Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – The Twins were shut down by Kansas City on Wednesday night, managing five hits in a 4-0 loss that ended a three-game winning streak.
Minnesota never had a runner reach third base. Ryan Kreidler’s double was the club’s only hit for extra bases, and the Twins came up empty in both of their at-bats with a runner in scoring position. Luke Keaschall, Royce Lewis, Kody Clemens and Austin Martin each had a single, and Josh Bell drew the team’s lone walk. Minnesota finished the night hitting .156 as a team.
Joe Ryan absorbed the loss, allowing all four runs on eight hits over six innings while striking out four. He drops to 6-7. Kendry Rojas kept the Twins in it with three scoreless innings in relief, working around four hits and two walks.
The Royals broke through in the third when Tyler Tolbert homered to left center, added a run in the fourth and pushed it to 4-0 with two more in the fifth. Tolbert, Nick Loftin and Jac Caglianone each had two hits and an RBI, Carter Jensen drove in a run with a double, and Salvador Perez collected two hits including a triple. Kansas City piled up 12 hits but went just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Royals starter Randy Dobnak went seven scoreless innings for the win, giving up four hits and a walk with four strikeouts and retiring the side in order three times. The 31-year-old right-hander is a familiar name in Minnesota. The Twins signed him out of independent ball in 2017, and he appeared in 39 games for the club, 21 of them starts, before being traded to Detroit last year in a deal that also sent Chris Paddack out of town. Wednesday was his first major league win since May 21st, 2021, when he was pitching for the Twins.
The loss leaves Minnesota at 54-55, third in the American League Central and three games behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox. Kansas City, last in the division at 46-63, has won three of four and is 8-4 since the All-Star break.
The Twins go for the series win Thursday afternoon at 12:40 p.m., with Bailey Ober on the mound. Ober is 7-3 with a 4.56 ERA. Minnesota then opens a three-game series at Seattle on Friday night.
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