One batter into the game, the Royals found themselves behind. Byron Buxton, hit a moonshot to left center, that might have been aided by the wind, but nonetheless, his 30th homer of the season gave the Twins a 1-0 advantage.
Nothing would happen until the top of the 4th, when with 2 outs and a runner on second base, Kody Clemens launched a 451-foot homer over all three walls in center field, 3-0 Minnesota.
After nine up, nine down from Bailey Ober, Mike Yastrzemski would hit a double but be stranded
on third base in the 4th. The Royals would start up a two out rally with a double and a walk, but Luke Maile struck out swinging to end the 5th inning.
The Twins scored their fourth run on a double steal with runners on the corners and 2 outs in the 6th inning. The Royals got their only run on the day after Maikel Garcia doubled and Vinnie Pasquantino singled him in. Salvy’s double play ball ended the threat.
Daniel Lynch IV had a really tough day on the bump, hitting a batter, walking two more (one with the bases loaded to make it 5-1). Taylor Clarke would get the Royals out of the inning, however.
The Royals loaded the bases in the bottom of the 8th after a pair of singles and a walk, unfortunately Kyle Isbel, who was hit by a pitch to start the inning, was picked off first base. Pasquantino went down on 3 pitches, swinging at two pitches way out of the zone. Salvy got a chance to play hero, bases juiced, 2 outs and the Royals trailing 5-1. He weakly grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.
The Royals would load the bases again in the 9th inning, a one out single, a 13 pitch walk from Cags, and a walk from Carter Jensen after Isbel hit into a fielder’s choice. Yastrzemski had a chance with 2 outs, bases juiced, representing the tying run, he would fly out to center field to end the contest. The inability to hit with runners in scoring position plagued the Royals the whole homestand.
The Mariners crushed the Braves 18-2. The Guardians, who the Royals start a 4-game series with tomorrow night, just swept the Rays in Tampa Bay and the Rangers beat the Astros. So, it’s a brutal day all around in the wild card race. They find themselves 2 games back of Seattle with 18 games to play, a half-game behind the Rangers, and only a half game ahead of the Guardians.
The Royals are 73-70 on the season now and will be play at 5:40 p.m. central time tomorrow from Cleveland. The head-to-head tiebreaker between the Royals and Cleveland might determine who gets the final spot. Cleveland is 5-4 against the Royals this season. The Royals finish the homestand, going 4-5.
