Twins 4, Royals 3
An eighth-inning throwing error by Kansas City reliever Wade Davis allowed two runs to score as host Minnesota completed a three-game sweep of Kansas City.
The Twins loaded the bases with one out on a combined three walks by Aaron Crow (0-1) and Davis, and Chris Herrmann followed with a comebacker. Davis threw wildly past catcher Salvador Perez and then was slow to cover home as Brian Dozier scored from second to give Minnesota a one-run lead.
Casey Fien (1-0) recorded the final out in the top of the eighth and Glen Perkins struck out two in a perfect ninth for his third save. Minnesota starter Kevin Correia gave up three runs and six hits in seven-plus innings and Kansas City’s Jason Vargas allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings.
The contest was scoreless until Minnesota’s Jason Kubel drew a one-out walk off Vargas in the seventh and Josmil Pinto followed by drilling a 3-1 pitch well over the left-field fence. Kansas City pushed across three in the top of the eighth, the first scoring when Trevor Plouffe threw wildly to first on a bunt single by Alcides Escobar and the second crossing on a safety-squeeze bunt by Norichika Aoki.
Eric Hosmer drilled a two-out double to deep left-center later in the eighth to score Escobar and give Kansas City a 3-2 lead. Crow walked the first two batters in the bottom of the inning and Davis issued one to Plouffe prior to the decisive sequence.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire was back in the dugout after a two-game absence to attend the funeral of Michael Hirschbeck, son of umpire John Hirschbeck. … Royals 3B Mike Moustakas was called out on batter’s inference for the final out when he didn’t move from the batter’s box on his foul pop-up and Twins C Kurt Suzuki tripped over his foot. … A CT scan performed on Minnesota OF Josh Willingham revealed a tiny fracture in his left wrist. Willingham was placed on the disabled list on Saturday.