Twins, Gibson hand Royals first loss of 2015
The Kansas City Royals' streak of seven straight victories to open the 2015 campaign was snapped by the unlikeliest of opponents.
Oswaldo Arcia's two-run blast off Royals right-hander Edinson Volquez in the fourth inning provided ample run support for Kyle Gibson, who hurled 6 2/3 masterful innings to lift the Minnesota Twins to a 3-1 victory over the previously undefeated Royals at Target Field on Wednesday night.
"The perfect season is gone," lamented first baseman Eric Hosmer, who did not weep, according to Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star.
After stumbling in his 2015 debut - Gibson allowed six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings Thursday afternoon in Detroit - the 27-year-old rebounded nicely against the Royals, allowing one run on nine intermittent singles while fanning three before yielding to the bullpen with two outs in the seventh inning.
Thoroughly stymied by Gibson, the Royals failed Wednesday to record at least four runs in a game for the first time this season and couldn't even scrape together a single extra-base hit.
Glen Perkins, meanwhile, tossed a perfect ninth inning en route to his first save of 2015, helping the Twins improve to 2-6 through the incipient stages of the campaign.