Chen implodes in 10th as Twins end Royals' run of late-inning magic
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The late-inning magic wasn't there Thursday.
Yes, the Royals did battle back from 2-0, 4-2 and 5-4 deficits to push the game into extra innings.
But they couldn't push across a run in the ninth with the score tied, 5-5.
"We just couldn't break their serve," manager Ned Yost said.
And then in the 10th, Yost, who didn't want to use Wade Davis a third straight game, was simply out of arms and had to go with long reliever Bruce Chen.
That wasn't pretty. Chen gave up six runs as the Twins smacked the ball all over Kauffman Stadium. And that settled the issue as the Royals lost, 11-5.
"I wasn't going to pitch Wade," Yost said. "And Scott Downs hasn't thrown in three weeks."
So Yost stuck with Chen, who gave up a one-out booming triple to Oswaldo Arcia. After an intentional walk, Chen got ahead of pinch-hitter Joe Mauer 0-2. But Mauer coaxed a walk, loading the bases. Then the hit parade started and the Twins didn't finish until they were ahead by plenty.
"I wish I could have made better pitches," Chen said. "We're at home, it's 5-5, we have the advantage. But I didn't get the job done."
The Royals' lead in the AL Central fell to 1 1/2 games over Detroit.
3 UP
-- Alex Gordon. Gordon did his best to rally the troops again. He delivered an RBI single in the first. Then with the Royals trailing, 5-4, in the seventh, he boomed his 17th homer of the season to tie it. That blast measured 398 feet to right-center.
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-- Daily defensive tribute. Again, the Royals made fantastic plays in the field. Lorenzo Cain made a sensational running, leaping catch of an Arcia blast to center in the seventh. Cain crashed hard into the wall and held onto the ball -- a catch reminiscent of Gordon's great grab the night before. Shortstop Alcides Escobar also made a spectacular bare-handed grab and throw to nail Eduardo Nunez in the fourth. Catcher Sal Perez got in the act by nailing Brian Dozier in an attempted steal in the ninth inning -- naturally, Perez threw him out from his knees.
-- Billy's patience. Billy Butler continues to try to lead by example by not swinging at terrible pitches. Butler walked twice and singled twice. One of his singles came with Escobar on third, one out and the infield in. That RBI hit tied the score at 4-4.
3 DOWN
-- No Moose calls. Mike Moustakas had a long, long night at the plate. With a runner on first in the second inning, he flew out to center. With a runner on in the fourth, he popped out to the pitcher. With a runner on in the sixth, he popped out to the first baseman. And then with two runners on and two out in the seventh and the score tied, Moose grounded out weakly to second base. He was the only Royal not to reach base through nine innings. He did shank a grounder into left field to beat the shift in the 10th when the game already was decided.
-- Soft Twins runs. It must have been revenge for the ridiculously soft six-run eighth-inning the Royals had Wednesday night. The Twins got even with their share on Thursday. With runners on second and third and one out in the first, Kennys Vargas hit a grounder to short that just eluded starter Jeremy Guthrie and was too softly hit for Escobar to throw home. Then Arcia followed with an even softer grounder that Guthrie couldn't make a play on, and it went for a hit that scored the Twins' second run. "It all happened so quickly," Guthrie said of the first inning. "I don't know what else I could have done there." The Twins scored two more softies in the fourth on a broken-bat RBI single by Jordan Schaefer and a soft flare into left by Brian Dozier for an RBI hit.
-- Guthrie not sharp. Yes, the Twins got their share of soft runs, but Guthrie wasn't exactly on top of his game, either. Guthrie gave up nine hits and five runs through six innings. Each time the Royals rallied back from deficits, Guthrie couldn't hold the Twins. The Royals rallied back from 2-0 to tie it, and from 4-2 to tie. But Guthrie left the game with the Royals trailing, 5-4. "I wish I could have held them to two runs after the first," Guthrie said. "Our offense did a great job of coming back."
You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter at @jflanagankc or email him at jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com.
