Duffy takes the hill as Royals look to complete sweep of Indians

CLEVELAND -- The slumping Cleveland Indians on Sunday will attempt to avoid being swept by the Kansas City Royals in a three-game series at Progressive Field for the first time in 14 years.

All of a sudden, playing at home is not necessarily an advantage for the Indians. Cleveland is 8-13 at Progressive Field this year. That's the worst home record in the American League and the third-worst home record in the majors.

"It's frustrating," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "And when frustration gets in the way of how you perform, that's not good. We need to go out and play baseball every day like we love the game, regardless of what happened the day before. We need to do a better job of that."

The Indians have lost three games in a row, all at home.

On Sunday, the Royals have a chance to sweep three games from the Indians in Cleveland for the first time since June 2003.

The pitching matchup Sunday will be Kansas City left-hander Danny Duffy (4-3, 2.92 ERA) against Cleveland right-hander Josh Tomlin (2-6, 6.70).

Duffy last faced the Indians on May 7, when he was the losing pitcher in a 1-0 loss to Cleveland. In that game, Duffy pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up one run and six hits with two strikeouts and two walks. In 13 career appearances against the Indians, Duffy is 2-4 with a 3.51 ERA.

 

Duffy has been very good recently, going 2-1 with a 1.63 ERA over his last four starts.

Tomlin last faced the Royals on May 6, when he got no decision in a 3-1 Indians victory. In that game, Tomlin pitched seven innings, giving up one run and three hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

In 22 career appearances against the Royals, 18 of them starts, Tomlin is 9-4 with a 4.15 ERA.

In his last three starts this season, Tomlin is 0-3 with a 5.94 ERA. Opposing teams have hit .319 against him in those games. However, in those three starts, Tomlin has struck out 16 and walked just one in 16 2/3 innings.

Indians rookie center fielder Bradley Zimmer should be back in the starting lineup Sunday. Zimmer, a left-handed batter, was not in the starting lineup Saturday against veteran left-hander Jason Vargas, who started for the Royals.

In the first two games of the series, Cleveland's vaunted bullpen has been outmatched by Kansas City's relief corps. In winning the first two games, Royals relievers have combined to pitch 7 1/3 scoreless innings with four hits, 10 strikeouts and three walks.

In the Royals' win Saturday, reliever Peter Moylan came into the game in the seventh inning with the Royals leading 4-2. The Indians had the bases loaded with one out and Edwin Encarnacion, who led the American League in RBIs last year, at the plate.

Moylan got Encarnacion to ground into an inning-ending double play.

"I just tried to get ahead in the count, make him chase, and focus on getting him to hit a ground ball," Moylan said.

"Our 'pen has been outstanding. They have done a great job," Royals manager Ned Yost said.