Choo gets key hit as Cleveland Indians rally to beat Kansas City Royals 7-3

Choo helps Indians rally past Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Shin-Soo Choo hit a tiebreaking RBI single in Cleveland’s five-run eighth inning and the Indians rallied to beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3 on Thursday night.

Asdrubal Cabrera had two hits and drove in two runs for the Indians, who committed a season-high five errors and had a runner thrown out at every base. Matt LaPorta and Jayson Nix also had two hits apiece.

Rafael Perez (4-0), the fourth of five Indians pitchers, pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings and Chris Perez got four outs for his 15th save in 19 opportunities.

Alex Gordon had three hits and Wilson Betemit drove in two runs for Kansas City, which had won three straight. Kyle Davies allowed three runs and seven hits in 7 1-3 innings.

Betemit hit a two-out, two-run single in the fifth inning to give Kansas City a 3-0 lead. The Royals had a chance at a bigger inning, with four singles, a walk and an Indians error, but Mitch Maier struck out to leave the bases loaded.

Cleveland had seven singles and a walk in the eighth, sending 11 men to the plate. LaPorta and pinch-hitter Shelly Duncan had RBI singles. Cabrera drove in a run with a sacrifice fly before Choo’s clutch hit, and Travis Hafner capped the big inning with a run-scoring infield hit.

Blake Wood (1-3), who replaced Davies, recorded just one out and was charged with two runs and two hits.

Cabrera also had an RBI double in Cleveland’s two-run ninth.

The Indians’ shoddy defense hurt them in the fourth when first baseman LaPorta’s throwing error allowed Billy Butler to score. LaPorta fielded Maier’s grounder with the bases loaded and threw wildly to home.

Cleveland center fielder Michael Brantley left with an apparent left ankle injury after grounding out in the ninth. Maier departed after seven innings with a stiff neck and was replaced by Jai Miller, who made his Royals debut.

Rookie right-hander Mitch Talbot allowed three runs, two earned, and eight hits in 4 2-3 innings for Cleveland. Talbot is winless in seven starts since a June 27 victory at Cincinnati.

NOTES: Indians manager Manny Acta addressed his slumping team during a pregame meeting. “We’re a young team, but I have the right to tell them that I’m not happy with the way we’re playing the last 12 days,” Acta said. “We wanted them to know we’re not going to be rebuilding forever. These guys are not September callups. These guys have a legit chance to be a long-term part of this club. It’s about making progress. That’s the reason for the meeting.” … Royals RHP Gil Meche reports Saturday to Triple-A for a minor league rehab assignment as a reliever. Meche is on the 60-day disabled list with a shoulder injury. … Royals manager Ned Yost celebrated his 56th birthday. The Royals are 40-46 since he replaced Trey Hillman, who was fired May 13. … The announced attendance of 9,732 was the smallest Kauffman Stadium crowd of the year.