KANSAS CITY, Mo._Eric Hosmer stepped to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning on Saturday night. The Kansas City Royals needed a run to break a stalemate against the Minnesota Twins. They needed a victory to maintain hope in a possible last-chance run for a postseason spot.
All night, Hosmer had been locked in at the plate, spraying two hits and drawing a walk. All season _ well, at least since May _ he had been Kansas City's most complete hitter. He has batted .323 and posted a career high in OPS, and in some ways, the performance has been wasted, the roster weighed down by a soft bottom of the order and an inconsistent pitching staff. On this night, it wouldn't be.
Hosmer saw a first-pitch curveball from Twins reliever Buddy Boshers and ripped a single to center field, scoring pinch runner Terrance Gore from second base. The Royals scored three times in the eighth, securing a 5-2 decision over the Twins at Kauffman Stadium.
Hosmer finished 3 for 3 with a walk and an RBI. The victory propelled Kansas City (70-71) to within 3{ games of Minnesota in the wild-card standings. The odds of a late run are still unlikely. The Royals require another win Sunday to avoid falling 4{ games back with 20 to play. But for one night, they staved off the Twins, shaking off consecutive losses to start the four-game series.
Rookie starter Jakob Junis was splendid for 6 1/3 innings. Left fielder Alex Gordon supplied a rare opposite field homer _ and his first of any kind since July 3 _ in the bottom of the seventh. The blast tied the score at 2-2, and the Royals struck for three in the eight, buoyed by a leadoff single from Lorenzo Cain, who finished 3 for 4, and a walk by Melky Cabrera.
Reliever Brandon Maurer earned the save in the ninth. Starter Jason Vargas will match up against Bartolo Colon on Sunday afternoon. At Kauffman Stadium these days, there is little margin for error.
On early Saturday afternoon, the Royals' clubhouse was business as usual, a mostly-empty room devoid of music, a collection of ballplayers preparing for another night of work. Inside his office, Royals manager Ned Yost discussed the possibility of starting pitcher Danny Duffy returning next week. On another side of the room, Brandon Moss sat near his locker and conducted a conversation about his year the plate.
The Royals had dropped two straight games to the Twins, a ninth-inning heartbreaker on Thursday night and an 8-5 decision on Friday. They sat 4{ games behind their division rival in the race for the second American League wild card spot. Another loss on Saturday would leave them 5{ back with 21 games to play.
For the Royals, a victory would be precious, and for nearly seven innings, Junis offered a lifeline. In his 12th start of his rookie season, he permitted just two solo homers in 61/3 innings, scattering eight hits while striking out seven. In his last six major-league starts, he has been a bright spot of a dark second half, posting a 2.48 ERA with 34 strikeouts and two walks.
On Saturday, he made two costly pitches. Eduardo Escobar led off the third by pouncing on curveball in the middle of the zone. Three innings later, Byron Buxton battled for 10 pitches, hammering a 3-2 sinker that tailed onto the inner half of the plate.
The Royals' offense, meanwhile, had chances. Yet its run support was meager. Cain tripled and scored in the bottom of the first.
One inning later, the Royals loaded the bases with one out against Twins starter Jose Berrios. Whit Merrifield dug in and hacked at a fastball. The baseball rocketed off his bat at 101 mph. It was hit right at shortstop Jorge Polanco, who started the inning-ending double play.
For most of the evening, the Royals struggled to take advantage of chances. But then Gordon homered in the seventh, and the offense stirred in the eighth.
