We’re three games into the season and the Twins already almost have as many series sweeps as they had all of last season.
Back-to-back RBI doubles by Jason Castro and Jorge Polanco broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh and the bullpen held the door close to finish off a 5-3 win and a three-game season-opening sweep of the Kansas City Royals.
The Twins swept three series in 2016, one of which was a brief two-game series against the Braves.
Minnesota outscored the Royals 21-5 in the series. Fourteen of the Twins’ runs came in the seventh inning.
Additional notes:
- Max Kepler went 2-4 and hit the ball hard all four times
- Miguel Sano went 2-3 to increase his average to .444
- Jorge Polanco came back from a day off with his second 2-3 day at the plate
- Byron Buxton went 0-4 with a walk and is now 1-14 with seven strikeouts on the season
- Joe Mauer is 1-11 on the season. Combined with Buxton, they’re 2-25.
- Matt Belisle stranded runners at second and third in the top of the eighth
- Brandon Kintzler pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the season
- Twins walked six more times, giving them 23 on the season
