Royals beat Twins 8-1, finish an American League-best 17-9 in June

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 American League Central race.

But even after 16 wins earlier in the month, the most compelling sign of a reversal of fortune arrived on June’s final day —a victory against their season-long nemesis.

Eric Hosmer propelled a five-run fourth inning with a home run, 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 12th win of the season, most in the bigs. 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. And at least one teammate petitioned for him to make a start in the All-Star Game in Miami on July 11.

“He’s done everything he possibly can to be that guy,” Hosmer said. “I know all of us in here believe he is.”

The foul poles played a factor in Friday’s outcome. Both of them.

The major blast in that five-run fourth came off 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.

Hosmer recalled his thoughts as umpires reviewed the play: “I can’t take this. I just gotta know if it’s fair or foul. As soon as I saw it was fair, I was pretty pumped.”

An inning earlier, Minnesota leadoff man Brian Dozier missed a home run by mere inches, a ball that landed in the right-field seats. That play was also reviewed, also with an unclear replay.

“I didn’t even see the ball, to be honest with you,” Vargas said. “(Dozier) walked by me as he was going back to the plate. I asked him if he saw it. He said he didn’t know where it went. We were kinda both just curious to see what happened.”

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 at-bat. The Royals added two more runs 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, with Vargas and Santana each with a chance to make a case for All-Star selection.

Vargas presented the more convincing argument. He lasted seven innings and gave up only two hits and one run, working around four walks. His 12 victories are the second most in team history through June. Bret Saberhagen had 13 in 1987.

“I got behind some hitters and put some guys on base as free passes. The change-up saved me a couple times,” Vargas said. “Really, we were just able to manage some of the innings when they got some guys on base.”

Vargas did what only one of his predecessors this season was able to do — beat the Twins.

Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain said a few hours before first pitch on Friday that he was unaware of the club’s one-win record against the Twins. But it was not lost on Royals manager Ned Yost, who acknowledged the obvious — making a move in the crowded AL Central will require better outcomes against divisional opponents.

Even with the win, the Royals stand at 11-20 in the division. They are 2-7 against Minnesota.

“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.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2017 at 10:02 PM with the headline "Royals beat Twins 8-1, finish an American League-best 17-9 in June."