SB Nation Kansas City - Royals Vs. Twins: Kansas City Drops Final Game to Minnesota in Extra Inningshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48935/kc-fave.png2012-09-13T22:58:11-05:00http://kansascity.sbnation.com/rss/stream/30789192012-09-13T22:58:11-05:002012-09-13T22:58:11-05:00Royals Vs. Twins Final Score: Kansas City Blows Late Lead, Loses to Minnesota in Ten Innings
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> bullpen was again unable to hold a late-inning lead Thursday night, and the Twins made them pay. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota</a> scored a run in the eighth inning, the game-tying run in the ninth, and the winning run in the tenth inning of a 4-3 win. Kansas City jumped to an early two-run lead, when a first-inning single by <span>Salvador Perez</span> brought home two runs. Minnesota answered with a <span>Josh Willingham</span> solo homer, cutting the Royals lead to 2-1. <span>Billy Butler</span> doubled home a run in the fifth to make the score 3-1, a score that held until the bottom of the eighth. </p>
<p>Royals reliever <span>Greg Holland</span> entered the game with the bases loaded and promptly walked home a run in the eighth, then gave up a game-tying home run to <span>Trevor Plouffe</span> to lead off the bottom of the ninth. <span>Francisley Bueno</span> entered to pitch the tenth and immediately gave up back-to-back doubles, bringing home Twins pinch hitter <span>Alexi Casilla</span> with the game-winning run.</p>
<p>Royals starter <span>Luis Mendoza</span> was spectacular, going 7 innings and giving up just one run on 2 hits. Greg Holland was given his third blown save of the year, and Bueno got the loss. Minnesota reliever <span>Glen Perkins</span> got the win.</p>
<p><i>Check out <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals Review</a> for more Kansas City baseball news, and be sure to visit <a href="http://www.twinkietown.com/">Twinkie Town</a> for more on the Twins. Also head over to <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a> for even more news and analysis from around the league.</i></p>
https://kansascity.sbnation.com/kansas-city-royals/2012/9/13/3330342/royals-vs-twins-final-score-kansas-city-blows-late-lead-loses-toPatrick Vint2012-09-13T18:07:09-05:002012-09-13T18:07:09-05:00Royals Vs. Twins: Lineups As Kansas City Goes For Sweep
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<p>Kansas City will have a chance to sweep the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Minnesota Twins</a> at Target Field on Thursday night. <span>Luis Mendoza</span> will be taking the mound for the Royals, looking to end a three-game streak of no-decisions as he goes up against <span>Liam Hendriks</span>.</p>
<p>Here are the lineups for Thursday night's series finale between the Royals and Twins in Minnesota:</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Kansas City Royals</a>:</b></p>
<p>1. <span>David Lough</span> RF<br>2. Alcides Escobar SS<br>3. <span>Alex Gordon</span> LF<br>4. <span>Billy Butler</span> DH<br>5. <span>Salvador Perez</span> C<br>6. <span>Mike Moustakas</span> 3B<br>7. <span>Lorenzo Cain</span> CF<br>8. <span>Eric Hosmer</span> 1B<br>9. <span>Johnny Giavotella</span> 2B</p>
<p><b>Minnesota Twins:</b></p>
<p>1. <span>Denard Span</span> CF<br>2. <span>Ben Revere</span> RF<br>3. <span>Josh Willingham</span> DH<br>4. <span>Justin Morneau</span> 1B<br>5. <span>Trevor Plouffe</span> 3B<br>6. <span>Darin Mastroianni</span> LF<br>7. <span>Eduardo Escobar</span> 2B<br>8. <span>Drew Butera</span> C<br>9. Pedro Florimon SS</p>
<p><i>Check out <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals Review</a> for more Kansas City baseball news, and be sure to visit <a href="http://www.twinkietown.com/">Twinkie Town</a> for more on the Twins. Also head over to <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a> for even more news and analysis from around the league.</i></p>
https://kansascity.sbnation.com/kansas-city-royals/2012/9/13/3329084/twins-vs-royals-lineupsChris White2012-09-13T09:36:56-05:002012-09-13T09:36:56-05:00Royals' Luis Mendoza Aims To Close Out Twins Series
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<p>The Kansas City Royals seek a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins Thursday and starting pitcher Luis Mendoza seeks to end a string of <a href="http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_09_13_kcamlb_minmlb_1&mode=preview&vkey=preview_web_away&c_id=kc" target="_blank">three straight no-decisions</a>. </p>
<p>Mendoza (7-9, 4.63 ERA) gave up five runs in 5.1 innings in his last outing against the Chicago White Sox. He gave up 10 hits, walked one and had three strikeouts. Before that he faced these same Twins, giving up two runs in five innings of a Royals win, but didn't factor in the decision.</p>
<p>"I just concentrate on keeping the games close and giving my team a chance to win," Mendoza told the Royals' official website. "I know I can do a better job, but sometimes I try to do too much. When I'm consistent and can keep the ball down, I have good results. The season has been pretty good but I wish the numbers could be better." </p>
