KC Royals handcuffed by Twins’ Joe Ryan, but avoid being no-hit with Bobby Witt double

Kansas City Royals pitchers gave up six runs and 11 hits — including three home runs — to start their road trip against the Minnesota Twins. Meanwhile, Twins starter Joe Ryan didn’t give up a hit through seven innings.

The Royals scored three runs in the ninth inning against Twins reliever Jovani Moran to avoid being no-hit. Bobby Witt Jr.’s one-out RBI double broke up the combined no-hitter, but the Royals lost 6-3 in front of an announced 19,005 in the first game of a three-game series Tuesday at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Witt’s double scored Hunter Dozier, who drew a walk as a pinch hitter. The Royals added two runs on a single by catcher Sebastian Rivero, who entered as a late-inning substitute for Sal Perez, and a Vinnie Pasquantino sacrifice fly.

The Royals have been no-hit twice in franchise history.

Nolan Ryan, then of the California Angels, registered the first no-hitter in Kauffman Stadium history on May 15, 1973.

The second no-hitter against the Royals came courtesy of Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester on May 19, 2008 at Fenway Park.

The Royals (57-85) were held to just two runs in their previous three-game series in Minnesota from Aug. 15-17.

Their offense struggled out of the gate in Tuesday’s series opener. The Royals’ only baserunner against Ryan was MJ Melendez, who walked to start the game and again in the third inning.

Ryan (11-8) came out after seven innings after having thrown 106 pitches (72 strikes).

Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic allowed five runs and 10 hits, including two home runs, and one walk in five innings. He also struck out six as he fell to 2-12 this season.

The Twins (70-70) left two men on in the first against Bubic, and a double play ended the second inning. However, the first two batters of the third singled to set up a Carlos Correa RBI double.

Jose Miranda’s RBI single up the middle gave the Twins their second run of the inning. They tried to make it a two-run single, but Royals center fielder Drew Waters threw a strike from the outfield to home plate to cut down the trail runner, Correa.

Bubic pitched around traffic for a large chunk of the game. The Twins put the first batter of the inning on base in four of Bubic’s five innings.

Bubic didn’t retire the leadoff batter of an inning until the fifth, but he gave up three runs in that frame on a one-out Correa two-run home run and a two-out Miranda solo homer just out of the reach of the Royals’ leaping left fielder Melendez.

Twins infielder Gio Urshela blasted a solo home run on the first pitch thrown by Royals reliever Anthony Misiewicz in the sixth inning.

Jensen and Kudrna honored

Former Kansas City area high school standouts Carter Jensen and Ben Kudrna were chosen player and pitcher of the year for the Royals’ Low-A affiliate, the Columbia Fireflies, this week.

Jensen, a catcher out of Park Hill, was the Royals’ third-round draft pick in 2021. Kudrna, a right-handed pitcher out of Blue Valley Southwest, was selected in the second round in 2021.

Jensen slashed .226/.363/.382 with 66 runs scored, 24 doubles, 2 triples, 11 home runs, 50 RBIs, 83 walks and eight stolen bases, in 113 games in his first full season in the minors. He ranked third in the Carolina League in walks and seventh in doubles. He batted .308 from the start of July through August.

Kudrna, who did not pitch in a minor-league game last season, has gone 205 with a 3.48 ERA, 61 strikeouts and a .239 opponents’ batting average in 17 starts (72 1/3 innings) this season.

Other honorees for the Royals included catcher Luca Tresh and left-handed pitcher Emilio Márquez for High-A Quad Cities, outfielder Roger Leyton and right-handed pitcher Mauricio Veliz for their Rookie level affiliate in Arizona as well as outfielder Erick Torres and right-handed pitcher Emmanuel Reyes of their Dominican Summer League affiliate.

The Royals have not announced their award winners for Double-A or Triple-A.