MINNEAPOLIS _ For a little bit Friday night, it looked like the Kansas City Royals bullpen of old, not the one knocked around by the Twins when these teams met to open the season.
Matt Strahm pitched a hitless inning of relief. Mike Minor did the same. Joakim Soria ran into a bit of trouble but got a big save from his left fielder.
But in the ninth inning, the Twins broke through, and as a result they were still alive for their sixth victory in as many attempts against the Royals this season.
Kennys Vargas hit a pinch hit two-run homer off Kansas City closer Kelvin Herrera with one out in the ninth inning, and an inning later Jorge Polanco delivered a sacrifice fly for a 4-3 walk-off victory and their sixth victory in as many games against the Royals.
Vargas' big blast came after Jason Castro lined a one-out single off Herrera. Pinch hitting for Byron Buxton, he smoked a 1-0 pitch deep to center field for the Twins' second home run of the game.
After Brandon Kintzler worked out of a jam in the top of the 10th, in the bottom of the inning, Royals reliever Al Alburquerque walked Joe Mauer on four pitches and Ehire Adrianza _ who had been asked to bunt _ on five. Left-hander Travis Wood came in but then issued another walk, this one to Kepler, and Polanco then lined a pitch to left deep enough to score Mauer, who beat the throw home from Kansas City left fielder/Twins outfield nemesis Alex Gordon.
Before that, it had been a frustrating night for the Twins offense. Miguel Sano was tagged out in the second inning trying to score from first on Kepler's double.
Sano led off the inning against Royals right-hander Nate Karns with a sharp single. Kepler followed with a cannon-shot to right with initially appeared headed for the seats. But it didn't carry in the 45-degree air, and bounced off the wall, then right fielder Jorge Bonifacio's glove.
Sano, initially waiting to see if the ball was caught, headed for third and suddenly sped up as Twins third base coach Gene Glynn waved him home. The Royals made the play perfectly, however, with catcher Salvador Perez kneeling next to the plate and catching the short-hop in perfect position to tag Sano as he slid head-first toward the plate.
The Twins defense was mostly good on the night, with Kepler twice ranging a long way in right field to snag potential Royals hits. The hitters seemed to specialize in warning-track near-misses, with Kepler, Eddie Rosario and Brian Dozier driving balls in front of the fence but not over it.
And while Twins starter Hector Santiago was his usual playing-with-matches self, putting runners on base in all five innings he pitched, he also never let the Royals cash in on a big inning. Cheslor Cuthbert drove a two-strike, two-out single to drive in a run in the second inning, and Bonifacio smoked a two-out line drive into the left field stands to score two more in the third.
But Santiago and the Twins bullpen held Kansas City scoreless the rest of the way, giving the home team plenty of time and opportunity to match the Royals' trio of runs.
