KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Danny Salazar has no idea why he seems to handle the Kansas City Royals so easily.Perhaps its because hes such an aggressive pitcher and they have such an aggressive lineup.The Indians right-hander went right after the Royals in his third outing against them this season, shutting them down into the seventh inning in leading Cleveland to a 7-3 victory.They like to swing a lot, said Salazar (11-3), who tossed 7 2/3 shutout innings against Kansas City in a 7-1 victory in early May, and allowed one run over eight innings in a 6-1 win last month.You really have to mix your pitches.He did that nicely, striking out seven and walking one over 6 2/3 innings.He did a really good job of keeping them off the scoreboard, for the most part, Indians manager Terry Francona said. We really needed that bounce-back win.Mike Napoli hit a two-run homer in the first off Brian Flynn (1-1), and Carlos Santana drove in two runs off long reliever Dillon Gee, as the Indians snapped a five-game skid at Kauffman Stadium.Francisco Lindor added a solo shot in the ninth for Cleveland.Youre facing an All-Star pitcher in Salazar, said Royals manager Ned Yost, who skippered the winning club last week. Hes not an All-Star for nothing. Hes tough.The Flynn-Gee combo got the call for the Royals in place of ineffective fifth starter Chris Young. Flynn lasted 2 2/3 innings in his first start since August 2014, while Gee went the next 5 1/3 innings.Then again, Cy Young would have had a tough time matching Salazar on another hot, humid night.He didnt allow a runner past first base through the first five innings, striking out Alex Gordon twice along the way. He seemed to falter in the oppressive weather in the sixth, when Salvador Perez drove in a run and Kendrys Morales scored on a wild pitch, but managed to escape the inning.He gave up a sacrifice fly in the seventh before Kyle Crockett finished the inning.Salazar pitched with the lead the entire way after Napolis homer in the first inning, his 21st of the year just skirting inside the left-field foul pole. But the rest of the Indians offense came from the same kind of small ball that carried the AL Central-rival Royals to the World Series title last season.They scored a run in the second on a single, a walk and two sacrifices. The division-leaders added three more in the fifth on a double, three singles, a walk and a fielders choice.It was a nice way to rebound after Cleveland blew a late lead in a 7-3 loss the previous night,I was really pleased the way we handled it, Francona said.STATS AND STREAKSIndians OF Erik Gonzalez had a single in the third for his first career hit. ... Salazar has won seven straight, a career best. ... Lindor has hit 24 career homers. Nineteen have been solo shots. ... Gee matched the longest relief outing of his career.HOT SEATSYost and Francona both said they may change up their lineups for the series finale on Wednesday. Temperatures are expected to approach 100 degrees for the afternoon start with a heat index well into triple digits. Were going to see tonight who needs a break, Yost said.TRAINERS ROOMIndians: OF Michael Brantley will have an MRI on Wednesday after experiencing pain in his right shoulder. He had surgery last November and played in only 11 games this season before landing back on the DL. Brantley has been on a rehab assignment at Double-A Akron since July 11.Royals: RHP Kyle Zimmer, one of the clubs top prospects, has been diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and will miss the rest of the season. The former first-round draft pick will have surgery in the coming weeks. The Mets Matt Harvey had surgery for the same condition Monday.UP NEXTThe Royals Ian Kennedy is 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA in daytime starts this season. He goes against fellow right-hander Carlos Carrasco, who is 4-2 with a 1.94 ERA in seven road starts. Buffalo Sabres Pro Shop . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Fake Sabres Jerseys . Shot outdoors against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the networks 30-minute original production airs tonight at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2. The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. https://www.cheapsabres.com/ . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. The medical staff initially thought hed torn the ligament, and the test a day later in Cincinnati confirmed it. Buffalo Sabres Shirts . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. Buffalo Sabres Store . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. STORRS, Conn. -- Northeastern hadnt beaten UConn since the year before Jim Calhoun left the Boston-based Huskies to coach the ones at Connecticut.That changed Monday night.T.J. Williams scored 20 points and Northeastern won 64-61, dropping UConn to 0-2 for the first time in 48 years.Its pretty big for the school and its pretty big for our team this year, Williams said. Its really huge. It really hasnt sunk in yet, but it feels great; it feels wonderful.Donnell Gresham Jr. added 13 points for Northeastern (2-0) and Alex Murphy had nine points and 15 rebounds.Terry Larrier scored 17 points and Jalen Adams had 15 for UConn.The UConn Huskies had a chance to tie the game at the end when freshman Alterique Gilbert stole a cross-court pass from Murphy as Northeastern was trying to run out the clock. But his 3-pointer hit the rim just before the buzzer.I made one of the dumbest plays of my basketball career, said Murphy, a graduate transfer who played at both Duke and Florida. It got picked off but Donnell (Gresham) was there to defend the shot, so thank God for him.Northeastern led most of the way and was up 35-31 at halftime.UConn went on a 9-1 run to open the second half to take a four-point lead, but Northeastern responded with a 10-2 run of its own.A fast-break dunk by Murphy gave Northeastern its largest lead of the second half at 61-54 with just under 4 minutes left.Larriers off-balance runner in the lane had cut the lead to three points with 1:07 left and the Huskies forced a turnover to get the ball back. But Larrier missed two 3-pointers before Gilberts play at the end.Northeastern shot just 36 percent from the floor, but held UConn to 39 percent and outrebounded Connecticut 47-38, including 17-13 on the offensive boards.This is a dark time, UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. I know that. I understand the expectations of everybody here, in this room and at UConn. I feel embarrassed right now. But when I feel embarrassed, I know Im going to geet through it and this team is going to get through it.ddddddddddddIG PICTUREUConn began the season ranked 18th in the nation and fell out of the rankings on Monday after losing its opener to Wagner , the teams first season-opening loss in 17 years. The Huskies are now 0-2 for the first time since the 1968-69 season, a year they started 0-10.Northeastern: Northeastern last beat UConn in 1985, a 90-73 victory for Calhouns team. The Hall-of-Fame coach won 248 games at Northeastern before guiding UConn to 625 wins and three national titles. Northeastern had lost eight straight in the series and 22 of the last 23 matchups between the schools. The Boston-based Huskies are now 5-35 against their namesakes.STAT OF THE NIGHTUConn made just 5 of 21 shots from 3-point range after going 6 for 19 from behind the arc against Wagner. Guards Rodney Purvis and Gilbert combined to go 2 for 11.BLOCK PARTYUConns 7-foot center Amida Brimah blocked eight shots, giving him 289 for his career. That is third in school history behind Emeka Okafor (441) and Hasheem Thabeet (417).INJURYUConn freshman guard Christian Vital, who had five points in the Huskies opener, was forced to sit out the game against Northeastern with back issues.UP NEXTUConn: The Connecticut Huskies head west and then head further west. UConn plays its first road game against Loyola Marymount in Kevin Ollies hometown of Los Angeles before traveling to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational, where Oklahoma State will be the opening round opponent on Nov. 21.Northeastern: The Boston-based Huskies face Boston University for the second time in three games on Friday. Northeastern won the season-opening matchup at home 87-77. The second game comes as part of the Steve Wright Classic. That tournament, being hosted by BU also will include games against LIU Brooklyn and Maine. ' ' '