KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Minnesota Twins used a late-game power surge to salvage the finale of their road trip, launching three home runs in the ninth inning to defeat the Kansas City Royals 5-1 on Thursday. The victory prevented a three-game sweep and ended a frustrating stretch for Minnesota at Kauffman Stadium.
Bradley Out-Duels Ragans
Twins starter Taj Bradley (1-0) delivered a dominant performance, pitching six innings of five-hit ball. Bradley struck out three and walked only one, maintaining his perfect record this season in games he has started.
On the other side, Royals lefty Cole Ragans (0-2) provided a strong bounce-back effort following a difficult Opening Day start in Atlanta. Ragans matched Bradley through six innings, allowing just four hits and one walk while racking up eight strikeouts. However, an unearned run in the second inning—scored by Kody Clemens following a rare throwing error by five-time Gold Glove catcher Salvador Perez—left Ragans on the hook for the loss.
Late-Inning Fireworks
The game remained a tight 2-0 affair into the eighth inning after Byron Buxton added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly off reliever John Schreiber. The Royals threatened in the bottom of the eighth when Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. hit back-to-back singles, leading to a sacrifice fly from Vinnie Pasquantino.
With the tying run on second, Twins reliever Taylor Rogers escaped the jam by striking out rookie Jac Caglianone on a sharp sweeper.
In the ninth, the Twins put the game out of reach against Royals reliever Steven Cruz:
- Matt Wallner opened the frame with a solo shot to left field.
- Kody Clemens followed two batters later with his first home run of the season.
- Josh Bell capped the scoring with a towering drive to right, marking the Twins’ first back-to-back homers since last summer.
On Deck
- Kansas City Royals: The Royals remain at home to begin a series against the Milwaukee Brewers, sending RHP Michael Wacha (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound. Pregame coverage on Superstar Country 102.5 FM & 1530 AM KQNK begins at 6 p.m. with first pitch from Kauffman Stadium set for 6:45 p.m.
