MINNEAPOLIS _ Twins Baseball 2016 made a brief return to Target Field on Thursday. But this year's team only briefly reverted to its old ways before carving out a 5-3 win to sweep Kansas City in the opening series of the season.
It's the first time the Twins have started a season 3-0 since 2007, when they swept Baltimore in three games at the Metrodome.
With the game tied at 3-3 in the seventh, Miguel Sano singled to center, then scored when Jason Castro lined a double to right-center field off Royals lefty Mike Minor. Jorge Polanco followed with a double that deflected off the tip of Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas' glove. Castro scored as the Twins took a 5-3 lead.
Matt Belisle gave up two hits in the eighth but stranded the runners. Brandon Kintzler pitched the ninth for his first save.
And this Twins team that bungled their way to an 0-9 start a year is now 3-0. They have played nearly flawless defense and the bullpen has been rock solid. The unconventional lineups written out by manager Paul Molitor have produced 21 runs in three games. What's even more eye popping is that Twins hitters have walked 23 times in three games. Eddie Rosario drew two walks on Thursday _ just the fourth time in 217 games that has happened.
Starter Kyle Gibson was sharp through four innings as the Twins took control of the game. He got away with some pitches up in the strike zone but his mix of pitches and ability to use both corners of the plate allowed him to face the first 10 batters of the game without yielding a hit.
The Twins opened the scoring in the second with a pair of runs. Polanco drove in Sano with a single and Castro scored as Rosario tapped into a fielder's choice.
Castro reached base with a walk. It was his sixth walk of the series. Kansas City pitchers are frightened of him, for some reason.
The Royals tied the game in the fifth on a solo home run by Salvador Perez and run-scoring double by Alcides Escobar. The Twins made their first poor defensive play of the young season, when Danny Santana fielded Escobar's double and thought he had a chance to throw him out at second. His throw was late, and Paulo Orlando took advantage by scoring from third.
The Twins responded in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double by Max Kepler that gave them a 3-2 lead. But Moustakas tied the game in the sixth with a solo home run to right. Lorenzo Cain followed with an infield hit (Gibson fumbling his slow roller) and that was it for the Twins righthander.
Kansas City ended up with two on with no outs, but the Twins bullpen escaped further damage. Ryan Pressly got Escobar to tap into a force play to end the inning.
The Twins hit the road for a three-game series in Chicago that starts Friday night.
