Salvador Perez Flirts With Cycle As Royals Win 10-4

Salvador Perez still owns Target Field. He was 5-5 with a double, triple, and two runs scored in the Royals 10-4 win over the Twins.

The Royals offense has been needing a wake up call for sometime now, and as it turns out, Ricky Nolasco was just the cure they needed.

Nolasco lasted just 2.2 IP, giving up six runs on eight hits, while also walking two Royals.

Alcides Escobar ambushed Nolasco to begin the game with a lead off double, later scoring on Lorenzo Cain‘s RBI double to right.

That 1-0 lead quickly dissolved, however, as Joe Mauer homered to left off of Royals starter Ian Kennedy in the bottom half of the frame, tying the game at one.

Trevor Plouffe followed with a single, and advanced to second on a throwing error by Escobar, before scoring on Robbie Grossman‘s single.

Unfortunately for the Twins, Ricky Nolasco still had to come out to pitch in the second inning, and briskly surrendered the 2-1 lead after Salvador Perez doubled and scored on an Omar Infante sacrifice fly.

Kennedy followed with a clean inning and unfortunately for the Twins (again), Nolasco headed back out to the mound for the third inning.

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After singles from Whit Merrifield and Eric Hosmer and a Kendrys Morales walk, Perez singled to left to give the Royals a 3-2 lead.

Paulo Orlando followed with a sacrifice fly, before Jarrod Dyson singled in two more to give the Royals a 6-2 lead and chase Nolasco

All of that run scoring looked like it may be negated, with rain delaying the game for a solid 40 minutes, accompanied by a fairly nasty radar.

However, baseball continued at around 9 p.m. CT, in front of a now scattered crowd in Target Field, and the Royals continued the beat down.

Merrifield promptly opened the fourth inning with an a double, the first extra-base hit of his career, and came around to score on a left-handed Kendrys Morales single to left field.

Following a Perez single, Orlando drove in Morales with a single to center field, on a play that had to be challenged by the Royals, with Danny Santana appearing to trap the ball in center. Ultimately, the call was overturned and the Royals lead 8-2.

The rain delay hurt Ian Kennedy and his already elevated pitch count, with Kennedy only able to go 1.2 innings after the delay, failing to make it out of the fourth.

He finished his evening by going 3.1 IP and giving up two runs on five hits and striking out three. All three of his strikeouts came in the bottom of the third inning.

Perez continued his beat down of the Twins with a triple to lead off the seventh, but was left standing at third after both Orlando and Infante struck out, before Dyson grounded out to end the inning.

For his career, Sal has hit .315 with 26 XBH in 72 career games against the Twins and has hit .345 with 19 XBH in 38 career games at Target Field.

His nine home runs at Target Field are the most by Sal at any stadium not named Kauffman Stadium.

He added another single in the top of the ninth, for good measure. He needed a home run for the cycle.

Infante drove him and Orlando in on a double off the top of the left-center field wall (!!)

Next: Dayton Moore Says The Window To Win Is Now

The Royals are back in action tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. CT at Target Field.

Edinson Volquez in on the bump for the Royals and will be opposed by former Royal Ervin Santana.