Ben Broussard hit a three-run homer to help Kyle Denney earn his first major league win, and the Cleveland Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals 8-3 yesterday.
Broussard’s 14th homer capped a five-run third inning off Denny Bautista (0-3) as Cleveland averted a three-game sweep and won for just the fifth time in 16 games.
Kansas City has not swept a team for 57 consecutive series — since taking three straight from Texas on Aug. 26-28, 2003.
Denney (1-1) gave up one run and six hits in five innings to rebound from a poor major league debut. The right-hander, 10-5 with a 4.41 ERA at Triple-A Buffalo, gave up eight runs and 10 hits in 3 1-3 innings Tuesday against Detroit. A 26th-round draft pick out of Oklahoma University in 1999, he struck out six, walked one and lowered his ERA from 21.60 to 9.72.
Bautista gave up six runs and eight hits over four-plus innings and is winless with a 12.23 ERA in five starts, including two with Baltimore before being dealt to the Royals for reliever Jason Grimsley on June 21.
Matt Stairs opened the second with his 16th homer, hitting a 3-2 pitch into a strong wind and over the wall in right-center.
A good relay throw from second baseman Brandon Phillips later in the inning prevented a run. John Buck hit a two-out single and tried to score on a double into the right-field corner by Ruben Gotay. Phillips took the throw from right fielder Matt Lawton, turned and made a strong throw to catcher Josh Bard, who blocked the plate and made the tag.
Cleveland went ahead 5-1 in the third on RBI singles by Omar Vizquel and Travis Hafner followed by Broussard’s homer. Gotay’s throwing error allowed a run to score in the fifth, and Lawton hit a run-scoring double off Chris George in the sixth to make it 7-1.
Broussard tripled off Matt Kinney in the seventh and scored on a single by rookie Grady Sizemore.
Alexis Gomez had a two-run double off Bob Wickman in the ninth.
Notes: Royals 1B-DH Ken Harvey, hitting .383 vs. Cleveland this season, did not play because of a strained right knee strain. … Vizquel’s single in the third stopped an 0-for-19 slide.
