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Credit the Royals with this much: It no longer seems rare when things go right. They no longer seem capable of threatening the 1962 Mets or the 2003 Tigers for sustained futility over a full season.
Not after winning for the 13th time in 20 games Wednesday night by dodging adversity and pulling out a 6-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium.
John Buck’s two-run double with two outs capped a three-run burst that broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning.
Buck’s blow came after (a) the Royals grabbed the lead on a run-scoring passed ball, i.e., the other team blinked for a change; which followed (b) the Royals’ ability to work around a suspect, and potentially disastrous, umpiring call in the top of the inning.
“We’re finally starting to put pressure on the other team’s defense,” said Reggie Sanders, whose one-out single ignited the three-run seventh.
“We’re creating situations that do that. It’s the reverse of what teams have been doing to us. And when the heat is on, it tightens it up just a little bit and creates that room for error.”
The victory allowed the Royals to win the three-game series from the Twins, who had won 11 in a row before Tuesday’s loss. The Royals, 29-54, have also won five of their last six series.
Some perspective: The Royals would have to lose 33 in a row to return to the 120-loss pace of the ’62 Mets.
“Just take it a series at a time,” Buck said. “That’s what we’ve been saying ever since we dug ourselves a hole.”
Jeremy Affeldt, 4-5, got the victory after helping the Royals escape a two-on, one-out jam in the seventh. Ambiorix Burgos worked the ninth for his 14th save.
Twins reliever Jesse Crain, one of three pitchers used in the seventh, was the loser and fell to 2-5.
The Royals’ 14-hit attack included at least one from eight of nine starters.
Mark Grudzielanek led the way with a double and two singles, which makes him seven for 14 since his All-Star snub. Sanders had two hits and two RBIs. Buck, Doug Mientkiewicz and Matt Stairs also contributed two hits.
Twins starter Brad Radke allowed 11 hits in five innings but only three runs before exiting with a no-decision. Royals starter Brandon Duckworth also got a no-decision for allowing three runs and six hits in six innings.
“These guys are playing pretty good baseball now, too,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “We know we’ve been on the streak, and maybe you get a little air knocked out of you when you lose the first one and break the streak.
“But that was a (heck) of a ballgame going on there. We just couldn’t finish it off there in the seventh inning.”
Yes, that seventh inning. Let’s start at the top.
Luis Castillo led off with a walk against reliever Todd Wellemeyer. Then it got entertaining.
Royals manager Buddy Bell was ejected in the Minnesota seventh, by two umpires simultaneously, for arguing that Nick Punto fouled off a pitch that would have negated a steal by Castillo.
Buck dropped the ball, but the umpires apparently ruled that Buck dropped the ball on purpose and allowed the steal to stand.
“They say it hit my glove,” Buck said. “I don’t think it did. I think it hit me in my arm, and I dropped it.”
The Twins eventually put runners at second and third with one out, but Wellemeyer and Affeldt preserved the 3-3 tie by getting two weak dribblers by Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau.
On to the home seventh, where Sanders got his one-out single. It was the Royals’ 12th hit of the game and triggered the season’s 10th Krispy Kreme doughnut giveaway.
Gardenhire called on Royals alum Dennys Reyes to replace Crain, but the Royals countered by sending up Esteban German as a pinch hitter for Matt Stairs.
German delivered a single for his sixth hit in 13 pinch at-bats. The runners advanced on Mark Teahen’s grounder to first before Gardenhire called on Juan Rincon, who issued an intentional walk to Angel Berroa.
Rincon’s 0-1 pitch to Buck skipped past catcher Joe Mauer for a run-scoring passed ball. Buck then hammered a two-run double into the right-center gap for a 6-3 lead.
Elmer Dessens pitched a scoreless eighth before Burgos closed out the victory.
“You can see the attitude in here,” Buck said. “There’s a growing confidence. And whenever a ballplayer gets more confidence, the results are going to be more positive.”
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