MINNEAPOLIS _ Nelson Cruz keeps on cruising at age 40.
The slugger hit two more home runs Monday night, giving him eight on the season, and put the Twins in position to beat the Kansas City Royals 4-1. The Twins took three of four in the series at Target Field after getting swept in three games at Kauffman Stadium last weekend.
Righthander Matt Wisler started the game, the third time the Twins have used an "opener" this season. It was the latest test for the a bullpen that entered the game with a 12-inning scoreless streak.
Cruz joined Miguel Sano, Mitch Garver and other teammates on the field before the game for extra batting practice. Instead of a coach throwing BP, they brought out a machine; set it up in front of the mound so it is closer to the batter; and had it fire 99 mile-per-hour fastballs at hitters.
Sano and Garver are trying to find a groove. Cruz is being Cruz. But he has never been afraid to work on his swing.
And even though he might be able to teach hitting coach Edgar Varela a thing or two, Cruz takes any advice he can get.
"Well, I mean, I'm open-minded. In my case, I always try to learn, too," Cruz said before Monday's game. "I don't mind who you are as a hitter. If you see young guys, even from other teams, if they ask questions, I ask them right back. 'What about yourself? What are you thinking?' So I'm a guy that wants to learn. Even at my age and this point in my career, I'm willing to learn. If I can do some adjustments and do some changes for the best, I'm open to that."
Cruz, Garver and Sano were all in the lineup Monday. Garver hit into a double play and struck out in his first two plate appearances. Sano struck out swinging, then looking.
Cruz? He walked in the first inning then opened the scoring in the fourth with a 416-foot homer off lefthander Kris Bubic that struck the facing of the second deck in left. It was the 408th homer, passing Duke Snider for 56th on the all-time list.
The Twins added a second run in the inning when Byron Buxton dropped a single into left to score Marwin Gonzalez, who had walked and moved to second when Max Kepler walked.
Sano did come around in the sixth, stroking a double to the right-center gap. Kepler followed with a single to right, driving in Sano.
Cruz added a second home run in the seventh off Jake Newberry, a 428-foot shot into the bullpens in left-center. That blast tied him with Mark Teixeira for 55th on the all-time list. In his past 16 games against the Royals, Cruz has clubbed 12 home runs against them.
Devin Smeltzer replaced Wisler and added 2? scoreless innings before handing off to Tyler Clippard, who for the second day in a row got a huge boost from Eddie Rosario. This time, the left fielder threw Whit Merrifield out at second after the Royals star hit a laser off the top of the wall.
That got the Twins to the seventh inning, where they could activate their key setup men. Zack Littell gave up a ninth-inning home run to Hunter Dozier to spoil the shutout.
Studies have shown that pitchers are throwing fewer fastballs this season, but Wisler took things to an extreme. Of the 30 pitches Wisler threw, 27 were sliders, three were fastballs. He entered the season having thrown sliders 77% of the time, so this was on another level.
