single in the third scored Drew Butera for the first run off Bauer.

Volquez finished the season winless in his final seven starts. He was charged with three runs, five hits, four walks and a hit batter over five innings. It could have been Volquez’s final Royals start as he is eligible for free agency after the season.

“I hope not,” Volquez said. “You have to wait until the World Series and see what happens.”

UNSUAL BACK-TO-BACK

Carlos Santana doubled and tripled in back-to-back games. The last Indian to accomplish that was Ordell Hale on July 19 and 21, 1936. Santana has tripled in consecutive games for the first time since Sept. 15-16, 2012 against Detroit.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: RHP Danny Salazar could throw a simulated game Monday. He has been idle since Sept. 9 with a forearm strain.

Royals: All-Star C Salvador Perez was not in the lineup for the third straight game because of a sore knee and hamstring strain. … RHP Dillon Gee, who was treated for two blood clots after pitching Sept. 25, tweeted, “Got the blood clot out of my vein. Another step done, on to the next one!!”

UP NEXT

Indians: RHP Josh Tomlin will start the season finale on six days of rest.

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy has failed to complete six innings in four of his past seven starts.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ryan Merritt had a notable first start in the majors.

Merritt retired the final 13 batters he faced in five strong innings, Francisco Lindor hit a three-run homer, and the Cleveland Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-2 Friday night.

Merritt (1-0) gave up a run and three hits in the first, but nothing after that. Merritt, who had made three relief appearances this season and was promoted Sept. 11 from Triple-A Columbus, threw 62 pitches, striking out four and walking none.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous,” Merritt said. “I was definitely nervous.”

After three of the first four Royals singled, Merritt got Paulo Orlando to ground into an inning double play on a cutter, which he said “absolutely” was his biggest pitch of the game.

“That got me through the first inning,” Merritt said.

After that the Royals did not touch him.

“He doesn’t seem to get flustered,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “That was impressive. I was really thrilled. I think everybody was excited for him. The first couple of hitters hit the ball hard, but he didn’t back off.”

Lindor, who snapped an 0-for-29 drought with a double in a four-run third, homered off the left-field foul pole with pinch runner Michael Martinez and Carlos Santana aboard in the seventh.

“To be honest, I thought about it a lot,” Lindor said of his skid. “There were a lot of times, I was going, `like wow, I wonder how long before I get a hit?’ ”

Santana, who had three hits, tripled in two runs in the fourth and scored on Jason Kipnis’ sacrifice fly. Jose Ramirez singled with two outs to score Lindor.

Yordano Ventura (11-12) gave up four runs and six hits with three walks while striking out eight in six innings.

“I lost concentration and just started throwing fastballs,” Ventura said in through an interpreter in the four-run third. “After that I got back to my game and mixed it up.”

Eric Hosmer singled in a run in the first, upping his RBI total to a career-high 104. The Royals, who had three singles in the first, did not have another base runner until Hunter Dozier singled with one out in the eighth. He scored on Drew Butera’s triple.

“We had three hits in the first third of an inning,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “I’m thinking, `OK, we’re going to get him’ and you look up on the board and we don’t get another hit until the eighth inning.”

GOMES ACTIVATED

Indians C Yan Gomes, who suffered a right shoulder separation in July and a fractured wrist on Sept. 14 when rehabbing in the minors, was activated from the 60-day disabled list. Gomes entered in the seventh as a defensive replacement.

TRAINERS ROOM

Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (broken little finger on his pitching hand) was put on the 60-day DL to make roster space for Gomes. … RHP Corey Kluber (strained quadriceps) threw in the outfield before the game, but there is no timetable when he will throw off the mound again. … RHP Danny Santana (forearm tightness) could throw a simulated game Monday.

Royals: DH Kendrys Morales had only two at-bats Thursday before leaving with a fever and feeling sick, but returned to the lineup Friday.

UP NEXT

Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer, who will likely start the postseason opener Thursday, will make his final regular season start.

Royals: RHP Edinson Volquez, who had a 7.77 ERA in five September starts, makes his sixth start of the season against Cleveland.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Byron Buxton tripled, doubled, drove in two runs and scored twice as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-6 on Thursday night.

