KANSAS CITY, MO. – Same pattern, same result for Twins righthander Phil Hughes.
Tuesday, Hughes gave up runs to Texas early before the Twins rallied to win. Sunday, he gave up two runs in the second inning to Kansas City, but Miguel Sano's three-run homer in the third put the Twins ahead for good in what wound up as a 7-5 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
So, while Hughes would like to pitch better, he did pick up two victories in his past two starts and is 4-1 for the season. All four victories, interestingly enough, have come on the road.
"That's twice now I've given up a couple of runs early, and we came back and the offense has supplied us with a lead," Hughes said.
He still is searching for that form that will lead to cleaner outings. His ERA sits at 5.06, and opponents are batting .372 against him the first time through the order. Sunday, Hughes had a chance to get out of the sixth inning with a quality start — pitching at least six innings and giving up no more than three runs — but an RBI single by Alcides Escobar with two outs in the sixth cut the Twins' lead to 6-4 and ended Hughes' day.
"He's been doing well, as far as keeping the major damage down," Twins manager Paul Molitor said.
Pitching decisions
On Monday, the Twins will complete a stretch in which they played only two games over five days. They were off Thursday and rained out Saturday.
Since they opted to go to 13 pitchers before they embarked on their road trip, they ended up with more arms than they needed.
For instance, righthander Nick Tepesch was summoned from Class AAA Rochester in case a long reliever was needed. He wasn't, and Tepesch has gone 12 days without appearing in a major or minor league game.
But Molitor didn't seem too eager to go back to 12 pitchers. One reason might be that the Boston Red Sox are headed to town for a weekend series.
But there will be at least two pitching decisions to make soon.
Hector Santiago was scheduled to return Sunday night from New Jersey, where he attended funeral services for his grandmother. He is going to throw in the bullpen Tuesday then be activated off the bereavement list Wednesday to face Oakland. Lefthander Buddy Boshers likely will head back to Rochester.
The other decision will come Saturday vs. Boston, when the Twins need a fifth starter. Tepesch is the favorite to get the nod there, even though Jose Berrios has a 1.09 ERA in five starts at Rochester after giving up two hits in eight shutout innings against Louisville on Sunday.
Buxton responds
Byron Buxton has tried to be more patient and less pull-happy at the plate. The road trip was where he began to see the results.
He was 4-for-13 (.308) during the five games at Texas and Kansas City and walked a whopping seven times. It enabled him to get on base more than he has at any other point of the season.
And he hasn't forgotten to use the bunt. With Eddie Rosario at first in the fourth inning, Buxton dropped down a bunt that he legged out for a hit. He eventually scored on a single by Miguel Sano.
Buxton's batting average was at .082 on April 20, but his recent success has him now at a season-high .147. Like Sano, Buxton is trying to let the ball travel deeper over the plate before going after pitches. He spoke with Torii Hunter about it before the Texas series, then went out and drew two walks that night.
Etc.
• The Twins are 5-0 against the Royals this season after going 4-15 against them last season. They won both games in Kansas City in this series after going 1-9 at Kauffman in 2016.
• Brandon Kintzler had seven saves in April, the most by a Twin since Jon Rauch saved seven games in April 2010.