Twins feeling Royal and go for Sweep

[Durango53]

The Twins will be shooting for a three-game sweep over the Royals on Thursday afternoon with right-hander Kyle Lohse on the mound.

Lohse needs a win to move past the .500 mark for his career. He comes in with a 41-41 career mark and a 4.91 ERA.

Minnesota has shown in the opening two games of the series that it can prevail in a pitchers' duel or a more offensive-minded game. The Twins took the series opener, 2-1, and then came back with a 9-4 win on Wednesday.

The Twins are 4-0 versus the Royals this season, having taken two games from Kansas City at the Metrodome last week.

[Durango53]

GAME: Minnesota Twins (12-8) at Kansas City Royals (5-16).

TIME: Thursday, 2:05 p.m. EDT.

Despite a brilliant season debut in his comeback from elbow surgery, Kansas City's Runelvys Hernandez is struggling to find the form that made him one of the Royals' most prized young pitchers.

He'll try to avoid a fourth straight loss when the league-worst Royals close out a three-game series with the visiting Minnesota Twins.

Hernandez, who went 11-9 in 28 starts for Kansas City from 2002-03, missed all of last year while recovering from elbow ligament replacement surgery. However, he made a splash in his first outing this season, yielding one run and five hits over seven innings in a 7-2 victory at Detroit on April 6.

However, things haven't gone very smoothly for the 27-year-old right-hander since. He has lost three straight starts, allowing 14 runs and 24 hits over 18 1-3 innings, while striking out 10 and walking 11.

On Friday, Hernandez yielded five runs and six hits, while walking a season-high six, over six innings in an 8-2 home loss to the Chicago White Sox.

"Runelvys Hernandez is better than that," he said afterward. "I'm very disappointed. I can throw seven, eight innings and not give any walks, but today six walks. That was unbelievable. That is hard. I was expecting a better performance."

The Royals have lost seven in a row overall and are 0-4 against the three-time defending AL Central champions after Wednesday's 9-4 defeat.

Joe Mays pitched six solid innings and Jason Bartlett drove in three runs for the Twins, who beat the Royals in three straight one-run games before cruising to victory Wednesday.

Kansas City is 2-11 at home and has dropped 21 of its last 25 home games since Sept. 11, 2004.

[Durango53]

STANDINGS: Twins - 2nd place, 3 GB, AL Central. Royals - 5th place, 10½ GB, AL Central.

[Durango53]

TWINS PROBABLE STARTER: Kyle Lohse (1-2, 6.62 ERA). Lohse has lost two of his first three starts, including a 5-4 setback to the White Sox on April 18. The right-hander surrendered five runs and seven hits with two strikeouts and one walk over six innings. Lohse is 5-4 with a 4.64 ERA in 13 career starts against Kansas City. He is 1-1 with a 6.17 ERA in two home outings this season.

MIN: RHP Kyle Lohsehttp://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/346798.jpg
• 1-2, 6.62 ERA in 2005
• 0-0, 0-0 ERA in 2005 vs. KC

KC: RHP Runelvys Hernandezhttp://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/424465.jpg
• 1-3, 4.62 ERA in 2005
• 0-0, 0.00 ERA in 2005 vs. MIN

ROYALS PROBABLE STARTER: Hernandez (1-3, 4.62 ERA). Hernandez is 1-3 with a 9.00 ERA in four career starts against the Twins. He has suffered all three of his losses at home this year.

[Durango53]

Player to watch
Shortstop Jason Bartlett returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing a couple of games with a torn fingernail. Bartlett went 2-for-5 in his return game with three RBIs and two extra-base hits.

[Durango53]

OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Twins - Jacque Jones, .386 avg.; Torii Hunter, 4 HRs, 16 RBIs, 15 runs and 10 SBs. Royals - David DeJesus, .315 avg. and 12 runs; Emil Brown, 3 HRs; Mike Sweeney, 16 RBIs; Joe McEwing and Angel Berroa, 3 SBs.

[Durango53]

Quotable
"A lot of times pitchers bail you out, but tonight we bailed him out a little bit." -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, talking about the seventh-inning rally on Wednesday that gave Joe Mays his first victory since June 19, 2003

[Durango53]

STREAKS AND NOTES: Twins - RHP Grant Balfour underwent exploratory arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow Wednesday in Cincinnati. Doctors will examine the results and decide in a day or two whether to have surgery. ... OF Jones has hit safely in 17 of his 18 games. ... 2B Luis Rivas is 5-for-10 with a homer and two RBIs in his career against RHP Hernandez. Royals - No Kansas City starter has won a game since LHP Brian Anderson beat the Los Angeles Angels on April 10. ... INF Tony Graffanino is 7-for-15 (.467) in his career against RHP Lohse. ... The Royals are off to their worst 21-game start since the 1992 club was 3-18 en route to a 72-90 season under manager Hal McRae.

[Durango53]

SEASON SERIES: Twins, 4-0.

[Durango53]

ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Twins - 6-6 on the road; Royals - 2-11 at home.

