MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins salvaged a series split with the Royals and a winning homestand with a 7-3 victory on Sunday. And all it cost them was their best pitcher, their best hitter and their top prospect.
OK, perhaps that's an exaggeration, but not by much. But the stream of Twins' injuries, already running at a record pace, somehow sped up in the weekend finale.
Royce Lewis, called up Sunday morning and told to play center field for the first time in his big-league career, crashed into the wall in the third inning while making a spectacular catch that apparently reinjured his surgically repaired right knee.
Three innings later, Byron Buxton was hit on his left hand by a pitch, and was examined for several minutes by the athletic trainer. But he stayed in the game, and batted again later in the game.
And in the seventh inning, Sonny Gray, who retired 18 of the first 19 hitters he faced, suddenly felt soreness in his right pectoral muscle. He was quickly removed from what turned out to be his third win of the season.
While their roster continued to fall apart, though, the Twins' lineup feasted upon longtime rival Zack Greinke and the Royals' bullpen. Gio Urshela crushed a three-run homer, Nick Gordon and Trevor Larnach hit back-to-back solo shots, and the Twins put at least two runners on base in five of their eight turns to bat.
Gray was dominating all afternoon, running his streak of scoreless innings to 16 in a row, a stretch that ended after he had left the game. Gray allowed a leadoff single to Andrew Benintendi in the seventh inning, then began raising his arm in discomfort four pitches later, as Bobby Witt Jr. batted. Griffin Jax relieved him and surrendered and RBI double to MJ Melendez, scoring Benintendi, then a single to Hunter Dozier, scoring Melendez.
The Twins, 4-3 on their homestand and 16-6 against AL Central opponents, departed after the game for Detroit, where they open a five-games-in-four-days series on Monday afternoon.
