Cleveland ? Mike Sweeney was breathing easier, so he returned to the Kansas City lineup and really cut loose.

Sweeney, recovered from the flu, hit a three-run double and a solo home run as the Royals sought to start a new winning streak Monday night with a 12-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

“It felt good to come through when the club needed me,” said Sweeney, who snapped a 1-for-17 slide with a bases-loaded double. “It was a sigh of relief.”

Ken Harvey, Brent Mayne and Michael Tucker also hit solo homers for Kansas City, which had its season-opening nine-game winning streak snapped Sunday by the Indians.

“It’s nice to see the boys came back right away,” manager Tony Pena said. “This game was like opening day again.”

The Royals’ 10-1 start is the best in team history through 11 games.

Cleveland first-year manager Eric Wedge got his first ejection in the top of the eighth inning after reliever Carl Sadler was tossed for hitting Tucker with a pitch.

“I’ve never been thrown out before and the reason I’m mad is there was no warning,” Sadler said. “I truly didn’t hit him on purpose. I’m a situational lefty trying to get a lefty hitter out, not hit him and load the bases.”

Tucker was the third batter and second Royals player hit in the game, one day after the teams had words and were warned for throwing close to hitters.

Two pitches after Carlos Febles lined a two-run single off Sadler to put the Royals ahead 8-4, the left-hander hit Tucker in the right arm with a 1-0 pitch. Plate umpire Jerry Crawford immediately ejected Sadler. Wedge came out to argue and was tossed.

Kansas City's Carlos Febles is tagged out at third base by Cleveland third baseman John McDonald. The Royals beat the Indians, 12-4, Monday in Cleveland.

“Carl didn’t have very good command,” Wedge said. “The umpire’s point of view I think was coming off last night. My point of view was my guy was struggling.”

Sadler threw just 11 pitches — three for strikes.

“There’s no bad blood,” Sweeney said.

Pena agreed.

“We’re here to play baseball, not fight,” he said.

Jeremy Affeldt (2-0) won his second straight start, allowing three runs and five hits over five innings. The left-hander twice got out of two-on, one-out jams with double plays.

Milton Bradley hit his third homer and doubled for Cleveland. He has hit safely in all 12 games this season.

Sweeney’s bases-loaded double put the Royals ahead 5-3 in the fifth against Brian Anderson (2-1).

Angel Berroa doubled and held second as the next two Royals grounded out. He went to third when Tucker beat out a bunt single. After Joe Randa walked, Sweeney sent a long drive to left that caromed off the wall and eluded Matt Lawton, scoring all three runners.

Harvey hit his first major-league homer to put the Royals ahead 1-0 in the second. The rookie, who struck out four times Sunday, lined a pitch just inside the left-field foul pole that appeared to hit the yellow line atop the wall. Any ball hitting below the line is in play.

Mayne led off the third with his third homer for a 2-0 lead.

Tucker made it 6-3 with his second homer with two outs in the seventh, finishing Anderson. The left-hander allowed six runs and eight hits over 62¼3 innings and fell to 3-1 in his career against Kansas City.

A walk, throwing error by Affeldt and consecutive RBI singles by Ellis Burks, Shane Spencer and Lawton put Cleveland ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the third. Before that, Cleveland had hit just .020 (18-for-90) with runners in scoring position this season.

Sweeney opened the ninth with his second homer, off Chad Paronto. The Royals added three more runs on four hits and an error.

Notes: Harvey was hit in the side by a pitch from David Riske in the eighth and Affeldt hit Spencer in the side with a pitch in the second. … The Indians grounded into four double plays — one more than they hit into in their first 11 games. … The Royals’ Rontrez Johnson singled in the ninth for his first big league hit — and was rewarded with a shaving-cream pie in the face by his happy teammates.