After Salvador Perez’s pinch-hit RBI single with two outs in the ninth pulled the Royals within a run, Terrance Gore ran for him. With Paulo Orlando, who had four hits to match his career high, hitting, Brandon Kintzler picked Gore off first base.

Gore was initially called safe, but after a 1 minute, 15 second review, the call was reversed to end the game.

Buxton’s one-out double triggered a three-run ninth off Kelvin Herrera (2-6). Robbie Grossman, Miguel Sano and Max Kepler contributed run-scoring singles in the ninth.

The Twins won for the first time in 10 games this season at Kauffman Stadium.

Michael Tonkin (3-2) was the winner, while Kintzler logged his 16th save in 19 opportunities.

Royals left-hander Danny Duffy was pulled with one out in the seventh, allowing four runs and eight hits, including a solo homer to Kennys Vargas in the sixth.

The Twins’ three-run seventh included a two-run triple by Buxton, who scored on Jorge Polanco’s single.

Twins starter Kyle Gibson failed to hold the two-run lead through the bottom of the inning. Jarrod Dyson tripled home Drew Butera and scored on Whit Merrifield’s single to tie the score.

Orlando had two doubles, while Butera had three hits, equaling his career best, including a single to lead off the ninth.

DOZIER SITS

Twins 2B Brian Dozier, who is 1 for 30 after hitting his 42nd home run in his first at-bat on Sept. 22, did not start for the first time since May 24. “When you get tired you start trying to muscle the ball and he’s been a little more impatient the last couple of days,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “We’re down to 12 at-bats if he plays the next three games, roughly. Give up three to try to make the last 12 really good.” … Eduardo Escobar made his first start of the season at second base. He started four games there last season.

ONE MORE VICTORY

The Royals need one victory in their final three games to have a winning record for the fourth consecutive year. The last time the Royals accomplished that was 1975-1980, six straight winning seasons.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: 1B Joe Mauer, who is hitless in his past 15 at-bats, missed the three games against the Royals with a quad injury.

Royals: RHP Kris Medlen, who is on the 60-day DL with rotator cuff inflammation, said he is shut down until November when he will begin a throwing program. “Beyond frustrating,” Medlen described his season. He was 1/3 with a 7.77 ERA in six starts.

UP NEXT

Twins: RHP Tyler Duffey has allowed 198 base runners (161 hits), 31 walks and six hit batters in 131 innings. He will make his final start Friday at the White Sox, who will counter with LHP Carlos Rodon.

Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura is 0-1 with 5.40 ERA in two starts this season against the Indians. Cleveland LHP Ryan Merritt will make his first big league start.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The World Series champions have failed to make the postseason for the fourth year in a row.

Kendrys Morales and Alex Gordon keyed an eighth-inning rally and Kansas City beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Wednesday night, but the Royals were still knocked out of playoff contention.

The defending World Series champs were eliminated when Baltimore beat Toronto 3-2 earlier Wednesday.

“Obviously we’d like to be playing a lot more baseball, but the reality of it is we’re not,” said Eric Hosmer, who hit a two-run homer in the third.

Morales’ ground-rule double to right scored Jarrod Dyson, who had doubled and stole third. Gordon’s single scored Whit Merrifield and pinch-runner Billy Burns.

Dyson said he would not be watching postseason games.

“It’s kind of sad and tough to watch postseason when you’re not in it,” Dyson said.

The Twins, who have lost 10 of 11, have dropped 102 games, matching a club record for defeats. The 1982 Twins also lost 102.

“We’re trying to win games, but it’s becoming difficult,” Twins right-hander Ervin Santana said. “But, I think we just try to do too much and we forgot about the little things. It’s a game. You just have to prepare to be better for the next year.”

Taylor Rogers (3-1), the fourth of five Twins pitchers, took the loss after allowing three runs, three hits and two walks while retiring only one of the six batters he faced.

Joakim Soria (5-8) worked a scoreless eighth to pick up the victory. Wade Davis got his 27th save in 30 chances.

