Where: Fenway Park.

When: Monday through Thursday.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio will do all four games, WKYC Ch. 3 Thursday; WTAM AM/1100.

Pitching matchups: RHP Josh Tomlin (11-5, 4.01) vs. RHP John Lackey (9-8, 6.20) Monday at 7:10; LHP David Huff (1-1, 0.71) vs. RHP Josh Beckett (9-4, 2.17) Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.; RHP Carlos Carrasco (8-9, 4.67) vs. RHP Tim Wakefield (6-4, 5.06) Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. and RHP Justin Masterson (8-7, 2.57) vs. LHP Jon Lester (10-4, 3.23) Thursday at 7:10 p.m.

Season series: Indians lead Boston, 4-2. Indians lead, 1,019-956, overall.

Indians update: They just ended a 2-6 homestand in which they were no-hit, shut out twice and scored 15 total runs. They went 11-15 in July after a 10-17 June. They’re hitting .202 (47-for-201) against Boston, but still lead the season series. Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .318 (7-for-22) with two homers and 7 RBI against the Red Sox.

Red Sox update: They’ve won 11 of their last 15 games. They’ve outscored the Indians, 25-19. Beckett is 1-1 and Lester 1-0 against the Tribe this year. Carl Crawford is hitting .348 (8-for-23) with two homers and three RBI against the Indians.

Injuries: Indians — CF Grady Sizemore (right knee, hernia), RF Shin-Soo Choo (left thumb) and OF Trevor Crowe (right shoulder) are on the disabled list. Red Sox — RHP Clay Buchholz (back), RHP Bobby Jenks (back), SS Jed Lowrie (left shoulder), OF J.D. Drew (left shoulder), LHP Rich Hill (left elbow), RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (right elbow) are on the disabled list.

Next: Indians open three-game series against Texas on Friday in Arlington, Texas.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians seem to reach a new low with every game.

Two days after being no-hit by Los Angeles pitcher Ervin Santana and committing five errors, the Indians were routed by Kansas City 12-0 on Friday night, their seventh loss in eight games.

“That was a rough one,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “I’m glad it only counts for one because we got beat up pretty bad.”

Carlos Carrasco (8-9) gave up three home runs and was ejected in the fourth inning for throwing at Billy Butler‘s head after giving up Melky Cabrera’s grand slam.

The loss dropped the Indians 2½ games behind Detroit in the AL Central, Cleveland’s largest deficit of the season. The Indians have scored just 13 runs during their most recent slide. Cleveland has fallen to 52-51 and has dropped five of six on its current homestand.

Right fielder Kosuke Fukudome, acquired from the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, went 0 for 4 and didn’t get the ball out of the infield.

The Indians are playing without Shin-Soo Choo (broken thumb) and Grady Sizemore (sports hernia surgery and bruised right knee). General manager Chris Antonetti is trying to swing another trade to boost the offense, but at this point it’s unclear if anything can help the Indians get out of their funk.

“We continue to struggle offensively, and our guys in our clubhouse are going to have to be the guys to snap out of it,” Acta said. “We can’t be expecting somebody to come in from the outside and do it.”

Friday night’s loss was tough to watch for the crowd of 35,390 that began to boo when the Indians fell behind 7-0 in the fourth. The only reason most of the fans stayed around was to see a postgame fireworks show.

The Royals hit four home runs and pounded out 16 hits, while Jeff Francis (4-11) won for the first time since June 10.

Carrasco lost his fifth straight start. Besides Cabrera’s grand slam, the right-hander also gave up a two-run homer to Butler in the first and a solo shot to Alex Gordon in the second. Butler added a solo homer in the eighth off Frank Herrmann.

Carrasco has allowed seven home runs in his losing streak. He also lost for the sixth time in his last seven decisions overall.

Players from both dugouts and bullpens came on the field after Carrasco’s pitch sailed past Butler’s head and went back to the screen. Several Royals players gestured and yelled at Carrasco as he was walking to Cleveland’s dugout. Carrasco shouted back before leaving the field.

Carrasco admitted he was upset that Cabrera stood at home plate and admired his 13th homer, but denied the pitch to Butler was intentional.

“I didn’t throw at anybody, the baseball just ran away,” he said. “I know it looked bad after a home run, but there is nothing I can do right there.”

Acta was unhappy with his pitcher.

“We don’t condone throwing at people’s heads,” Acta said. “He was talked to by (pitching coach Tim Belcher). That’s a dangerous situation.”

“That’s not professional,” Butler said. “I understand the game. You don’t go above the shoulders. You’re never supposed to throw at somebody’s head.”

Carrasco was replaced by Chad Durbin, who threw a high-and-inside pitch to Cabrera with the bases loaded in the fifth. Cabrera hit the dirt and glared at Durbin, but didn’t make a move toward the mound.

