How the Royals flipped Saturday’s game vs. the Twins into a crucial comeback victory
There was a quiet murmur across Kauffman Stadium on Saturday night.
The Kansas City Royals couldn’t buy a hit against Minnesota Twins starter Bailey Ober. Nothing seemed to work as Ober worked a near-flawless seven innings.
Then, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli turned to his bullpen. Ober was taken out of the game in the eighth inning, and a sigh of relief was shared by the 29,160 fans in attendance.
And a sleeping giant began to stir.
“Just trying to grind away, chip away and get to the bullpen,” Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. said. “... We just had to grind it out.”
In the eighth inning, the Royals scored four runs to earn a 4-2 win over the Twins. It was their third consecutive win after a seven-game losing streak.
“I actually think that might’ve been the loudest this place has been all year, to be honest,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.
Royals catcher Freddy Fermin began the frame with a one-out single. Then, designated hitter Robbie Grossman got aboard after being hit by a pitch.
This set the stage for Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel. He ripped an RBI single that brought Fermin in to score. The Royals added three more singles to take a late lead — from Witt, Tommy Pham and MJ Melendez.
“It’s huge,” Isbel said. “Any momentum that you can bring the team is massive. Just turning it over to the top of the lineup. ... Those guys have been so good.”
Three runs were charged to Twins reliever Jhoan Duran, who was hit hard in one-third of an inning. Fellow reliever Griffin Jax blew a save as the Royals surged forward.
“(Royals assistant hitting coach) Joe Dillon just called it a sneak attack,” Quatraro said of the rally. “Didn’t see it coming. The quality of at-bats against Duran was outstanding.”
KC improved to 78-65 and now holds a 1 1/2-game lead over the Twins for the second spot in the American League Wild Card race. The Twins would’ve jumped the Royals in the standings had Saturday’s game gone the other way.
Missed previous Royals coverage
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Here are more notables from Saturday’s game:
Alec Marsh tosses five quality innings
Marsh, the Royals starter, gave the Royals a chance on Saturday night. He allowed two runs and struck out five batters, despite the lack of run support.
“This is a big series for us,” Marsh said. “So to be able to hone that energy in and get out there and attack guys (was big). You know, let our defense do the work and let the offense do what they do to stay in it the whole time.”
The Twins made things difficult early. Marsh navigated a leadoff single to second baseman Edouard Julien in the first inning. But Marsh stranded two runners and escaped without a run scoring.
Marsh cruised through the second inning but ran into trouble thereafter. In the third, the Twins scored both runs with three extra-base hits. Julien hit a one-out double and later scored on teammate Jose Miranda’s RBI triple.
Twins outfielder Matt Wallner followed with an RBI double of his own.
“The big inning, I thought I limited it better this time,” Marsh said. “It really comes down to two pitches for me. I mean, Miranda, I could’ve easily thrown him another slider there. The one to Wallner was just a misplaced pitch.”
Royals limited early against Bailey Ober
The Royals caught Ober on the wrong night.
Ober, who had already faced the Royals twice this season, didn’t look like the same pitcher who allowed 14 earned runs in those outings. Instead, he was aggressive from the first pitch.
“We knew (Ober) was going to have a different mindset just because of what happened in the past,” Witt said.
“I think his changeup was really good today,” Isbel added. “... He had it all working tonight.”
Ober limited the Royals to one hit in seven innings. He recorded seven strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter in his outing. The Royals didn’t have many answers for his five-pitch arsenal that included a fastball, changeup and slider.
KC managed just two baserunners against Ober. Team captain Salvador Perez got aboard after getting hit by a pitch. Grossman led off the third inning with a single to right.
Neither runner would score. The Royals searched for answers until momentum shifted against the Twins bullpen.
What’s next on the KC Royals’ schedule:
The Royals conclude their three-game series against the Twins on Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.
Royals right-hander Michael Wacha will draw the home start. He is 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 26 starts this season. Wacha has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 17 of his last 18 starts and limited opponents to a .228 batting average during that span.
The Twins will start right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson. He allowed two earned runs in a May 28 win against the Royals.
This story was originally published September 7, 2024 at 8:49 PM.
