MINNEAPOLIS — Friday's game was looking like a pitching duel with low-hit, quick-paced early innings.
Until Randy Dobnak lost his command in the fifth.
That led to an 8-3 Twins loss Friday night in front of an announced crowd of 14,260 at Target Field. A walk and three subsequent hits in the fifth sent the Twins from a one-run lead to trailing by double that.
Dobnak, starting for the second time this year in place of injured Kenta Maeda, allowed just two hits in the first two innings before two 1-2-3 innings in the third and fourth with just 18 pitches.
The Twins took the lead in the fourth inning on Mitch Garver's eighth home run of the year, which soared on the light breeze all the way to the second deck.
The fifth seemed to track along in favor of the Twins again, with Dobnak striking out Kelvin Gutierrez before Jorge Soler grounded out. But then Dobnak walked Hunter Dozier, who was playing for the first time since May 14 after coming off the injured list.
Michael A. Taylor smacked a double to right field on Dobnak's next pitch, scoring Dozier. Twins catcher Garver appeared to be in prime position to catch the ball and tag Dozier out, but the ball popped out of his glove and rolled behind the plate.
Whit Merrifield followed with an RBI single on a line drive to left field. Carlos Santana hit the first pitch he faced from Dobnak for another run-scoring single before Dobnak finally struck out Andrew Benintendi to end the three hit, three-run inning.
Dobnak gave up another double in the sixth, and his night ended in the seventh. The starter allowed three consecutive hits to load the bases before he exited for Cody Stashak. Facing Merrifield at the top of the Royals' batting order with no outs, Stashak gave up a two-run double to dig the Twins into a 5-1 hole.
Carlos Santana ended a streak of four consecutive Kansas City hits but still gave the Royals a 6-1 lead with a sacrifice fly. Stashak walked Andrew Benintendi before conceding back-to-back RBI singles in the Royals' six-hit, five run inning.
Stashak hadn't pitched since May 20, which manager Rocco Baldelli said pregame was more about the lack of good matchups than any injury.
"We're trying to get Cody locked in, and he's working on a few things, as well," Baldelli said. "… We know how we use our bullpen here, and he could go from not pitching a ton over the course of the week to being out there several times in just a few days."
The Royals gifted the Twins a chance to break back into the game, when reliever Tyler Zuber loaded the bases on all walks in the seventh. Trevor Larnach, pinch-hitting for Kyle Garlick at the top of the order, got one run in on a full count with an RBI single. A wild pitch scored another run.
Dobnak ended the game with nine hits and six earned runs allowed, including one walk and three strikeouts, after throwing a shutout in his previous start in Cleveland. Royals starter Kris Bubic went six innings, allowing four hits and one earned run with two walks and five strikeouts.
In the American League Central, the Twins were en route to falling to 20-30 while Kansas City was headed toward 24-25. A loss would snap the Twins' four-game winning streak, their longest of the season by two games.
