MINNEAPOLIS_After getting rocked for 25 runs over two games Thursday, the Minnesota Twins needed a strong outing from Kyle Gibson on Friday night.
They didn't get it, losing 7-3 to the Kansas City Royals at Target Field to extend their latest losing streak to four games.
Gibson gave up six runs (five earned) on 10 hits over five-plus innings. He had a few unlucky breaks along the way, but he didn't pitch well enough to overcome them, either.
In the first inning, he retired the first two batters before Trevor Plouffe's two-out throwing error allowed Lorenzo Cain to reach first base. Eric Hosmer immediately made the Twins pay with a RBI double to center.
Alex Gordon led off the second with single and eventually scored on Paulo Orlando's single to right. The sizable number of Royals fans in attendance were in full voice as their team took a 2-0 lead.
But the Twins responded. Miguel Sano homered to left in the bottom of the second off Yordano Ventura on a fastball clocked at 97 miles an hour that was on the inside edge of the plate. Not an easy pitch to hit, but it became Sano's 20th home run of the season.
Kurt Suzuki led off the third with a double to left. One batter later, Brian Dozier got a Ventura fastball and sent it into the bullpens in left-center for a two-run home run and 3-2 Twins lead.
That was it for the Twins offense, however. And the Royals weren't done.
Orlando led off the fifth with single to short when the bouncing ball hit off Jorge Polanco's glove. Chelsor Cuthbert singled to left before Lorenzo Cain hit into a force play at second.
Eric Hosmer struck out for the second out, with Cain stealing second during at bat. Kendrys Morales walked on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases.
Gibson got two quick strikes on Salvador Perez before running the count to 2-2. Gibson busted Perez with fastball on his hands, and Perez's bat turned into toothpicks and sawdust. The problem was that Perez got enough of the ball to bloop a two-run single to left and give Kansas City a 4-3 lead.
Raul Mondesi added a RBI double in the sixth to give the Royals a 5-3 lead and send Gibson to the showers. Mondesi ended up on third with no outs, but it appeared as though rookie J.T. Chargois might get through the inning with a two-run deficit when he got two quick outs to shortstop_but then Chargois threw a wild pitch that enabled Mondesi to score, completing the book on Gibson.
Newly recalled Pat Dean gave up a seventh-inning homer to former Twin Morales for a 7-3 lead.
Ventura, meanwhile, gave up only the three runs on four hits over seven innings, striking out nine.
