Royals back in their comfort zone, beat Indians 2-1

Even as the Royals were building toward championships over the past few seasons did they win at home like this.

The Royals’ 2-1 triumph over the Indians on Monday before 31,269 at Kauffman Stadium kept their good going on home soil. That’s 20 victories in 27 games, a .741 clip.

The Royals won 63 percent of their regular season home games during the 2015 World Series title season.

This year’s success at home amplifies the failure on the road, where the Royals have lost a baseball-most 23.

“We’re really comfortable playing here,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the difference is. We just have to start playing better on the road.

The home mojo smiled directly on Monday’s standouts Edinson Volquez and Whit Merrifield from the game’s outset.

The Indians had been especially unkind to Volquez. He arrived at the ballpark lugging a 2-6 career record and 8.12 ERA against the Indians. As a Royal, he was 1-4.

Monday looked like another long night against his nemesis. Of Volquez’s first 10 pitches, nine missed the strike zone.

Volquez followed the two walks with two pop outs, but then he walked a third before coaxing a ground out. Still, a 28-pitch first inning didn’t bode well.

But Volquez turned it around and was masterful through the rest of his appearance. Over seven innings he yielded two hits. He wound up throwing 95 pitches, 67 over his final six innings.

Kelvin Herrera was greeted with a Jason Kipnis home run to start the eighth and followed by walking Francisco Lindor. A double play ended the inning, and another one gave Wade Davis a boost in the ninth after Lonnie Chisenhall opened with a hit. But Yan Gomes hit into the Indians’ third double play of the game.

Merrifield entered his 22 nd major league game without a triple or home run. He collected both in his first three plate appearances.

Merrifield had been productive in his first big league month, beyond expectation. He’s worked his way into the lineup, sometimes left field other times, as was the case Monday, second base. And he’s hitting, carrying a .322 average into the game.

There had been some pop, with nine doubles. By the fourth inning Monday, he was half way to the cycle the hard way.

Merrifield’s home run came on a 0-2 pitch from Carlos Carrasco and cleared the Royals’ bullpen in left field, a shot measured at 402 feet. This from a player who hit 35 minor league home runs in six seasons.

In the first, Merrifield’s liner to right field to wasn’t routine but Chisenhall in right field made a catch impossible by taking the wrong route. The ball flew over his outstretched arms and to the wall. Merrifield slid head first into third with a triple.

When Alcides Escobar dropped a bloop single to right, the Royals had opened the scoring.

The teams entered the series with the Indians holding three-game lead in the AL Central over the Royals and Tigers, and Cleveland’s success over the Royals this season accounts for the margin and then some.

The Indians had won six of the first seven meetings.

The sweep of the Royals in Cleveland earlier this month stated a spiral that pushed the Royals out of the division lead and began an eight-game losing streak.

But Monday’s victory, the Royals’ third straight, opened a seven-game homestand with the Tigers arriving for four starting Thursday. They were back in their comfort zone.

This story was originally published June 13, 2016 at 10:31 PM with the headline "Royals back in their comfort zone, beat Indians 2-1."