The Kansas City Royals secured a 4-0 victory against the New York Mets on Wednesday night, extending their winning streak to five, the longest in over two years. Cole Ragans pitched six clean innings, striking out eight and earning his first win with the Royals. Michael Massey’s two-run double and Drew Waters’ late homer contributed to the Royals’ lead. The Mets struggled with runners in scoring position, getting shut out for the 10th time this season. Mets CF Brandon Nimmo and RF Starling Marte were sidelined due to injuries. The next game features Mets RHP Carlos Carrasco against Royals RHP Brady Singer.
Dakota Hudson pitched seven solid innings in his second start of the season, helping the St. Louis Cardinals secure a 7-3 victory over the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. Alex Burleson’s three-run homer, along with Lars Nootbaar’s two-run homer and solo homers from Tyler O’Neill and Jordan Walker, contributed to the Cardinals’ offensive display.
Hudson (2-0) struck out seven, allowed just one hit, and earned praise from manager Oliver Marmol for his effective pitching. The Cardinals hit three home runs in the second inning, taking a 4-0 lead.
Matt Wallner hit a three-run homer for the Twins in the seventh, but it was not enough to overcome the Cardinals’ lead.
Twins starter Joe Ryan (9-8) struggled, giving up seven runs in four innings. He expressed frustration at his performance, noting that he placed the ball where he wanted but the Cardinals capitalized on it.
Burleson’s three-run homer in the third extended the Cardinals’ lead to 7-0. The Twins struggled, losing for the sixth time in seven games.
Notably, Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has yet to hit a home run against the Twins in his career. The Cardinals won their 9,999th regular season game since changing their name from the Perfectos before the 1900 season.
Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas dropped his appeal and began serving a five-game suspension after hitting a batter. He is scheduled to start on August 8 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Twins’ DH Byron Buxton was a late scratch from the lineup due to hamstring tightness, and his status will be evaluated further.
In Thursday’s contest, Twins’ RHP Sonny Gray will face the Cardinals, while Cardinals’ LHP Matthew Liberatore will make his first career start against the Twins.
Wednesday’s MLB scoreboard:
Atlanta 12, LA Angels 2
Detroit 6, Pittsburgh 3
LA Dodgers 10, Oakland 1
Houston 3, Cleveland 2
Seattle 6, Boston 3
NY Yankees 7, Tampa Bay 2
Toronto 4, Baltimore 1
Texas 11, Chicago White Sox 1
Washington 3, Milwaukee 2
San Diego 11, Colorado 1
Miami 9, Philadelphia 8 (12)
Chicago Cubs 16, Cincinnati 6
San Francisco 4, Arizona 2
Brady Singer showcased his promising form as he pitched eight strong innings, and Bobby Witt Jr. continued to shine with his bat and glove, leading the Kansas City Royals to a commanding 9-2 victory over the struggling New York Mets. Witt’s home run and defensive plays contributed to the Royals’ success, and Singer’s dominant pitching performance added to the Mets’ woes.
Singer (7-8) was in control throughout, allowing just three hits and no walks while striking out four. Witt Jr., who had faced challenges earlier in the season, played a pivotal role with his offensive and defensive contributions.
The Royals, despite being in last place, managed to sweep the Mets in a series for the first time in franchise history. The victory marked the end of a tumultuous week for the Mets, who experienced significant player trades.
Witt Jr. kickstarted the Royals’ offense with a single and a stolen base, later scoring on Salvador Perez’s double. Witt’s exceptional defense added to the team’s momentum, including a standout double play in collaboration with second baseman Michael Massey.
Kansas City’s baserunning prowess was evident as Samad Taylor’s stolen base and Maikel Garcia’s sacrifice fly extended their lead. Witt Jr.’s home run, along with a three-run homer from Drew Waters, secured a comfortable win for the Royals.
Mets starter Carlos Carrasco (4-5) struggled, allowing six runs over six innings. Francisco Lindor provided the Mets’ only offensive highlight with a late two-run homer.
The Royals’ successful homestand highlighted their perseverance despite a challenging season, leaving their manager and players encouraged by their efforts.
Looking ahead, Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo and right fielder Starling Marte are expected to return from injuries for the upcoming games against the Baltimore Orioles. Meanwhile, Mets pitcher David Peterson will face the Orioles, and the Royals will send Jordan Lyles to the mound for their series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Michael A. Taylor and Ryan Jeffers both hit two-run homers, propelling the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins to a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. The win secured a series victory for the Twins and increased their division lead over Cleveland to 2.5 games.
Sonny Gray (5-4) earned the win in his first start with the Twins, going seven innings and surrendering two runs and five hits. The victory marked a turnaround for Gray, who ended a four-game losing streak that had persisted for 15 starts.
The Twins took advantage of two pivotal two-run home runs in the second inning, with Jeffers hitting a curveball for a homer to center field and Willie Castro adding a double and a steal before Taylor’s 3-0 fastball blast into the third deck in left field.
St. Louis managed to score a run in the second when Dylan Carlson’s double brought Tommy Edman home. Alec Burleson’s one-out home run in the fifth cut the Twins’ lead to 5-2, but the Cardinals couldn’t narrow the gap further.
Gray acknowledged the solo home run, stating that it’s more manageable to concede a single run with a comfortable lead.
In terms of roster moves, the Twins acquired left-hander Dallas Keuchel from Triple-A St. Paul. Keuchel’s solid performance in the minors earned him a spot on the 26-man roster. On the Cardinals’ side, second baseman Nolan Gorman was a late scratch due to discomfort from a previous foot injury.
The Friday night matchups feature Twins’ RHP Bailey Ober against Arizona’s RHP Merrill Kelly, while Cardinals’ RHP Adam Wainwright faces off against Colorado’s RHP Chris Flexen.
The MLB scoreboard for Thursday, August 3, 2023:
LA Dodgers 8, Oakland 2
Texas 5, Chicago White Sox 3
Baltimore 6, Toronto 1
NY Yankees 4, Houston 3
Seattle 5, LA Angels 3
Philadelphia 4, Miami 2
San Francisco 1, Arizona 0
Milwaukee 14, Pittsburgh 1
Chicago Cubs 5, Cincinnati 3