Royals left-hander Jason Vargas tossed five shutout innings, allowing four hits, striking out six and walking one. He threw 53 strikes in 87 pitches, leaving with a 2-0 lead in his third start since having Tommy John surgery in 2015. Vargas finishes with a 2.25 ERA, allowing three runs and eight hits while striking out 11 and walking three in 12 innings.

“It was nice to have a reward as far as having some success once I was able to step underneath the lights and really get out there for real,” Vargas said. “Going into the offseason, I was just hoping for health as far as being able to have the normal offseason. So to have a nice outing like this before is a nice comfortable feeling.”

Rookie Kevin McCarthy, however, did not hold the lead for long. McCarthy yielded a two-run two-out home run to Kennys Vargas in the sixth. After McCarthy walked the next two batters, Peter Moylan was summoned to face John Ryan Murphy, retiring him on a comebacker.

The Vargas homer snapped a Twins’ streak of 106 innings without more than one run. According to Elias, it is the longest such streak in the majors since the Philadelphia Phillies went 109 innings in 1942 without scoring multiple runs.

“We just kind of stagnated from there,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said.

Hosmer hit a two-run homer, his 25th, off Santana in the third. The Royals did not get another hit until Dyson’s one-out double in the eighth.

ATTENDANCE DECLINE

The Wednesday attendance of 23,437 pushed the Royals’ season total to 2,445,361 after 77 home dates. After 77 Kauffman Stadium dates last year, the Royals had pulled 2,564,750 through the turnstiles, a decline of 119,389.

ZERO AT KC

The Twins dropped to 0-9 at Kauffman Stadium. They have never finished a season winless at Kansas City.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: 1B Joe Mauer (hamstring injury) was not in the lineup, but Molitor said he was available to pinch hit.

Royals: OF Lorenzo Cain, who has played only one game in September because of left wrist inflammation, will not play again this season. “There is no need to push him,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

UP NEXT

Twins: RHP Kyle Gibson, who went to the University of Missouri, will make his 11th career start against the Royals.

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in three outings against the Twins this season.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Billy Burns’ sacrifice fly scored Raul Mondesi in the 11th inning as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-3 Tuesday night, staving off postseason elimination.

The defending World Series champions are five games behind Baltimore for the second AL wild card with five to play. The Orioles lost 5-1 at Toronto on Tuesday night.

Mondesi drew a walk to lead off the inning, stole second and moved to third on Jarrod Dyson’s sacrifice bunt. Whit Merrifield and Eric Hosmer were walked intentionally to load the bases before Burns hit a fly ball to center field that was deep enough to get Mondesi home.

Rookie Brooks Pounders (2-1), the eighth Royals pitcher, picked up the victory, getting the final two outs of the 11th inning.

The Twins used nine pitchers, matching a club record for an extra-inning game. Left-hander Tommy Milone (3-5) was charged with the loss.

Twins rookie starter Jose Berrios was pulled after 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits. He has an 8.61 ERA in 13 starts.

Royals starter Ian Kennedy was removed after five innings and 106 pitches. He gave up three runs on five hits, while striking out five and walking three. He yielded a solo home run to Eduardo Escobar in a 10-pitch at-bat in the fourth inning.

Juan Centeno doubled home Escobar in the second inning for the first run. Max Kepler’s two-out fifth inning single scored Brian Dozier.

The Royals scored two in the fourth on Hosmer run-producing single, his 101st RBI, and Merrifield came home when Kendrys Morales grounded into a double play. Jarrod Dyson’s two-out single in the fifth scored Paulo Orlando to tie the score at 3.

Pinch runner Terrance Gore stole second and third, his 11th steal in 12 attempts, in the Kansas City eighth, but Merrifield bunted into an inning ending double play.

NEWMAN VISITS

NASCAR driver Ryan Newman, who is a friend of Royals manager Ned Yost, visited the team and was in uniform before the game.

SCHAFER BATS FIFTH

Twins LF Logan Schafer batted fifth for the first time this year and the seventh time in his career. He was 1-for-25 in his previous six starts as the No. 5 hitter. He went 1-for-4.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Dillon Gee has a blood clot in his lung and shoulder and won’t pitch again this year. Gee had shortness of breath after pitching 2 2/3 innings in relief Sunday at Detroit and was taken to the hospital when the blood clots were detected. He also had surgery in July 2012 while with the Mets for a blood clot in his shoulder.

