For Royals, everything goes Gray against Twins

MINNEAPOLIS -- Royals batters on Wednesday night fared better than Tuesday in that they weren’t held hitless into the ninth inning by Twins pitchers, but not much else went right in a 4-0 loss at Target Field.

Kansas City was shut out for the 16th time this season and is now looking to avoid a series sweep to the Twins, who sit five games back in the American League Central race. The Royals are 10-20 in their past 30 games, and they’ve lost five straight against Minnesota dating to their previous trip here in August, when they scored two runs in a three-game sweep.

The Royals’ offense has been in a similar state this time, too, and on Wednesday, not only did it have to overcome a dominant Sonny Gray, but also an early deficit. Starter Zack Greinke labored in a 40-pitch, three-run first inning. The veteran right-hander executed the rest of the way to get through four innings without allowing another hit, but the long opening frame caught up to him by the fourth when he was at 81 pitches.

“Physically, I felt fine,” Greinke said. “Wasn’t too bad, probably better because I felt loose afterward. Had plenty of time to get all my pitches working. Felt I was going to make good pitches from there on out. But three runs in the first, not ideal.”

And Kansas City has not overcome a three-run deficit yet this season.

“A big part of that is putting zeros up,” manager Mike Matheny said when asked about the offensive drought. “... We count on Zack every time he toes the rubber that he’s going to give us a chance. Just one of those atypical innings.

“When you start down right out of the gate, it’s hard to get anything going, especially if the [opposing] pitcher’s not giving you much.”

Gray has rarely given the Royals anything in his career. The right-hander has now made 10 career starts with a 1.66 ERA against Kansas City, which is Gray’s lowest ERA against any opponent that he has faced at least three times. He has won seven straight starts against the Royals since April 16, 2016.

That includes the three starts in 2022 -- Gray’s first season with Minnesota. In May, he held Kansas City to a run on two hits in six innings. In August, he tossed six scoreless with 10 strikeouts.

And on Wednesday, he was brilliant for seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out eight -- an MLB season-best seven of those looking.

“You got guys shaking their head, which tells you the movement is different,” Matheny said. “But we’ve seen him a couple times now. You got to make those adjustments.”

MJ Melendez knocked the Royals’ first hit in the third, turning on an inside sinker for a single up the middle. But Gray quelled any momentum by striking out Bobby Witt Jr. looking on a sinker.

“A lot of it’s the movement,” Matheny said. “When you’re able to start it off the plate and run it from ball to strike, it’s a tough pitch to commit to. … He kept it mixed up enough that he wasn’t allowing us to get much going as far as momentum.”

Michael Massey joined Melendez in the hit column in the fifth with a two-out single, and Witt lined his 27th double of the year in the sixth.

“[Gray] can back door you with that big breaking ball, and a lot of time, late in the count to lefties especially, he’ll throw that two-seamer right at your hip and have it come back to the inside corner,” Massey said. “So you really got to cover all 17 inches of the plate, which is tough when he’s got the stuff that he does.”

A young Royals lineup, which features six or seven rookies in any given game, is quickly learning the consistency of certain starters at the big league level and the adjustment it takes to get past them.

“I think where guys place the ball is the biggest thing,” Massey said. “You’re not getting as many pitches middle. If it’s 2-0, it’s at the corner. Two strikes, they’re not leaving stuff right in the middle of the plate and making mistakes. …

“You got to scrap. He’s going to be a tough guy to hit the ball out of the ballpark on or string hits together, so you got to find a way to get on base.”