Twins Take the Series

Game Date: July 1, 2009
Minnesota @ Kansas City
Twins 5, Royals 1 / Box Score
WP: Perkins (4-4), LP: Meche (4-8), SV: Nathan (21)
KC Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 33-44 / Record in July 0-1

The good news was, Gil Meche’s velocity was back where it should be. The bad news was, he lost anyway, despite pitching relatively well. His pitch count (121) was too high for six innings and he walked too many guys (5), but he only gave up two earned runs.

At the plate, the Royals had 12 hits and managed to score only one run. That’s hard to do. And what’s even more bizarre is, Billy Butler was 4-for-4 in the three hole and he didn’t drive in a single run even though the two guys ahead of him had three hits between them.

Unfortunately, we found out before the game that Mike Aviles is going to have Tommy John surgery next week and he’ll be gone for the rest of the season. With the injuries and losses piling up, this could be a long summer.

Tonight, Bruce Chen (0-1, 5.68) will go up against Mark Buehrle. Chen is 0-1 in his career against the White Sox with a 5.66 ERA in 20.2 IP. Buehrle is 1908 against the Royals with a 3.48 ERA in 258.1 IP.