Blake's blast sends Tribe over Royals

Sep 15, 2007, 2:42 GMT

Cleveland, OH - Casey Blake hit a game-ending home run in the bottom of the ninth, as the Cleveland Indians rallied from three back to down the Kansas City Royals, 5-4, in the opener of a three-game series at Jacobs Field.

Franklin Gutierrez started the comeback with a two-run homer in the seventh and Victor Martinez added a solo shot in the eighth for Cleveland, which stays in firm control of the AL Central with the win.

Blake led off the home-half of the ninth and turned on a David Riske (1-4) offering, depositing it over the left-field wall before being mobbed by his teammates at home.

C.C. Sabathia set a new career high with 13 strikeouts, but allowed four runs over seven innings. The bullpen was lights out from there, with Joe Borowski (4-5) picking up the win after a scoreless ninth.

Brian Bannister allowed just one run on two hits over six frames for the Royals, who have dropped eight of nine. Bannister's bullpen failed him, however. Mark Grudzielanek had two RBI in defeat.

The Indians went in front in the first, as Grady Sizemore drew a leadoff walk, stole second, then scored on Travis Hafner's base hit to center.

Sabathia started hot, fanning nine over his first 4 2/3 innings of work, but Kansas City got to him for four runs in the fifth. With runners on the corners and two down, David DeJesus hit a single to left that brought in Emil Brown to tie the contest at 1-1. Grudzielanek stepped in next and came through with a single to center, plating a pair. Mike Sweeney capped the surge with an RBI double.

Bannister, meanwhile, held the Indians hitless after the first inning until he was lifted in favor of Joel Peralta to start the seventh.

Peralta immediately got into trouble, yielding a one-out single to Kenny Lofton before Gutierrez came up and belted one over the left-field wall to move the Indians within one.

Martinez then cracked a leadoff homer in the eighth to knot the contest at 4-4.

Game Notes

Sabathia had recorded victories in each of his last three starts...The Indians have taken eight of 13 meetings with the Royals this season, including five of seven encounters held at Jacobs Field. Kansas City is just 4-12 in Cleveland since the start of the 2006 season...Attendance was 35,230.

© 2007 The Sports Network

Game Notes

.