MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Salvador Perez and the Kansas City Royals have been off to a slow start in defense of their World Series championship.
Now that Perez has found his swing, the Royals appear primed to go on a run.
Perez had a career-high five hits, including a double, a triple and an RBI, to lead the Royals to a 10-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.
“I think everyone is trying to do the best they can do. It’s a long season,” said Perez, who has hit safely in nine straight games. “Sometimes it will be tough and sometimes it’s a night like tonight.”
Paulo Orlando added three hits and two RBIs in the rain-delayed game for the Royals, who put All-Star outfielder Alex Gordon on the disabled list on Monday with a fractured right wrist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOpyE20UxYY
Ricky Nolasco (1-3) gave up six runs on eight hits and struck out three in 2 2/3 innings for the Twins (11-33), who have the worst record in the majors.
“I put the team in a big hole early and that’s never good, especially with the situation we’re in right now,” Nolasco said.
Peter Moylan (1-0) picked up the win in relief of Ian Kennedy, whose outing was cut short thanks to the 41-minute rain delay in the third inning.
The Royals pounded out 17 hits and Omar Infante drove in three runs. Perez was the first Royal with five hits in a game since Billy Butler in 2013.
“We needed that,” manager Ned Yost said. “Especially with this rain delay.”
Joe Mauer had three hits, including a solo home run in the first inning for the Twins.
Manager Paul Molitor gave slumping veteran Brian Dozier the night off, the latest in a series of moves aimed at igniting the Twins’ stagnant offense. They put two on the board in the first inning, but Nolasco gave it right back.
The Royals tied the game in the second and put four on the board in the third, with a two-run single from Jarrod Dysonputting them up 6-2.
Nolasco failed to pitch three full innings for the fourth time in his 44 starts for the Twins.
KENNEDY’S START
Kennedy gave up two runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings. He did come out to pitch again after the delay, which Yost knew was potentially tricky. Had the delay been any longer, the Royals would have gone straight to their bullpen after resuming play.
“Went back out there, I felt good, then we had another long inning and I was like, `Hey, if this inning goes any longer you’re going to have to warm someone else up,'” Kennedy said.
FAST MOVERS
The rain started pouring down on Target Field – and at the Beyonce concert at TCF Bank Stadium a few miles away – at 8:20 p.m., sending fans scurrying for shelter and prompting the umpires to call the players off the field.
The Twins grounds crew sprang into action, unrolling the massive tarp over the infield in moments. The time on the clock when it was fully in place: 8:21.
CAIN’S TOUGHNESS
Lorenzo Cain had two hits and stayed in the game after fouling a pitch off of his left kneecap in the fourth inning. He was hobbling in the field and on the bases, but hung in there on a day when the Royals were banged up.
“He wanted no part of coming out of that game,” Yost said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals: Gordon has a non-displaced fracture of the scaphoid bone in his right wrist and will not require surgery, manager Ned Yost said. He is expected to miss the next three to four weeks. … 3B Mike Moustakas was held out with a bruised knee and is listed day to day.
Twins: RHP Kyle Gibson threw 56 pitches in his rehab start for Class A Fort Myers on Sunday and will throw another 80 on Friday.
UP NEXT
RHP Ervin Santana (1-2, 3.13) takes the mound for the Twins against RHP Edinson Volquez (4-4, 3.79) for the Royals. Santana is coming off of his best outing of the season, going eight innings against the Blue Jays. Volquez has given up four runs in three of his last five starts for a 6.00 ERA.