Royals 7, Twins 3
Lorenzo Cain had three hits and three RBIs and Luis Mendoza defeated visiting Minnesota for the second time in 23 days.
Cain had run-scoring singles in the first and fifth innings and doubled home a run in the seventh as Kansas City won for just the third time in 12 games.
Mendoza (4-6) gave up three runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. He allowed just one run and five hits in eight innings while beating the Twins on June 29.
Aaron Crow pitched two hitless innings for his second career save.
The contest was tied 2-2 when Alex Gordon and Alcides Escobar led off the bottom of the fifth with singles against Scott Diamond (8-4). One out later, Cain lined a single to left to score Gordon and Escobar scored later in the inning when Twins first baseman Chris Parmelee booted a bases-loaded grounder by Mike Moustakas.
Minnesota pulled within 4-3 in the seventh when Jamey Carroll delivered a run-scoring double to end Mendoza's night. Billy Butler singled in the bottom of the inning and scored on Cain’s double to left-center to restore Kansas City’s two-run lead.
Yuniesky Betancourt added a run-scoring double and Gordon delivered an RBI single in the eighth. Gordon had three of Kansas City’s 16 hits.
Diamond allowed four runs and 10 hits in six innings.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cain has seven RBIs in the last five games. … Twins 1B Justin Morneau was placed on the paternity list Saturday and Parmelee was recalled from Triple-A Rochester. … Gordon has two or more hits in six of the last nine games. … Minnesota 3B Trevor Plouffe missed the game with a thumb injury suffered Friday.