CLEVELAND
The baseball bounced off the top of the right-field wall, and Alex Rios stared into the stands, trying to discern its landing spot. He walked away from the wall, his pace leisurely, unaware the ball had traveled in the opposite direction and play was still live behind him, a double turning into a triple in Monday’s eighth inning at Progressive Field.
The imagery was cruel, but the connection to the rest of the Royals was apt after an 8-3 loss to the Indians. The season is not over, the division has not been clinched and their quest for home-field advantage is imperiled.