Lorenzo Cain, Yordano Ventura lead Royals to 5-1 win over Twins

Lorenzo Cain limped toward his locker at Target Field. A protective wrap covered his right knee, the area of a bone bruise suffered earlier this week on a foul ball, a nagging injury the training staff informed him he must manage for the next three to four weeks.

In the penultimate game of the Royals regular season, a 5-1 victory over the Twins, Cain delivered three hits and scored two runs. He also created a worrisome sight on the bases, trudging at a diminished speed, cautious about putting too much strain on his leg.

“It definitely wasn’t 100 percent,” Cain said. “I definitely wasn’t myself. But I got through today. That was my plan, just to get through today. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow.” He added, “I’m definitely not up to speed on the outfield or the base paths.”

The injury to Cain does not classify as serious, but his return on Saturday served as a reminder to the importance of this baseball team. He leads the club in advanced metrics like wins above replacement, and could finish as high as third on American League MVP ballots. Playing at diminished capacity, he doubled twice and legged out a go-ahead infield single as the Royals rushed to a four-run rally in the seventh.

The barrage against the Twins bullpen made a victor out of Yordano Ventura, 13-8, 4.08 ERA, who turned in seven innings with one run allowed in his final tuneup before a likely Game 1 start in the American League Division Series. He matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts and scattered four hits.

[ Despite September slide, Royals stronger entering playoffs than last year ]

“Right where he needs to be going into next week,” manager Ned Yost said. “And I feel like we, as a team, are right where we need to be going into next week, too.”

After capturing their fourth victory in a row, the Royals, 94-67, have the top record in the American League by one game after the Blue Jays lost 4-3 to the Rays on Saturday night.

Toronto holds the tiebreaker over the Royals, so they must finish one game ahead to secure home-field advantage. Yost wants Kauffman Stadium to host the American League Championship Series, but he stressed he had concerns for Sunday.

While Johnny Cueto will start, Yost plans to pull him after four or five innings to make room for Edinson Volquez. Volquez is expected to pitch in Game 3 of the ALDS, and Yost wants to keep him sharp.

“You’re trying to accomplish so many objectives tomorrow,” Yost said.

Yost intended to use Ventura with caution on Saturday. He did not want Ventura to throw more than 100 pitches.

[ Sam Mellinger: Yordano Ventura controls his fire at right time for Royals ]

Ventura looked intent to challenge that edict in the first inning. Not because of an excessive pitch count, but because his arsenal looked so devastating, He struck out the side in the first inning.

“With everything that has gone on, he’s felt better and better with each start,” said catching coach Pedro Grifol, who translated for Ventura. “Today, he felt good from the beginning.”

Ventura rolled through the first four frames. Two walks were his only blemishes. With two outs in the fifth, outfielder Torii Hunter pounced on a first-pitch curveball and singled to right field. It was Minnesota’s first hit of the afternoon.

The second and third hits for the Twins occurred in the sixth. Outfielder Aaron Hicks hammered a changeup off the wall in right-center field for a double. With a single up the middle, All-Star second baseman Brian Dozier tied the score.

Ventura was not fazed. His final pitch was a 97 mph fastball on the outside corner that struck out third baseman Trevor Plouffe, ending the seventh inning.

“He’s going to continue to work to see if he can feel better and better every time he goes out there,” Grifol said.

The Royals extended their winning streak to four games. The success coincides with Alcides Escobar’s return to the leadoff spot. He bashed a triple with the score tied in the seventh.

Two batters later, Cain hit a grounder back to the mound. The throw from reliever Blaine Boyer hit Cain in the back and bounced away, good enough for a two-out RBI. Cain sprinted with his feet on the line, so Twins manager Paul Molitor could not challenge the call.

“While I was running, I thought for a quick second to get to the outside, to shift to the middle of the line, at the last second,” Cain said.

Minnesota would continue to make mistakes. After a walk by Eric Hosmer, Jonny Gomes smacked a grounder that Plouffe bungled. Hosmer raced home when left fielder Eddie Rosario threw the baseball away. A double from Mike Moustakas gave the Royals their fourth run of the inning.

The Royals closed the door on Minnesota’s season in the final two frames. Kelvin Herrera loaded the bases in the ninth before Wade Davis recorded the final two outs for the save.

Inside the clubhouse, Cain shuffled to his locker and prepared for, the Royals hope, another month of baseball. His knee will likely bother him the entire time. He intends to be ready for the challenge.

“It’s something I can play through,” Cain said. “But we’re trying to make it feel as good as possible. Especially for the postseason. That’s my main focus. I’d definitely like to be out there tomorrow, depending on how it feels. But the postseason is my main concern.”

Royals 5, Twins 1

a-singled for K.Suzuki in the 7th. b-struck out for Herrmann in the 9th.

1-ran for Tor.Hunter in the 9th.

E: Plouffe (12), K.Suzuki (3), E.Rosario (7). LOB: Kansas City 8, Minnesota 8. 2B: L.Cain 2 (34), Hosmer (33), Moustakas (34), A.Hicks (11). 3B: A.Escobar (5). RBIs: L.Cain (72), Hosmer (93), Moustakas (82), Dozier (77). SB: Dozier (12). S: A.Escobar.

Runners left in scoring position: Kansas City 5 (J.Gomes, Hosmer 3, S.Perez); Minnesota 4 (Sano, Plouffe, Edu.Escobar 2). RISP: Kansas City 3 for 10; Minnesota 1 for 7. Runners moved up: Dozier. GIDP: Rios, E.Rosario. DP: Kansas City 1 (Ventura, A.Escobar, Hosmer); Minnesota 1 (Edu.Escobar, Dozier, Mauer).

Cotts pitched to 3 batters in the 7th.

Inherited runners-scored: W.Davis 3-0, Cotts 1-1, May 1-0. IW: off Milone (L.Cain).

Umpires: Home, Larry Vanover; First, Brian Knight; Second, Vic Carapazza; Third, Ron Kulpa. Time: 3:01. Att: 30,181.

This story was originally published October 3, 2015 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Lorenzo Cain, Yordano Ventura lead Royals to 5-1 win over Twins."