Affeldt Strikes Out 8, Gets 3rd Win

The Royals weren’t fancy. There was no dramatic late-inning home run, just a solid nine inning performance and a 3-2 win over the Twins. In the first inning, Raul Ibanez drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single. The Royals final run came in the fifth inning courtesy of Carlos Beltran’s fourth home run of the season. Jeremy Affeldt struck out a career high eight batters over six innings walking just one. He allowed two runs and seven hits, improving to 3-1 on the season. Closer Mike MacDougal worked around a ninth-inning walk to get his American League-leading 11th save of the season. The Royals extended their lead in the A.L. Central to three and a half games over the Twins.