Royals 4, Twins 3
Royals 4, Twins 3: Alex Gordon tripled and scored to snap a tie during a two-run seventh inning as visiting Kansas City extended its season-high winning streak to eight games.
Billy Butler drove in a pair of runs and David Lough collected three hits and scored once for the Royals, who improved to 10-2 since the All-Star break. Miguel Tejada added an RBI single as Kansas City defeated Minnesota for the ninth time in 12 meetings this season.
The Twins battled back from a 2-0 deficit to forge a tie as Pedro Florimon belted a solo homer in the fifth and Chris Herrmann drew a bases-loaded walk an inning later. But Gordon hit a two-out triple off Caleb Thielbar (1-1) in the seventh and scored on an error by Florimon before Butler delivered a run-scoring single later in the frame for a 4-2 advantage.
Jeremy Guthrie (11-7) notched his fourth win in five starts after allowing two runs and six hits over six innings. Three relievers bridged the gap to Greg Holland, who worked around a hit and an error in the ninth for his 28th save.
Minnesota's Kevin Correia gave up just two runs despite yielding 10 hits over six frames. Trevor Plouffe hit an RBI double for the Twins, who have lost five of seven.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Kansas City made one of the few deals at the non-waiver trade deadline, acquiring OF Justin Maxwell from Houston for RHP Kyle Smith. Maxwell is expected to be in the Royals' starting lineup Thursday afternoon. ... Minnesota also made a minor trade, sending C Drew Butera to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a player to be named. ... Kansas City OF Lorenzo Cain missed his third straight game with tightness in his left groin.