Butler, Royals overcome Indians for 5th win in row
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Billy Butler homered for the second straight game and the Kansas City Royals overcame a five-run deficit to beat Cleveland 7-5 Saturday night for their fifth straight win.
A day after his pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth inning beat Cleveland, Butler connected for a tiebreaking shot in the fifth. It was 5-all when he tagged Nick Hagadone for a drive over the Royals' bullpen in left field.
Carlos Santana hit his third homer in two games for Cleveland, which has lost six of seven.
Jeremy Guthrie (6-9) won despite giving up five runs on 10 hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. Greg Holland, the fourth Kansas City reliever, got his 27th save in 29 chances.
Zach McAllister (3-6) couldn't hold a 5-0 lead. He gave up a single to Salvador Perez to start the fifth and was replaced by Hagadone.
Guthrie had lost his previous three starts. He has an 8.44 ERA in three starts this season against the Indians.
The Indians scored five times in the second. Santana led off with a home run and Jason Kipnis broke an 0-for-11 rut with a two-run double.
Santana is 12 for 25 with six RBIs in his last six games.
McAllister, just brought up from Triple-A Columbus after going 5-0 with a 2.23 ERA, faced 22 batters and 10 reached base. After starting the season 3-0, he is 0-6 in nine starts.
Omar Infante had an RBI grounder in the third and the Royals tied it with four more in fourth. Nori Aoki hit a two-run triple with two outs and scored on a passed ball to tie it.
NOTES: 3B Lonnie Chisenhall was scratched from the Indians' lineup because of an illness. ... Indians SS Asdrubal Cabrera has not played since Monday because of back spasms. ... Aoki batted first for the Royals after hitting in the bottom third of the order for seven games since activated July 11 from the disabled list. He opened the season batting leadoff. ... The Indians optioned RHP Josh Tomlin, who was 5-7 with a 4.47 ERA, to Triple-A Columbus. ... Royals LHP Bruce Chen will make his seventh start Sunday and his third since coming off the disabled list June 24.