RECAP: #Royals blast three HRs, use big 7-run inning to beat Twins and extend division lead. http://t.co/iZbSl1P96s pic.twitter.com/xHYu70bTI9
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) August 17, 2014
Twins pitcher Tommy Milone’s debut at Target Field was one he’d probably like to forget.
Milone, who was making his second start since being traded from the A’s on July 31, lasted just 1- 1/3 innings and gave up seven runs in a 12-6 loss to the Kansas City Royals Sunday afternoon, MLB.com reports.
The game was delayed twice due to the weather; it started 34 minutes late in anticipation of a rain shower that never materialized. But the rain did start falling at the start of the second inning, and a rain delay that lasted 54 minutes was called with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The tarp is on the field and we are officially in a rain delay at Target Field. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/PIwfcGysoP
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 17, 2014
Milone retired the first three Kansas City batters in the first inning, but fell apart in the second when the Royals sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven times.
Alcides Escobar started off the scoring with a bases-loaded single. Jarrod Dyson walked to load the bases again, and Nori Aoki singled to left-center to give the Royals a 4-0 lead, according to the Associated Press.
As it started raining, two more runs scored when Twins second baseman Brian Dozier had trouble fielding a grounder by Omar Infante.
Milone was pulled in favor of reliever Samuel Deduno, who gave up an RBI single to Billy Butler but then got Alex Gordon to hit into a double play to end the inning.
Kansas City added two more runs in the seventh off reliever Ryan Pressly, and former Twin Josh Willingham closed out the scoring with a ninth-inning homer off Brian Duensing.
Royals right-hander Jeremy Guthrie (9-10) allowed four runs on five hits and two walks over seven innings to get the win.
Joe Mauer, Kennys Vargas and Oswaldo Arcia all homered for the Twins, But it wasn’t enough to stop the Royals, who have won 20 of their last 25 games and increased their lead in the AL Central to 1-1/2 games over Detroit, according to MLB.com.
The two teams play the finale of their four-game series Monday evening. Trevor May (0-1) will take the mound for the Twins, and try to bounce back from his disastrous performance on Aug. 9, when he walked seven batters in two innings. Jason Vargas (9-5) will start for the Royals.