[Durango53]

Quick hits
Wednesday's 9-4 victory for the Twins was their first against Kansas City this year by more than one run. ... Infielder Nick Punton equaled a career high with three hits on Wednesday. ... Third baseman Michael Cuddyer's eighth-inning single on Wednesday snapped an 0-for-16 slump.

[Durango53]

On television
• MIN: FSNN
• KC: No TV

On radio
• MIN: WCCO
• KC: WHB-810

[Durango53]

Just got back in and see the Twins are winning!!! 5-3 Twins!!!!!!

[Durango53]

Looks like the Twins Bullpen is holding this game down!!!!!

[Durango53]

Morneau WELCOME BACK!!!!!!!!! Two more RBI's!!!!

[Durango53]

Justin has 4 AB's with 3 hits. Two RBI's and one run. He is the guy this team has been missing!!!

[Durango53]

Royals coming back. 5-4 Twins........

[Durango53]

And now it is Joe Nathan time!!!!!!!!

[Durango53]

Nathan blows save!!!!!!!!!!!! :(

[Durango53]

Twins take lead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come on pen close it out now!!!!!!!

[Timberwolf]

This was a long game, but I am just glad the good guys won today. We needed a sweep by the Twins. They got it done. They could not lose this game. Great teams find a way to sweep the Royals. Twins needed this sweep especially with the division being tight this year. Like I said in the game thread, anytime you can get a sweep against a team who is struggling, you take advantage of it. I am glad the Twins found a way to get it done this afternoon especially after the Royals tied it at 5 in the ninth. Twins could have packed it in the tenth and go home, but they found a way to get it done and go to the 11th. It would have really bothered me had the Twins lost this game and not get the sweep after She-ca-go swept the Royals last weekend at KC.

I am so happy Lew got the big hit there in the 11th hit. As Earl Weaver loves to say, there is nothing like a big two-out hit and Lew got it done. This two-out hit was something this team needed. Lew also had that big hit in the seventh inning to give the good guys the lead. What a series Lew had against KC. He has had a good start. I like how the Twins got all the big hits with runners on the corners in this series. I hope that's a sign of things to come. I hope they can do the same against the Angels this weekend.

Justin was fantastic in this series. He had 4 hits today and drove in some big runs when the Twins needed that. He is just a presence and he makes everyone in the lineup better. I am so glad he is on our side and I am glad he is healthy.

I thought our hitters was fantastic in this series.

I can't tell you how down I am with Kyle Lohse. I had enough of him. He has a 3-0 lead and he melts down in the third inning. For the money he is making, he shouldn't be doing that. This guy may have great stuff, but he clearly has zero confidence on himself and he has no mental toughness. His makeup stinks. Jack Morris, who did the game on WCCO, seemed furious everytime Kyle was throwing balls in the third inning. Kyle just does not have what it takes to win. He did the team a favor by getting hurt and leaving the game. I hate people getting hurt, but since I am so down on Kyle, he did the team a favor. Matt Guerrier cleaned up his mess when he relieved Kyle. He did a good job keeping the team tied at 3.

Matt was fantastic out there in relief today. He has been a godsend for the Twins. He has stepped up and seized the opportunity with Balfour on the DL. I am really proud of him.

J.C. did okay, but he could have given KC a chance to lead or tie the game had Shannon not had a good read and made that sliding catch. That had a extra base hit all over it, but Shannon found a way to make that great catch. Good job by Shannon. Also good jo by Gardenhire taking J.C. out immediately and let Juan finish the seventh.

Juan was shaky in the eighth, but to his credit, he got it done with a strikeout. That's what great pitchers do. They get out of jams and Juan did exactly that. He is not a good setup man for nothing.

It's a shame the Nathanator did not get it done there in the ninth, but I won't blame it on him. Lew's bad throw and Corky's inability to catch that ball in the ninth was the reason why Joe could not get the save. That will happen in baseball. I am just glad Joe kept it tie. It would be really bad had the Royals won it. Joe was fine out there.

Jesse did a great job in the 10th and he finished it up in the 11th. I know Jesse struggled, but to his credit, he got out of it. That can only give him confidence in a big game situation.

Couple of things that bugged me in this game was Corky Miller and Gardy. First off, I got the impression that Juan and the Nathanator did not feel comfortable throwing to Corky. They shook off signs with Corky and they just did not feel comfortable with him today. Corky had a rough day at home plate. Gardenhire's decision to have Luis Rivas pinch-run for Morneau was so idiotic. First off, you don't ever pinch-hit your best hitter at all costs. I don't care if the runner is fast. Justin is our big bat and he can flat-out hit. You never do that. To make it worse, Luis was caught stealing in the 10th.

I am just glad we won. It sure beats talking about a game the Twins lost.

As for the Royals, I hope things get turn around for them soon. They are playing hard and it showed this afternoon. I hope Royals fans will keep the faith.

Twins were resillent today and they found a way to get this sweep. Good job by them

[Durango53]

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