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CLE@SEA: Tomlin strikes out seven over eight frames

The Royals head into Thursday's finale of a three-game series against the Indians having managed to keep their spirits, if not high, at least at a healthy level during a rough start to the season.

They snapped a 12-game losing streak on Wednesday with an 8-2 victory over the Indians, giving them a chance to prove their insistence that once they snap out of the slump, good things will follow.

Throughout the losing streak, the club seemingly remained relaxed and managed to look ahead with optimism.

"We have 162 games, so that's what keeps me optimistic, the fact that we have a game every day and we have the opportunity to play another game tomorrow," third baseman Mike Moustakas said. "That's what the best part of this game is."

The team has continued to play hard, Moustakas said.

"We've lost a bunch of games, but we're playing good baseball," the Royals third baseman said before Wednesday's victory.

Royals second baseman Chris Getz agreed that the team did a good job handling the adversity of a long losing streak.

"If we get caught up in how many games we've lost, it would constantly just suck all of the energy out of us and we wouldn't want to play any games," Getz said. "If you ration the season, we've played 10 percent, so there are still a lot of games to be played. We can make up plenty of ground."

Like the Royals, the Indians got off to a rough start, losing four of their first five games this season, but they managed to get things turned around quickly. Since that 1-4 start, the Indians have rebounded to win eight of their last 11 games.

A victory on Wednesday would give them a victory in four consecutive series for the first time since Aug. 15-17, 2008.

Royals: Mendoza seeks rebound
• Luis Mendoza starts Thursday's game and will be trying to bounce back from two rough outings, including on April 15 against the Indians, when he allowed nine runs, five earned, in four innings.

• Left-hander Tommy Hottovy was promoted from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday and recorded one out in a relief appearance. To make room for Hottovy, right-hander Jeremy Jeffress was optioned to Omaha. Hottovy, 30, went 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in seven relief appearances with Omaha.

Indians: Hannahan hitless
• After hitting safely in seven straight games, during which he batted .417 (10-for-24), third baseman Jack Hannahan was hitless in four at-bats on Wednesday, dropping his season average to .333.

• Right-hander Josh Tomlin (1-1, 4.86 ERA) will start for the Indians on Thursday. He's 4-1 with a 4.29 ERA in seven games (six starts) against the Royals during his career.

Worth noting
• Moustakas was hitless in two at-bats in Wednesday's game, but did walk twice. He had hit .378 in his previous 10 games.

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