SB Nation Minnesota - Twins Win 6-4, Sweep Royals, Move Within Half Game Of Chicagohttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48959/mn-fave.png2010-07-28T18:28:57-05:00http://minnesota.sbnation.com/rss/stream/13565672010-07-28T18:28:57-05:002010-07-28T18:28:57-05:00Twins Win 6-4; Move Closer To White Sox
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<p>Delmon Young hit a three-run homer and Jason Repko added a solo shot, as the Twins completed a three-game sweep of the Royals with a 6-4 win.</p>
<p>It wasn’t the same result as the past two days, when Minnesota pounded KC by 19-1 and 11-2 finals, but the offense did enough with 14 hits to back starter Brian Duensing (4-1), who fired six innings of two-run ball on eight hits.</p>
<p>Young and Repko each had three hits, as did Denard Span, who drove in a run. Jon Rauch finished things up by notching his 21st save and first since the All-Star break.</p>
<p>The win was Minnesota’s fifth straight, completed a 6-1 road trip and improved the club to 10-4 since the break.</p>
<p>Brian Bannister (7-10) gave up 11 hits and five runs in six-plus innings to take the loss, Kansas City’s fourth in a row and sixth in seven games. Rick Ankiel led the offense with two hits and two <span class="caps">RBI</span>.</p>
<p>The deep flys came early for the Twins and gave Duensing a four-run cushion. Span led off the game with a base hit to center and Joe Mauer doubled to leave runners at second and third. Young turned on a 3-1 cutter and sent it deep into the left-field seats for the 3-0 edge.</p>
<p>Repko swatted a solo home run out to left in the second inning, then extended the lead further by crossing home on a Span single in the fourth for a 5-0 margin.</p>
<p>The Royals got two back in the fifth on five singles separated by a Brayan Pena double-play ball. Yuniesky Betancourt and Willie Bloomquist were able to plate runs with their respective two-out hits.</p>
<p>Jesse Crain pitched a flawless seventh to keep the lead at three, but Matt Guerrier ran into trouble in the eighth. A walk, single and an error loaded the bases with one out before Mike Aviles fouled out. Jose Mijares came on for Guerrier and yielded a two-run single to Ankiel before getting out of the inning.</p>
<p>Joakim Soria entered for the Royals in the ninth and was unable to hold the hosts’ deficit at one. He walked Mauer, uncorked a wild pitch and gave up a base hit to Young that left runners at the corners with one out. Jason Kubel provided an insurance run with a sacrifice fly and Rauch needed only to work around a two-out single to close out the win.</p>
<p>Game Notes</p>
<p>Duensing walked one and struck out two…Bannister fanned four with one walk in dropping his fourth straight start…Minnesota is 9-3 against the Royals this year and has taken 17 of the last 21 overall meetings between the teams…Twins shortstop Nick Punto left the game in the eighth inning after injuring himself running to first on a bunt single…KC’s Scott Podsednik had two hits to extend a career-best hitting streak to 15 games…Young upped his average to .334 on the year and now has 14 homers and 79 <span class="caps">RBI</span>. He had 12 HRs and 60 <span class="caps">RBI</span> all of last season while playing in 108 games…Kansas City optioned reliever Victor Marte and recalled pitcher Bryan Bullington from Triple-A Omaha Wednesday. Bullington tossed two scoreless innings in relief of Bannister. Marte had allowed eight runs in a combined inning of work in the last two games against Minnesota…The Twins outscored the Royals, 36-7, in the series, and over their current five-game tear have bested the competition by a 53-13 margin.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/2010/7/28/1593382/twins-win-6-4-move-closer-to-whiteChristopher Gates2010-07-28T12:21:55-05:002010-07-28T12:21:55-05:00Twins Look To Sweep Royals In Kansas City
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<p><font size="2">With their offense producing runs at an incredible rate, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/MIN">Minnesota Twins</a> set their sights on a fifth straight victory as well as a three-game sweep of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/KAN">Kansas City Royals</a> when the American League Central foes square off this afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> After overwhelming the Royals by a 19-1 count in Monday's opener of this set, the Twins continued their recent scoring binge in another lopsided win last night. Minnesota pounded out 19 hits in its 11-2 rout of the Royals, with <span>Danny Valencia</span> going 4-for-5 with three RBI to lead the charge. