MINNEAPOLIS — A night after Joe Ryan put up seven no-hit innings in a near combined no-no, another Twins starter led the way again Wednesday with a dominant performance.
Sonny Gray gave up just three hits through seven innings to help the team to a 4-0 victory against the Royals. The result lifted the Twins above .500 to a 71-70 record. The Twins are still five games out from American League Central-leading Guardians and one game behind the White Sox in second.
In front of an announced 14, 927 fans at Target Field, Gray (8-4 with the win) tallied eight strikeouts with just one walk while holding the Royals without a run. Caleb Thielbar entered in the eighth inning after Gray had thrown 91 pitches with 64 strikes.
Thielbar struck out one and gave up one hit before Jorge Lopez closed in the top of the ninth. Lopez surrendered a leadoff base hit but garnered the next three outs, including a strikeout, to complete the shutout.
The Twins offense didn't waste any time, taking a commanding lead in the first inning with every batter in the lineup making a trip to the plate. Luis Arraez and Carlos Correa delivered back-to-back singles to start the game before Jose Miranda grounded into a double play that still allowed one run to score. Gary Sanchez later smacked a two-RBI double on two outs to put the Twins up 3-0.
That was Arraez' last action, though, as he left the game in favor of Kyle Garlick by the second inning. The Twins announced the second baseman had left with left hamstring tightness.
The hitters didn't register another hit until the seventh inning with another pair of leadoff hits from the top two spots in the order before Gio Urshela sent a run in on his sacrifice fly.
