KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Cleveland Indians are charging, while the Kansas City Royals are retreating.

Right-hander Carlos Carrasco pitched seven pristine innings and right fielder Michael Brantley delivered a clutch run-producing single as the Indians defeated the slumping Royals 2-1 on Tuesday night.

The Royals lost for the sixth time in seven games, while the Indians have won five of six and 11 of 14 to move within a game of .500.

Carrasco (7-4) won his third straight start, holding the Royals to five hits, while striking out eight and walking two. He limited the Royals batters to 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, stranding six.

"I'm trying to do my job," Carrasco said. "I need to continue to do that."

Carrasco retired the final 11 batters he faced as the Royals did not get a hit after the fourth inning.

"Because he only had two walks, he was able to pitch that deep into the game," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "There were a couple innings where he had some traffic on the bases, but he pounded the zone with his fastball, and it set up his changeup. You get that far and give up one, we'll take it."

While the Royals were miserable in the clutch off Carrasco, Brantley supplied the go-ahead hit when his two-out eighth-inning single to center scored second baseman Jason Kipnis and broke a 1-1 deadlock.

It was the first run this year that right-hander Wade Davis (2-1) had allowed, after throwing 22 scoreless innings to begin the season. The inning included Davis walking two, a replay that the Royals thought should have been overruled but was not and the Royals failing to turn a double play.

After Davis walked center fielder Michael Bourn to start the inning, shortstop Jose Ramirez rolled a grounder to second baseman Omar Infante, but first base umpire Bob Davidson ruled Ramirez beat the replay throw. Manager Ned Yost challenged the call, but after a two minutes and 56 second delay, the ruling stood.

"I was shocked when they called him safe," Yost said of the review. "I don't know what they were looking at. On the angle showed on the big screen, he definitely looked out. They saw something in the control center that they thought the call stands."

Said Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, "I thought he was out 100 percent."

Ramirez said "I don't know" on whether he was safe.

Next, Jason Kipnis bounced one to Infante, what should have been a double play grounder, but he bobbled the play and Kipnis made it to first.

"It's a tough play, but Omar makes that play 99 out of 100 times," Yost said.

After Francona used three relievers to get three outs in the eighth, Cody Allen worked a flawless ninth for his 12th save in 13 opportunities.

Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie did an about face from his previous torturous outing, allowing just one run and three base runners over 5 2/3 innings before being replaced after first baseman Carlos Santana's double on his 105th pitch.

Guthrie, who was coming off the worst start of his career when he retired only three of the 16 Yankees he faced while allowing 11 runs in a May 25 start at New York, threw 27 pitches in the first inning and went to a full-count on the first five Indians he faced.

"The only solace I had is it just counted as one loss," Guthrie said. "I gave up enough runs to probably lose three or four games."

Guthrie, however, held the Indians hitless until two outs in the fourth when right fielder Brandon Moss homered into the Indians' bullpen. It was Moss' third home run in 16 at-bats off Guthrie. It ended an 11-pitch at-bat, with Moss fouling off four consecutive pitches before driving a 94 mph fastball out.

The Royals scored first when Hosmer's two-out, third inning single scored third baseman Mike Moustakas, who singled and took second on a wild pitch.

The Royals stra