Credit: Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Sonny Gray threw five shutout innings and the visiting Minnesota Twins blanked the Kansas City Royals for the second straight game 2-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Gray (1-0) allowed three hits, struck out one and walked four in the second game of the three-game series.
Byron Buxton had two hits and scored both runs, and Christian Vazquez also delivered two hits for Minnesota, which won the season opener 2-0 on Thursday.
Salvador Perez had two hits for the Royals and starting pitcher Jordan Lyles (0-1) gave up two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked two.
Lyles retired the first two batters to start the game, but Buxton doubled to left, Trevor Larnach walked and Jose Miranda dropped a two-out single into center field to score Buxton from second base and give the Twins a 1-0 lead.
After the first inning, Lyles did not allow a runner in scoring position until Buxton singled to lead off the sixth, moved to second on a passed ball with one out and was safe at third after shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. tried to throw him out on Miranda’s routine ground ball.
Ryan Yarbrough then replaced Lyles and gave up a shallow fly ball to pinch-hitter Kyle Farmer. Buxton scored when the throw home was cut off, stretching the lead to 2-0.
The Royals put their first two runners on base in both the third and fourth innings, but couldn’t capitalize.
Gray walked the bases loaded in the third after getting ahead of all three hitters, but struck out Franmil Reyes to escape that jam.
Miranda made a fielding error at third to start the fourth and Kyle Isbel lined the next pitch into right field, but Nate Eaton grounded into a force out, and Nicky Lopez followed with an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
Perez doubled with two outs in the fifth and Vinnie Pasquantino followed with a hard grounder over the mound, but Twins shortstop Carlos Correa was shading him up the middle and made the play to end the inning.
Jorge Alcala, Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar and Jorge Alcala combined to shut out the Royals over the final four innings.
–Field Level Media