Three Takeaways From the Royals' 14-5 Victory Over the Twins
Thanks to a monster first inning, the Kansas City Royals were able to win their fifth-straight game with a 14-5 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium.
Kansas City's win puts them at 29-26 on the year while the Twins drop to 22-35.
Here are three things I took away from tonight's game.
Whit Merrifield is getting back to his usual self.
You may not have been aware, but Whit Merrifield was going through a bit of a funk. He more or less got out of it last week in Minnesota as he collected a two-hit game in a Royals win but has continued to look like his normal self since. Merrifield put on quite a show for the 22,612 fans at Kauffman Stadium this evening as in the first inning the 32-year-old became the first MLB player to have two hits, a homer and a stolen base in the first inning of a game since Oakland's Rickey Henderson did it on August 4, 1980, ironically enough against Minnesota. Couple that with his .333/.321/.444 slash line coming into tonight and you have the Whit Merrifield we are all used to seeing.
Salvador Perez is en fuego.
If you don't know, then now you know. Salvador Perez has been one of the best players in baseball the last week. Heading into tonight's game, Perez was coming off back-to-back two home run games and slashing .360/.360/1.000 with five home runs, 10 RBIs and an OPS of 1.360. Salvy added to those numbers with a 1-for-4 night where he collected two RBIs before being subbed out of the game. Perez has totally changed his approach at the plate and it's worked out for the better as he should be getting his seventh All-Star nod soon.
Nicky Lopez continues to take advantage of opportunities.
Inside the Royals' Christopher Tenpenny wrote a phenomenal piece looking at Nicky Lopez's season so far and how his production should keep him at the big league level full time. With shortstop Adalberto Mondesi returning, Lopez has been forced out of the lineup in a lot of instances, but when he does make an appearance. He takes advantage of it. Since Mondesi left the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Lopez hasn't missed a beat going 2-for-7 with one double, three walks and one RBI. If it's not at the plate, he's making his contributions felt on the diamond with great defensive plays. It's hard to argue that Lopez hasn't earned his spot on the roster.
