Salvador Perez went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI as the host Kansas City Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Wednesday night.
Perez drove in a run for the sixth straight game to lead Kansas City, which will attempt to complete a three-game sweep on Thursday.
The Royals (60-89) were playing their first game since the firing of longtime executive Dayton Moore. Dismissed Wednesday afternoon as the team president of baseball operations, Moore had been with the organization since 2006.
The Twins (73-76) lost for the sixth time in the past seven games and fell nine games behind the American League Central-leading Cleveland Guardians.
Anthony Misiewicz (1-1) picked up the win after throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. Scott Barlow earned his 23rd save with a hitless ninth inning.
Bailey Ober (1-3) pitched five innings for the Twins, allowing three runs on seven hits. Royals starter Daniel Lynch allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits in four innings.
The Royals jumped on Ober early. MJ Melendez led off with a career-long, 437-foot home run to left-center with the wind blowing from left to right. Bobby Witt Jr. singled sharply to center, and Perez followed with a bloop double that eluded right fielder Matt Wallner, allowing Witt to score.
The Twins answered with a run in the second. Gary Sanchez led off with a walk and Gilberto Celestino singled with one out. Jermaine Palacios beat out a relay throw to avoid an inning-ending double play before Wallner hit an RBI single.
The Royals got that run back in the third. Perez singled leading off, moved to third on a double by Vinnie Pasquantino and scored on a two-out single by Edward Olivares.
Nick Gordon reached on a two-base error by Pasquantino at first base in the fourth. He scored on a two-out double by Wallner, cutting the Kansas City lead to 3-2.
The Royals added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh. Nate Eaton led off with a single and stole second. He went to third on a groundout and scored on Witt’s one-out single.
Witt advanced to second on a wild pitch. Perez had another bloop hit to right, sending Witt to third. Witt scored when Pasquantino grounded into a double play. The final out wasn’t a forceout, so the run counted.
–Field Level Media
