Minnesota Twins defeat Kansas City Royals 4-3 – MLB Update
The Minnesota Twins defeated the lowly rated Kansas City Royals 4-3 after an intense game at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday, July 16.
The Twins got off to a solid start as Ben Revere and Michael Cuddyer added a run each in the first inning to give the team a formidable two-run lead.
Carl Pavano started decently for the Twins and kept the Royals quiet for the first four innings. With a two-run lead intact, Drew Butera stepped on the plate in the fourth inning and did exactly what he was required to do. Butera unleashed his strong arms
to hit his second home-run of the season and fourth of his career to take the Twins to what later turned out to be an unassailable three-run lead.
The Royals did not surrender themselves and answered back in the fifth inning. Alcides Escobar smashed a two-run homer at the top of the fifth inning. The hit allowed Brayan Pena to complete his run and bring the deficit down to just one run.
Melky Cabrera did not let the momentum stop for the Royals and took it in to the sixth inning where he added another run to level the score at three runs each.
After seven innings of oscillations, the game entered the decisive eighth inning. The Royals decided to carry on with Jeff Francis while the Twins decided to bring in fresh arms and thus replaced Pavano with Glen Perkins. This proved to be a decisive move
as the match progressed.
At the top of the eighth inning, Perkins threw a gem of an inning. His pitching was almost perfect as he managed ten strikes out of 13 pitches. He did not concede any hits and shifted the pressure on the Royals. Perkins was awarded with his first win of
the season.
Francis was weary and it was evident from his stance at the mound. Alexi Casilla cashed in on this slack performance and added the fourth-run for the Twins at the vital bottom of the eighth inning. Francis’ bad luck continued as he ended up losing his 11th
game of the season with just three wins so far.
Aaron Crow took over the reins from Francis after the run but by then it was a run-too-late for the Royals.
Joe Nathan came to close in for the Twins and followed what Perkins displayed in the previous inning. He handled the pressure brilliantly to see the Twins home. His performance earned him his fourth save of the season and decided the game without the need
of Minnesota’s batters coming out to play in the ninth inning.
The Twins now lead the four-game series 2-1 with the last game scheduled for Sunday, July 17.
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