Twins' Royce Lewis 'day-to-day' with tight left hamstring
The Twins beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-0 on Tuesday night
Minnesota Twins rookie third baseman Royce Lewis is considered day-to-day after leaving Tuesday night's game against the Cincinnati Reds with a tight left hamstring.
Lewis originally suffered the injury while beating out a grounder early in the game, bench coach and interim manager Jayce Tingler said. He appeared to pull up a bit later while running out a double-play ball, but he stayed in the game until aggravating the injury with an awkward swing in the eighth.
“He's day-to-day," Tingler said. “We'll see how he responds. He didn't say much about it.”
Lewis went 1-for-3 in Minnesota's 7-0 win. He is hitting .309 with 15 home runs and 52 runs batted in and has set the Twins' single-season record with four grand slams. He also has tied the major league record for most grand slams by a rookie.
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The Twins already are playing without shortstop Carlos Correa, who is sidelined until at least Friday with left foot plantar fasciitis.
Twins beat the Reds 7-0
Willi Castro hit a two-run homer and made two spectacular catches, Kenta Maeda combined on a four-hitter and the Minnesota Twins beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-0 on Tuesday night in another step toward their third AL Central title in five seasons.
Ryan Jeffers added a solo homer for Minnesota (80-72), which opened an eight-game lead over second-place Cleveland with 10 games remaining.
Cincinnati (79-74), shut out for the 10th time, is one game behind the Chicago Cubs for the NL's final wild card, also trailing Miami by a half-game.
In his first season after Tommy John surgery, Maeda (6-7) won his third straight start after four no-decisions. He allowed one hit in five innings, retiring his first 11 batters before Spencer Steer doubled to left and Jake Fraley. After a double steal, Castro made a diving catch of Tyler Stephenson’s liner to center, which could have tied the game had it dropped.
“It was exceptional," Maeda said through an interpreter. "That play saved us at least two runs. I want to give him as much hugs as possible.”
Castro leaped at the wall to rob Stephenson of a home run in the seventh, a day after Michael A. Taylor denied Will Benson on a drive to center.
“Castro took four runs off the board tonight,” Reds manager David Bell said. “It is amazing how a play like that can absolutely change a game. It changes how we manage the game and how they manage the game. It is all about players making plays. They were able to do that tonight.”
Castro considered the second catch better, primarily because he was looking at his position card when Stephenson hit the ball.
“I didn’t see him hit it, but I was able to track it," Castro said. “I think it was the best play. You don't see those plays too often.”
Despite not having his best four-seam fastball, Maeda struck out eight and walked one. Kody Funderburk, Emilio Pagán, Caleb Thielbar and Dylan Floro finished the Twins' 12th shutout.
“I didn’t feel perfect today, but I was able to get five innings,” Maeda said. “I was able to use my offspeed pitches to get swings and misses.”
Fernando Cruz (1-2) walked Max Kepler in the second and was charged with the game's first run when Matt Wallner singled off Buck Farmer,
Castro homered in the seventh on a 352-foot fly to right off off Ben Lively that opened a 6-0 lead.
Reds RHP Hunter Greene (4-6, 4.45, 129 strikeouts) is due to face Twins RHP Bailey Ober (7-6, 3.67, 126 strikeouts) in Wednesday’s series finale.