Royals start fast, fizzle

? The Royals flexed, then fizzled.

Despite getting back-to-back home runs from Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas in the second inning, Kansas City’s offense couldn’t keep the momentum going, and the Royals lost 5-3 to the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night.

Jason Kipnis drove in Nick Swisher with a two-out double in the seventh inning off Kelvin Herrera (0-1) as the Royals followed a familiar pattern this season.

Kansas City is 0-10 when it doesn’t score at least four runs, and 10-0 when it does.

Things started well for Kansas City as Perez and Moustakas connected in the second off Indians starter Justin Masterson.

But the Royals gave those two runs right back and then made two errors on one play in the sixth to allow Cleveland to score the go-ahead run.

“It was nice to get the back-to-back homers,” manager Ned Yost said. “But they came right back. They found ways to score.”

The Royals brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but John Axford got his AL-leading eighth save.

“It’s baseball,” Yost said. “This game’s played every day that way. It’s never going to be easy. It’s always going to be tough.”

The homers by Perez and Moustakas connected in the second were Kansas City’s first back-to-back shots since July 4 last season against Cleveland.

With one out, Perez snapped an 0-for-22 slump with a drive over the center-field wall for his first homer. Four pitches later, Moustakas made it 2-0 with a liner into the Royals’ bullpen, the same place he hit a three-run shot on Tuesday in Kansas City’s 8-2 win.

NOTES: Kansas City has a major league-low nine homers. … Royals 1B coach Rusty Kuntz had eight screws and a plate inserted into his left arm, broken Monday when he was hit by a Perez line drive during batting practice. Kuntz will spend one night at the Cleveland Clinic but is expected to travel with the team Thursday to Baltimore. … Vargas allowed two runs and six hits in six innings. He’s gone at least six in all five starts. … Indians RHP Corey Kluber (1-2) faces Royals RHP Bruce Chen (1-1) in Thursday’s matinee finale.