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Thursday, Aug. 17 1:05pm ET
McCarty's revenge: Royals 1B haunts ex-team | |||||
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GAME LOG
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- David McCarty left the Metrodome with some fond memories Thursday. The first baseman, who was a bust in Minnesota after the Twins made him their top draft pick in 1991, had his second straight big game against his former team as Kansas City beat the Twins 8-4. Despite three strikeouts, McCarty drove in two runs and scored another, one day after homering and driving in three against the Twins. "It's always nice to play well against the team you came up with," McCarty said. "But it's been a long time since I played here." And he never played well with Minnesota. McCarty never hit better than .260 in a Twins uniform and fell out of favor with manager Tom Kelly before being traded in 1995 to Cincinnati and bouncing around the major and minor leagues until he arrived in Kansas City on March 24 in a trade from Oakland. "I didn't know him when we got him," Royals manager Tony Muser admitted. "We picked him up at the end of spring training because our scouts said he was better defensively than Paul Sorrento. He has good power but he does tend to chase the high fastball. He's worked at that, and he's become a better hitter because of it. "But, honestly, we looked at him for defensive depth more than hitting." With the Twins starting three straight left-handers, McCarty found himself in the starting lineup each time he showed up at the Metrodome this week, something that rarely happened under Kelly. "It's tough for young guys playing here. When you first come up you don't know what to expect and it's always easier to play in a supportive environment," McCarty said. Despite that subtle shot at his former manager, McCarty insisted he wasn't pointing any fingers. "The bottom line is, I didn't do a good enough job here, and it doesn't matter the reason why," he said. "He's had a good last two days," Muser said with a smile. Dan Reichert (7-6) scattered seven hits over seven-plus innings for his third straight victory, and Mike Sweeney homered and drove in three runs for the Royals. McCarty doubled home two runs off Mark Redman (11-6) in the fourth. He scored to make it 3-0 when third baseman Corey Koskie couldn't handle Greg Zaun's vicious single. Kelly lamented umpire Gerry Davis's tight strike zone. "It was a real ugly ball game, not much fun today at the ballpark," Kelly said. "We swung too much, chased a lot of pitches out of the strike zone on a day when you didn't have to swing." Kelly said Redman had to abandon his inside fastball because he wasn't getting the calls. "It's hard for a kid to pitch that way. Now he's limited and ends up walking some people and having to throw the ball out over the plate," Kelly said. "And you can't survive." The Royals chased Redman in the fifth when Sweeney's one-out RBI double made it 4-1. He added a two-run homer, his 21st, off Joe Mays in the seventh for a 6-1 lead. David Ortiz led off the Twins' seventh with his sixth homer. The Royals added two unearned runs off Travis Miller in the eighth, and the Twins scored twice in their half, on Matt Lawton's fielder's choice and Ron Coomer's sacrifice fly. But the damage was done, thanks in part to McCarty. Royals closer Ricky Bottalico injured a rib on his left side and left the game after throwing nine pitches in the ninth inning. "These kinds of games aren't fun, they're long and hard to get through," Kelly said. "So, we suffered through. Nobody (on the Twins) got hurt, except maybe a few egos." Game notesReichert hasn't lost since July 16. ... RHP Matt Kinney will make his major league debut Friday when the Twins open a three-game series at Toronto. ... The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, which owns and operates the Metrodome, plans to meet on Tuesday to consider the Twins' proposal to play their Sept. 18-20 series against Texas at a temporary outdoor stadium. Prospects for approval appear slim because the NFL's Vikings won't agree not to use such a waiver as grounds to break their own lease. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Kansas City Clubhouse Minnesota Clubhouse RECAPS Kansas City 8 Minnesota 4
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