MINNEAPOLIS — Bobby Witt Jr.’s two-out, two-strike RBI double in the eighth put the Kansas City Royals ahead for the first time and capped a three-run inning.
The one-run lead sent a noticeable portion of Minnesota Twins fans filing to the exit, but the game was far from a foregone conclusion. In the bottom half of the inning, reliever Scott Barlow showed nerves of steel as he took the ball with no outs and the bases loaded and came out the other side with the Royals still holding a one-run lead.
That eighth inning played a pivotal role in the Royals snapping a six-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Twins in front of an announced 17,657 in the first game of a four-game series at Target Field on Thursday night.
Barlow pitched two scoreless innings, including the amazing escape act in the eighth, to record his fifth save of the season. The Twins got the tying run to third base with two outs in the ninth.
Witt’s eighth-inning RBI double drove in the winning run for the Royals (15-28), while Whit Merrifield’s two-run double tied the game two batters prior.
Royals left-hander Daniel Lynch allowed two runs, seven hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six. He bounced back from his last outing when he allowed four runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Twins last week at Kauffman Stadium.
