Dyson delivers with bat and glove, KC beats Twins
Published 1:24 am Tuesday, September 28, 2010
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jarrod Dyson hit his first major league home run and caught 10 fly balls in center field, helping the Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 10-8 Monday night.
Jason Kubel homered, doubled and drove in five runs for the AL Central champion Twins. The Royals led 10-8 after four innings, and it stayed that way.
Dyson, a September call-up who was a 20th-round draft pick in 2006, snapped an 0-for-15 skid with a two-run homer in a six-run second off Kevin Slowey.
Dyson also tied a team record for putouts by an outfielder. Amos Otis (1979) and Carlos Beltran (1998) also had 10 each.
Josh Fields hit a two-run homer and rookie Lucas May drove in three runs for Kansas City.
Slowey was pulled after 1 2-3 innings, matching his shortest outing of the season. He allowed six runs on six hits, failing to hold a 3-0 lead. Slowey had been 6-1 in his previous 13 starts.
Royals starter Kyle Davies took a 7-3 lead into the fourth, but failed to make it out of the inning. He was pulled after 3 2-3 innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits and three walks.
Phil Humber (2-1) replaced Davies and gave up the home run to Kubel on his third pitch, but picked up the victory.
Joakim Soria worked a scoreless ninth to log his 42nd save in 44 opportunities. He has not allowed a run in 22 2-3 innings, breaking Rusty Meacham’s record of consecutive scoreless innings by a Royals’ relief pitcher. Meacham set the record with 22 1-3 scoreless innings in 1994.
Jeff Manship (2-1), the second of seven Twins pitchers, took the loss, giving up three runs on four hits in 1 1-3 innings.
Kubel hit a three-run homer off Humber in a five-run fourth for an 8-7 lead.
Notes: Twins C Joe Mauer took early batting practice, but will likely not play in this series because of a troublesome left knee that required cortisone shot Wednesday. … Twins SS J.J. Hardy returned to Minnesota on Monday to have his sore left examined. … Royals IF Wilson Betemit missed his second straight game with a bruised shin after being hit by a pitch Saturday.