Through fog, rain, Royals lineup delivers thump against Twins

KANSAS CITY -- As the fog descended rapidly and the rain picked up into a steady pour and puddles began forming on the infield dirt, Royals starter Noah Cameron’s thoughts mirrored what most were thinking Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium.

“You just try to get out of it alive,” Cameron said.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Royals ended Wednesday with a 13-9 win over the Twins and a series victory ahead of Thursday’s finale.

In a game that took 3 hours, 36 minutes -- the longest Royals nine-inning game since the pitch timer was instituted in 2023 -- the Royals had to use their highest-leverage reliever in Lucas Erceg, who will likely get the most save opportunities now that Carlos Estévez is on the injured list, to record the final two outs.

This was a game in which the Royals were leading 12-1 in the sixth inning and by seven entering the ninth inning.

Erceg came in with the tying run on deck. Fortunately for the Royals, he only needed seven pitches to notch the save.

“They’re not all going to be pretty wins, and it kind of got that way late,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “But Erceg came in and locked it down.”

The fact that the Royals did get out of Wednesday’s game alive says quite a bit about this club, the at-bats it took early and the start that Cameron had in his season debut, tossing five innings of one-run ball. He didn’t have to deal with the worst of the rain until the fourth inning, when his velocity dropped a bit as the mound became wetter.

“Just trying to keep stuff over the plate as best you can,” Cameron said. “Hoping they get out of it for you. Let the hitters mess up a little bit.”

The only problem was there was no guarantee the fielders wouldn’t mess up with the ball in the air. Fly balls to the outfield were lost in the fog a few times, including on Jac Caglianone’s double in the second inning that got the Royals’ scoring started. Twins third baseman Royce Lewis lost a popup in the rain in the third inning, leading to another Royals run.

Royals fielders were able to get out of the game without making too much of a mess defensively, but it wasn’t easy.

“It was kind of a whirlwind of everything, really,” center fielder Kyle Isbel said. “We got fog, rain, it was windy. Probably the worst elements I’ve played in.”

That’s why it was so important for the Royals to capitalize early before the weather became its own story. And how they did so was equally important, not only against Twins ace Joe Ryan -- who entered with a 2.02 ERA against the Royals in his career -- but watching the bottom of the lineup continue to fuel the offense.

The Nos. 6-9 hitters went 10-for-16 with eight RBIs, including Jonathan India’s grand slam in the sixth inning and Isbel’s solo shot in the seventh.

It’s what happened early that stood out. Caglianone’s double in the second was the first of four two-out knocks that inning. No. 8 hitter Isaac Collins followed with an RBI double, and Isbel, the No. 9 hitter, kept it going with an RBI single. Isbel then stole second, allowing him to score on Maikel Garcia’s single as the lineup turned over.

“Any time we’re able to just get on base for the guys at the top of the lineup is huge,” Isbel said. “And if we can produce down there, too, that’s even better.”

Two games is hardly a sample size, but given how poorly the bottom of the order performed in 2025, the Royals like what they’re seeing so far in '26. Last year, hitters 1-5 in the lineup posted a .262/.325/.439 slash line with 113 home runs in 3,515 plate appearances. The 6-9 hitters, in 2,493 plate appearances, posted a .226/.286/.338 slash line with 46 home runs.

Teams put their best hitters at the top of the lineup, so some difference is to be expected. But Royals 6-9 hitters had a .624 OPS last season, third-worst in the Majors and only better than the Angels (.612) and Pirates (.614).

There will be days in which the star hitters don’t perform. On those days, the rest of the lineup must step up. And when everyone shows up? That’s when the Royals’ offense turns into a lot of fun.

“That’s every team’s dream, to have a full lineup hitting like that,” India said. “Kyle doing his thing, he’s like a second leadoff guy on our team. When he gets on, it’s a good spot for our team.”