Royals drop further back in AL Central standings with Tuesday’s loss to Twins

The Kansas City Royals have yet to figure out the Minnesota Twins this season.

And Tuesday’s performance didn’t help matters.

The Royals fell 13-3 to the Twins at Target Field. Minnesota attacked KC ace Seth Lugo early with three runs in the first inning. The onslaught continued as Lugo failed to get through five innings.

Lugo produced his worst start of the season. He surrendered eight runs (seven earned) and allowed nine hits.

“It was a bad one,” Lugo said. “You know, I didn’t pitch deep into the game. I gave up a lot of runs and it’s not where I want to be. And, you know, hopefully (I can) make the adjustment and turn the page.”

In his last four outings, Lugo has now allowed 21 runs (18 earned). His earned run average jumped from 2.72 to 3.04 in the loss.

“That’s something I’m gonna dig into and try to find out,” Lugo said.

The Royals fell to 65-55. The offense collected seven hits with much of the damage coming from two solo homers.

Meanwhile, the Twins scored at ease. Six players recorded at least one RBI.

“These guys are a good team,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “They have won the division three or four years out of the last five. I mean, they’re good and they have a deep team. They have guys that can do a lot of different things. They are versatile and they have good pitching, always have.”

Twins outfielder Max Kepler finished 3 for 5 with four RBIs. In the sixth inning, Kepler hit a three-run homer off Royals reliever Will Smith. Later, Twins pinch hitter Kyle Farmer connected on a two-run homer against Smith.

The Royals have lost seven of nine games against the Twins this season. They have struggled at Target Field and haven’t won a road series in Minneapolis since 2021.

“We’re trying to figure that out,” Royals outfielder MJ Melendez said. “I mean, obviously, we don’t want to come in here and lose ball games. We’re trying to win. So I don’t know what it is. We’ve just got to try to keep going.”

Missed previous Royals coverage?

Game 1: Six-run inning mars Brady Singer’s start in Royals loss to Twins

Playoff Push: Where the Royals stand in the AL postseason mix

Here are more notables from Tuesday’s game:

Royals club two homers in loss

The Royals struggled to find consistent offense against Twins starter Zebby Matthews. The right-hander made his MLB debut on Tuesday and allowed two runs in five innings.

It didn’t take long for the Royals to get on the scoreboard. In the second inning, Melendez hit a solo home run into the right-field seats. It was his 14th homer of the 2024 season and traveled 405 feet.

However, the Royals failed to keep up with the Twins.

After Minnesota scored three runs in the fifth inning, KC captain Salvador Perez blasted his 22nd home run. It was a solo shot off Twins reliever Steven Okert that traveled over the center-field wall.

Perez was able to cut into a six-run deficit. The Royals didn’t get any closer as the Twins earned a series victory at home.

KC is now 27-30 on the road while Matthews earned his first MLB victory.

“Yesterday, Pablo Lopez, he knows how to pitch in here,” Perez said. “So, yes, it was kind of tough for us the last two games. But it’s over. Nothing we can do about that. Concentrate on tomorrow and try to get one from here.”

Perez added of Matthews: “He’s got pretty good stuff and I think he is going to be a good pitcher in the big leagues.”

Playoff implications

The Royals fell 2.5 games behind the Twins (67-52) for second place in the American League Central. Both teams are chasing the Cleveland Guardians (71-49), who defeated the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

KC is still squarely in the AL Wild Card race. The Royals hold the final Wild Card spot over the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners.

The Red Sox (63-55) are one game back of the Royals after defeating the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. The Mariners (63-57) lost to the Detroit Tigers and are two games behind the Royals.

“They’ve just gotten the better of us,” Melendez said of the Twins. “We need to flip the script there, but you’ve got to take it one day at a time to do that. We can’t get it all back at once.”

What’s next on the KC Royals schedule?

The Royals conclude their three-game series against the Twins. On Wednesday, KC left-hander Cole Ragans will start the afternoon matchup.

Ragans (9-7) has won four of his last five outings. In that span, he has produced a 3.23 ERA and 32 strikeouts.

The Twins are expected to start right-hander Louie Varland in Wednesday’s game.