Field Level Media
Aug 22, 2020
Eddie Rosario belted a three-run, first-inning homer and Miguel Sano also homered and had three RBIs, as the Minnesota Twins ended a lengthy skid at Kansas City by beating the Royals, 7-2 on Saturday night.
Mired in a five-game losing streak at Kansas City dating back to last season, the Twins pounded out 10 hits to even the weekend series. They also got five solid innings of two-run ball from Randy Dobnak, who improved to 5-1 with a 1.78 ERA.
Minnesota is 8-4 since dropping four in a row from Aug. 6-9, with three of those defeats to the Royals.
After struggling offensively in Friday's 7-2 loss to the Royals, the Twins wasted no time getting on the board Saturday. Max Kepler led off the game with a double down the right-field line and Jorge Polanco followed with an infield single. Rosario then plopped the ball over the right-field wall and into the fountains off Brady Singer for his seventh home run of the season and a 3-0 Minnesota lead.
Sano made it 4-0 in the fourth inning when he drove a shot to left field for his fifth home run, also off Singer (1-3). The rookie right-hander allowed those four runs on six hits over four innings.
Kansas City cut Minnesota's lead in half against Dobnak in the fifth. Alex Gordon hit a homer to center field, his third, and Nicky Lopez delivered a two-out, RBI double down the left field line.
The Twins, though, broke things open in the seventh off reliever Ian Kennedy. Marwin Gonzalez drew a bases-loaded walk and Sano's two-run single made it 7-2. Sano is 9-for-22 (.409) in his last six games.
Three Minnesota relievers held Kansas City to two hits over four scoreless innings.
Gordon and Lopez each had two hits with an RBI for the Royals, who are 4-6 since they won four consecutive games from Aug. 6-9. Kansas City batters hit into three ground-ball double plays on the night.
--Field Level Media