Twins: 1B Joe Mauer, who is hitless in his past 15 at-bats, is still bothered by a sore quadriceps and not in the lineup.

UP NEXT

Twins: RHP Ervin Santana is 5-9 with a 4.65 ERA in 20 career starts against the Royals. This is his fifth start this season against the Royals.

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas will make his third start after rehabbing from 2015 reconstructive elbow surgery.

— Associated Press —

DETROIT (AP) — The Kansas City Royals began the game by hitting for the cycle as a team, then Whit Merrifield nearly did it by himself.

Merrifield hit a triple as part of Kansas City’s four-run first inning, and he later added a single and a double in a 12-9 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. The Royals hit four homers to drop the Tigers in the AL wild-card race — and avoided elimination themselves.

“I haven’t played in the playoffs, but that was as close to a playoff atmosphere as I’ve been a part of,” said Merrifield, a rookie who made his debut for the defending World Series champions in May. “(The Tigers are) fighting for a spot, and they’re going to give you your best shot, so you’re going to have to play all 27 outs.”

Kansas City started the game with a single by Billy Burns, a triple by Merrifield and a double by Kendrys Morales before Salvador Perez’s two-run homer made it 4-0. It was the first time the Royals’ first four hitters combined for a cycle since Sept. 30, 2006, also at Detroit.

Tigers starter Matt Boyd (6-5) lasted only one more hitter after Perez’s homer, giving up another hit before being pulled. The Tigers fell 1 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the second wild-card spot. The loss cut Cleveland’s magic number to clinch the AL Central to one — the Indians start a four-game series in Detroit on Monday night.

Boyd said he understood “100 percent” why he was taken out so quickly.

“I might have been able to work myself through it, but the margin of error is zero right now,” he said. “Every run is important right now and so is every game.”

The Royals led 7-0 after Cheslor Cuthbert and Raul Mondesi hit consecutive homers in the third.

Dillon Gee (8-9) got the win in relief, and Wade Davis pitched the ninth for his 26th save in 29 chances. Miguel Cabrera came up as the tying run but lined out to shallow left field to end it.

Plate umpire Dan Iassogna ejected Cameron Maybin from the Detroit dugout during that final at-bat.

Victor Martinez hit a grand slam for Detroit in the third to make it 7-4, and the Tigers loaded the bases again that inning, chasing starter Edinson Volquez in the process. But Andrew Romine’s bunt attempt with two outs was fielded easily by reliever Peter Moylan, and the force at home ended the inning.

Detroit tried several former starters in long relief — Anibal Sanchez, Shane Greene and Mike Pelfrey all pitched — in an attempt to keep the game close, but the Royals kept adding runs. Alex Gordon’s two-run homer in the sixth made it 11-5.

Kansas City let the Tigers creep back into it by the end. Justin Upton hit a solo homer in the seventh, and Detroit also scored two runs on wild pitches, the second of which made it 11-9 in the eighth.

The Royals held on, though, and there’s still a mathematical chance they can catch the Orioles.

Maybin had four hits for the Tigers.

VERSATILE

Merrifield played first base for the first time this season. He’s also played second, third, left field and right field.

“It’s always fun to switch up the angles for me, see the ball from a different perspective,” he said. “I got a couple balls. I didn’t get to pick one.”

MARATHONS

The 3-hour, 51-minute game was Detroit’s longest nine-inning contest of the season. The Tigers played 3:50 against the Royals on Saturday.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: RHP Jordan Zimmermann, who has been dropped from the rotation as he struggles to come back from neck problems, pitched for the first time since Sept. 10. He pitched the last three innings in relief, allowing one run and four hits.

UP NEXT

Royals: After an off day Monday, Kansas City starts RHP Ian Kennedy (11-10) against Minnesota RHP Jose Berrios (2-7) on Tuesday night.

Tigers: Detroit sends RHP Buck Farmer (0-0) to the mound Monday against Cleveland RHP Corey Kluber (18-9).

