Twins score 6 in 7th to beat Royals 9-1

Published 9:11 am Thursday, April 6, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins were halfway through the first month of the season before they picked up their second win last year, a putrid start that weighed on their shoulders for the rest of a miserable season.

A fresh start has done wonders for the Twins and slugger Miguel Sano.

Eduardo Escobar homered and drove in four runs and Sano added a bases-loaded triple to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 9-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.

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Hector Santiago (1-0) gave up one run and four hits and struck out four in five innings for the Twins. After starting last season 0-9 to set the stage for a 103-loss season, the Twins are 2-0 for the first time since 2007.

“Everybody is playing happy,” said Sano, who homered in the season opener and just missed two more on Wednesday. “It’s a game. It’s got a name: game. Everybody try to play normal. Nobody like in a hurry or something like that. No pressure. Only play and win.”

Ian Kennedy (0-1) gave up three runs and three hits with five strikeouts and five walks in five innings for Kansas City. Paulo Orlando drove in the lone run for the Royals, who walked nine Twins batters on the day.

“You’re just putting yourself in a position for them to put big numbers on the board when that happens,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Sano broke the game open with his triple that almost cleared the high wall in right-center field and Escobar’s three-run drive just reached the seats in left field.

“I’m not a home run hitter, so as soon as I hit the ball I started hustling like I usually do,” Escobar said. “Once I got to second base and saw my teammates celebrating I was able to slow down and enjoy it.”