Cleveland ? A loss to Kansas City was the least of the Cleveland Indians’ worries.

Abraham Nunez hit an inside-the-park homer when Jody Gerut injured his right knee chasing his line drive, and the Royals went on to beat Cleveland, 6-4, Friday night.

“He was hurting out there,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said of Gerut, who was unavailable after being carted from the field in the seventh inning.

The Indians, who have lost 10 of 14, announced before the game that All-Star pitcher C.C. Sabathia likely was done for the season because of a strained left hamstring. Then Gerut was hurt trying to field a ball hit down the right-field line. As he tried to get the bouncing ball, Gerut tripped and fell along the warning track.

He grabbed the ball with his bare hand and flung it back over his head while screaming in pain. Second baseman Ronnie Belliard raced out to get the ball and threw home, but Nunez scored easily, giving the Royals a 5-3 lead.

“It’s a big loss for us,” Belliard said. “I couldn’t hear him, but I could see he was pretty hurt out there.”

Gerut missed the 2001 season after twice having surgery on his left knee to repair a damaged patella tendon. He will have an MRI today.

“It’s too bad,” Royals manager Tony Pena said.

Gerut finished fourth in voting for the 2003 AL Rookie of the Year award after hitting .279 with 22 homers and 75 RBIs.