MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sonny Gray cruised through seven sharp innings and the Minnesota Twins, despite losing AL batting leader Luis Arraez to an early injury, beat the Kansas City Royals 4-0 Wednesday night.
Gary Sánchez had a two-run double and Carlos Correa a couple hits for Minnesota, five games behind AL Central-leading Cleveland with 21 games remaining.
Arraez got an infield hit, raising his average to .320, and scored in the first, then left after the inning with left hamstring tightness. An MRI did not show “anything substantial,” according to manager Rocco Baldelli.
“My guess is we are going to, with the lefty tomorrow that we’re facing, probably let him come in, get some treatment and see how he responds, see what he’s going to be available for. I wouldn’t see him being out or anything like that,” Baldelli said.
The Twins already have a pair of regulars on 10-day injured lists: center fielder Byron Buxton out since Aug. 23 with a right hip strain and second baseman Jorge Polanco (left knee inflammation) has been out since Sept. 3.
Baldelli previously said Polanco might return this week, but Buxton is further away.
Acquired from Cincinnati in March, Gray (8-4) has been a top-of-the-rotation guy for Minnesota all season. He breezed through the Kansas City lineup much of the night, allowing three hits and striking out eight — seven looking.
“When you have a guy who has a really good breaking ball, as a hitter with two strikes, you have that in mind, like he might spin that breaking ball,” catcher Sandy León said. “Then he throws that backdoor two-seam to righties and from those lefties. … It’s not easy to execute it, but he does it.”
The right-hander has been especially strong for the Twins since the All-Star break, going 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA and allowing two or…