Kansas City, Mo. ? Losing a 5-1 lead on one swing hardly fazed the hottest team in the major leagues.

The Cleveland Indians weren’t affected by Mark Teahen’s grand slam. A two-run homer by Coco Crisp put them back ahead, and they rolled to an 11-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night, trimming Chicago’s once-commanding lead in the AL Central to 11â2 games.

“That’s the way we’ve been all year,” said center fielder Grady Sizemore, who was 5-for-6. “This isn’t a team that panics.”

Travis Hafner walked with the bases loaded and hit a three-run homer, his sixth in five games for the Indians, who have won 15 of their last 17.

The Indians trailed the White Sox by 15 games Aug. 1. They have not been this close since April 11, when they were one game behind and then lost to the White Sox.

While the Indians were handing the Royals their 100th loss, the White Sox were losing, 4-1, to Minnesota in 11 innings, their 10th setback in 14 games.

But Chicago’s rapidly dwindling lead was the last thing the businesslike Indians wanted to discuss.

Cleveland's Travis Hafner follows through on a three-run homer. The Indians defeated the Royals, 11-6, Thursday in Kansas City, Mo.

“We’re controlling what we can control, and that’s playing Kansas City,” manager Eric Wedge said. “It was a long, hard-fought game tonight, and we’ll expect another one tomorrow.”

A less-than-sharp Cliff Lee (18-4) won his ninth straight decision, allowing six runs and a season-high 10 hits in 62â3 innings.

“I was pretty lucky out there,” said Lee, who hasn’t lost since the New York Yankees beat him, 5-4, on July 8. “We got off to a pretty quick lead, and I had some cushion to work with, and I just gave it right back to them.”

Lee’s winning percentage of .818 leads the American League.

“The credit tonight definitely goes to the hitters,” he said.

Hafner, who hit two home runs in an 8-0 victory over the White Sox on Wednesday, connected off Runelvys Hernandez in the third, his 31st of the year that put the Indians ahead 4-1. He walked with the bases loaded in the eighth.

After Sizemore’s RBI double put Cleveland ahead, 5-1, in the fourth, Lee began the bottom of the inning by giving up singles to Matt Stairs, Angel Berroa and John Buck. Then Teahen hit Lee’s first pitch 441 feet for his first career grand slam.

“That might have been the first home run that I’ve ever been able to watch,” Teahen said.

“He gave me a good pitch to hit, and I jumped on it.”

It was the third grand slam Lee has given up in what has been a breakthrough season for the left-hander.