KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Salvador Perez went deep hours after being selected for the All-Star Home Run Derby, and Hanser Alberto added a tiebreaking two-run shot for Kansas City, helping the Royals rally past the Minnesota Twins 7-4 on Friday night.
The Royals bullpen took over for Brady Singer after three innings and allowed one run the rest of the way in ending a nine-game skid. Richard Lovelady (1-0) got his first major league win with two scoreless innings, and Scott Barlow handled the ninth for his third save before a crowd of 31,824, the largest of the season at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals trailed 3-0 when Perez homered leading off the second, and Kansas City proceeded to add two more runs off J.A. Happ (4-4) later in the inning. Then, the seldom-used Alberto went deep with two outs in the third, his first home run in 172 plate appearances dating to last September.
Happ also allowed Carlos Santana’s RBI single in the fifth before exiting the game. The 38-year-old left-hander wound up allowing six runs — five earned — and nine hits in a disappointing follow-up to a solid start in Cleveland.
Singer, who along with most of their rotation has struggled early in games, gave up three runs in the first. He wound up making it through only three before manager Mike Matheny turned the game over to his bullpen.
The Twins got a run back off Jake Brentz in the sixth. But they squandered an opportunity for more after loading the bases with nobody out when Luis Arraez grounded until a double play and Josh Donaldson struck out to leave a runner stranded on third.
The Twins never threatened to score the rest of the way in losing their fourth straight game.
TWINS SIGNING
The Twins signed Joe Harvey and assigned him to Triple-A St. Paul. The right-hander had a 2.63 ERA in 15 games for Triple-A Albuquerque before Colorado designated him for assignment late last month. He made his big league debut in 2019 for the Yankees and pitched in four games for the Rockies last season.
HEADED FOR TOKYO
Royals outfielder Bubba Starling was chosen Friday for the U.S. team for the Summer Olympics. The former first-round pick made his big league debut in 2019 and appeared in 35 games for Kansas City last season. He was hitting .271 with seven homers at Triple-A Omaha. The Olympic team is due in Cary, North Carolina, for workouts beginning next week.
UP NEXT
The Twins have not announced their starter for Saturday’s matinee. The Royals are going with left-hander Danny Duffy (4-3, 2.44 ERA), who is coming off a shaky performance in Boston in which he allowed three homers in a no-decision.
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