Final
Twins 8, Royals 6
Starting pitcher performance
With four healthy starters currently on the roster, the Twins opted to go with a bullpen game to fill in Bailey Ober’s rotation spot. For the second time, Andrew Morris drew the starting assignment in a bullpen game. He threw two innings, giving up a run in each of them.
Morris faced six batters in each inning he worked, needing 48 pitches to get six outs. He allowed five hits and walked one before making way for Mike Paredes. Paredes, in his second-career outing, threw 3 2/3 innings, working into the sixth inning, during which a Carter Jensen double plated a pair of runs. Both runs were charged to Paredes, though Anthony Banda surrendered the hit.
The Royals also scored their sixth run of the game in the inning, a run coming around to score when shortstop Ryan Kreidler and second baseman Luke Keaschall collided as both were trying to catch what should have been the third out of the inning. It gave them the lead right before the game went into a rain delay that lasted more than an hour.
Key moment
Josh Rojas broke open a game that had been tied since the sixth — Caratini hit a solo shot shortly after the game resumed — with a single to center off new Twins reliever Justin Lawrence in the ninth. A pair of runs scored on the hit, both charged to Taylor Rogers, who allowed consecutive hits to begin the ninth.
The Twins did put two baserunners on in the bottom of the ninth before Brooks Lee grounded out to end the game.
Player of the Game
Nobody impacted the early innings of the game more than Kody Clemens, who made a pair of nice defensive plays and hit two home runs. In the second inning, Clemens made a diving stop on a Bobby Witt Jr. groundball. He then threw quickly to catcher Victor Caratini, preventing a runner from scoring. An inning later, Clemens ran back into foul territory and made a tumbling catch as he grabbed a ball near the netting.
His first home run of the game, which came in the third inning, gave the Twins a 3-2 lead at the time. His second blast in the fifth inning made it 5-3.
Up next
Zebby Matthews (1-3, 4.63 ERA) will take the mound on Friday for the second game of the series against Kansas City. He will be opposed by Michael Wacha (4-3, 3.23 ERA). The game will be nationally televised on Apple TV.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.twincities.com ’