— Associated Press —

DETROIT (AP) — Michael Fulmer is one of the biggest reasons the Detroit Tigers are still in the mix for a postseason spot.

At the start of the team’s final homestand, the rookie right-hander came through with his sharpest performance in weeks.

Fulmer pitched seven strong innings for his first win in over a month and the Detroit Tigers homered three times in an 8-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night. Justin Upton, Victor Martinez and Cameron Maybin went deep for the Tigers, who won their fifth game in a row to remain in the lead in the race for the AL’s second wild card.

Detroit remained a half-game ahead of Baltimore, which beat Arizona in 12 innings.

“I think there’s a little bit of a sense of urgency now,” Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said. “This is our last homestand. This is the last chance at home to try and do something in the standings, and we’re playing against two teams … in Kansas City and Cleveland, we know very well. Maybe I was the only one that felt it, but I felt there was more energy.”

Fulmer (11-7) allowed a run and eight hits, striking out nine with no walks. It was the first victory since Aug. 14 for Fulmer, who emerged around midseason as a Rookie of the Year candidate but is now having to fight off a torrid challenge from Gary Sanchez of the New York Yankees.

Danny Duffy (12-3) allowed six runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out four.

The Tigers jumped ahead right away against Duffy. The Royals made two errors in the first inning, and Upton’s RBI double made it 2-0.

Martinez and Upton each hit solo shots in the third, and Maybin’s two-run homer in the fourth made it 6-0.

Upton has 27 homers on the season, including 14 in his last 29 games.

Kansas City has lost nine of its last 12.

DISPUTED CHALLENGE

Kansas City’s only run off Fulmer came after replay overturned the second out of an apparent double play, which would have ended the top of the sixth. Ausmus complained to the umpires, saying the Royals had waited too long before challenging.

“I said I wanted to protest, which, even going into it, when I said it, I knew instant replay wasn’t protestable,” Ausmus said.

After the review revived the rally, Paulo Orlando hit an RBI single.

ON THE BORDERLINE

Fulmer is the AL’s ERA leader at 2.95 — his 155 2/3 innings are enough to qualify at this point. He’ll need to throw 6 1/3 more to qualify for the title at the end of the season.

The Tigers have taken steps to limit his workload, and this latest start was a positive sign.

“I still feel good, so I guess it’s working,” Fulmer said. “Hopefully I’m able to still pitch beyond the regular season. That’s our goal as a team.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Kansas City C Salvador Perez sat out with what manager Ned Yost described as a very minor knee issue.

Tigers: 2B Ian Kinsler returned to the lineup from a concussion after missing three games. He had a single, a double, two walks and three runs. … SS Jose Iglesias left in the top of the seventh with a bruised right hand. X-rays were negative.

UP NEXT

Royals: Kansas City sends RHP Yordano Ventura (11-11) to the mound for Saturday’s game at Detroit. Ventura is coming off a complete game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday.

Tigers: Detroit starts LHP Daniel Norris (3-2) in the middle game of this series.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — Carlos Santana’s three-run homer pushed the Cleveland Indians to a 5-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night and nearer to their first AL Central championship since 2007.

Santana’s shot in the sixth inning off Dillon Gee (7-9) snapped a 2-2 tie as the Indians improved to 9-1 against the Royals this season.

Kansas City’s chances of making the postseason took another blow. The defending World Series champions began the night behind six teams in the wild-card chase.

Reliever Dan Otero (5-1) pitched two scoreless innings, Bryan Shaw worked one and Cody Allen pitched a perfect ninth for his 29th save.

Jason Kipnis homered for the Indians, who can wrap up a postseason berth this weekend against the Chicago White Sox.

Alcides Escobar hit a two-run homer for the Royals.

Santana, who hit an RBI double in the first, has been on a tear the past two days.

Gee hit Kipnis to start the sixth and Francisco Lindor walked. One out later, Santana drove his 34th homer into the right-field seats. After he crossed home plate, Santana pointed at NBA free agent swingman J.R. Smith, who helped the Cavaliers win the NBA title this year and end Cleveland’s 52-year championship drought.

