Well, even Ryan Doumit couldn't save this series.
Doumit hit a two run homer in the first to give the Twins a 3-0 lead, but the Jared Burton gave up four runs in the eighth to give Kansas City a 7-3 win and the series win. For some reason, the Twins can't beat the Royals this season, going 1-5 against them. The Twins once again could not buy a hit with runners in scoring position, going 1 for 8.
More worrying, however, was Jared Burton's outing. Given, every pitcher has bad stretches (I'm looking at you, Justin Verlander), but if Burton loses the touch he has had since he signed with the Twins last season, the Twins will be losing a lot more games in June. The Twins' bullpen has been outstanding, and was the best in the American League before yesterday's game. Given, that probably will not continue, but if Burton starts giving up runs, at least they can turn to other dominating bullpen pitchers that will hopefully shut down most offenses. Regardless, Burton is an important part of the bullpen and if his performance goes down, the Twins are in trouble.
By the way, the Twins game scheduled today has been postponed until Sunday. It will be part of a doubleheader. Speaking of that, due to how many games were cancelled earlier in the season, the Twins don't have an off day after September 5th, and only have two off days in the second half of the season. An important factor to be considered due to the schedule is player health. If the Twins are still somehow in a playoff position, they will need to have a deeper roster in order to rest players and still win games.
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