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WALK OFF! Royals snap losing streak with thrilling comeback

A baffling baserunning decision doesn't matter as the Royals win it in the tenth.

By Max Rieper
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Royals snapped a four-game losing streak in thrilling fashion with a 3-2 victory in ten innings over the Twins. Despite playing a lot of close games with a great bullpen, the Royals went into this game as one of just two teams in baseball without a walk-off win this year. But a little of that Royals Devil Magic returned tonight.

The Twins got on the board in the second inning when Miguel Sano collected his first Major League RBI on an opposite field single to make it 1-0. The Royals would tie it in the third on a Lorenzo Cain RBI single in the third.

Then Alex Rios got hit in the schmeck.

Lorenzo's reaction though...

I miss Nori Aoki.

Jeremy Guthrie actually pitched pretty well in this one, lasting until the eighth, giving up just two runs on five hits. But the Royals trailed 2-1 heading into the eighth inning, once again unable to muster much offense. The bats woke up in the eighth when Lorenzo Cain singled and stole second. After a disappointing Hosmer fly out, Kendrys Morales would come up clutch with a blooper to score Cain and tie the game 2-2.

In the ninth, Salvador Perez led off with a single on a bloop to center, followed by a single by Alex Rios. Rookie Dusty Coleman, just up from Omaha, made his Major League debut to pinch run for Perez at second. When Omar Infante bunted the runners over to third, Alcides Escobar was intentionally walked to load the bases. That set up the "five man infield" and the chance for an easy fly ball to win the game with a sacrifice fly.

Then this happened.

GUH.

I really don't know what Dusty was thinking. Perhaps he tripped early on and felt he couldn't make it. Perhaps, as Rex Hudler said, he got caught up in the bright lights of "The Show." Perhaps this really isn't Dusty Coleman at all, and Dusty Coleman was kidnapped on the way to Kansas City and some imposter who has never played baseball before showed up to wear his uniform. We'll never really know (although if its the last scenario, someone please send out a search party). In any case, Dusty Coleman was very out, and could very well be on his way back to Omaha tomorrow.

The Royals would let poor Dusty off the hook in the tenth. Lorenzo Cain (that guy again!) led the inning off with a double. Lorenzo has been on fire lately, and would end the game with thre hits and a walk and is hitting .387/.451/.707 over his last 17 games. A wild pitch would advance Cain to third, and you could feel the Royals Devil Magic in the air. Jarrod Dyson's chopper was fielded and thrown home for a play at the plate, but Cain was called safe to win the game. Losing streak snapped.

Tough night for the poor rookie, but the Royals pull it out in the end for the sold-out crowd. I just hope Dusty rented a place in KC, because he probably shouldn't get too comfortable.

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