KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals knew they would need somebody to step up when Salvador Perez went on the injured list earlier in the day with a mysterious eye ailment that had caused the star catcher to have some blurry vision.
Well, Jorge Soler and Hunter Dozier certainly left the Twins seeing red.
Soler hit a three-run homer to cap a four-run first inning, Dozier went deep for the third straight game against Minnesota, and the two young sluggers helped Kansas City cruise to a 7-2 victory Friday night to open a third straight weekend series against its AL Central rival.
It also created an easy night for Danny Duffy (2-2), who pitched a 1-2-3 first inning and then suddenly found himself with a 4-0 lead. Duffy wound up needing 81 pitches to get through five, but he permitted just four hits and a pair of walks while striking out six.
RHP Brady Singer (1-2, 4.56 ERA) makes his sixth career start for the Royals, with half of them having now come against the Twins, 6:05.