Danny Duffy made his first start on the mound in over a year after recovering from Tommy John surgery. At times he looked phenomenal, and at times he looked spotty. Duffy needed 90 plus pitches just to get over three innings of work, he did strike out seven during that span. He was replaced by Louis Coleman and the bullpen stayed true in a 5-2 victory for Kansas City.
Once Duffy left the game, Louis Coleman (2-0) and three more Kansas City relievers managed to navigate the next four plus innings. All-Star closer Greg Holland worked around a single by pinch-hitter Joe Mauer in the ninth to wrap up his 30th save and the series win. Alex Gordon had two hits for the Royals including a solo home run in the fourth inning.
The Royals open up a huge four game series against one of the best teams in the American League, the Boston Red Sox. Coverage on Newsradio 1350 KMAN will begin at 6:30 pm tonight (Thursday) with the first pitch set for 7:10 pm.