Joe Mauer went 3-for-4 and scored the winning run in the 11th inning to lead the Twins to a 2-1 victory over the Royals. Mauer, a career .359 hitter at Kauffman Stadium, led off the 11th with a double off Jonathan Broxton (1-2) and he scored on Josh Willingham’s groundball single to right.
Luke Hochevar got a no-decision but retired the last 10 batters he faced, and allowed five hits, all with two outs, in seven innings. He struck out six and walked none, throwing 67 strikes in 109 pitches. Greg Holland, the third Kansas City pitcher, worked out of a 10th-inning jam, after Nick Mastroianni led off with a triple to right. Holland stranded him by retiring Alexi Casilla on a grounder with the infield in, then struck out Ben Revere and Jamey Carroll. Holland struck out four in two innings.
Down 1-0, Yuniesky Betancourt’s two-out double to left in the seventh scored Eric Hosmer, who led off the inning with a single, for the only run off Twins starter Nick Blackburn.