AP

Sonny Gray and Zack Greinke hurt as Twins beat Royals 7-3

May 29, 2022, 2:34 AM | Updated: 3:49 pm

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Sonny Gray throws to the Kansas City Royals in the first inning of...

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Sonny Gray throws to the Kansas City Royals in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 29, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

(AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)


              Minnesota Twins' Nick Gordon runs the bases on his solo home run against the Kansas City Royals in the fourth inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 29, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
            
              Minnesota Twins' Gio Urshela runs the bases on his three run home run against the Kansas City Royals in the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 29, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
            
              Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Zack Greinke reacts after giving up back-to-back solo home runs to the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 29, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
            
              Minnesota Twins' Trevor Larnach watches his solo home run against the Kansas City Royals in the fourth inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 29, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
            
              Minnesota Twins centerfielder Royce Lewis snags a fly ball hit by Kansas City Royals' Emmanuel Rivera in the sixth inning of a baseball game in Minneapolis, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Lewis was injured on the play after he collided with the wall. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via AP)
            
              Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Zack Greinke throws to the Minnesota Twins in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 29, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
            
              Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Sonny Gray throws to the Kansas City Royals in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 29, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota’s Sonny Gray and Kansas City’s Zack Greinke left Sunday’s game with injuries, leaving their teams to wonder how much time each will miss.

Gray cruised and was backed by Gio Urshela’s three-run homer before leaving in the seventh inning because of right pectoral soreness during the Twins’ 7-3 win over the Royals on Sunday.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Gray felt “minor pec tightness” for a couple of pitches. Gray was getting an MRI after the game and didn’t speak with reporters.

Baldelli said the team will know more in the coming days and Gray will travel with the team to Detroit.

“It wasn’t something that he was pitching through, for the most part,” Baldelli said. “At that point, he has to come out. There’s no way around that.

Greinke (0-4) gave up five runs, six hits and two walks in four innings.

“When he came out, we didn’t know he had some issue in his forearm,” Kansas City manager Mike Matheny said. “So that’s probably something that may have been with him from the beginning that we weren’t aware of. But unfortunately, the elbow area, the flexor area wasn’t feeling great.”

Greinke has a 5.05 ERA and has allowed at least five earned runs in three of his last four starts after not giving up more than three in any of his first six.

Gray (3-1) allowed two hits and retired 14 in a row before Andrew Benintendi’s single leading off the seventh. With a 3-1 count on Bobby Witt Jr. and Kansas City asking for a video review to try to get a hit batter call, Baldelli and an athletic trainer came to the mound as Gray appeared to be trying to stretch a muscle near his pitching shoulder.

“Just over the white the whole game, kind of took the action to them, missed some bats, everything you want to see,” Baldelli said. “It was another great start by him. It’s fun. He’s like a little bulldog out there. He goes right at them. It was very nice until we had to take him out.”

Gray was replaced by Griffin Jax, who struck out Witt and allowed MJ Melendez’s RBI double.

Gray didn’t walk a batter and struck out four as his ERA dropped to 2.41 in his first season in Minnesota. He allowed five runs in five May starts covering 27 1/3 innings after recovering from a hamstring strain during his second start.

Nick Gordon and Trevor Larnach hit the Twins’ first consecutive solo homers of the season in the fourth as Minnesota gained a four-game split.

“I would say we’ve been doing pretty good this season, from top to bottom,” said Gordon, who replaced Royce Lewis in center field in the fourth after an injury. “Anything can happen, and that’s always exciting. We’ve been working out well. Man, Trev looks so good right now, he’s swinging the bat.”

HE WAS BACK

Minnesota recalled Lewis, one of the team’s top prospects, from Triple-A St. Paul before the game and optioned Juan Miranda to Triple-A. Lewis was making his first major-league start in center field when he crashed hard into the wall to make a catch in the third.

Lewis, 22, was down for a while and was replaced before the next inning due to right knee pain. He missed last season after ACL surgery on his right knee. Baldelli said Lewis was also getting an MRI and is likely bound for a stint on the injured list.

Lewis, a natural shortstop, hit .308 with two homers in 11 games for the Twins earlier in the month when Carlos Correa missed time. He was optioned to St. Paul with the idea of getting playing time in other spots to make him more valuable. He appeared at shortstop, third base, left field and center field in 10 games in Triple-A since being optioned on May 18.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Salvador Perez was back at catcher in his second game back from missing 11 days with a left thumb sprain.

Twins: OF Max Kepler won’t be going on the injured list after leaving Saturday’s game with a quadriceps injury. Baldelli said Kepler feeling better than anticipated, but he was out of Sunday’s lineup. … C Gary Sánchez was feeling better after leaving Sunday’s game due to heat-related reasons. Sánchez was available off the bench Sunday.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jonathan Heasley (0-2, 4.73 ERA) will start for Kansas City in the opener at Cleveland on Monday. Heasley has allowed three runs in five innings in each of his last two starts. The Guardians counter with RHP Zach Plesac (1-4, 5.40).

Twins: RHP Dylan Bundy (3-2, 4.54) will face Detroit for the second straight start as Minnesota opens a five-game road series Monday against the Tigers. Bundy has allowed one run in 8 2/3 innings since missing time due to COVID-19. Detroit is scheduled to start RHP Beau Brieske (0-4, 5.04).

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Sonny Gray and Zack Greinke hurt as Twins beat Royals 7-3