No matter what they do, the Royals are having a hard time not imploding. On Wednesday, they scrapped their way back into their game with the Twins, only to see it slip through their fingers a half-inning later in a 9-4 loss.
Kansas City took an early lead with Mike Sweeney’s RBI double to score centerfielder David DeJesus in the first inning. The lead lasted until the third inning when starting pitcher Brian Anderson gave up run-scoring hits to Shannon Stewart and Jason Bartlett to make it 2-1 Minnesota.
Matt LeCroy gave the Twins a 4-1 bulge with a two run homer off Anderson in the fourth inning. It stayed that way until the Royals rallied in the sixth inning to tie it. Ruben Gotay hit a two-run homer to get Kansas city within one run and John Buck doubled in Gotay to make it 4-4.
The Royals have blown leads and ties in a number of interesting ways this season and the top of the seventh continued that trend. Brian Anderson started the inning by walking Michael Cuddyer. . He followed that up by giving up a single to Nick Punto and that was all for Anderson. Shawn Camp came in to relieve Anderson and hit Shannon Stewart with his first pitch to load the bases. Jason Bartlett laced a triple to give the Twins a 7-4 lead and Joe Mauer followed up with a sacrifice fly to score Bartlett and the lead was now four runs for Minnesota. Punto’s RBI single in the eighth off Mike MacDougal made it 9-4.
Anderson was charged with the loss and dropped to 1-2 on the season, while Joe Mays won his first game in almost two years. Mays underwent Tommy John surgery in September o2003. His last victory was a 16-2 performance against the Royals on June 19 of that year.
Kansas City has dropped its last seven games and 12-of-14. They are 2-11 at home in 2004.