NOTES: RHP Alex White (strained finger ligament) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Akron on Saturday. White started three games for the Indians, but will be used in relief when he returns. … Acta said Choo (broken left thumb) might start taking batting practice in a week to 10 days. Choo was hit by a pitch on June 24. … Royals rookie 3B Eric Hosmer extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a first-inning double. … The Royals are 3-2 on their road trip to Boston and Cleveland.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — How low can a division contender go?

The Indians can only hope they struck the nadir with a 12-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Friday night at Progressive Field.

Right-hander Carlos Carrasco gave up seven runs in 3 1/3 innings and was ejected after firing a fastball over the head of Billy Butler. The pitch came moments after Melky Cabrera hit a grand slam and admired it.

Score this game a 9.9 on the embarrassment scale for the Indians, who were blasted out of their own building by a young, hungry last-place club that thoroughly enjoyed itself. Having the blowout attended by 35,390 fans did not help matters.

“I’m glad it only counts as one,” Tribe manager Manny Acta said.

The Indians (52-51) have not acted like playoff contenders in the past three-plus weeks. They have lost three straight and seven of eight and are 5-12 since July 8.

The Tribe remains in second place behind Detroit in the AL Central, but the three teams in the rearview mirror keep gaining.

Butler cracked two homers as the Royals (45-61) pulled within 8 1/2 of the Indians with their seventh victory in 10 games. They were coming off a four-game split in Boston, so taking on the slumping Indians in Cleveland is no big deal.

Tribe right fielder Kosuke Fukudome, acquired from the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, went 0-for-4 in his first game in the American League. That the Indians are expected to import more help before the non-waiver trade deadline Sunday afternoon mattered little to Acta late Friday night.

“The guys in our clubhouse are going to have to be the ones who snap out of it,” he said. “This is our team right here. We’re not going to switch 10 guys. We already brought in a guy. There’s no magic switch.”

An assembly-line defeat for the Tribe took on a nasty edge in the fourth.

With the Royals leading, 3-0, Brayan Pena and Chris Getz opened with singles. They moved up on a sacrifice bunt by No. 9 batter Alcides Escobar. Alex Gordon was intentionally walked.

Cabrera, smelling a first-pitch meatball, got one. He parked it over the wall in right. “The Melk Man” stood for a couple of seconds as the ball disappeared into seats.

Butler had barely gotten settled in the box when Carrasco buzzed his tower. Plate umpire Scott Barry immediately ejected Carrasco.

“Carlos is a young guy, immature at times, and he showed his frustration the wrong way,” Acta said.

Acta said Carrasco was “talked to” by pitching coach Tim Belcher.

“We don’t condone those types of things,” Acta said. “Whether the ball got away from him or not, we don’t condone throwing at people’s heads. That’s a dangerous situation.”

Butler said: “It was definitely at my head. That’s too high. That’s not professional.”

Carrasco, as expected, admitted to nothing sinister.

“I wasn’t throwing at his head,” he said. “It was just a fastball that got away. I know it looks bad after the home run, but there’s nothing I can do.”

Tribe catcher Lou Marson stepped in front of Butler. They exchanged words briefly. Benches and bullpens emptied, but the umpires made sure they did not get together on the field.

As he was leaving, Carrasco yelled at a Royal. Carrasco said it was shortstop Escobar, but it appeared to be right fielder Jeff Francoeur. Francoeur said he was the target.

“I understand the game,” he said. “If he thought [Cabrera] pimped the home run, fine. Hit [Butler] in the side. Don’t hit him in the head. That’s why I was yelling at him.”

Carrasco said he saw Cabrera seemingly admiring his blast, but again insisted it did not play a role in his pitch to Butler. Acta said it doesn’t matter whether Cabrera hot-dogged or not.

“He’s got a right to do what he wants to do,” Acta said. “He’s been around this league for a long time. You can look at it as he might have showed [Carrasco] up, but that’s part of the game. You’ve got to make pitches.”

Cabrera said he did not intend to offend.

“It was a home run,” he said. “I didn’t stand there on purpose. I didn’t look at the pitcher.”

Chad Durbin relieved. When Cabrera came up with the bases loaded in the fifth, Durbin threw a pitch above the waist that sent Cabrera spinning away. Cabrera has two career slams, both in Cleveland.

Carrasco’s (8-9) ERA rose from 4.25 to 4.67.

“Carlos really struggled with his command,” Acta said. “He put himself in hitters’ counts all the time, and those guys teed off on him.”

The Royals finished with 16 hits. Every starter had at least one.

Tribe hitters, coming off a series in which three quality Los Angeles Angels righties handled them, had a right to think they were getting a break in facing Royals lefty Jeff Francis. A finesse pitcher, Francis entered with a 3-11 record and 4.65 ERA. He had allowed 150 hits in 127 2/3 innings.

The Indians rocked him April 27 in Cleveland.

But Francis, as soft-tossing lefties have been apt to do for years against Cleveland teams, got the results of Steve Carlton. Francis gave up four hits in eight innings, walked one and struck out six.

