Game one
(AP) Mike Minor’s road back to the majors was not an easy one. Shoulder surgery kept him out of the majors for two years and resulted in a move to the bullpen.
Minor got his first victory since 2014 with 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the Kansas City Royalsk, who beat the Minnesota Twins 6-4 Sunday in a doubleheader opener.
Brandon Moss hit two of Kansas City’s four home runs, and Salvador Perez and Jorge Bonifacio each hit two-run homers to boost the sluggish Royals offense.
Minor (1-1) relieved Jake Junis with a 5-2 lead in the fifth, two outs and two on. The 29-year-old left-hander walked Max Kepler, then retired Kennys Vargas on a popout. Minor retired the side in order in the sixth.
He had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder in May 13, 2015, and did not appear in the major leagues in 2015 and 2016. Minor, who signed a $7.25 million, two-year contract with the Royals in February 2016, got his first major league victory since Aug. 28, 2014, for Atlanta at the New York Mets, and his first win as a reliever.
Kelvin Herrera pitched a one-hit ninth for his ninth save in 11 chances.
Junis, a 24-year-old right-hander, was recalled from Triple-A Omaha and made his first big league start after a pair of relief appearances. He allowed two runs, five hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings, leaving after RBI singles from Brian Dozier and Miguel Sano.
Phil Hughes (4-3) gave up five runs and six hits — including three homers — in four innings, his second-shortest outing this season.
It was the Royals’ first win against the Twins this year in seven games, stopping a seven-game losing streak against Minnesota dating to last season.
Perez hit a two-run homer in the second, Jorge Bonifacio hit a two-run drive in the fourth and Moss homered two pitches later for a 5-0 lead. Moss homered again in the eighth against Adam Wilk.
Game Two
(AP) Adalberto Mejia made the most of his brief stint back in the majors with the Minnesota Twins by getting his first big-league win.
Robbie Grossman, Max Kepler and Chris Gimenez all homered to help Mejia and the Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 8-4 in the second game Sunday to salvage a split of a doubleheader.
Mejia (1-1) was the Twins’ 26th active player for the second game and allowed three runs in seven innings, on two home runs by Salvador Perez — who also went deep in the first game.
Mejia’s reward for his first win? A trip back to Triple-A Rochester.
Grossman and Kepler each hit two-run homers in the first inning, and Brian Dozier had an RBI double in the second off Ian Kennedy (0-4) in his first game back from the disabled list.
Brandon Moss hit two of Kansas City’s four home runs in the opener of the doubleheader, and Perez and Jorge Bonifacio each hit two-run homers to lead the Royals to a 6-4 win earlier in the day.
With the split, the Twins are now 7-1 on the year against the Royals. Kansas City’s win in the first game snapped a seven-game losing streak against Minnesota.
Kennedy, who returned after missing time with a hamstring strain, said he felt fine physically. He walked three batters and gave up a pair of two-run homers in just two innings Sunday.
