KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ The Royals returned to their home park Friday as the owners of the best June record in the American League, a surge that positioned them back in the division race.
But even after 16 wins earlier in the month, the most compelling sign of a reversal of fortune arrived on its final day _ a victory against their season-long nemesis.
Eric Hosmer propelled a five-run fourth inning, and the Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins, 8-1, on Friday, claiming only their second win against the Twins in nine meetings this season.
On a night in which the Royals concluded the month with a 17-9 mark to pull back to .500, left-hander Jason Vargas secured his league-best 12th win of the season. He out-pitched Twins ace Ervin Santana, who unraveled in the fourth after three no-hit innings in front of a crowd of 34,322 at Kauffman Stadium. Vargas has won seven straight starts.
The foul poles played a factor. Both of them.
The major blast in that five-run fourth came off Eric Hosmer's bat. Hosmer snuck a three-run homer inches inside the left-field foul pole. He was so unconvinced the ball would stay fair that he remained at home plate until third-base umpire Mike Everitt stuck his arm sideways into the air.
An inning earlier, Minnesota leadoff man Brian Dozier missed a home run by mere inches, a ball that landed in the right-field seats. Both plays were reviewed.
For the Royals (39-39), the Hosmer home run was sandwiched into a breakout inning. Santana didn't help his cause, throwing a potential double-play ball into center field. The Hosmer looping homer came on the next hitter. The Royals added two more in the inning, and Mike Moustakas blasted his 21st home run one frame later.
In sum, the Royals' bats spoiled what was supposed to be a pitching duel between two of the best in the American League. Their candidacy for the MLB All-Star game in its closing days, even hours, Vargas and Santana issued one final case Friday.
Vargas had the acumen top present the more convincing argument. He lasted seven innings and gave up only two hits and one run. His 12 victories are the second most in team history through June. Bret Saberhagen had 13 in 1987.
Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain said a few hours before first pitch Friday that he was unaware of the club's one-win record against the Twins. But it was not lost on manager Ned Yost, who acknowledged the obvious _ making a move in the crowded AL Central will require better outcomes against divisional opponents.
"I was at that point on the first day of the season," Yost said of emphasizing division games. "Division games are crucial. We haven't played well in our division, but we're playing much, much better now, so this will be an interesting series."
Even with the win, the Royals stand at 11-20 in the division. They have won only twice against Minnesota.
A big reason: Twins third baseman Miguel Sano.
Sano supplied the game's first hit in the third inning, a run-producing single to left field to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. He has recorded at least one hit in all nine games against the Royals, and he's reached base better than 50 percent of his plate appearances. This time, however, it all came in a losing effort.
