With a dink, dink & boom, this Royals outfielder’s at-bats ran the gamut vs. Twins
There was no in-between for Kyle Isbel on Monday at Kauffman Stadium.
Isbel’s first two hits didn’t leave the infield. But the outfielder’s third left the yard to help the Royals defeat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 in the opener of a four-game series.
An infield hit drove in a run in Isbel’s first place appearance, and he reached on a perfectly placed bunt in his second.
The third took more muscle and resulted in Isbel’s first home run of the season, a first-pitch, 401-foot blast into the Royals’ bullpen in right field.
Batting ninth, Isbel entered the game hitting .200 with one extra base hit. He had four hits this season through eight games.
Isbel’s three hits Monday fell one short of a career best, set against the Twins in 2023.
“I’ve been working hard in the (batting) cage pre-game,” Isbel said. “I got a pitch he hung a little bit and I put a good swing on it.”
Isbel’s effort supported a solid pitching outing led by starter Michael Lorenzen, who picked up his first victory of the season.
Lorenzen pitched six innings and surrendered five hits and a run while striking out three as the Royals improved to 5-5.
Reliever Lucas Erceg got a big out in the eighth when he coaxed a swinging strike three from Carlos Correa on a 98 mph fastball at the top of the zone. The whiff ended a 12-pitch at-bat.
In the ninth, closer Carlos Estevez found trouble with a hit batter, walk and RBI single. But then he got Edouard Julien to ground out to second to end the game.
Royals’ outs productive
The Royals made the most of their outs while scoring twice in the third inning.
M.J. Melendez rocketed a double off the right-field field wall, Maikel Garcia singled sharply to right and Isbel’s squibber to short scored Melendez as an infield hit.
India’s fly to right moved Garcia to third and he scored when Bobby Witt Jr. bounced into a fielder’s choice to give the Royals a 3-1 lead.
Twins manager tossed
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was ejected from the game in the bottom of the sixth after arguing a pitch-clock violation call by home plate umpire. Nic Lentz.
Starter Simeon Woods Richardson had a full count on KC’s Jonathan India. The pitch clock showed seven seconds when Woods Richardson signaled that he couldn’t hear through the communication device, PitchCom. The windup started at the end of the pitch clock.
Lentz called the violation that resulted in a ball and a walk to India. Baldelli was furious and got tossed, kicking dirt on home plate as he left the field.
Centrally located series
The Royals will have a good sense of the AL Central in the season’s first month.
With the Twins in town and series against Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers awaiting on their next road trip, the Royals will have played 14 division games in their first 23 outings.
Last season, their 14th meeting with an AL Central opponent came in the season’s 49th game.
What’s next for the Royals?
The Royals and Twins continue their four-game series Tuesday.
Here are the probable pitching matchups:
Tuesday: Cole Ragans (0-0) vs. Pablo Lopez (1-1), 6:40 p.m.
Wednesday: Seth Lugo (0-0) vs. Joe Ryan (0-1), 6:40 p.m.
Thursday: Michael Wacha (0-2) vs. Bailey Ober (0-1), 1:10 p.m.
This story was originally published April 7, 2025 at 9:19 PM.