Salvador Perez launches two more homers and Kansas City Royals hold on to beat Twins
Kansas City Royals speedster Jarrod Dyson scored the game-winning run in an inning that didn’t include a hit. A stolen base and a dropped fly ball was all the opening Dyson needed to create havoc.
For the second game in a row, Salvador Perez blasted a pair of home runs to power the Royals offense and Hunter Dozier added a homer of his own as the Royals notched a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins in front of an announced 11,072 in the opening game of the four-game series on Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium.
Perez, who has 14 home runs through the first 54 games of the season, has at least one RBI in a career-high six straight games. He joined Mike Sweeney (May 1-3, 2005), Darrell Porter (September 7-8, 1977) and Ed Kirkpatrick (September 28-30, 1969) as the only other Royals with back-to-back multi-homer games.
The Royals (28-26) have won 12 of their last 18 games and have the second-best record in the American League since May 14. They also won their 400th game in franchise history against the Twins, the most wins by the Royals against any other team.
By scoring six runs on Thursday, the Royals have now scored at least five runs in six straight games.
Of course the last run proved the most crucial.
“It just seemed like when we’d get one, we’d give one,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “It was a back and forth. Salvy. This guy continues to amaze us. When we need something, he’s there.”
The Royals and Twins were locked in a 5-5 tie, the fourth tie of the night when the Royals’ Carlos Santana, who entered the night with a .387 on-base percentage, drew a lead-off walk to start the bottom of the seventh.
Dyson, who ranks fifth on the franchise’s all-time steals list, pinch-ran with no outs and Perez at the plate. Dyson stole second base on the second pitch of the at-bat to put himself in scoring position in a tie game with nobody out in the inning.
Perez popped out to second base for the first out of the inning. The next batter, Andrew Benintendi — coming off of a five-RBI game on Tuesday — hit a fly ball to left-center field that appeared at-best might allow Dyson to advance to third.
Instead Twins rookie center fielder Gilberto Celestino darted in front of left fielder Trevor Larnach late and dropped the ball as the two nearly collided, Celestino’s first of two errors on the play.
With Dyson tagging at second base and Benintendi taking an aggressive turn at first base, Celestino threw wildly to the infield for his second error on the play. The wild throw allowed Dyson to score without a play at the plate.
“We talk about pressure,” Matheny said. “(Dyson) steps on the field and he’s on a base anywhere, it’s going to be pressure. I believe their outfielders are conscious of the fact — and he was tagging up — and traditionally that guy would be halfway on that play. I think that puts some pressure on as well to come up and be ready to make a throw to third base.”
The back-and-forth nature of the game certainly still put the outcome in doubt. However, Royals relief pitcher Scott Barlow pitched the eighth and ninth innings, didn’t allow a hit and issued one walk for a two-inning save.
Barlow became the only pitcher in the majors this season with two six-out saves, and he’s the first Royals pitcher with two in a season since Joakim Soria had five in 2009.
“I always feel good that first time out of the bullpen,” Barlow said. “You get a little bit of energy when the crowd gets going and everything.
“Then the second — the more times you kind of do it, you kind of know how to get yourself psyched back up for that second one. That’s usually the biggest thing. You take that deep breath after that first one, and it’s almost kind of just hold that breath and just repeat.”
The Royals’ Whit Merrifield (1 for 3, sacrifice fly) and Benintendi (1 for 3, hit by pitch) also drove in runs for the Royals.
Cam Gallagher had two hits and a run scored. Gallagher started at catcher with Perez serving as the designated hitter. Jorge Soler, who hadn’t played since Saturday due to a groin injury, started in right field.
Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic allowed four runs, three earned, on eight hits, two walks and six strikeouts. The one unearned run came as a result of a throwing error by Bubic on a ball hit softly in front of the mound in the fifth inning.
This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 10:32 PM.
