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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Royals search for a fifth starter evidently will continue after two of the favorites for the job did little to help their cause Tuesday.Brian Flynn gave up three runs while failing to make it through three innings, Dillon Gee entered and gave up three more runs, and the Royals lost to the Cleveland Indians 7-3 on a hot, muggy night.Were just looking for a guy right now, said manager Ned Yost, who shuffled Chris Young off to the bullpen weeks ago. Weve got time to think about it. Weve got an off day on Thursday, so well be able to skip that spot the next time around. Well probably take advantage of that and consider all of our options.He would love to have someone like Danny Salazar to nail it down.The Indians right-hander allowed three runs over 6 2/3 innings while striking out seven, beating the Royals for the third time this season. Salazar (11-3) tossed 7 2/3 shutout innings in a 7-1 victory in early May and allowed one run over eight innings in 6-1 win last month.Youre facing an All-Star pitcher in Salazar, Yost said. Hes not an All-Star for nothing.Mike Napoli hit a two-run homer off Flynn (1-1), and Carlos Santana drove in two runs off Gee, as the Indians snapped a five-game skid at Kauffman Stadium. Francisco Lindor added a solo shot in the ninth.I was just trying to bust him in there, knowing he was going to be swinging two-and-oh, trying to get in and get a soft ground ball, Flynn said of the first-inning homer by Napoli. I just tried to get it in, saw him off or try to get weak contact, but it stayed right over the middle.The home run allowed Salazar to pitch with the lead the entire way. He didnt allow a runner past first base through the first five innings, striking out Alex Gordon twice along the way. And when he seemed to falter in the oppressive weather in the sixth, with Salvador Perez driving in a run and Kendrys Morales scoring on a wild pitch, Salazar still managed to escape the inning.He gave up a sacrifice fly in the seventh before Kyle Crockett finished the frame.Most of the Indians offense came from the same kind of small ball that carried the AL Central-rival Royals to the World Series title last season. They scored a run in the second on a single, a walk and two sacrifices, then added three more in the fifth on a double, three singles, a walk and a fielders choice.It was a nice way to rebound after Cleveland blew a late lead in a 7-3 loss the previous night,I was really pleased the way we handled it, Francona said.STATS AND STREAKSIndians OF Erik Gonzalez had a single in the third for his first career hit. ... Salazar has won seven straight, a career best. ... Lindor has hit 24 career homers. Nineteen of them have been solo shots. ... Gee matched the longest relief outing of his career.HOT SEATSYost and Francona may change up their lineups for the series finale on Wednesday. Temperatures are expected to approach 100 degrees for the afternoon start with a heat index well into triple digits. Were going to see tonight who needs a break, Yost said.TRAINERS ROOMIndians: OF Michael Brantley will have an MRI on Wednesday after experiencing pain in his right shoulder. He had surgery last November and played in only 11 games this season before landing back on the DL. Brantley has been on a rehab assignment at Double-A Akron since July 11.Royals: RHP Kyle Zimmer, one of the clubs top prospects, has been diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and will miss the rest of the season. The former first-round draft pick will have surgery in the coming weeks. The Mets Matt Harvey had surgery for the same condition Monday.UP NEXTThe Royals Ian Kennedy is 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA in daytime starts this season. He goes against fellow right-hander Carlos Carrasco, who is 4-2 with a 1.94 ERA in seven road starts. . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings.In his latest blog, TSN NBA Analyst Jack Armstrong looks at the latest offseason acquisitions made the Raptors and a few other moves around the league. 1. TYLER HANSBROUGH (Raptors): Ive gotten after him about his style of play in the past quite often. Had to laugh when I heard this news. When the guy is on the opposing team you dislike his style. He was the enemy. When hes playing for the team you see all the time, you like having a guy around that has teammates backs and has no back down in his makeup. Hopefully, he plays within his limits and gives them the grit, toughness, rebounding and occasional scoring hes very capable of providing. Definitely an upgrade in the toughness category. 2. JULYAN STONE (Raptors): Will provide some solid on-ball defense and leadership at the point. Solid compete level. Offensive game is maturing and the Las Vegas Summer League will provide the coaching staff with a good insight into his needs that have to be worked on prior to training camp. 3. TORONTO RAPTORS (2015): Pretty clear to me with the signings of Stone and Hansborough and the Bargnani trade that GM Masai Ujiri is keeping all his options wide open and will use the coming weeks/monthhs to decide what to do with the existing pieces of his roster.dddddddddddd. The bottom line is that I see a team setting its sights (based upon dollars committed past these next two seasons) on 2015 as a time when theyll have significant cap flexibility to make the moves necessary to make this a durable/successful franchise. They are in the evaluation/look and see mode with everyone still here and are in a gradual/methodical approach to team building. The journey will be long and a bit slow, but if it leads to long term franchise Success, its a pill most are willing to swallow. 4. RASHEED WALLACE (Pistons): This guy talked major junk as a player and referees werent huge fans of his. Now hes an assistant coach with Detroit. Amazing. Despite his loud demeanor, he was a quality player in his prime and a very smart one too. Hell be a fun guy to watch make the transition to the sideline, thats for sure. 5. KYLE KORVER (Hawks): Smart move by Danny Ferry getting him locked up long term. The three-point line is such a huge aspect to the NBA game and hes one of the best. He was a good fit for their team. If it aint broke, dont fix it. ' ' '
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