CLEVELAND — That didn’t last long.
A day after moving out of the Central Division cellar for the first time since the beginning of the season, the Indians returned to the familiar confines Wednesday via a 9-0 shellacking from the Kansas City Royals, who moved a half game in front of Cleveland in the standings.
The Indians played the part, looking every bit like a last-place team, complete with a poor effort from their starting pitcher and another lackluster performance from their offense.
A 1-0 game through three innings morphed into a rout when Kansas City strung together consecutive four-run innings in the fourth and fifth off Cleveland starter Carl Pavano.
Pavano (6-5, 5.40) entered his 12th start of the season on a roll, winning six of his last seven decisions while allowing more than three runs just once and working a complete-game, three-hitter his last time out.
Things were decidedly different against the Royals, who torched the veteran right-hander for all nine runs on 11 hits (three home runs) over 4 2/3 innings.
“I just wasn’t making pitches when I needed to,” said Pavano, who allowed a season-high run count and three or more homers in a start for the first time since he served up four with the Yankees in 2005. “I fell behind a lot of guys. The home runs, they’re over the middle of the plate.
“(Royals starter Gil) Meche pretty much controlled the game the whole time. I didn’t do my job.”
“Carl was up a little bit more today,” said Indians manager Eric Wedge, whose team saw its two-game winning streak snapped. “But he was one pitch away several times from making it a totally different ballgame. That’s just the nature of the game.”
Pavano nearly escaped Kansas City’s decisive fifth inning without a run crossing the plate when he induced a groundball to the right side of the infield from Mark Teahen that would’ve ended the inning had the Indians made the play. But Pavano was late getting to the bag after second baseman Jamey Carroll made a diving stop and Teahen beat him by a step to load the bases.
“I started to get over there when I saw (first baseman) Vic (Martinez) dive, then I stopped ’cause I didn’t see Jamey,” Pavano said. “That’s a mental mistake. That can’t happen.”
KC second baseman Albert Callaspo followed with a grand slam that provided the final count.
No one hurt the Indians more than Callaspo, a second-year player, who went 4-for-4 with the grand slam and four RBIs. The hit and RBI counts were career highs for Callaspo, who hit his first grand slam.
Every Royals starter had a hit by the fifth inning.
The run support was more than enough for Meche, who had his way with Cleveland hitters, shutting them out on just four hits through seven innings. The veteran right-hander equaled a career-high with 11 strikeouts, fanning eight of the first 14 hitters he faced through four innings.
“He was good,” Wedge said. “He was throwing it where he wanted to.”
Meche (3-5, 3.70) allowed just a hit through the first four innings, with the Indians getting just one real scoring opportunity against him.
Travis Hafner singled to start the fifth, with Jhonny Peralta following with a walk before Meche retired Luis Valbuena and Kelly Shoppach. Ben Francisco reached on a single to load the bases but Meche wiggled out of it by getting Carroll to fly to center.
Pinpoint location was at the root of Meche’s success, according to the Indians.
“He was the best I’ve seen him,” said Cleveland right fielder Shin-Soo Choo, who went 0-for-3 against Meche, striking out twice. “He had a great change-up and was throwing it in 3-2 counts, 2-2. I saw 12 pitches. He never missed over the middle of the plate once.”
The Indians get another opportunity to move out of last place tonight in the rubber match of a three-game series with the Royals.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

TONIGHT

WHO: Cleveland vs. Kansas City
TIME: 7:05
WHERE: Progressive Field
PITCHERS: Sowers (1-3, 5.40 ERA) vs. Greinke (8-2, 1.55)
TV/RADIO: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

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