NewsRoyals' rally falls short against Twins
Kansas City fights back from 10-run hole before faltering
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
10/03/09 1:13 AM EST
MINNESOTA -- The Twins, intent on bringing postseason action to the Metrodome in its last season as their home, gained in the American League Central race on Friday night with a 10-7 victory over the Royals. With Detroit losing, 8-0, to Chicago, the Tigers' lead over the Twins shrank to one game.But after the Twins jumped ahead, 10-0, their bats went quiet, and the Royals roared back to come within a three-run home run of tying the score.
"It was just good that we didn't fold up," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "In this situation, with three games left and everything they've got on the line, especially with the excitement of the crowd seeing the Detroit final, it would've been real easy for these guys to just shut down, and they didn't."
Seeing on the scoreboard that the Tigers had fallen behind the White Sox must have given the Twins some first-inning inspiration. Five runs' worth, to b exact.
Royals left-hander Lenny DiNardo couldn't locate his pitches, something that caught him off guard after he began by getting Denard Span to pop out.
"In the bullpen I felt good, and on the first batter I felt good," DiNardo said. "I just kind of lost it from there, I guess."
He sure did, because the next five batters all wound up crossing home plate.
Delmon Young's first career grand slam sent the 40,223 Metrodome fans into a frenzy. The Twins first scored one run against DiNardo on successive singles by Orlando Cabrera, Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel. A walk to Michael Cuddyer loaded 'em up, and Young drove a 1-0 pitch into the left-field seats.
"It was a cut fastball that was kind of dead middle, right around the belt buckle," DiNardo said.
Fat around the belt buckle.
By the second inning, with the Tigers down, 8-0, the Twins were ahead, 7-0, a pleasing confluence of scores for the Minnesota faithful. DiNardo left with no outs and the bases loaded, and reliever Victor Marte walked in a run and another scored on a fielder's choice. But all seven runs were charged to DiNardo, and all were earned after his fielding error in the second inning was changed to a hit for Cabrera.
And the Twins just kept coming. They made it 10-0 with three runs in the fourth, an inning that began with Kubel's home run against Marte. Before the inning ended, Marte had been relieved by Carlos Rosa.
This is where the carnage stopped. Rosa pitched three shutout innings, and John Bale and Yasuhiko Yabuta each pitched one scoreless inning.
"Obviously if we could've gotten started off on the mound better, it could've been a whole different story for us," Hillman said. "It was great to see us continue to battle and put hits on the board."
The Royals actually out-hit the Twins, 14-11, as they stayed on their uphill attack.
They finally got on the board against Jeff Manship in the fifth as Alex Gordon doubled, and Yuniesky Betancourt and Mitch Maier each hit RBI singles. Manship stayed through 5 1/3 innings when Jesse Crain came out of the bullpen with two on in the sixth.
It became a three-run inning for the Royals. Crain walked the bases full, and Luis Hernandez -- in the game because Betancourt left with an injury -- came through with a two-run single. Josh Anderson singled off reliever Ron Mahay for another run, cutting the gap to 10-5.
"I thought we were going to get it back," Hernandez said. "But to be down 10-0, we came back pretty good."
Hernandez might find himself in the lineup again because Betancourt was unlikely to start Saturday after fouling a ball off his foot.
The Royals refused to go easily. They loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth and, after a strikeout, Mitch Maier delivered a two-run single off lefty Jose Mijares. The Twins' sixth pitcher, Matt Guerrier, struck out Billy Butler and got Brayan Pena on a fly to center, deep enough that it sucked the breath from the crowd for a moment. A home run would have tied the score at 10.
"I was trying to make good contact and drive the ball," Pena said. "I think I need to do a better job lifting weights."
The Twins ran through seven pitchers and had to use closer Joe Nathan for his club-record 46th save in the ninth inning.
"It's a plus that they used a bunch of their bullpen guys on a night that didn't look like they'd need to use those guys, so hopefully that'll help us later in the series," Maier said. "I don't think they were planning on using Nathan."
If the Twins can't catch the Tiger this weekend, this series will be baseball's last hurrah at the Metrodome. Minnesota will move to brand-new Target Field in 2010. The Twins moved closer to Detroit with this win, but the Royals didn't make it easy.
"It was a lot of fun," Pena said. "They're still in the playoff race, and we're still showing it's not over until the last out."
And beyond the fun, the Royals have a sense of purpose.
"We're going to try to take these guys out," Hernandez said.
Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
