MINNEAPOLIS-The Minnesota Twins scored two runs in the seventh inning to steal a 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals in the finale of a three-game series on Wednesday night at Target Field. Two innings later, No. 37 went into the second deck in left.The slugging second baseman added his 38th in the bottom of the eighth inning for his third homer of the day, becoming the sixth player in team history to hit three home runs in a single game.
Advertisement
Dozier has hit a majors-most 24 home runs since the All-Star break.
Unsurprisingly, Dozier is sporting some impressive numbers from the dish on the season, slashing.278/.349/.580 with a.385 wOBA and.301 ISO through 595 plate appearances. Minnesota are 5-21 in their last 26 overall and are 3-11 in their last 14 home games while the over is 16-5-1 in their last 22 Wednesday games. Danny Duffy struck out 10 batters without a walk over six innings, but the bullpen cost Kansas City an opportunity to creep forward in the AL wild-card race. Kennedy pitched eight shutout innings against the Twins at Kauffman Stadium on August 20 and is looking for his third win over Minnesota in four tries.
Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier, 29, who has 39 home runs and 92 RBIs and is hitting.279 for baseball’s worst team, is signed through 2018 with a contract averaging $5 million a season.
“Everything he was throwing was elevated in the zone and his location was off but after the second inning he came in and made an adjustment and got in a groove and did a phenomenal job of getting us through six innings and keeping us right there in the game”, Yost said.
For the fifth time in their last five losses, the Kansas City Royals lost by a single run.
The Twins turn to Jose Berrios, fresh off his umpteenth recall from the minors this season.
“The best way to (get him out) is don’t throw fastballs down the middle and that’s what we did”, Yost said.
Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier has very rapidly become one of the most unsafe hitters in all of baseball.
METS 5, REDS 0: Bartolo Colon pitched six innings of five-hit ball and Matt Reynolds homered as the Mets won for the sixth time in eight games.
TWINS: Following an off day at home, Minnesota hosts division-leading Cleveland on Friday. “That’s something we try to teach to be prepared to do if they make a mistake”.
Advertisement
“It’s kind of like a video game”, said Twins manager Paul Molitor. RHP Yordano Ventura (10-9, 4.22 ERA) will pitch, opposite LHP Carlos Rodon (6-8, 3.90 ERA) of the White Sox. Santana is 3-1 in his last five starts with a 3.09 ERA.
