KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Triston McKenzie bounced back from a rugged start to pitch one-hit ball into the sixth inning and the Cleveland Indians completed a four-game sweep by blanking the Kansas City Royals 4-0.
It was the fifth straight loss for the Royals, who came into the series with the best record in baseball.
"Did you think it was going to be peaches and roses all year?" asked Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield. "You find out a lot about a team and about the men in there when you get punched in the mouth. And we got punched in the mouth."
Cleveland went 6-1 on its road trip and has won nine of 11.
"We've got a lot of baseball to go this season," said Royals Manager Mike Matheny. "And it's not going to be the last, tough run. Just how quick can we rebound? We need some guys to be able to help us take that next step."
Franmil Reyes launched his eighth home run as he continued to hit well at Kauffman Stadium. He is batting .538 with two homers, six doubles and six RBIs in seven career games at the park.
Danny Duffy took the loss.
"Keep reaching for another gear," said Duffy. "I feel like it's in there. Just got to nip it in the bud and stop this losing streak tomorrow."
The Royals begin a series with the White Sox on Friday.
