CLEVELAND — The Indians are a win away from sweeping the last-place Royals with Cy Young candidate Cliff Lee on the mound today.
Break out the brooms.
Cleveland finds itself in the prime position thanks to another win over the Royals on Wednesday night, an 8-5 decision powered by four home runs, which gave the Indians a three-game winning streak and nine victories in their last 12 games.
The Indians didn’t produce many hits — five for the game — but with the majority of them leaving the ballpark, they made them count. Over its last two games, Cleveland has hit seven homers.
“The approach they’ve been working on so hard is starting to translate into the game, and (the homers) are part of it,” said Indians manager Eric Wedge, whose club got a pair of homers from Kelly Shoppach, with Jhonny Peralta and Franklin Gutierrez also going deep.
Gutierrez and Shoppach hit homers in a five-run eighth inning that erased a two-run deficit and provided the final count.
Gutierrez’s three-run shot to left on an 0-1 pitch from all-star closer Joakim Soria put the Indians in front 7-5.
“He’s really had some big hits for us,” Wedge said of Gutierrez. “He’s really had some good at-bats.”
Gutierrez, who has struggled at the plate for much of the season, has begun to turn things around, batting .346 (18-for-52) with three of his seven homers and 10 RBIs coming over his last 15 games.
“It’s good for me because I’ve been having a tough season,” said Gutierrez, who is hitting .234 in 103 games. “I’m helping the team and getting more confidence. The season’s not over yet.”
The Indians had some early success off KC starter Gil Meche, scoring three times over the first two innings on homers from Peralta and Shoppach. But after allowing the solo shot to Shoppach in the second, Meche was on the mark and then some, retiring the last 17 batters he faced (eight strikeouts) through seven innings. He allowed the three runs (one earned) on three hits, while striking out nine.
“He was about as good as it gets tonight,” Wedge said. “He had it all working.”
Peralta’s 20th homer was a significant one. He joined Woodie Held as the only shortstop in Indians history to hit 20 or more homers in three seasons, accomplishing the feat this year and in 2005 and ’07.
Held, the club’s all-time leading home run hitter at his position (85), did it in three consecutive seasons from 1959-61. Peralta has 82 homers for the Indians.
Cleveland got a mediocre outing from left-hander Zach Jackson, who allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in seven innings in his second start since joining the rotation from Triple-A Buffalo.
Despite allowing the first three batters he faced to reach on hits, Jackson allowed just a run through the first four innings. KC caught up to him in the fifth, scoring four times, three on a bases-clearing double from Mike Aviles.
“It was an improvement from my first outing,” said Jackson, who allowed three runs on eight hits through five innings in his Cleveland debut against Baltimore. “It was just that one inning that got away from me a little bit.”
Jackson was also involved in a scary moment during the Royals’ fifth-inning rally.
After the first two batters of the inning reached base, KC center fielder Mitch Maier — a University of Toledo product — squared to bunt and was hit in the face by a pitch from Jackson.
The pitch appeared to glance off the nose of Maier, who was left bloody as trainers attended to him at home plate. He left the field under his own power and was taken to Lutheran Hospital, where X-rays revealed three facial fractures.
“That was a cutter that just slipped out of my hand,” Jackson said. “What are you going to do? Nobody’s perfect. You don’t like to see any guys get hurt. It’s just a pitch that got away.”
With a three-run cushion, right-hander Jensen Lewis worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his fourth consecutive save since assuming the closer duties — a season high streak by a Cleveland reliever.

Tribe notes: Wedge doesn’t regret dismantling of team

 Two of the five pitchers who began the season in the Indians’ rotation — CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee — are pitching like Cy Young Award winners.
Meanwhile, the defending Central Division champion Indians, who entered Wednesday in fourth place, 10 games under .500, are left to ponder what could have been.
“We just had too many things happen early to overcome,” said Cleveland manager Eric Wedge, whose team has endured practically every hardship possible a year removed from falling a win shy of reaching the World Series.
“But you still push on, play hard and try to win as many games as possible.”
The Indians’ lofty expectations have been dashed in large part by performance issues and a plethora of injuries that claimed two members of the rotation, Jake Westbrook and Fausto Carmona, and two of the club’s top run producers in Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez — all prior to the All-Star break.
Once the team fell out of contention, more veterans departed in trades, with Sabtahia going to Milwaukee, third baseman Casey Blake to the Dodgers and pitcher Paul Byrd to the Red Sox, as the Indians turned their attention to next season.
“You make decisions that you think are best for your organization moving forward,” Wedge said. “It doesn’t make it any easier, but that’s part of it.”

Lee set for Cy try

Lee (17-2, 2.43), today’s scheduled starter for Cleveland, has seven or eight outings left to make his case for the AL Cy Young Award, which went to Sabathia last year.
“The last thing he needs to do is start thinking about it,” Wedge said.
Lee entered Wednesday second in the majors in wins and first in the AL in ERA.

Rehab roundup

Hafner and Josh Barfield continued their rehab assignments with Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday, with Martinez taking the day off after catching for the first time (six innings) Tuesday and going 1-for-2 with two RBIs in a 10-1 win over Lehigh Valley. Martinez is expected to catch again tonight.
Though Martinez and Hafner are expected to play fulltime upon their activation, Barfield’s path to second base is again blocked by Asdrubal Cabrera, who has reclaimed the job after being demoted to the minors.
“Asdrubal has played himself back into the prime position,” Wedge said. “He still has a lot of work to do, but he’s made the bulk of the adjustments we asked him to make.”
Cabrera entered Wednesday hitting .298 (28-for-94) with three home runs and 10 RBIs in 28 games since being recalled from Buffalo.  

Wedge silent on CC

Wedge had no comment on Milwaukee manager Ned Yost employing Sabathia to throw a whopping 130 pitches Monday, saying the Indians treated their former ace like any other starter in the rotation.
“We work hard not to put anybody in harm’s way,” he said.
Sabathia is 8-0 with a 1.60 ERA and five complete games in nine starts for the Brewers, logging
73 innings after pitching 1221/3 innings and three complete games in 18 starts for Cleveland.

LaPorta on the mend

Matt LaPorta, who suffered a mild concussion after being hit in the head during the Olympics, took batting practice prior to Team USA’s victory over Japan on Wednesday and will most likely return to the lineup Friday against Cuba.
The Americans advanced to the medal round out of pool play with a 5-2 record, LaPorta going 1-for-15 with a homer.

Fall league Hall calls

Wedge and Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins will make up the Arizona Fall League Hall of Fame’s 2008 class. As a member of the Rockies organization in 1993, Wedge played a season in the AFL for the Tucson Javelinas.
“Anytime you get inducted into somebody’s Hall of Fame, it’s an honor,” Wedge said after chuckling. “A lot of fantastic ballplayers played in that league.”
Among those already inducted in the AFL Hall are Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Alfonso Soriano and managers Terry Francona (Red Sox) and Mike Scioscia (Angels).

Roundin’ third

Jensen Lewis’ three consecutive save conversions equal the season high for an Indians closer.
• The Indians entered Wednesday with a 5-13 record on that day of the week, their worst of the seven days. Their best mark has come on Friday (12-7).
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

TODAY

WHO: Cleveland vs. Kansas City
TIME: 12:05 p.m.
WHERE: Progressive Field
PITCHERS: Lee (17-2, 2.43 ERA) vs. Greinke (9-8, 4.09)
TV/RADIO: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

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