Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins
· Major League Baseball
8 - 6
Josh Rojas has go-ahead, 2-run single as pinch hitter in Royals debut as Kansas City tops Twins 8-6
Rojas was recalled from Triple-A Omaha earlier in the day and didn't enter the game until he pinch hit for Nick Loftin with the bases loaded and one out against Justin Lawrence. Rojas slapped a single up the middle to put the Royals ahead.
Matt Strahm (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the win. Alex Lange got three outs for his second save this season. Michael Massey hit his sixth homer for the Royals.
Taylor Rogers (1-3) took the the loss after being charged with two runs in the ninth.
Kody Clemens homered twice off Royals starter Seth Lugo, and Byron Buxton and Victor Caratini also hit home runs — all solo shots.
Lawrence made his second appearance for Minnesota after the Twins acquired him from Pittsburgh on Monday. He walked Maikel Garcia to load the bases before giving up the go-ahead hit to Rojas.
Andrew Morris started for Minnesota in an opener role as the Twins used a total of seven pitchers against Kansas City.
Lugo allowed five runs and six hits in five innings.
Carter Jensen hit a two-run double in a three-run sixth inning for Kansas City. He later scored when two Twins converged on a pop fly beyond the infield and couldn't make the catch. The play was ruled an error on shortstop Ryan Kreidler.
The game was delayed 1 hour, 7 minutes due to rain and lightning. The delay occurred in the middle of the sixth inning with the Royals leading 6-5.
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How can I watch Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins?
- TV Channel: Royals at Twins 2022 MLB Baseball, is broadcasted on MLB.TV.
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Scoring Summary
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9th Inning | Lee grounded out to second. |
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9th Inning | Buxton walked, Arcia to second. |
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9th Inning | Royals challenged (play at 1st), call on the field was upheld: Orlando Arcia grounds into a force out, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to second baseman Tyler Tolbert. Victor Caratini out at 2nd. Orlando Arc |
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9th Inning | Gray flied out to center. |
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9th Inning | Gray hit for Kreidler |
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9th Inning | Caratini singled to left. |
Statistics
 KC |
 MIN |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Games Played | 1 |
| 1 | Team Games Played | 1 |
| 0 | Hit By Pitch | 0 |
| 15 | Ground Balls | 9 |
| 7 | Strikeouts | 7 |
| 6 | Runs Batted In | 6 |
| 1 | Sacrifice Hit | 0 |
| 12 | Hits | 9 |
| 1 | Stolen Bases | 0 |
| 6 | Walks | 2 |
| 0 | Catcher Interference | 0 |
| 8 | Runs | 6 |
| 0 | Ground Into Double Play | 0 |
| 1 | Sacrifice Flies | 0 |
| 39 | At Bats | 36 |
| 1 | Home Runs | 4 |
| 0 | Grand Slam Home Runs | 0 |
| 26 | Runners Left On Base | 11 |
| 0 | Triples | 1 |
| 1 | Game Winning RBIs | 0 |
| 0 | Intentional Walks | 0 |
| 1 | Doubles | 1 |
| 19 | Fly Balls | 20 |
| 0 | Caught Stealing | 0 |
| 175 | Pitches | 149 |
| 0 | Games Started | 0 |
| 2 | Pinch At Bats | 3 |
| 2 | Pinch Hits | 0 |
| 0.0 | Player Rating | 0.0 |
| 1 | Is Qualified | 1 |
| 1 | Is Qualified In Steals | 0 |
| 16 | Total Bases | 24 |
| 47 | Plate Appearances | 38 |
| 162.0 | Projected Home Runs | 648.0 |
| 2 | Extra Base Hits | 6 |
| 7.2 | Runs Created | 7.1 |
| .308 | Batting Average | .250 |
| 1.000 | Pinch Hit Average | .000 |
| .410 | Slugging Percentage | .667 |
| .282 | Secondary Average | .472 |
| .391 | On Base Percentage | .289 |
| .802 | OBP Pct + SLG Pct | .956 |
| 0.8 | Ground To Fly Ball Ratio | 0.5 |
| 6.7 | Runs Created Per 27 Outs | 7.1 |
| 46.0 | Batter Rating | 49.5 |
| 39.0 | At Bats Per Home Run | 9.0 |
| 1.00 | Stolen Base Percentage | 0.00 |
| 3.72 | Pitches Per Plate Appearance | 3.92 |
| .103 | Isolated Power | .417 |
| 0.86 | Walk To Strikeout Ratio | 0.29 |
| .128 | Walks Per Plate Appearance | .053 |
| -.026 | Secondary Average Minus Batting Average | .222 |
| 14.0 | Runs Produced | 12.0 |
| 0.8 | Runs Ratio | 1.0 |
| 0.5 | Patience Ratio | 0.7 |
| 0.4 | Balls In Play Average | 0.2 |
| 94.8 | MLB Rating | 96.0 |
| 0.0 | Offensive Wins Above Replacement | 0.0 |
| 0.0 | Wins Above Replacement | 0.0 |
Game Information
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Attendance: 17,802 | Capacity:
2026 American League Central Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cleveland |
- | 29 | W1 | 0.56060606 | 37 |
 Chicago |
2 | 30 | W1 | 0.53125 | 34 |
| Minnesota |
7 | 36 | L1 | 0.45454547 | 30 |
 Detroit |
10.5 | 39 | L1 | 0.4 | 26 |
| Kansas City |
10.5 | 39 | W1 | 0.4 | 26 |