KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ The Royals' youth movement may be in full swing, but for one night at least, a couple of heroes from the glory days paved the way in a 10-3 win over the Twins at Kauffman Stadium.
Left fielder Alex Gordon had three hits, including two doubles and knocked in five runs, while third baseman Alcides Escobar collected three RBIs and three hits, including a double and a triple.
The Royals' roster looks vastly different from Opening Day as nine players are not with the team, and two more are on the disabled list. The new kids have made an impact over the last three weeks with shortstop Adalberto Mondesi showcasing his all-around talent, Ryan O'Hearn and Hunter Dozier hitting lasers around the park, and new starters twirling gems.
It's a big reason why the Royals have won five of their last six games and 14 of 20 overall.
Saturday, however, was mostly about the old guard.
Gordon's RBI groundout scored Whit Merrifield in the first inning, and Escobar's single in the second scored right fielder Jorge Bonifacio for a 2-1 Royals lead.
In the fourth inning, Royals second baseman Rosell Herrera hit a one-out single and scored when Escobar sliced a triple down the right-field line. Catcher Cam Gallagher missed a potential squeeze bunt and Escobar was in a pickle. But the Royals caught a break when Escobar broke for home and third baseman Gregorio Petit's throw hit Escobar, who scored easily.
Twins manager Paul Molitor, apparently believing that Escobar was out of the baseline, argued vehemently for interference. Home-plate umpire Ben May didn't agree and instead ejected Molitor.
Gallagher then hit a double when Twins center fielder Jake Cave lost track of the ball. After an out, Mondesi singled and stole second. He and Gallagher came home on a double by Gordon that gave the Royals a 6-1 lead.
In the sixth inning, Gordon added another two-run double for a 6-2 lead, and an inning later Escobar doubled home a run and scored on Gallagher's fourth hit of the night as the Royals made it 10-2.
A night after 2015 World Series MVP Salvador Perez hit a walk-off grand slam, a couple of stars from that postseason team continued their recent solid play.
Escobar, the 2015 American League Championship Series MVP, is batting .319 (29-for-91) with eight doubles since Aug. 2. Gordon, who hit the clutch home run in Game 1 of the 2015 Series, has 27 RBIs in his last 41 games since the start of August.
