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Twins Vs. Royals: Minnesota Won Third Straight With Sunday's Finale

After dropping game one on Friday, the Minnesota Twins won three consecutive games to cap off their four-game set with Kansas City in style.

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Twins Vs. Royals Final Score: Minnesota Victorious Again In Wild Series Finale, 10-8

In a crazy series finale that saw both teams combine for 18 runs on 22 hits, the Minnesota Twins emerged with a 10-8 victory to take their four-game series with the Kansas City Royals.

After what looked like a pitcher's duel through five innings with a 1-1 tie on the scoreboard, the Royals proceeded to explode for four runs to open the sixth inning, forcing Minnesota starter Francisco Liriano from the mound in the process. Not to be outdone, the Twins more than answered in the bottom half of the frame, bombing Kansas City starter Bruce Chen for five runs themselves to forcing him from the game as well.

Drew Butera's three-run homer off the Royals' Aaron Crow made it a 10-5 game in favor of the Twins in the eighth, as part-time closer-by-committee member Glen Perkins stepped on the mound with a five-run lead in the final inning trying to protect the victory. But on a 92-degree day where the baseball was quite literally flying everywhere at Target Field, it was only natural that Perkins would quickly implode for three runs on four hits before shutting the door.

Winners of three straight games, Sunday's 10-run outing represented the seventh time the Twins have reached double digits in the scoring column this season. And with a dangerous four-game series at Comerica Park against the Detroit Tigers looming large, manager Ron Gardenhire will need to hope that his players can continue to swing a hot bat.

For more on the Twins, head over to Twinkie Town. For more on the Royals, check out Royals Review. And for more MLB news and analysis, make sure to visit Baseball Nation.

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Twins Vs. Royals Final Score: Minnesota Pulls Off Doubleheader Sweep With 5-1 Victory

The Minnesota Twins' three-game losing streak became a distant memory on a busy Saturday at Target Field, as Ron Gardenhire's team pulled off a pair of wins against AL Central rival Kansas City to sweep the doubleheader in impressive fashion.

After taking game one 7-2 behind another strong performance from rookie hurler Scott Diamond, the Twins kept things rolling in the nightcap, knocking around Royals starter Luke Hochevar for five runs on eight hits en route to a 5-1 victory.

Twins outfielder Josh Willingham got things started on the right foot in the first inning against Hochevar with a two-out bomb to left field that plated teammate Joe Mauer. The blast represented Willingham's 16th of the season, putting him well on his way towards reaching the 30-home run plateau for the first time in his big league career.

Reserve infielder Chris Parmelee chipped in his first home run of the season on a solo homer in the third inning on a two-strike count, and Mauer followed suit in the next frame with a solo shot of his own. The All-Star catcher entered the doubleheader with just three home runs to his credit since April 13 however, but has been on a torrid pace from the plate in the second half of June and could be in line for a power surge.

Picking up Saturday's pivotal win in the box score for Minnesota was first-year starter Cole De Vries, who moved to 2-1 with a commendable 5.2-inning, one-run performance that included six strikeouts. Aside from a solo shot yielded to Kansas City's Billy Butler in the second inning, De Vries turned in a promising outing. With an eye on three straight victories, Gardenhire and company will send a much-improved Francisco Liriano to the mound for Sunday's series finale.

For more on the Twins, head over to Twinkie Town. For Royals coverage, be sure to visit Royals Review. And for more MLB news and analysis, check out Baseball Nation.

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Photographs by Micah Taylor, clairity, and Fibonacci Blue used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.