Carlos Correa started Friday’s game against Kansas City after reaching base in 16 straight games, raising his batting average from .200 to .280.
“I’m doing my walk, I’m getting my base hit,” Twins shortstop said before the game. “It’s just the power that’s a little lacking.”
He took care of it on Friday, extending his on-base streak to 17 matches.
Correa broke the tie 4–4 with a 432-foot home run and went in the twin half of the bullpen to lead the fourth inning, and Nick Gordon and Xiao Ursella struck with two-out hits as Minnesota snapped. Scored one run each. A two-game skid in a 10-7 win over the Royals in front of 21,841 at Target Field.
The Twins broke the game 6–5 with four runs in the eighth inning – two out of three – to extend their American League Central lead over dysfunctional Chicago to five games. Korea’s homer was his third this season and his first since May 4.
After resting his right ankle for three straight games, second baseman Jorge Polanco began the scoring with a two-run home run in the first innings – part of the Twins’ 15-hit attack – and with a sacrifice by Trevor Larnach. Fly in one run, fly in the fourth. Luis Arrez, leading the bat Byron Buxton resting his right knee, scored 2 for 5 with a walk, a run run and an RBI.
Yenier Cano conceded two runs in the ninth on MJ Melendez’s single home run, and after a run-scoring double by Emmanuel Rivera, Emilio Pagan dismissed Niki Lopez for his team’s leading seventh save. Twins starter Bailey Ober lasted only three innings, leaving him with a 4–3 lead after throwing 60 pitches. Trevor Magill (1-1) took 2⅔ for the win.
Brad Keller (1-5) conceded six runs in 11 hits and conceded three runs in four innings.
The twins played a big innings in the first innings. Arrez quickly singles from the right to start. Correa followed in deep left center with a Rocket that was tracked down by Andrew Benintendi, but Polanco followed with a massive home run into the plaza in right field for a 2-0 lead.
After Max Kepler finished second, Gary Sanchez singled out and Trevor Larnach went ahead of Ursella, who singled out Sanchez in the center to score and sent Larnach to third. Nick Gordon, playing at center field in place of Buxton, then slapped an opposite field single to score Larnach, making it 4–0. However, the twins left base loaded when Arrez was dismissed.
Ober set the Royals in second order, on two strikeouts, before the Twins loaded the base with two outs in singles by Max Kepler and Sanchez and a walk by Larnach, but Ursella struck to end the threat. First out. , The Royals immediately took advantage.
After placing first and second runners-up on one-out singles by Nicky Lopez and Whit Merrifield, Bobby Witt Jr. doubled the scoreboard to left-center plate two, and Whitt Jr. scored on a single by Hunter Dozier. 4 made. -3.
Ober never came out for fourth except after throwing 60 pitches with a drop in his usual velocity. Left-hander Danny Coulombe, fresh off the injured list, allowed the first three batsmen to reach a single for Ryan O’Hearn, a walk for Rivera and a game-tying single by Lopez.
López stole second, before Merifield put Ursella in third—he was high enough to stab a rocket tied for a left-field corner—and Benintendi to keep runners in first and third. Took a walk. Baldelli replaced Coulombe with Trevor Magill, and the big right-hander coaxed a 5-4-3 double play grounder by Witt Jr. on his first pitch to keep the game going.
Correa then led the Twins into the half of the fourth, and Polanco scored at Larnach’s sacrifice to give the Twins a 6–4 lead.
Twins right-hander Joe Smith started seventh and led a home run to put Witt Jr. 6-5, then went dossier before receiving a 4-6-3 double-play grounder from Melendez. He then followed up with Carlos Santana, bringing in left-hander Caleb Thielbar to pitch lefty O’Hearn. The designated hitter went to first baseman Arrez on the first pitch he saw to end the innings.
