Cleveland ? The Kansas City Royals are starting to slide back to a place they know all too well — the bottom of the AL Central.

Giving up five home runs, the Royals lost their fourth straight and seventh in nine games on Tuesday night, 9-4 to the Cleveland Indians, who won their eighth in a row at home and are showing signs of being more than an early season fluke.

Justin Masterson won his fifth straight start, a stunning personal turnaround from last season, Jack Hannahan homered twice and Shin-Soo Choo hit a three-run shot as the Indians snapped a three-game losing streak and opened a 21/2-game lead over the Royals.

“It hasn’t affected our confidence,” DH Billy Butler said. “Look what we did, we had a chance to win the game, even though we were down. We have to battle through it. That’s all we can do.”