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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Cleveland Indians' only route left
to the playoffs is through the wild card this season.
|  | | David Segui can't bear to watch as the Indians are shut out on Sunday, putting them a game back in the AL wild-card race. |
Cleveland's run as AL Central champions ended Sunday, as Blake
Stein pitched seven scoreless innings to lead the Kansas City
Royals to an 9-0 win.
"It doesn't matter if you win the division," Cleveland's Jim
Thome said. "It's getting in and winning the whole thing that's
important. We're not worrying about the division, we're worrying
about getting in."
Cleveland, the only team to win the AL Central before Chicago
this season, trails by one game in the wild card race.
"We really haven't thought about winning the division for the
last two weeks. We've been trying to get in as a wild card," Thome
said. "That's been where we've been the whole time. Chicago has
played well and they deserved it."
The Indians headed home to play a unique day-night doubleheader
Monday. Cleveland plays AL Central champion Chicago in an afternoon
makeup game before playing Minnesota at night in a regularly
scheduled night game.
Since 1900, only once has there been a three-team doubleheader
at the same ballpark. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York
Giants 6-4, then lost to the Boston Braves 2-0 on Sept. 13, 1951,
at Sportsman's Park.
Stein (8-4) gave up four hits and has given up just two earned
runs in his last 24 innings. The right-hander has won seven of last
eight decisions.
"I'm throwing strikes with all three pitches," Stein said.
"Not to say that they are great pitches, but when you throw three
pitches for strikes it throws them off balance."
The Royals scored five runs in the third off Charles Nagy (2-7)
to take a 6-0 lead. Gregg Zaun led off with a walk and went to
third on a soft single to center by Jeff Reboulet. Johnny Damon
followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0.
After a sacrifice bunt, Mike Sweeney hit a sacrifice fly.
Jermaine Dye walked and Joe Randa added an RBI single, scoring
Damon with his league-leading 131st run, two short of the Royals
team record.
Jamie Brewington came on and gave up consecutive RBI singles to
Carlos Beltran and Mark Quinn.
Nagy gave up six earned runs, four hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings,
raising his ERA to 8.21.
"We can't have too many more days like today," Indians manager
Charlie Manuel said. "Every game we play cuts into our time. We
got beat and we didn't deserve to win."
The Royals added two more runs in the seventh on Quinn's two-run
double off Chris Nichting. Quinn now has 77 RBIs, which leads all
AL rookies.
Game notes
Damon stole his league-leading 45th base in the first
inning. ... Cleveland 1B David Segui picked up his first error of
the year on a strange play in the seventh inning. With runners on
first and third and one out, Reboulet lined out to Roberto Alomar
at second. Alomar threw back to first in an attempt to double up
Zaun, but Segui failed to touch the bag. Alomar was credited with
an assist on the play, and Segui's errorless streak ended at 69
games and 585 chances. ... Sandy Alomar caught his 945th game in an
Indians uniform, passing Luke Sewell for third-most games caught in
Cleveland history. ... Manny Ramirez had his 49-game string of
reaching base safely snapped at 49 games. He was 0-for-3. ... When
Chris Haney appeared in the eighth inning for Cleveland, he was the
32nd pitcher used by the Indians this year, extending a major
league record.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Cleveland Clubhouse
Kansas City Clubhouse
RECAPS
Baltimore 1
Boston 0
NY Yankees 6
Detroit 3
Tampa Bay 6
Toronto 0
Kansas City 9
Cleveland 0
Minnesota 6
Chi. White Sox 5
Anaheim 9
Texas 2
Seattle 3
Oakland 2
Cincinnati 4
Houston 3
Atlanta 14
Montreal 5
NY Mets 3
Philadelphia 2
Milwaukee 8
Pittsburgh 5
Chicago Cubs 10
St. Louis 5
Colorado 9
Florida 3
Arizona 8
San Francisco 3
Los Angeles 1
San Diego 0
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