KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cliff Lee faced only two batters over the minimum while pitching a three-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory over Kansas City on Thursday night that gave the Cleveland Indians a doubleheader sweep.
Lee (4-0) struck out nine and did not issue a walk while shrinking his major league-best ERA to 0.28 as the Royals lost their seventh consecutive game. In 312/3 innings over four starts, the 6-foot-3 left-hander has allowed only one run. His nine strikeouts tied his career best. It was his first shutout and fourth career complete game.
He allowed a single in the second inning to Jose Guillen, a leadoff double to Guillen in the fifth and a two-out single in the ninth to David DeJesus. Lee, who battled injuries much of last season, threw 120 pitches, 86 for strikes.
In the opener, Grady Sizemore, Casey Blake and Jason Michaels all had two RBIs and powered the Indians to a 9-6 victory in their first series-clinching win since they opened the season by taking two of three from the Chicago White Sox.
Kansas City starter Brian Bannister (3-2) faced only one batter over the minimum in the second game until David Dellucci hit his first pitch of the seventh inning over the fence in left. Travis Hafner followed with a double and scored on Asdrubal Cabrera’s two-out double. Bannister went 62/3 innings and was charged with two runs and four hits.
Dellucci’s homer was the first earned run Bannister had allowed at home in 18 innings.
Guillen singled off Lee in the second and was erased on a double play. Guillen opened the fifth with a double, but Lee then struck out the side.
In the opener, Fausto Carmona (3-1) survived five shaky innings and benefited from an early 7-1 lead in the third against Brett Tomko (1-3).
“We started off on the wrong foot,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “It’s good to see us put some runs on the board. We couldn’t stop the bleeding.”
Sizemore was 4-for-5 with three singles and a solo home run for the Indians. Blake, who sat the second game, followed his 4-for-4, six-RBI game on Tuesday night by reaching base three times, including two RBI singles.
Carmona gave up nine hits and four runs to improve to 4-0 lifetime against Kansas City. He walked four and struck out one.
“He battled. But he never gave in to it,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said. “He didn’t quite have the command you saw in his last start.”
Tomko (1-3) went four innings and allowed 11 hits and seven runs — six earned.
“Anytime you throw close to 100 pitches in four innings, that’s not a good thing,” Tomko said. “I didn’t take control of the count. I didn’t take control of the game. I felt I was backed in a corner. They put the heat on me.”
Rafael Betancourt worked the ninth for his first save since taking over for injured closer Joe Borowski.
DeJesus and Miguel Olivo homered for the Royals as every starter for both teams had either a hit or scored a run, or both.
The Royals’ Billy Butler was 0-for-3 in the nightcap and failed to reach base for the first time in 22 games this year.

TONIGHT

WHO: Cleveland vs. N.Y. Yankees
TIME: 7:05
WHERE: Progressive Field
PITCHERS: Byrd (0-2, 4.43 ERA) vs. Pettitte (3-1, 2.45)
TV/RADIO: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

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