"Very tempting, I would be the first one to tell you," Royals manager Trey Hillman said of holding out Gordon another day. "It was not an easy decision."

   Gordon missed his second straight game with soreness in his right hip, which caused him to leave the Saturday game against the Yankees in the sixth inning. The Kauffman Stadium turf was still damp after a nearly 24-hour rain that began Sunday afternoon.

   As it turned out, the Royals did not need Gordon's bat to beat Carmona and the Indians 4-2, scoring three runs in the first. Hillman, however, said Gordon should return to the lineup Tuesday after hitting in the cages Monday.

   "I would like to see his intensity level turned up a little bit in the workout," Hillman said. "He's much improved today. He feels pretty good. That's encouraging."

   With Gordon absent, infielder Mike Aviles, who started the first six games at shortstop, moved to third base, while Tony Pena Jr. started at shortstop for the first time.

   ROYALS 4, INDIANS 2: Zack Greinke stranded eight runners, including the bases loaded in the third, to throw five scoreless innings. Billy Butler, Mark Teahen and Alberto Callaspo had RBI hits in the first inning, while Mike Jacobs homered in the fourth. The Indians started the ninth with four straight hits before Joakim Soria got the final three outs for a save.