While Kennedy has an 0.79 ERA in his past five starts, Santiago has had problems keeping the ball in the park and finding a win since joining the Twins. Duffy has not faced Minnesota since a relief appearance on April 9 and is 4-1 with a 2.33 ERA in 13 career games – nine starts – against the Twins.
Advertisement
Royals: LHP Mike Minor, who has not pitched in the majors since 2014 after suffering a torn labrum a year ago, gave up six runs and seven hits, including two home runs, while walking two and striking out one in a rehab start Friday for Triple-A Omaha at Fresno.
“We scored four, which helped, and then attack the zone a little bit more”, Kennedy said.
Meanwhile, Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor is looking to tighten his outfield defense. “And when you’ve got your best pitcher going, those things can become huge”.
The odds might be against the Kansas City Royals but they are making a run at the Wild Card.
“Their starting pitching has been kind of sticking it to us here the first few nights”, Molitor said.
The Royals have won six straight, matching a season high, and got their eighth walk-off victory. He connected in the fourth inning and again in the fifth for his fourth career multihomer game and his first since May 18, 2014.
Kennedy (8-9) gave up four hits, walked none and struck out six.
The first and biggest of those came in the second when they loaded the bases with nobody out.
“We had our chances”, Twins second baseman Brian Dozier said. “And he lives away”. He was getting the call all night about three or four inches off. “You just have to keep the ball down for the most part and then elevate when you need to”. It’s what veteran pitchers do.
“Obviously with a good pitcher like that, and you give up run after run after run from the third inning on, it’s tough to play catch up”, he said.
SAN DIEGO – Left-hander Robbie Ray allowed one run on one hit over seven innings and Arizona turned two throwing errors by Clayton Richard into a pair of unearned runs in a victory over San Diego. Larry Gura had a parallel streak in 1981.
Salvador Perez and Gordon hit back-to-back home runs in a four-run fifth, chasing Hector Santiago (10-8). However, Kansas City took the lead for good on Eric Hosmer’s RBI double with two outs in the sixth to score Lorenzo Cain from first. The Royals are 8-0 in Duffy’s last 8 starts versus Minnesota and the under is 16-6-3 in the last 25 meetings.
LHP Adalberto Mejia, acquired by the Twins from the Giants in a July 28 trade for Eduardo Nunez, was recalled from Triple-A Rochester, where he was 1-2 with a 4.66 ERA in three starts. Mejia was scheduled to start Saturday for the Red Wings, but instead went to the Minnesota bullpen.
Duffy improved to 11-1 on the year without his best stuff, going 6 2/3 innings surrendering 8 hits, walking 2, giving up 1 earned run while striking out only four.
Advertisement
Twins: They have five on the disabled list, including LHPs Tommy Milone (biceps tendinitis) and Buddy Boshers (elbow inflammation) and RHP Trevor May (lower back strain) all going on the list in the past 10 days. Twins 1B Joe Mauer, who was hitless in 11 at-bats in the first three games of this series, was not in the lineup, although he has a.332 batting average at Kauffman Stadium. The Rangers have lost right fielder Shin-Soo Choo to a broken left arm, and general manager Jon Daniels says Gomez – a Gold Glover in center in 2013 – would be used as a corner outfielder.
