MINNEAPOLIS
It happened again.
Joakim Soria, the former All-Star closer turned prodigal son turned weak link of the Royals’ vaunted relief corps, heaved a 2-0 change-up toward home plate on Wednesday night and watched a baseball sail into the Minnesota night. The baseball banged off the wall in right-center as Miguel Sano pumped into second base. The double scored the tying run as Soria poured gasoline on another fire. In the moments after another gutting loss, Royals manager Ned Yost was left defending his choice of Soria in another crucial situation.
In a 6-5 loss to the Twins on Wednesday night, Soria yielded two runs in the bottom of the seventh, helping erase a one-run lead in what turned into a bitter defeat.