<p><i>Check out <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals Review</a> for more Kansas City baseball news, and be sure to visit <a href="http://www.twinkietown.com/">Twinkie Town</a> for more on the Twins. Also head over to <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a> for even more news and analysis from around the league.</i></p>
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https://kansascity.sbnation.com/kansas-city-royals/2012/9/13/3326268/royals-vs-twins-luis-mendozaKevin Jeffers2012-09-12T23:57:31-05:002012-09-12T23:57:31-05:00Royals Vs. Twins: Kansas City Goes For 4th Straight
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<p>The <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Kansas City Royals</a> will aim for their fourth straight victory when they go up against the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Minnesota Twins</a> in the final game of their three-game series on Thursday night.</p>
<p>The Royals will send <span>Luis Mendoza</span> (7-9, 4.63 ERA) to the mound. He earned a no-decision in his last start, giving up five runs and 10 hits to the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago White Sox</a> in 5 1/3 innings on Sep. 7. The last time he faced the Twins was just 11 days ago, when he gave up two runs and seven hits in five innings of a 6-4 Kansas City win in which he registered a no-decision.</p>
<p>Liam Hendricks (0-7, 6.20 ERA) will start for Minnesota. He gave up 10 hits and five runs in 3 2/3 innings when he faced the Royals on Sept. 1.</p>
<p>Twins All-Star <span>Joe Mauer</span> missed the first two games of the series with back spasms. No word yet on whether or not he will suit up for the finale.</p>
<p>First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CT at Target Field. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Kansas City.</p>
<p><i>Check out <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals Review</a> for more Kansas City baseball news, and be sure to visit <a href="http://www.twinkietown.com/">Twinkie Town</a> for more on the Twins. Also head over to <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a> for even more news and analysis from around the league.</i></p>
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https://kansascity.sbnation.com/kansas-city-royals/2012/9/12/3325080/royals-twins-preview-kansas-city-minnesotaJames Herbert2012-09-12T22:47:48-05:002012-09-12T22:47:48-05:00Royals Vs. Twins Recap: KC Wins 3rd Straight, 10-5
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<p>The <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Kansas City Royals</a> used a big fifth inning to defeat the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Minnesota Twins</a>, 10-5, on Wednesday night in Minneapolis. The win marks the third straight for Kansas City, who upped its record to 65-77.</p>
<p>The big inning propelled Royals starter Luke Hochevar (8-13) to a win despite the righty giving up five runs in five innings. The Royals hit six singles and added one walk to score five runs in the top of the fifth, giving them a 6-3 lead while handing Twins pitcher <span>P.J. Walters</span> (2-4) the loss.</p>
<p>Kansas City poured on four additional runs with more singles in the eighth inning as well, helped along by a pair of errors by Twins left fielder <span>Ryan Doumit</span>. Designated hitter <span>Billy Butler</span> led the offensive surge for the Royals, going 3-5 with three RBI. <span>Salvador Perez</span> also hit a solo home run, his 10th of the season.</p>
<p><span>Luis Mendoza</span> (7-9, 4.63 ERA) takes the mound tomorrow for the Royals in the final game of the series, facing off against Minnesota's <span>Liam Hendriks</span> (0-7, 6.20 ERA).</p>
<p><i>For more on the Royals, visit <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/" target="_blank">Royals Review</a>, and check out <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/" target="_blank">Baseball Nation</a> for everything MLB.</i></p>
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https://kansascity.sbnation.com/kansas-city-royals/2012/9/12/3324658/royals-vs-twins-final-score-recapBrett Hein2012-09-12T16:39:13-05:002012-09-12T16:39:13-05:00Will Smith Gaining Confidence Down Stretch In Royals' Rotation
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<p><a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Kansas City Royals</a> rookie pitcher <span>Will Smith</span> is <a href="http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_09_11_kcamlb_minmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=kc" target="_blank">ripe with confidence after shutting down the Minnesota Twins</a> in Tuesday night's 9-1 victory.</p>
<p>Smith, who worked seven shutout innings while racking up seven strikeouts, overcame his demons against Minnesota this season. In two previous starts against the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Twins</a>, he allowed 10 runs -- including three homers -- in 10.2 innings pitched. As such, his improvement on Tuesday wasn't lost on manager Ned Yost, whose team is 6-10 against Minnesota in 2012.</p>
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<p>"Seven shutout innings against a club that's given us problems all year -- that's a great start."</p>
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<p>Smith allowed seven hits in the game, but all were singles. However, with the addition of three walks, he did get into some trouble along the way. Still, he fought through it and kept the Twins off the board.</p>
