KANSAS CITY — Grady Sizemore and Victor Martinez homered, and Aaron Laffey won in his third big league start as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals 9-4 Saturday night.
The Indians batted around in a five-run first against Kyle Davies before Sizemore led off the second with his 22nd home run. Martinez, who also had three hits, delivered his 19th home run with two outs to make it 7-0.
The Indians, who began the day leading the Detroit Tigers by 1 1/2 games in the AL Central, had been struggling offensively, scoring three runs or less in 18 of their previous 29 games while hitting just .238.
Laffey, just recalled from Triple-A Buffalo, was the benefactor of the Indians’ offensive splurge. Laffey (2-1) held the Royals to two runs and eight hits, all singles, to win his second straight start. He beat the Chicago White Sox 7-5 on Aug. 9.
Davies (1-2) got roughed up again in his fifth start since the Royals acquired him in a July 31 trade with Atlanta, lasting just two innings. Davies gave up seven runs and eight hits with a walk. He has a 7.48 ERA since joining the Royals.
Sizemore led off the game with a double and scored on Asdrubal Cabrera’s single. Martinez doubled home Travis Hafner, who had walked, and Jhonny Peralta’s single scored Martinez. After Kenny Lofton singled, his career 2,400th career hit, Franklin Gutierrez had a two-run double.
Lofton doubled in the fifth and scored on Casey Blake’s single. It was Lofton’s sixth multihit game in 24 games since being traded on July 27 to the Indians.
Esteban German and Mark Grudzielanek, who extended his hitting streak to eight games, had RBI singles in the fifth for the Royals’ only runs.
Emil Brown went 4-for-4, his second career four-hit game.
Right-hander Billy Buckner, who replaced Davies, made his major league debut and held the Indians to one run and seven hits over five innings, while walking one and striking out one.
David DeJesus added a two-run double in the ninth.