KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mike Naquin compiled a record-setting day for a Cleveland Indians rookie.

Naquin belted two home runs and drove in six runs and Carlos Carrasco gave up one hit in six dominant innings as the Cleveland Indians thrashed the Kansas City Royals 11-4 Wednesday.

Naquin hit a solo homer in the third, a two-run double in the fourth and a three-run blast in a seven-run fifth inning. Naquin's six RBIs are a career high and it was his first multi-homer game.

His six RBIs equal an Indians' record for a rookie. The previous Cleveland rookie to drive in six runs in a game was Turner Ward on Sept. 15, 1990, also against the Royals. He is the first Indians rookie to have two home runs and six RBIs in a game since Cory Snyder on Sept. 4, 1986 against Milwaukee.

"Right in front of our eyes we're seeing a kid get better at the major-league level," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "It's kind of fun to watch. He hit the ball out to left field, which is not easy to do. He hits the ball out to center field, which is a big boy area. He's a really strong kid and he's playing with a lot of confidence as he should."

Carrasco (7-3) retired the first 10 Royals before Cheslor Cuthbert doubled in the fourth, the only hit he would permit. Kansas City did not have another base runner until Whit Merrifield and Cuthbert walked with two outs in the sixth. Carrasco, who is 5-1 in his past six starts, was removed after 85 pitches, including 25 in the sixth inning.

Jason Kipnis, Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana also homered for the Indians.

"Tyler's just got an even more advanced approach than some of the other rookies I've ever seen," Kipnis said.

The loss dropped the defending World Series champion Royals to .500 (47-47) and nine games in back of the Indians in the American League Central. The Indians, who own the best record (56-38) in the league, also gained a game on second-place Detroit, which lost to the last-place Minnesota Twins to fall 7 1/2 games back.

"It's not the way we planned the series to go," Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "We've got to find some way to get hot and turn things around. We're just not getting it done right now."

Naquin, a 2012 first-round pick, is tied for first among AL rookies with 12 home runs, while his 26 extra-base hits, .326 batting average, .636 slugging percentage and .387 on-base percentage tops AL rookies.

"It was a lot of fun," Naquin said. "I'm not going to lie, it was a whole lot of fun. But it wasn't just my bat out there today. Everybody hit it."

Kipnis, the second Indians hitter, belted a 3-1 Ian Kennedy 93-mph fastball over the right-center fence. The Indians homered in the first inning in all three games of the series. It was Kipnis' 16th home run, one shy of his career high set in 2013.

The Indians made it 2-0 in the third when Naquin hit an opposite-field shot on a Kennedy knuckle curve. In the fourth, Naquin rifled a two-run double down the right-field line, scoring Lonnie Chisenhall, who was hit by a pitch, and Rajai Davis, who had singled.

Santana, who was 0-for-13 off Kennedy, led off the fifth with a prodigious blast of an estimated 447 feet into the right-field seats. Three batters later, Napoli sailed one over the left-center wall with Francisco Lindor aboard, finishing Kennedy's afternoon.

Kennedy conceded seven runs on six hits, but four disappeared over the fences. He walked two, hit two batters and struck out eight. Kennedy (6-8) saw his ERA balloon to 4.28, while he is 0-2 in four starts since a June 26 victory.

"It was kind of weird," Kennedy said. "I don't think I've ever pitched that bad and got that many strikeouts. I fell behind a lot of guys and when I did I gave up a homer and kind of put us in a big deficit."

Peter Moylan replaced Kennedy, but retired only one of the seven batters he faced, yielding four runs on four hits, including a Naquin three-run homer, and two walks before being replaced by Chris Young.

Austin Adams, the third of five Indians pitchers, gave up four runs in the eighth while retiring only two of the six batters he faced. The inning included run-producing doubles by Christian Colon, Alex Gordon and Drew Butera. Cuthbert, who extended his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games, singled home the other run of the inning.

It was 94 degrees with a heat index of 105 for the first pitch. The only thing hotter was the Indians' bats.

"It was like playing in a sauna," Kipnis said. "You know when you see a boxer get punched and the sweat goes off his face? I was seeing that when I was throwing, but off my arm. Your shirt gets heavy. Everyone is dealing with it, but you've just got to keep drinking fluids and stay hydrated. It is hot. It wears on you."

NOTES: The Royals will have an overnight trip to Washington on Thursday to meet with President Barack Obama, who will honor the 2015 World Series champions at the White House. Manager Ned Yost said this would be the fifth president he has met, joining Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. ... RHP Carlos Santana, who beat the Royals on Tuesday, is the first Indians' pitcher to win three consecutive starts against a defending World Series champion since Jake Westbrook in 2006 (White Sox); prior to that it was Dick Donovan in 1962 (Yankees). ... LF Alex Gordon, who is hitting .163 (8-for-49) with 16 strikeouts in July, was not in the starting lineup. Yost said he was just giving him a breather to relax and that he was becoming "a little frustrated." Rookie Brett Eibner started in left. ... The Indians are off Thursday before opening a series Friday at Baltimore. RHP Trevor Bauer is expected to start on Friday. ... Royals LHP Danny Duffy will start Friday against the Rangers.