Royals get the win against the Twins to take the Series 3-1
The Royals beat the Twins 3-2 Thursday to win the four-game series. Michae Wacha took the mound for the Royals to face Bailey Ober on a windy day game at the K. Drew Waters also made his first start of the year in center field for the Royals after being called up yesterday when Mark Cahna was placed on the 10-day IL. In 2023, Waters started 44 games for the Royals in center, so he has experience playing in the expansive outfield at Kauffman.
The game got off to a hot start, with the Royals putting up one run in the first inning after stringing together three singles from Witt, Pasquantino, and Perez. The Twins evened the score when Ty France continued his success against the Royals with a solo home run in the top of the second. This was followed by a one-out triple, but a forced grounder to Jonathan India and a play at the plate kept the Twins from taking the lead.
The game cooled off after that, and the pitching battle between Wacha and Ober ensued. Between some elite pitching and electric fielding plays, neither team was able to break the tie until the sixth inning, when the Twins capitalized on two walks to take a 2-1 lead.
The Royals rallied in the bottom of the seventh against Cole Sands to take the lead, with a Jonathan India single and a Bobby Witt Jr. sacrifice fly. The Royals nearly extended the lead after another Twins error, as Louis Varland threw the ball away, advancing Tyler Tolbert to third with only one out. Unfortunately, Maikel Garcia struck out, and MJ Melendez was unable to drive him in during the eighth.
On the other hand, the Royals’ bullpen was electric and continued its dominance in the back end, not allowing a single run and preserving the Royals’ lead. Estevez gave up a hit and hit a batter, but managed to hold on for the save and the win for the Royals. Kansas City took the series 3-1 and will be back tomorrow night against the Guardians.
Winners:
- Bobby Witt Jr. – 2-3, with a sac fly to give the Royals the lead
- Jonathan India – 1-4, but a 10-pitch AB in the bottom of the seventh led to a hit and tied the game
- Daniel Lynch – Still has not allowed a run after a key relief appearance today
- Royals bullpen – No earned runs today, continuing their dominance on the back end
- Tyler Tolbert – Forced an error on the bases and took two bases in the bottom of the eighth
Losers:
- MJ Melendez – Struggles at the plate continued as he finished 0-4, but was solid on defense with a big diving highlight play
Final Thoughts:
Today, the Royals didn’t look perfect but did just enough to get the win. Michael Wacha struggled with command at times but managed to keep the team in the game and only allowed two runs. The Royals’ bats were quiet early but stepped up late in the game to put the Royals on top. The real highlight was the bullpen, which locked down the last four innings of the game without allowing a single run. The team heads to Cleveland to start a ten-day road trip and a three-game series with the Guardians tomorrow.