GaryMrMets
05-15-2003, 07:26 PM
Royals Erupt in 14th Inning to Top Twins 9-5
.c The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (May 15) -- Slumping Joe Randa keyed a four-run 14th inning with a leadoff double to lead the Kansas City Royals over the Minnesota Twins 9-5 Thursday.
Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer in the first inning for the Royals, who split the four-game series and lead Minnesota by 2 1/2 games in the AL Central.
Cristian Guzman went 4-for-7 for the Twins, who stranded 15 runners, squandering opportunities to tie or go ahead.
Kansas City had two on and one out in the 13th, but Johan Santana (2-1) escaped. But the Royals batted around in the 14th.
Randa, in a 2-for-43 skid, doubled. Beltran walked, Mike Sweeney sharply singled off Santana's foot to load the bases, and Raul Ibanez hit a looper over a drawn-in Guzman at shortstop made it 6-5.
Ken Harvey added a sacrifice fly against Tony Fiore, and Desi Relaford and Angel Berroa followed with bloop RBI singles.
The teams combined for 11 walks, two hit batters and two wild pitches in the first nine innings, but the bullpens settled down in extra innings.
Darrell May struck out the side in the ninth and pitched a perfect 10th and a scoreless 11th. He walked Bobby Kielty leading off the 12th and gave up a single to A.J. Pierzynski.
D.J. Carrasco (3-1) relieved and got pinch-hitter Jacque Jones to ground into an inning-ending double play -- started by a diving stop and throw by Berroa at shortstop.
Pierzynski, Minnesota's catcher, tied the game at 3 in the sixth with a triple, and Mike DiFelice -- the Royals' catcher -- also tripled in a two-run seventh.
After Relaford reached on a single, DiFelice hit a gapper off Kenny Rogers that dropped between two Gold Glovers, center fielder Torii Hunter and Doug Mientkiewicz.
Mientkiewicz, the Twins' regular first baseman, played right field for the second straight game because of injuries to Bobby Kielty (strained ribcage) and Jones (strained quadriceps). Dustan Mohr was in left for Jones.
J.C. Romero entered and walked two before balking in a run that made it 5-3.
Rogers allowed five runs -- four earned -- and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out six.
Guzman tripled against Jason Grimsley and scored on a groundout by Mientkiewicz in the seventh. Luis Rivas and Guzman hit two-out singles in the eighth off Sean Lowe, and May walked Mientkiewicz and Koskie, tying the game at 5.
Miguel Asencio, part of Kansas City's on-the-rise rotation that doesn't have a starter over the age of 25, equaled a season-low five hits. e gave up three runs and three walks while striking out five in 5 1/3 innings.
The Royals had a 2-0 lead before most people sat down for lunch after Tucker doubled and Beltran homered with one out.
It was nearly time for dinner when the remaining fans -- only 2,000 or so from a paid crowd of 17,219 -- cleared out.
.c The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (May 15) -- Slumping Joe Randa keyed a four-run 14th inning with a leadoff double to lead the Kansas City Royals over the Minnesota Twins 9-5 Thursday.
Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer in the first inning for the Royals, who split the four-game series and lead Minnesota by 2 1/2 games in the AL Central.
Cristian Guzman went 4-for-7 for the Twins, who stranded 15 runners, squandering opportunities to tie or go ahead.
Kansas City had two on and one out in the 13th, but Johan Santana (2-1) escaped. But the Royals batted around in the 14th.
Randa, in a 2-for-43 skid, doubled. Beltran walked, Mike Sweeney sharply singled off Santana's foot to load the bases, and Raul Ibanez hit a looper over a drawn-in Guzman at shortstop made it 6-5.
Ken Harvey added a sacrifice fly against Tony Fiore, and Desi Relaford and Angel Berroa followed with bloop RBI singles.
The teams combined for 11 walks, two hit batters and two wild pitches in the first nine innings, but the bullpens settled down in extra innings.
Darrell May struck out the side in the ninth and pitched a perfect 10th and a scoreless 11th. He walked Bobby Kielty leading off the 12th and gave up a single to A.J. Pierzynski.
D.J. Carrasco (3-1) relieved and got pinch-hitter Jacque Jones to ground into an inning-ending double play -- started by a diving stop and throw by Berroa at shortstop.
Pierzynski, Minnesota's catcher, tied the game at 3 in the sixth with a triple, and Mike DiFelice -- the Royals' catcher -- also tripled in a two-run seventh.
After Relaford reached on a single, DiFelice hit a gapper off Kenny Rogers that dropped between two Gold Glovers, center fielder Torii Hunter and Doug Mientkiewicz.
Mientkiewicz, the Twins' regular first baseman, played right field for the second straight game because of injuries to Bobby Kielty (strained ribcage) and Jones (strained quadriceps). Dustan Mohr was in left for Jones.
J.C. Romero entered and walked two before balking in a run that made it 5-3.
Rogers allowed five runs -- four earned -- and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out six.
Guzman tripled against Jason Grimsley and scored on a groundout by Mientkiewicz in the seventh. Luis Rivas and Guzman hit two-out singles in the eighth off Sean Lowe, and May walked Mientkiewicz and Koskie, tying the game at 5.
Miguel Asencio, part of Kansas City's on-the-rise rotation that doesn't have a starter over the age of 25, equaled a season-low five hits. e gave up three runs and three walks while striking out five in 5 1/3 innings.
The Royals had a 2-0 lead before most people sat down for lunch after Tucker doubled and Beltran homered with one out.
It was nearly time for dinner when the remaining fans -- only 2,000 or so from a paid crowd of 17,219 -- cleared out.