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> <span>Joe Mauer</span>, coming off a 5-for-5, seven-RBI performance in Monday's game, doubled twice and knocked in a pair of runs to help the Twins improve to 9-3 since the All-Star break. <span>Michael Cuddyer</span> and <span>J.J. Hardy</span> each contributed three hits and two RBI to Tuesday's triumph. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> The Twins entered this series off a 10-4 win at Baltimore on Sunday, with yesterday's result marking the first team the club has scored in double digits three straight times since June 11-13, 1967. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> "I think [the Twins are] the best hitting team in the American League," said Royals pitcher <span>Bruce Chen</span> after Tuesday's test. "They're good. I know they have some guys hurt, but they're still pretty good. I felt like I made good pitches." </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> Chen (5-5) allowed the first six Minnesota runs and a total of 11 hits over the first 5 1/3 innings to take the loss. His counterpart, <span>Carl Pavano</span>, was considerably better, as the resurgent right-hander limited the Royals to one run in five innings of work in posting his eighth straight winning decision. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> Pavano is now 13-6 on the season, tied with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/NYY">New York Yankees</a>' <span>CC Sabathia</span> and Tampa Bay's <span>David Price</span> for the most wins in the AL. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> Valencia has been on quite a roll as well lately. The rookie infielder had four hits, including a grand slam, in Monday's contest and has gone 8-for-9 with seven RBI so far in the series. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> "It's been a great time for me," he said. "It's been a great time for the team. We've been winning and you couldn't ask for anything more. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> Minnesota remained one game behind the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/CWS">Chicago White Sox</a>, who defeated Seattle on Tuesday, in the race for first place in the AL Central with last night's verdict. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> The Twins go for the sweep today behind <span>Brian Duensing</span>, who showed in his first 2010 start he can be as effective in that role as he's been for the team in relief this season. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> In his first outing since being inserted into the Minnesota rotation in place of a struggling Nick Blackburn, Duensing held Baltimore to a run on four hits over five solid innings this past Friday. He left the game with a 2-1 lead, but wound up with a no-decision when the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/BAL">Orioles</a> scored against the Twins' bullpen later on. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> Prior to that performance, Duensing compiled a 3-1 record with a sensational 1.67 earned run average in 39 relief appearances for the year. The left-hander also did well when called upon to start in 2009, going 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA in nine such assignments, and beat the Royals by tossing five innings of two-run ball at Kauffman Stadium last August. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> In eight overall encounters with Kansas City, Duensing is 2-0 with a 4.85 ERA. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> The Royals hand the ball to <span>Brian Bannister</span> today and hope the inconsistent right-hander can continue his usual success in day games. The 29-year-old is 4-1 with a very solid 3.05 ERA in seven afternoon starts this season, compared to a 2-6 mark and 7.10 ERA at night, and sports an excellent 21-9 overall record in the day over the course of his career. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> Bannister enters this afternoon's tilt in a slump, however, having lost in three consecutive starts and producing a subpar 0-4 record and 7.07 ERA over his last five mound trips. He's permitted four runs or more in each of those games. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> The former University of Southern California standout did best the Twins at Kauffman Stadium on April 25 -- a game which took place in the day -- by yielding two runs over 6 1/3 innings. Lifetime against Minnesota, Bannister is 4-4 with a 4.09 ERA over 11 starts. </font></p>
<p><font size="2"> Kansas City has now lost five of its last six games and continues to have trouble against the Twins. Minnesota is 8-3 against the Royals this year and has taken 16 of the last 20 overall meetings between the teams. The Twins are also 18-5 at Kauffman Stadium since the start of the 2008 season. </font></p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/2010/7/28/2318506/twins-look-to-sweep-royals-in-kansas-cityChristopher Gates