Ryan Jeffers homers twice as Twins rally for 7-6 victory over Royals

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ryan Jeffers homered twice and Carlos Correa added a two-out, bases-clearing triple in the sixth inning and the Minnesota Twins rallied from a four-run deficit for a 7-6 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.

Reliever Chris Stratton (2-3) allowed pinch-hitter Max Kepler's RBI single and walked two batters to load the bases with two outs.

Correa lifted a 3-1 fastball down the right-field line to break a 4-4 tie. It was Correa's second triple of the season.

Jeffers’ first home run of the game, a two-run blast into the left-field bullpen in the bottom of the fourth, cut the Royals’ 4-0 lead in half. Jeffers, who leads the Twins with 12 home runs, had gone 5 for 43 since his previous homer on May 14.

Reliever Caleb Thielbar (2-1) got the win for the Twins, who took three of four in the series.

Vinnie Pasquantino and MJ Melendez each homered for Kansas City. Starting pitcher Daniel Lynch IV allowed two earned runs in five innings just hours after being called up from Triple-A Omaha.

Scheduled Kansas City starter Brady Singer was scratched because of illness shortly before the 12:10 p.m. game. Lynch allowed five hits, including both Jeffers home runs, and struck out two in his second big-league start this season.

Back in the lineup two days after a first-base collision with Byron Buxton, Pasquantino smashed a 1-0 curveball into the second deck of right-field seats to give Kansas City a 2-0 lead in the first. Bobby Witt Jr. added another run with a double to left-center field in the third, and Melendez homered off Twins starter Chris Paddack in the fourth inning over the right-field fence to make it 4-0.

Witt added a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth, but Twins closer Jhoan Duran retired Pasquantino on a grounder to the mound to earn his ninth save.

Paddack allowed four earned runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings for the Twins.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Royals: Optioned Carlos Hernández to Triple-A Omaha to make room on the roster for Lynch.

UP NEXT

Royals: Right-hander Michael Wacha (4-5, 4.31 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday against Padres right-hander Dylan Cease (5-4, 3.29) in the first of a three-game series in Kansas City.

Twins: Begin a nine-game, 10-day road trip Friday when right-hander Pablo López (4-5, 5.25 ERA) faces Houston right-hander Ronel Blanco (5-0, 1.99).

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