Royals blitz Twins 13-9 as ragged start to season continues

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Apr 1, 2026

Published in Baseball

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The Kauffman Stadium grounds crew worked tirelessly Wednesda to keep the field playable through foggy and rainy conditions.

The Minnesota Twins would have preferred taking a rain check.

Joe Ryan slogged through a four-inning start, giving up five runs and nine hits. The Twins had several defensive blunders. And the team’s slow start to the team took an ugly turn in a 13-9 loss to the Kansas City Royals.

The Twins have lost 11 of their last 13 games in Kansas City.

Jonathan India hit a grand slam for the Royals and Josh Bell had a three-run homer for the Twins.

It was an uncharacteristic outing for Ryan, especially when he pitches against the Royals. He entered Wednesday with an 8-1 record and a 2.02 ERA in 11 career starts against his division rival, though he also gave up five runs when he faced Kansas City last September.

The Royals had four consecutive batters reach base against Ryan with two outs in the second inning. Jac Caglianone started the three-run rally with a double to center that Byron Buxton didn’t read well.

Two pitches later, Isaac Collins lofted an RBI double down the right-field line. Kyle Isbel followed with an RBI ground-ball single to left field.

Ryan thought he struck out the next batter Maikel Garcia on three pitches, but catcher Ryan Jeffers didn’t challenge a two-strike sinker that appeared to catch the bottom of the strike zone. Garcia completed the at-bat with an RBI single on a grounder that Twins shortstop Brooks Lee failed to knock down as the ball deflected off his glove and bounced into left field.

There were many more defensive mistakes.

With two outs in the third inning, and a runner on second base, India hit a pop-up to the left side of the infield. It appeared Ryan was the only player in the infield who saw the ball’s flight through the rain. Third baseman Royce Lewis dropped to the ground as he tried to spot the ball, and the pop-up dropped in the infield grass, allowing a run to score.

The Royals loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth inning after Caglianone lined a leadoff single, Collins was hit by a pitch when he squared to bunt, and Isbel dropped a successful bunt down the third-base line that stayed fair and the Twins were slow to field. Garcia drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center.

Kansas City scored seven runs in the sixth inning, batting around its lineup. Lee, the shortstop, fumbled a likely double-play grounder. Reliever Cody Laweryson issued a bases-loaded walk on four pitches. Another potential double play turned into zero outs when first baseman Victor Caratini made a wide throw after fielding a grounder, which took Lee’s foot off the second-base bag.

Then India capped the comedy of mistakes in the sixth inning with a grand slam off reliever Zak Kent for a 12-1 lead.

The Twins, who have a 1-4 record this year, scored a combined eight runs across the final three innings through five hits, eight walks, one hit batsman and one error.

Turning point

When the umpires decided to play through the rain in the third inning. It felt like they were close to a tipping point because Ryan had trouble keeping baseballs dry during the inning.

A rain delay would’ve forced both teams to burn their starting pitchers because it rained until the middle of the sixth inning, emptying the crowd, but the Twins clearly could’ve used a midgame reset.

The heavier rain picked up again in the ninth inning.

Stat of the day

After Matt Wallner lost a challenge in the first inning, the Twins successfully overturned eight pitches from plate umpire Andy Fletcher.

Jeffers successfully challenged three pitches as a catcher (all those at-bats ended in strikeouts) and he had one successful challenge as a batter.

Up next

The Twins will conclude their season-opening six-game road trip with their series finale against the Royals at 2:10 p.m. ET Thursday at Kauffman Stadium.

Taj Bradley, who struck out nine batters in 41/3 innings in his season debut, will make his second career start in Kansas City. The Royals will send Opening Day starter Cole Ragans, a left-hander, to the mound. Ragans allowed three homers in four innings during his season debut against Atlanta.

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