Seth Lugo falters early as Kansas City Royals drop series opener against Twins
The Kansas City Royals started Friday’s game against the Minnesota Twins in the best possible way at Target Field.
Mike Yastrzemski, who just returned to the leadoff spot, belted a solo home run against longtime nemesis Joe Ryan to begin the night. He took advantage of a 93.8 mph four-seam fastball to give the Royals an early lead.
It was Yastrzemski’s eighth career leadoff homer. And it seemed like the Royals were on the fast track against their American League Central rivals.
However, things quickly spiraled out of control.
The Twins came out swinging against Royals ace Seth Lugo. They were aggressive in the strike zone and made Lugo work from pitch one. Twins outfielder Matt Wallner tied the score with a solo home run as Minnesota responded with three runs in the first inning.
And the hits kept coming. Lugo allowed seven runs on nine hits across four innings as the Royals fell 9-4 in the series opener.
“It was a tough night. We got beat up pretty good,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said postgame via FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City. “We didn’t swing the bats well. You don’t usually see guys squaring up Lugo. He didn’t have his best command or best stuff. Tried to keep fighting through and we had a couple of opportunities later in the game. Just clearly not enough.”
Lugo wasn’t efficient on Friday night. He left a ton of pitches in the strike zone as the Twins battered him at the plate. Luke Keaschall recorded two RBIs against Lugo. Kody Clemens added a two-run homer in the fourth.
Four Twins recorded two RBIs in the game. Minnesota finished 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Lugo’s seven earned runs were the most allowed this season. The last time he allowed seven or more runs was also against the Twins last year (Aug. 13, 2024).
“I think you just flush that one,” Lugo told reporters postgame via FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City. “I feel like even executed pitches were getting hit and mistakes were getting hit.”
The Royals’ offense didn’t fare well against Ryan. After Yastrzemski’s home run, the KC offense was limited for the remainder of the night.
Ryan allowed the lone run in five innings. He surrendered four hits and struck out five batters before departing. In his career, Ryan has a 1.34 ERA against the Royals.
“I feel like they have some younger guys that are excited to be in the big leagues and they were letting off swings for just about every strike I threw,” Lugo said. “That’s something you just have to be aware of.”
KC added three runs against the Twins’ bullpen with Bobby Witt Jr. belting his 17th home run in the sixth. Yet, the Royals (57-59) suffered their third loss in their last four games.
The loss didn’t hurt the Royals in the AL Wild Card standings. KC remained four games behind the New York Yankees (61-55) for the third and final wild-card spot as New York lost 5-3 to the Houston Astros on Friday.
Bobby Witt Jr. homers into upper deck
There aren’t many players that can reach the second deck at Target Field.
However, Witt showcased his pure strength with a 456-foot homer in the sixth inning off Twins reliever Travis Adams.
Witt, who reached 30 stolen bases earlier this week, has an outside chance of reaching the 30-30 plateau for the third consecutive season. In his last 25 games, Witt has six home runs and 17 RBIs.
The Royals have 46 games remaining which gives Witt more opportunities to add to his historic streak. Witt is the first shortstop to have two 30-30 seasons in his career.
What’s next: The Royals continue their three-game series against the Twins on Saturday night as left-handed rookie Noah Cameron (5-5, 2.68 ERA) will oppose right-hander Bailey Ober (4-6, 5.38 ERA) at Target Field.
This story was originally published August 8, 2025 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Seth Lugo falters early as Kansas City Royals drop series opener against Twins."
