MINNEAPOLIS – For most teams, Target Field is just another big-league ballpark. But for the Royals, it’s been a house of horrors over the last few seasons.
Heading into Saturday, they had just six wins in their last 28 games in Minneapolis since 2022. But rookie left-hander Noah Cameron stepped up and changed that narrative – at least for one night.
Cameron tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Twins, and while the line looked solid – six hits, two walks, four strikeouts – it’s the way he navigated trouble that stood out. The Twins threatened early and often, getting runners in scoring position nine times against the 26-year-old, and they came away with nothing – not a run, not even a sac fly.
It wasn’t exactly a stress-free night, but Cameron never blinked when the heat got turned up. In the bottom of the fifth, with runners on the corners and one out, the rookie faced arguably the most dangerous part of Minnesota’s lineup.
Up came Luke Keaschall – who came within a few feet of changing the game with one swing, but flew out to right on a well-placed cutter. Two batters later, Royce Lewis, another potential threat, got the same pitch inside and flied out to left.
Just like that, threat over.
“That cutter is really a weapon,” Cameron explained afterward. “It looks like a fastball, especially in fastball counts, and then it tightens up right into their hands. I’m comfortable throwing it, especially in those spots.”
That comfort shows. Despite a bit of self-critique about getting himself into trouble, Cameron continues to mature on the mound. This was his sixth straight outing of at least five innings, and in that stretch he’s worked to a 2.43 ERA – quietly establishing himself as a stabilizer in a Royals rotation that’s been looking for one.
“Sure, he gives up a few hits, and had some traffic on the bases,” said manager Matt Quatraro. “But he doesn’t shy away – he pitches to contact, stays aggressive, and gets himself out of tough spots.”
That mentality helps explain why the stat sheet doesn’t fully capture the grit Cameron showed. And make no mistake, the Twins made him earn it. They hammered a couple of line drives off him in the early innings, and a scorched liner in the sixth narrowly missed his head.
Meanwhile, Bailey Ober – no stranger to the Royals – was solid on the other side. Don’t let the 0-3 record fool you; Ober has had Kansas City’s number this year, to the tune of a 1.45 ERA over 18 2/3 innings. He looked sharp again on Saturday, retiring the first eight batters he faced before Kyle Isbel broke through with a two-out single in the third.
That brought up Maikel Garcia, who was just 1-for-12 in his career against Ober. But this time, Garcia got the best of him, drilling a fastball on the outer edge the other way for an RBI double that scored Isbel and gave the Royals a 1-0 lead.
“I’ve always seen the ball pretty well off him,” Garcia said. “He usually executes every pitch, but he gave me one there – that fastball on the corner. I just stayed with it and was glad Izzy could score.”
That would prove to be the difference. The Royals relieved Cameron in the sixth and turned the game over to a bullpen that’s quickly becoming one of the league’s toughest endgames.
Hunter Harvey pushed his early-season scoreless streak to 10 2/3 innings, continuing to be a steady presence in high-leverage spots. And Carlos Estévez slammed the door in the ninth, tallying his American League-leading 29th save and preserving the 2-0 win.
With that, the Royals pulled even on their road trip and set the table for a rubber match on Sunday.
“It’s a deep bullpen,” Quatraro added. “When our starters keep us in games and we get to that group with a lead – we like our chances.”
It was a night that showcased the resilience of a club still figuring out how to win on the road – and a rookie starter who seems to be figuring things out with every outing.
