Nelson Velázquez hit two home runs, Salvador Perez added his 10th homer of the season, and the Kansas City Royals ended a three-game losing streak with a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.
Velázquez’s first home run came during a big four-run inning for Kansas City in the third. After the Twins took an early 1-0 lead, the Royals responded strongly with four runs against Twins starter Bailey Ober.
Perez drove in the go-ahead run with a double, and Velázquez followed with a two-run homer to extend the lead to 4-1.
“The hitters had a good approach against Ober,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro commented. “They were focused on certain pitches, and it paid off with some big hits. When you hit home runs, it gives you instant offense and puts runs on the board, which is a big help.”
Perez added another solo homer in the fifth inning, while Velázquez hit his seventh of the season to make it 6-1 for the Royals.
This was more than enough support for Royals pitcher Seth Lugo (9-1), who earned his fourth consecutive win. Lugo allowed just one run on six hits over six innings, marking his ninth win of the season, his best performance yet.
Lugo now boasts the lowest ERA in MLB at 1.72, setting a new record for the Royals with the lowest ERA through 12 starts in team history.
It was the second time this season that the Royals scored heavily against Ober (5-3), who gave up three homers and eight runs in total in his first start of the season against Kansas City on March 31.
Ober struggled again on Wednesday, allowing six runs on nine hits in five innings. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli noted, “Bailey wasn’t as sharp as usual, and he had to work hard tonight.”
