Joe Ryan pitched well for the Minnesota Twins, throwing seven innings smoothly. They also got a two-run home run from Jose Miranda and a three-run homer from Trevor Larnach, helping them secure a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals in the first game of a four-game series on Monday.
Ryan allowed only one run and four singles, bringing down his ERA to 2.96, the best on the team.
He struck out nine batters and didn’t give up any walks. His fastball reached speeds of up to 96.6 mph, according to MLB’s Statcast. He threw 44 out of 52 fastballs faster than his usual velocity of 93.7 mph.
“He’s a different animal when he’s throwing that hard,” said Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. Ryan (4-3) has pitched into at least the sixth inning in all of his 11 starts.
“The ball’s coming out well, and it’s not just like he’s throwing hard,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “He’s locating his pitches. He’s putting them in great places, and that’s a good combination for him.”
A two-out RBI single by Alex Kirilloff in the eighth inning gave the Twins (29-24) enough cushion to secure their fifth win in six games since breaking a seven-game losing streak.
In the ninth inning, Hunter Renfroe hit a two-out RBI double off Cole Sands, putting runners on second and third for the Royals (34-21). Jhoan Duran then came in and got the final out.
Duran hit M.J. Melendez with a curveball and allowed a single to Dairon Blanco, cutting the Twins’ lead to three runs. Maikel Garcia’s hit led to an error, allowing another run to score.
With Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. at the plate, Duran forced a ground ball back to the mound to earn his seventh save.
Miranda homered off Alec Marsh (4-2) in the third inning, while Larnach hit his two-out home run in the fifth inning, measuring at 441 feet and 109.1 mph, giving the Twins a 5-0