Field Level Media
Sep 15, 2018
Alex Gordon had three hits and five RBIs to help the Kansas City Royals to a 10-3 win over the visiting Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.
Cam Gallagher was 4-for-4 with one RBI, and Alcides Escobar added three hits and three RBIs for the Royals, who have won the first three games of the four-game series.
Royals starter Ian Kennedy (2-8) allowed two runs (one earned), six hits and two walks with four strikeouts in six innings for his first win since April 7, a span of 17 winless outings that included a stint on the disabled list.
Twins starter Chase De Jong (0-1) allowed five runs (three earned) and eight hits with four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.
The Royals (52-96) scored once in the first after Whit Merrifield led off with a double and eventually scored on Gordon's groundout.
The Twins (67-81) tied it in the second when Max Kepler walked, took second on Kennedy's errant pickoff attempt and scored on Ehire Adrianza's single.
The Royals regained the lead in the bottom of the second. Jorge Bonifacio singled, moved to second on Rosell Herrera's groundout and scored on Escobar's single.
Kansas City scored four runs in the fourth. Herrera singled and Escobar tripled. Escobar scored on a throwing error by third baseman Gregorio Petit on an aborted squeeze attempt.
Gallagher did not attempt to bunt a low pitch, and catcher Willians Astudillo threw to third and Escobar ran home. Twins manager Paul Molitor, claiming obstruction, and third base coach Gene Glynn were ejected.
Gallagher doubled. De Jong was replaced by Gabriel Moya. He allowed a single to Adalberto Mondesi, who stole second, and then Gordon hit a two-run double.
The Twins scored in the fifth when Petit singled, Joe Mauer walked and Logan Forsythe singled.
The Royals took an 8-2 lead in the sixth on Gordon's two-run double against Zack Littell.
After Kansas City's Tim Hill pitched around two singles in the top of the seventh, Escobar added an RBI double and scored on Gallagher's single against Littell in the bottom of the inning.
Hill allowed a leadoff single to Jake Cave in the eighth and was replaced by Glenn Sparkman, who allowed Astudillo's single and Kepler's sacrifice fly.
--Field Level Media