In Monday night’s game between the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals, the Twins emerged victorious with an 8-4 win. The game saw some notable performances from both teams.
For the Twins, pinch-hitter Edouard Julien made a significant impact in the eighth inning by hitting a solo home run on the first pitch he saw. It was Julien’s first pinch-hit appearance, and he didn’t even realize he was leading off the inning until he was told. Carlos Correa had a standout game, tying his career-high with four hits from the leadoff spot, while Byron Buxton contributed with two RBI on sacrifice flies.
On the Royals’ side, Nick Pratto hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game momentarily. However, the Royals’ relief pitcher, Taylor Clarke, struggled in the bottom of the eighth, allowing five runs on five hits and retiring only one of the seven batters he faced.
Joe Ryan, the Twins’ starting pitcher, bounced back from a rough outing in his previous start, delivering a solid performance by giving up only two runs on six hits and striking out nine over his outing.
In terms of injuries, Salvador Perez of the Royals was out of the lineup with a sore toe, while the Twins’ Royce Lewis was diagnosed with a Grade 2 oblique strain and is expected to be out for approximately six weeks. Jorge Polanco of the Twins has been progressing well in his recovery from a left hamstring strain.
The Tuesday afternoon game between the Twins and the Royals will feature Zack Greinke starting for the Royals and Kenta Maeda starting for the Twins. Greinke has struggled this season with a 1-8 record and a 5.15 ERA, while Maeda has shown promise since returning from the injured list, allowing only two runs in 10 innings.
The MLB scoreboard for Monday, July 3, 2023:
Houston 12, Texas 11
Milwaukee 8, Chicago (NL) 6
New York (AL) 6, Baltimore 3
Cincinnati 3, Washington 2
Minnesota 8, Kansas City 4
Miami 5, St. Louis 4
Atlanta 4, Cleveland 2
Los Angeles (NL) 5, Pittsburgh 2
San Diego 10, Los Angeles (AL) 3
Seattle 6, San Francisco 5
