KANSAS CITY, MO (AP) – Eddie Rosario hit a three-run homer, Miguel Sano homered and also drove in three runs, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 7-2 on Saturday night to even their series at a game apiece.
Randy Dobnak (5-1) pitched five innings of two-run ball, continuing his brilliant start to the season. The former undrafted free agent, who just three years ago was pitching for the independent Utica Unicorns, gave up a homer to Alex Gordon but otherwise kept dodging trouble on a hot, humid night at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals’ Brady Singer (1-3) allowed four runs and six hits in four innings in his third straight start against Minnesota.
After the Royals jumped on the Twins with four runs in the first Friday night, it was Minnesota’s turn to strike early. Max Kepler hit a leadoff double, Jorge Polanco singled and Rosario hit Singer’s biggest mistake into the right-field fountain.
Sano made it 4-0 when he crushed a pitch off the Royals’ Hall of Fame – an estimated 458 feet to left field.
Meanwhile, Dobnak was keeping the Royals off the scoreboard until the fifth, when Gordon sent a one-out pitch over the wall in center. That finally gave Kansas City some momentum: Cam Gallagher and Whit Merrifield added two-out singles and Nicky Lopez guided an RBI double down the left-field line to make it 4-2.
Dobnak escaped the jam when he speared Hunter Dozier’s line drive right back up the middle.
The Royals’ last chance to pull ahead came on a series of miscues in the sixth. Alex Avila was called for interference when his catcher’s mitt was nicked by Jorge Soler’s bat, then Ryan McBroom singled before Gordon was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Tyler Duffy responded by striking out Adalberto Mondesi and pinch hitter Ryan O’Hearn to end the threat.
In a strange coincidence, Avila also was called for catchers’ interference on Soler’s previous at-bat.
The Twins put the game away with three runs off Ian Kennedy in the seventh.
Earlier Saturday, the Twins added two more names to their injured list when Jake Odorizzi was sidelined with bruised ribs and fellow right-hander Zack Littell was shut down because of right elbow inflammation.
Both players were hurt during a 7-2 loss to the City Royals on Friday night.
The Twins also moved right-hander Homer Bailey to the 45-day injured list after a setback in his recovery from biceps tendinitis. The moves allowed the Twins to purchase the contract of left-hander Danny Coulombe and recall right-hander Sean Poppen to the active roster. Both had been on the four-man taxi squad for the road trip.
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