JOSH WEIR
CLEVELAND — Grady Sizemore admits to knowing his numbers.
Not that the Tribe center fielder focuses on them, but they’re hard to miss when they’re routinely displayed throughout the ballpark each game.
Of course it’s difficult for anyone to ignore the stats Sizemore puts up, whether they’re on a giant video board or in black-and-white news print.
Sizemore set a new career high for single-season home runs (29) on the day he set a single-game career high for RBI (7). He was 4-for-5 with two singles, a triple and a home run as the Indians completed a sweep of the Royals with a 10-3 win Thursday.
His three-run triple in the second inning got the Indians started. His three-run home run in the eighth capped the Indians’ scoring.
Manager Eric Wedge didn’t want anyone to forget what Sizemore did in the middle.
“I thought the ball he hit to left field for the single to score Jamey Carroll was a big run for us,” Wedge said, referring to the two-out hit that pushed Cleveland’s lead to 6-3 in the sixth. “... Grady did a good job not trying to do too much and just kind of punched the ball the other way.”
Sizemore, a .272 hitter, showed his whole game Thursday. He also stole a base in the sixth, giving him 31 on the season, two off his career high set last year.
His seven RBI give him a team-high 79, which are two off his career high set in 2005.
“I think either way you’re happy, whether you’re scoring them or driving them in,” he said. “It’s a tribute to the team. As a leadoff hitter, I don’t usually have the opportunities like I had today. ... It seemed like everytime I came up there was a guy on base. It was just one of those days.”
Sizemore’s next home run will make him just the second Indian to ever join the 30-30 club. Joe Carter had 32 home runs and 31 stolen bases in 1987.
n CLIFF NOTES — With Thursday’s win, Cliff Lee improved to a 8-0 at Progressive Field in 2008. He earned his third win of the season in three tries vs. KC. ... Lee’s 18 wins account for 30.5 percent of the Indians total victories, easily the highest mark in baseball. Next on the Tribe in wins is Fausto Carmona with five, and he missed two months of the season.
n LOVIN’ THE LONGBALL — The Indians’ first four hits Wednesday night were home runs. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that hasn’t happened with the Tribe since June 24, 1989, when all six hits in a win vs. Texas were home runs. Carter hit three homers that game, with one each from Pete O’Brien, Cory Snyder and Andy Allanson.
n NO TUBE — With both teams under .500 and out of the playoff race, the Indians’ game vs. Seattle on Aug. 30 will not be televised by Fox. It will be radio exclusive.
n THAT HURT — The Royals put Mitch Maier on the DL and recalled Joey Gathright on Thursday. Maier broke three facial bones Wednesday night when he was hit in the face by a Zach Jackson pitch. ... KC 3B Alex Gordon left Thursday’s game after four innings with tightness in his right quad.
n ON THE FARM — LHP Aaron Laffey earned his third straight win for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday night, although he allowed four earned runs and seven hits in five innings.
