Fresh bullpen arms help Twins lock down sweep of Royals

While the Twins won the first two games against the Royals this series with ease, keeping them hitless for nearly the whole game Tuesday before a shutout Wednesday, Thursday's game required a bit of a different approach.

Instead of the starting pitcher putting up a one of his best outings of the season, the bullpen carried the brunt of burden to preserve a 3-2 victory. But even that can trace back to the strong Tuesday and Wednesday starts from Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray.

"It's because Sonny and Joe were able to go seven innings each. I know we don't do that very often. … We had a fresh bullpen because of those two starters the last two days," said reliever Michael Fulmer, who was one of the four arms to keep the Royals without a hit from the fifth through eighth innings. "… That was one of the very few times I've had three days off this season, so everything felt good, and everybody felt good. That's what you can ask for."

Thursday starter Dylan Bundy lasted only four innings, giving up four hits and two runs — from a Michael A. Taylor RBI single in the second and a Salvador Perez homer in the fourth — with two strikeouts. Carlos Correa's first-inning homer plus a two-run home run from Nick Gordon in the third gave the Twins a 3-2 lead, but the relievers had to preserve that through the final five innings.

Trevor Megill (who earned the win for a 4-3 record), Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar and Fulmer all stumped Kansas City for an inning each, including recording four collective strikeouts.

Rookie Jhoan Duran took the mound in the ninth and made the game a little harrowing, allowing two hits to start before a sacrifice bunt sent both runners into scoring position. But he recovered to strike out the final two batters swinging and tally his seventh save.

"The adjustment of us collectively and individually, it's a different bullpen as well," Duran said in Spanish through an interpreter of the bullpen's improvement. "Things have changed this late in the season. And I believe each of us know our weaknesses, and we're trying to get those better. And that's why the bullpen is showing up for the team."

Offensively, Correa seems to have saved his best month for last, on display again in front of an announced Target Field crowd of 16,595. In September so far, he has a .373 batting average with 13 RBI and six home runs.

He's already been to three World Series with his former Houston team, and now in his first season with the Twins, he's using that postseason experience for a hobbled Twins roster.

With several key players already injured — including center fielder Byron Buxton and second baseman Jorge Polanco — the Twins had some good news Thursday in Luis Arraez coming in to pinch hit in the seventh inning as the designated hitter. Arraez left Wednesday's game after just one inning with a tight left hamstring.

But his entrance was only because Kyle Garlick had to leave with a left wrist injury. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Garlick went for testing once he exited the game.

"He was dealing with some pain in his wrist and hand. You could really see it when he was swinging," Baldelli said. "I'm not sure when it originally arose, but he was having trouble finishing his swing."

Both Arraez and Garlick are questionable for the upcoming series in Cleveland, five games in four days starting Friday.

The Twins (72-70) are four games behind the Guardians atop the American League Central. The White Sox are in second, a game ahead of the Twins. Cleveland swept the Twins last weekend at Target Field, but now that the Twins have rebuilt some confidence with a three-game sweep of the Royals (57-87), the Cleveland games are even more pivotal if the Twins want to play beyond the first week of October.

"Everyone knows it's going to be tough," Bundy said. "We've got Cleveland. They're winning the division. And we've got to take most of, if not all of, those games to cover some ground. We've got our work cut out for us, and I think we're all looking forward to it."

Carlos Correa seems to have saved his best month for last.

In September so far, with the regular season set to end Oct. 5, the Twins star has a .367 batting average with 13 RBI and six home runs. One of those homers came in the first inning Thursday and helped the Twins beat the Royals 3-2 for a three-game sweep in front of an announced crowd of 16,595.

Correa already has been to three World Series, including winning it in 2017, with his former Houston team. Now in his first season with the Twins, he's using that postseason experience to help muster a playoff spot for a hobbled Twins roster.

The Twins (72-70) are four games behind the Guardians atop the American League Central. The White Sox are in second, a game up on the Twins, who were able to rebuild some confidence against the Royals (57-87) in between faceoffs with Cleveland. Cleveland swept the Twins this past weekend at Target Field. But now the Twins have a chance at revenge times five — they play five games through four days there beginning Friday.

Beyond Correa's solo home run, another big shot helped the Twins reclaim the lead. Michael A. Taylor briefly leveled the score in the second inning with his RBI single off of Twins starter Dylan Bundy, but Gilberto Celestino smacked a leadoff double in the bottom of that inning before Nick Gordon delivered a two-run home run to make it 3-1.

The Royals managed one more run off Bundy, a homer to start the fourth inning by Salvador Perez. That was Bundy's final inning; he left with four hits and two strikeouts. But the bullpen of Trevor Megill (4-3 with the win), Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar, Michael Fulmer and Jhoan Duran held that slim margin.

Duran did make it interesting, giving up back-to-back singles in the top of the ninth before a sacrifice bunt put them both Royals in scoring position. But he struck out his next two batters to earn his seventh save of the year.