Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
KC	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	4	1
MIN	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	3	10	0

Taj Bradley (9-4, 3.65) took the ball for Minnesota looking to keep his hot July going, while Seth Lugo (4-6, 4.22) tried to give a fading Royals club a stopper start. First pitch went at 6:40 PM CT, with the Twins hoping their emerging ace could add another quality outing before a stacked stretch of the schedule.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Royals(45-63)

LWWLL

2

+1.5-117+167o9.5+130

Twins(54-54)

WWWLW

3

-1.5+115-170u9.5-130

Best BetTwins -162

Postgame

The Twins covered the moneyline pick, with the bullpen edge showing up in a 9th-inning walk-off.

Pregame

We took the Twins at -158 and it held up fine — Bradley's July form made this a lean-home spot from the jump, and Minnesota's deeper bullpen was always going to be the difference in a close one. Kansas City's offense is banged up and trending toward a sell-off, which is exactly the kind of spot road favorites get burned in reverse.

This one had a nasty gut-punch ending for Kansas City. The Royals broke through for 2 in the 6th to tie it up, but Minnesota answered right back with a pair in the bottom of the 9th to walk it off, 3-2. Bradley did his job again, working deep and keeping the Royals off balance for most of the night, while Lugo's start got undone late. The Twins' bullpen and lineup depth showed up when it mattered, and Minnesota is now up to 54-54 — right back in the thick of things.

Seth Lugo

(5-7)·4.41 ERA

Jul 22 vs Giants

W

7.0IP

3ER

5K

2BB

94P

07/28 Lineup

Taj Bradley

(9-4)·3.76 ERA

Jul 23 @ Guardians

ND

7.0IP

1ER

5K

3BB

109P

07/28 Lineup

The injury news out of this game was rough for both sides. Vinnie Pasquantino left with right hand soreness and Byron Buxton was pulled with hip soreness, two names the Twins and Royals both need healthy down the stretch. For Kansas City, it's just another entry on a very long list — Bobby Witt Jr. is still working through back spasms that landed him on the 10-day IL, his first career IL stint, and that absence alone changes the identity of this lineup.

Zoom out and the standings tell the real story here. Kansas City is 45-63, sits 9 games out of a postseason spot, and is widely expected to be a seller before Monday's trade deadline — Lugo included in that conversation. Minnesota, on the other hand, has won 4 of its last 5 and is trying to climb back into the AL Central race with exactly the kind of pitching Bradley gave them tonight. Different seasons, different urgency, and the Twins made sure it showed on the scoreboard.

Kansas City Royals

(45-63)

Jul 28L@ Twins2-3

Jul 26W@ Tigers5-4

Jul 25W@ Tigers3-2

Jul 24L@ Tigers1-2

Jul 23L@ Tigers3-4

Minnesota Twins

(54-54)

Jul 28Wvs Royals3-2

Jul 26Wvs Athletics11-8

Jul 25Wvs Athletics2-0

Jul 25Lvs Athletics0-2

Jul 23W@ Guardians3-1

Kansas City Royals

(14)

• Day-To-DayVinnie Pasquantino (1B) — Pasquantino was removed from Tuesday's game against the Twins with right hand soreness.07/29
• 10-Day-ILMaikel Garcia (3B) — Garcia (hand) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday.07/27
• 10-Day-ILKyle Isbel (CF) — Isbel (foot) went 1-for-2 with an RBI triple and a run scored with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.07/22
• 10-Day-ILBobby Witt Jr. (SS) — Manager Matt Quatraro said that Witt, who is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Giants, is still feeling "pretty stiff" as he continues to manage back spasms and tightness, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.07/22
• 15-Day-ILBeck Way (RP) — The Royals placed Way on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with back spasms.07/28
• 15-Day-ILConnor Seabold (RP) — The Royals placed Seabold on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right lat strain.07/01
• 60-Day-ILKris Bubic (SP) — Bubic (elbow/shoulder) began a throwing progression Friday with 30 throws from 45-to-60 feet, MLB.com reports.07/25
• 60-Day-ILStephen Kolek (SP) — The Royals reinstated Kolek (personal) from the family medical leave list and placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to a right flexor strain.07/22
• 60-Day-ILCarlos Estevez (RP) — Estevez (shoulder) started a throwing program Friday, per MLB.com.07/18
• 60-Day-ILNick Mears (RP) — The Royals transferred Mears (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.07/14
• 60-Day-ILCole Ragans (SP) — Ragans underwent UCL repair surgery on his left elbow Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.07/02
• 60-Day-ILJonathan India (2B) — no06/04
• 60-Day-ILJames McArthur (RP) — McArthur (elbow) underwent surgery Friday to help combat continued soreness and inflammation, MLB.com reports.05/25
• 60-Day-ILAlec Marsh (SP) — The Royals placed Marsh (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08

Minnesota Twins

(8)

• Day-To-DayByron Buxton (CF) — Buxton was removed from Tuesday's game against the Royals with right hip soreness, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.07/29
• 15-Day-ILCole Sands (RP) — The Twins placed Sands on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow strain.07/28
• 15-Day-ILMike Paredes (SP) — The Twins placed Paredes (oblique) on the 15-day injured list Sunday.07/26
• 15-Day-ILAnthony Banda (RP) — Banda underwent surgery to repair his left lat strain and will miss the remainder of the 2026 season, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.07/09
• 60-Day-ILDavid Festa (SP) — Festa (shoulder) will undergo a season-ending double surgery Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.07/29
• 60-Day-ILMick Abel (SP) — The Twins plan to re-evaluate Abel (elbow) on Sept. 1, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.07/20
• 60-Day-ILGarrett Acton (RP) — Acton (shoulder) struck out a batter and allowed three earned runs on one hit and three walks over two-thirds of an inning in a rehab appearance Tuesday in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.07/15
• 60-Day-ILPablo Lopez (SP) — The Twins placed Lopez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08