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<p>"I didn't have a one-two-three inning the whole time and you'd like to clean that up," Smith said. "But it's a big confidence boost to work out of jams like that."</p>
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<p>The 23-year-old lefty has been quite serviceable since rejoining the Royals on July 19, posting a 4.01 ERA in 10 starts. Prior to that, he had put up an ERA of 9.00 in three starts, which resulted in a demotion to Triple-A. Overall, Smith is 5-7 with a 4.94 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 2.00 in 2012.</p>
<p><i>Check out <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com">Royals Review</a> for more Kansas City baseball news, and be sure to visit <a href="http://www.twinkietown.com">Twinkie Town</a> for more on the Twins. Also head over to <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com">Baseball Nation</a> for even more news and analysis from around the league.</i></p>
https://kansascity.sbnation.com/kansas-city-royals/2012/9/12/3323080/will-smith-kansas-city-royalsBryan Kilpatrick2012-09-12T06:00:18-05:002012-09-12T06:00:18-05:00Royals Vs. Twins Preview: Luke Hochevar Seeking To Keep Kansas City's Momentum Going
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<p>In search of their third consecutive victory, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> will give the ball to right-handed starter <span>Luke Hochevar</span> (7-13, 5.36 ERA) on Wednesday in Game 2 against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a>.</p>
<p>The 28-year-old Hochevar has labored through an up-and-down season thus far in 2012, but is currently in the midst of a woeful stretch where he has not recorded a win since Jul. 31. The Twins gave Hochevar a disheartening loss by roughing him up for eight runs as recently as Sept. 1, but the former No. 1 overall pick has actually been a more effective pitcher away from home this season (4.82 away ERA vs. 5.94 home ERA) and may be in line for a bounce-back start.</p>
<p>Royals hitters will hope to get the better of Minnesota right-hander <span>P.J. Walters</span> (2-3, 6.03 ERA) on Wednesday after tallying 16 hits in Game 1, as the 27-year-old starter gears up for his ninth start of the season. Walters was shelled for six runs in his only post-All-Star break appearance, but is a bit of an unknown considering that he has yet to face the Royals in his career.</p>
<p><i>Check out <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com">Royals Review</a> for more Kansas City baseball news, and be sure to visit <a href="http://www.twinkietown.com">Twinkie Town</a> for more on the Twins. Also head over to <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com">Baseball Nation</a> for even more news and analysis from around the league.</i></p>
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https://kansascity.sbnation.com/kansas-city-royals/2012/9/12/3319386/royals-vs-twins-preview-kansas-city-minnesota-game-2Dave Ryan2012-09-11T23:13:49-05:002012-09-11T23:13:49-05:00Royals Vs. Twins Final Score: Kansas City Rolls In Series Opener, 9-1
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<p>Paced by a masterful outing from 23-year-old pitcher <span>Will Smith</span>, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> opened their series with Minnesota on the right foot on Tuesday with a comfortable 9-1 victory.</p>
<p>Making just his 13th career start, Smith tossed seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts to pick up his fifth win of the season in impressive fashion. The 6'5, 240-pound rookie scattered seven hits and walked three in the outing, and also toppled the 100-pitch mark for just the second time in his big-league career.</p>
<p>With Smith shutting down Minnesota batters left and right, it was a fitting evening for Kansas City's offense to rack up 16 hits as a team. Leadoff hitter <span>Lorenzo Cain</span> exemplified his table-setting role with a 3-for-5 night from the plate that included a pair of RBI, as the promising young outfielder even finished a home run shy of a cycle by game's end.</p>
<p>In addition to Cain's big night, infielders <span>Eric Hosmer</span> and <span>Johnny Giavotella</span> also both chipped in 3-for-5 nights, while catcher <span>Salvador Perez</span> wasted no time extending his hitting streak to 15 games with a second-inning single. Now in search of their third straight win on Wednesday, Kansas City will look to inconsistent right-hander <span>Luke Hochevar</span> in Game 2.</p>
<p><i>Check out <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com">Royals Review</a> for more Kansas City baseball news, and be sure to visit <a href="http://www.twinkietown.com">Twinkie Town</a> for more <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> coverage. Also visit <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com">Baseball Nation</a> for even more news and analysis from around the league.</i></p>
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https://kansascity.sbnation.com/kansas-city-royals/2012/9/11/3319290/royals-vs-twins-final-score-kansas-city-minnesota-recap-game-2Dave Ryan