Royals hitters enabled Francis to work low-pressure innings. They scored two in the first and one in the second, then blew it open with the four-run fourth.

Indians nemesis Butler hit a two-run homer off Carrasco in the first — Butler’s fourth straight game with a long ball. Alex Gordon homered in the second.

In the Tribe second, Orlando Cabrera ripped a one-out single to left. It was the Indians’ first hit in 70 hours, dating to the ninth inning Tuesday night. The Angels’ Ervin Santana threw a no-hitter Wednesday afternoon and the Indians had an off-day Thursday.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: dmanoloff@plaind.com, 216-999-4664

On Twitter: dmansworldpd

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians have given up three quick runs, including two homers, to cellar-dwelling Kansas City and trail the Royals, 3-0, after three innings.

Big Bang: The young bats for the Kansas City Royals came alive in the first inning as DH Billy Butler hit a home run in his fourth straight game to give KC a 2-0 lead. His 11th homer of the season followed a single from outfielder Melky Cabrera. Butler’s blast was followed by a double from rookie Eric Hosmer.

Blank One: The Indians failed to get a hit off KC’s lefty starter Jeff Francis in the first inning. Francis entered the game having allowed the second-most hits of any starting pitcher in the league, 150.

Blast II: The Royals get another dinger in the second inning off the bat of outfielder Alex Gordon to give KC a 3-0 lead. In short order three of the four first-round MLB draft picks on the Royals — Gordon (2005), Butler (2004) and Hosmer (2008) — had three of KC’s four hits and had driven in all three runs.

Debut: Kosuke Fukudome’s first plate appearance for the Indians came with one on in the second inning and ended with a strikeout. Cleveland would strand one.

Round three: The Indians got the Royals off the field with no damage in the top of the third.

Nibble-nibble: The Indians got their second hit of the game, a slicing double to left from Michael Brantley, with two outs in the third inning. But he was stranded by Travis Hafner, leaving the Indians down, 3-0, after three innings.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland Indians fans have some optimism for the team’s future because of top prospects such as pitchers Alex White and Drew Pomeranz, third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall and second baseman Jason Kipnis.

The Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline is Sunday at 4 p.m.

Would the Indians, hoping to stay in the American League Central Division race, include one of their best prospects in a deal for Colorado Rockies’ right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, in his prime at age 27 and considered one of the game’s most gifted starting pitchers despite a 6-9 record with a 4.20 ERA this season? 

Plain Dealer Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes writes that the Indians might not rule out a trade that would include one of their highly-touted youngsters, and he names some veterans the Tribe might have an interest in. That information is included in Hoynes’ reporting of the Indians’ trade on Thursday for veteran outfielder Kosuke Fukudome.

And, Jayson Stark writes for ESPN.com that it’s not impossible that the Indians would make a blockbuster trade for a player such as Jimenez:

But even if the Reds and Yankees back off, the Rockies still have several potential trade partners out there — particularly the Red Sox and Indians. Teams that have spoken with Boston seem certain they WILL add at least one starter by the deadline. And an executive of a club that has been in touch with Cleveland says the Indians are sending signals that their list of “untouchables” in lesser deals wouldn’t apply for someone like Jimenez.

That could mean names such as Alex White and Drew Pomeranz would be in play for a pitcher whose talent and contract fit perfectly into the Indians’ blueprint. And if that’s the case, the Rockies could have the makings of a deal. If not, Colorado continues to tell clubs it’s fine with keeping Jimenez if it doesn’t get its price.

The Indians, of course, did make a trade on Thursday, sending Class AAA Columbus relief pitcher Carlton Smith and Advanced A Kinston outfielder Abner Abreu to the Chicago Cubs for Fukudome.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Indians coverage includes — besides Hoynes’ story — Terry Pluto’s thoughts on the trade for Fukudome; a Starting Blocks fans poll on the trade; Bill Lubinger’s video inteviews of former Indians stars such as Andre Thornton, Carlos Baerga, Sam McDowell, Mudcat Grant and Max Alvis; and, much more.

The Indians (52-50), 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers in the Central Division, play the Kansas City Royals (44-61) tonight at Progressive Field. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco (8-8, 4.25) will start for the Tribe while KC sends left-hander Jeff Francis (3-11, 4.65) to the mound.

Around the horn

An Indians-Royals game preview by Brett Huston for STATS and the Associated Press.

A game preview and notes by Joey Nowak for MLB.com.

High-profile Indians rookies in a pennant race, by Jordan Bastian for MLB.com.

The trade for Kosuke Fukudome, by Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Jim Ingraham writes for the News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal that the “Fukudome trade might be too little, too late.”

An Indians-Cubs trade story by Chris Assenheimer for the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram and Medina County Gazette.

A Baltimore Sun story includes mention that the Indians might be interested in Orioles starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, a former Indians first-round draft pick.

An Indians Prospect Insider report on what’s going on with the Indians’ Arizona League and Dominican Summer League teams.