Noah Cameron allowed one run along with nine strikeouts over eight strong innings, and Michael Massey clubbed a tiebreaking homer in the seventh, as the Kansas City Royals won 2-1 over the visiting Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.
It’s been an inconsistent second season in the majors for Cameron (6-8), but he was stellar for a third straight outing. The left-hander yielded two hits and a walk, with his only run allowed coming in the fourth inning.
Cameron retired the final 14 batters he faced, with the last five going down on strikes as Kansas City won the first two games of this set and five in a row at home. He also went eight innings, while allowing a hit and two walks, and striking out seven over eight scoreless innings, during the Royals’ 4-3 loss at Minnesota in his previous start last week.
Steven Cruz retired the side in the ninth to record his third save of the season.
Massey, meanwhile, had two of Kansas City’s five hits and broke a 1-1 tie when he opened the seventh inning by sending a pitch from A.J. Minter (1-2) over the right-field wall.
Acquired from Baltimore prior to Monday’s trade deadline, Dean Kremer allowed three hits and two walks but only one run over five innings in his Minnesota debut. Ryan Jeffers and Royce Lewis recorded the only two hits for the Twins, who have lost four in a row following a 5-1 stretch.
Minnesota loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth inning against Cameron, but managed just one run via a 6-4-3 double play from Victor Caratini.
Kremer, meanwhile, held the Royals in check until the fifth. He opened the frame by yielding back-to-back singles to Massey and Isaac Collins, plus a one-out walk to John Rave that loaded the bases. However, Kansas City could only tie the contest on Kyle Isbel’s sacrifice fly to center field.
