How the Royals turned clutch two-out hitting into a series victory vs. the Twins
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- Royals mixed timely hitting, stellar defense and standout pitching to beat Twins.
- Starling Marte hit a 441-foot, three-run homer — his first of the 2026 campaign.
- Noah Cameron struck out seven, allowed one run and secured his third win.
The Kansas City Royals are building some momentum.
After a disappointing start to the 2026 campaign, the Royals have shown encouraging signs with their recent play. And it all started by getting back to playing “Royals Baseball.”
On Sunday, the Royals displayed the core elements against the Minnesota Twins. KC mixed together timely hitting, stellar defense and standout pitching in a 6-5 victory at Target Field that got close late.
“I’m really proud of the way these guys battled,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I mean, the week started off kind of poorly. ... Sometimes it goes the other way when you’re on these three-city trips. And for these guys to really dig down deep, I’m really proud of the effort.”
First, it was the defense.
In the first inning, Royals outfielder Isaac Collins robbed Twins shortstop Orlando Arcia of extra bases. Collins recorded a diving grab to keep Minnesota off the scoreboard. It was his second defensive highlight in as many days.
From there, the Royals shook off some uncharacteristic mistakes. Gold Glove defenders Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia each committed a fielding error in the second and fourth innings, respectively.
Witt’s error led to the Twins’ first run of the game. He misplayed a routine grounder from Twins first baseman Royce Lewis. That allowed Kody Clemens — who began the frame with a single — to reach third. (Witt left the game early with knee soreness.)
Clemens scored on Ryan Kreidler’s fielder’s choice to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead.
Two innings later, Garcia booted another ground ball off Kreidler’s bat. However, he recovered to end the frame with a diving stop the very next play. Garcia threw out Twins second baseman Luke Keaschall to end the scoring threat.
“You know, just trying to make plays and help my pitcher,” Garcia said. “Tough first hop on the ground ball and the error. Just be ready for the next one and make the play for (starter Noah) Cameron. He’s been doing a great job.”
Then, there was the offense.
The Royals were clutch in two-out situations. In the fourth inning, Vinnie Pasquantino and Nick Loftin hit consecutive doubles to tie the game at 1-1.
Loftin entered Sunday with a .333 batting average and 14 RBIs with runners in scoring position. He added to those numbers by lacing a 95.1 mph fastball from Twins starter Connor Prielipp into the right-field gap.
Prielipp allowed two earned runs and recorded seven strikeouts in 4 ⅓ innings. In the fifth, the Royals chased him from the game and blitzed right-handed reliever Andrew Morris.
KC recorded three hits against Morris. The biggest blows came from Garcia and Starling Marte.
Garcia recorded a two-out RBI single. Then Marte unloaded with a three-run homer — his first of the 2026 campaign — to create distance on the scoreboard.
Marte belted a 96.0 mph sinker that was left over the plate. The blast traveled 441 feet and hit off the batter’s eye in center field. It was Marte’s first home run since Sept. 17, 2025, against the San Diego Padres.
“It’s a great series win,” Marte said. “I know the game has been very tight, but the win is the win. And every opportunity is a little help. And then, get the confidence day by day. More to come.”
And finally, the Royals received a strong pitching effort.
Cameron allowed one run, three hits and struck out seven batters. He tossed 65 of 104 pitches for strikes as he secured his third victory.
In his last five starts, Cameron has recorded 31 strikeouts and just three walks across 30 innings pitched.
On Sunday, Cameron utilized his changeup effectively. He induced 16 swings and five whiffs with the off-speed pitch, per Baseball Savant.
“I think it’s just attacking guys more and getting ahead in counts,” Cameron said. “I struggled with that last year, beginning of this year, a lot. So I think that puts you in better counts, puts you in counts where you can throw curveballs and changeups. Get some chase on some swings or chases on some not necessarily strikes in the zone.”
The Royals turned to relievers John Schreiber, Mason Black, Beck Way and Lucas Ereg to finish the game. They collectively allowed four runs but secured the series win.
After Twins slugger Josh Bell hit a three-run homer off Way, Erceg emerged from the bullpen to try to save the inning. He allowed a run, charged to Way, but wiggled out of trouble to retire Brooks Lee to end the game.
“Beck Way is more than capable of getting the job done,” Erceg said. “But that’s what having a good bullpen down there is (for), to pick up a guy when it’s not his day.”
KC improved to 27-39 and split the 10-game road trip against the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds and Twins.
Minnesota dropped to 30-37. The Twins have lost five of seven games against the Royals this season.
What’s next: The Royals have a scheduled off day Monday. The club will begin a three-game series against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 4:33 PM.
