KANSAS CITY Ryan Rua Jersey , Mo. (AP) — Carlos Carrasco was sharp in Cleveland’s regular-season finale, then proclaimed himself ready for what’s next to come.Carrasco and Trevor Bauer combined for a five-hitter, Francisco Lindor homered and scored twice, and the Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 2-1 on Sunday.Carrasco (17-10) was working with a limited pitch count in a tuneup before an anticipated start in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against Houston on Saturday. He went five innings, allowing one run on three hits, walking two and striking out six.“I finished the season strong,” said Carrasco, who wrapped up the regular season with a 3.38 ERA. “More important is getting ready for the postseason. The way that I pitched today, I just tried to find myself and get ready for that game. Everything that I’m looking for, I found it.”Manager Terry Francona saw a lot to be happy with.“He threw the ball really well,” Francona said. “Good changeup and breaking ball. I think he’s situated in a really good place heading to the playoffs.”Bauer took over in the sixth, hurling four scoreless innings of relief while striking out two for his first career save.Bauer ended the season with a 2.21 ERA, second in the American League to Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell.Carrasco struck out 231 on the year, leading the Indians. Bauer struck out 221.The Indians opened the scoring after Lindor led off the game by reaching on an error when Eric Skoglund (1-6) fumbled his grounder. After stealing second Drew Robinson Jersey , Lindor then stole third and scored when Alcides Escobar failed to catch the throw to third for the second error of the inning.Lindor drilled a 1-0 pitch into the stands in left-center field to lead off the third, extending the Indians’ lead to 2-0. He hit seven of his 38 homers this year against the Royals.The Indians finished the season 91-71, their sixth straight year above .500. It is their longest streak since they had winning records eight years in a row from 1994 through 2001.Skoglund allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits and two walks, striking out three over five innings.“I thought he was flat today,” manager Ned Yost said. “I don’t think he was very sharp. He grinded it out. Even when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he kept us in the ballgame against our division champion. I’m very proud of his effort today.”The Royals got on the board in the fifth when Brian Goodwin led off with a hit and stole second, then scored on Meibrys Viloria’s single.Whit Merrifield closed the season with a single in the eighth, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 20 games. The streak was the longest of the year in the majors.Kansas City’s attendance fell by 555,213 from the previous year — nearly 7,000 per game — and finished at 1,665,107 http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-alex-claudio-jersey , the team’s lowest since 2010. The club stumbled to its worst season since 2005, when it set a team record for most losses at 106. The 58-104 mark this year matched the 2004 team for the second-worst record in franchise history. This was the fifth time the club lost at least 100 games.Yost will be back in 2019, however. The Royals announced a one-year extension before the game.AT THE TOPLindor finished tied for the league lead in runs — he and Boston’s Mookie Betts both had 129.“That’s a lot of runs,” Francona said. “(With) him leading off, that’s the most important stat. He’s done a lot of things really well. When you score that many runs, that’s a huge number for us.”Merrifield finished the season with 192 hits and 45 stolen bases, leading the majors in both categories.“It was a monster accomplishment,” Yost said. “Leading baseball in stolen bases is huge, but leading baseball in hits is monstrous.”TRAINER’S ROOMIndians: C Yan Gomes‘ hand injury required two stitches but is not expected to prevent him from being available for the playoffs. “The doctors and trainers all think he’s going to be OK,” Francona said. … OF Tyler Naquin is returning from rehab in Arizona to join the team in time for Tuesday’s scrimmage. … OF Lonnie Chisenhall has been running the bases and hitting, but will not join the team, instead returning to his home in North Carolina as his family deals with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.UP NEXTRHP Corey Kluber takes the mound for Cleveland in the first game of the ALDS at Houston on Friday. WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals will enter the offseason with three-fifths of their 2019 starting rotation likely in place.Right-hander Joe Ross is looking to fill one of the two remaining spots.Friday night against the Cubs, Ross will make his first start in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery 14 months ago. Ross made his major league debut against the Cubs in 2015.Article continues below ...“It feels great. It’s been a long time this year. Watching from down in Florida’s kind of tough, but I’m glad to be back and glad to get an opportunity this Friday to get a start again Robinson Chirinos Jersey ,” Ross said earlier this week. “It’s kind of debut No. 2 against the Cubs. I’m excited.”Ross, 25, was acquired from the Padres in December of 2014 with a player to be named later — Trea Turner — as part of a three-team trade that saw Washington send Steven Souza and Travis Ott to Tampa Bay. Ross was 17-13 with a 3.95 ERA in 48 games from 2015 to July of 2017 before having surgery.Now, after six minor league rehab starts, he returns to face left-hander Jon Lester (15-5, 3.53 ERA).“Just kind of compete. You know, go throw strikes and do what I’ve always done, challenge batters,” Ross said of his expectations for Friday. “The last thing I want to do is get that high pitch count early in the game. So, just be aggressive and try and get outs and trust the defense.”With Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Tanner Roark set to return, Ross will be among the young Nationals pitchers looking to break into the 2018 rotation, but Ross said he is not focusing on proving his worth necessarily over the next few weeks.“Obviously, No. 1 is being healthy Curtis Granderson Jersey , so as long as I can finish the rest of this year and feel good and strong then that’s fine with me,” he said. “But inside I want to compete and when I go out and pitch I’m going to try and win the game so it’s not really try and prove my worth to the team in the last 30 days, I just want to go out there and win games.”Lester will start in Washington for the first time since the 2017 NL Division Series. He is 2-2 with a 4.25 ERA in seven career regular-season starts against the Nationals. Lester was 0-0 with a 1.86 ERA in two appearances, including one start, in the 2017 NL Division Series against Washington.Lester hasn’t lost since Aug. 11 when the Nationals pounded him for nine runs (eight earned) in 3 2/3 innings at Wrigley Field. In his last start, Lester gave up eight hits but threw six shutout innings in a win against the Phillies on Sunday. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning and retired six of the final seven batters.“When it gets a little tight, and you’ve got a lead, he makes really good pitches,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon told the Chicago Tribune. “He made good pitches when he had to.”In Thursday’s series opener, Chicago’s David Bote did it to the Nationals again, driving in the go-ahead run with a double in the 10th inning off reliever Jimmy Cordero as the Cubs (83-57) won 6-4. On Aug. 12 at Wrigley Field, he delivered a two-out grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to hand the Cubs a 4-3 win. The Cubs boast the best record in the National League and lead the Central Division by 4 1/2 games.Washington (69-72) has lost three straight to fall three games below .500 for the first time since April 30.