Santana went 7 for 12 with five RBI in the Indians’ series sweep.

With Cleveland starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar dealing with injuries and likely out for the playoffs, Mike Clevinger could hold a pivotal role for the Indians in October. The rookie showed poise in working out of potential trouble as the Royals put the leadoff man on in three straight innings.

It was a solid postseason audition for Clevinger, who allowed four hits in five innings before giving way to Cleveland’s solid bullpen.

The Indians jumped on Jason Vargas for two runs in the first.

Kipnis made it 1-0 with his 23rd homer. Once he was back in the dugout, the second baseman was carried through a lineup of welcoming teammates by catcher Chris Gimenez and outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall, a celebratory ride that has become a staple this season.

Santana fouled a ball off his left foot and received a visit from manager Terry Francona and a trainer before ripping a two-out RBI double to center.

Escobar’s shot to center tied it 2-2 in the second. It was Escobar’s sixth homer in his last 149 at-bats, quite a power surge for the shortstop who had homered just once in his previous 600 at-bats.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: OF Lorenzo Cain (inflammation in left wrist) hasn’t played since Sept. 9 and could miss the rest of the season.

Indians: C Yan Gomes, who is a longshot to play in the postseason after breaking his right hand during a minor league rehab appearance, threw to the bases before batting practice. The workout wasn’t planned, but Gomes was feeling good after making significant progress in the past few days.

“In all fairness to Yan, he shouldn’t really have any chance to play,” Francona said. “I think that to be fair, if there’s a 1 percent chance, my guess is he’ll probably be the one.”

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Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (12-2) will match a career high by making his 25th start this season as Kansas City begins a three-game set in Detroit. With a win, Duffy will have the most wins by a Royals left-hander since Charlie Leibrandt won 13 in 1988.

Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer starts the series opener against the Chicago White Sox. He’s 3-2 with a 3.91 ERA in nine career starts against them.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber allowed two runs and struck out nine in 6 1/3 innings, and the Cleveland Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Wednesday night, eliminating the reigning World Series champions from the AL Central race.

The Indians, who led Detroit by seven games in the division going into Wednesday, reduced their magic number for clinching the Central to five.

Carlos Santana was 4 for 5 with an RBI single in the eighth. Jose Ramirez drove in the go-ahead run in the fifth with his third double of the game.

Kluber (18-9) matched his career high in wins and is 10-1 in his last 14 starts, strengthening his case to win his second AL Cy Young Award in three years.

Cody Allen allowed Salvador Perez’s leadoff homer in the ninth, but recorded his 28th save in 31 opportunities. Catcher Roberto Perez threw out pinch-runner Terrance Gore trying to steal second for the first out and Allen retired the final two batters.

Ian Kennedy (11-10) allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings and lost for the first time since July 25.

The Royals reached the World Series in each of the last two years and defeated the Mets in five games to win their first title since 1985 last season.

Kansas City was favored to repeat as division champions, but dealt with injuries to key players all season. Perez, the Royals’ All-Star catcher, third baseman Mike Moustakas, left fielder Alex Gordon, center fielder Lorenzo Cain and closer Wade Davis all missed significant time.

The Royals haven’t been in first place since June 15 after they swept a three-game series from the Indians that moved the teams into a tie. Kansas City is 42-45 since and has fallen to third place.

Lonnie Chisenhall’s RBI single put Cleveland ahead in the second. Run-scoring singles by Kendrys Morales and Perez gave Kansas City the lead in the third when the Royals strung together four straight two-out hits.

Santana doubled to start the fifth and scored the tying run on Jason Kipnis’ double. Ramirez’s double to center broke the tie.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (broken right hand) has been fitted with a soft cast. He was struck by Ian Kinsler’s line drive Saturday.

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Royals: LHP Jason Vargas returned from Tommy John surgery and pitched three innings Saturday against the White Sox — his first appearance since July 21, 2015 — allowing one run.

Indians: RHP Mike Clevinger, who will be in the rotation down the stretch, starts the series finale. The rookie is 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA in seven games, including four starts, at Progressive Field.

— Associated Press —