MINNESOTA 4, KANSAS CITY 3 IN MINNESOTA
Date: Tuesday, July 8.
Batting stars: Tony Oliva was 2-for-3 with a home run (his thirteenth) and a walk. Cesar Tovar was 2-for-4 with a home run and a stolen base (his fourteenth), scoring twice. Leo Cardenas was 2-for-4 with a double. Johnny Roseboro was 2-for-4. Ted Uhlaender was 2-for-5.
Pitching star: Bob Miller pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and two walks and striking out two.
Opposition stars: Wally Bunker pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on ten hits and a walk and striking out six. Eliseo Rodriguez was 3-for-4. Pat Kelly was 2-for-5.
The game: Both teams had missed opportunities, as they combined to strand seventeen runners. The Royals had men on first and second with one out in the first inning, but Bob Oliver hit into a double play. The Twins got on the board in the bottom of the first when Oliva hit a two-out solo home run. Kansas City evened the score in the second when Rodriguez singled, went to second on a ground out, and scored on two wild pitches. The Twins had men on first and second with one out in the bottom of the second, but did not score.
Kansas City went into the lead again in the fourth. Oliver walked and went to third on Lou Piniella's single with one out. Then, Rodriguez hit what b-r.com describes as a "Single to P (Pop Fly)", which scored Oliver and put the Royals up 2-1. The Twins put men on first and third with none out in the bottom of the fourth, but the rally fizzled when Rich Reese was thrown out trying to score on a grounder to third.
Kansas City had three singles in the seventh, but a double play killed their rally. The Twins tied it in the bottom of the seventh when Tovar singled, stole second, and scored on Uhlaender's single. They finally took their first lead in the eighth when Cardenas hit a one-out double and scored on Tovar's two-run homer.
The Royals didn't go away quietly. With two out and none on, consecutive singles by Hawk Taylor, Ed Kirkpatrick, and Pat Kelly made the score 4-3 with men on first and third. Paul Schaal then grounded to short to end the game.
WP: Al Worthington (2-0). LP: Moe Drabowsky (6-6). S: Ron Perranoski (16).
Notes: It was again Tovar in center and Uhlaender in left.
Rod Carew was 1-for-4 with a double and was batting .356. Oliva raised his average to .330. Reese was 1-for-4 and was batting .313.
Miller's ERA was now 2.87. Perranoski's ERA was 2.08.
Miller, who had only once pitched as many as three innings before being put into the rotation on June 30, pitched 7.1, 9, and 7 innings in his three starts.
The Twins stranded nine runners, the Royals eight. The Twins were 2-for-10 with men in scoring position, the Royals 2-for-7.
The Twins were 4-0 against Kansas City in Minnesota. They were 1-5 against them in Kansas City.
Record: The Twins were 48-34, in first place in the American League West, 3.5 games ahead of Oakland. They had won five in a row and nine of their last ten.