Royals 5, Twins 2: Alcides Escobar ripped his second RBI single to snap a tie in the fourth inning as host Kansas City posted its 13th win in 15 contests.

Alex Gordon homered to lead off the fourth inning and added an RBI double in the seventh. Lorenzo Cain had an RBI single and Louis Coleman (2-0) secured the win after striking out two in 1 2/3 innings for the Royals, who remained five games behind Texas for the second wild card in the American League.

After Gordon forged a 2-2 tie with his 11th homer, Kansas City kept the pressure on Samuel Deduno (7-5) as Escobar recorded the team's third consecutive two-out single to plate Miguel Tejada.

Cain doubled the advantage in the following inning after he bounced a shot off the leg of Deduno and into right field. Eric Hosmer scored to give Kansas City a 4-2 lead and the Royals' bullpen completed 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief - capped by Greg Holland retiring the side in the ninth for his 30th save.

Brian Dozier had a triple and RBI double among his three hits and scored on a wild pitch for the Twins, who fell to 4-12 versus the Royals this season.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Deduno dropped to 3-1 in his career versus Kansas City after yielding four runs in 5 2/3 innings. The season-high 12 hits were one more than the sum total of his three previous starts (20 innings). ... Recalled from Triple-A Omaha prior to the start, LHP Danny Duffy made his first major-league appearance in 15 months after undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery. Duffy, who permitted two runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings, received the start after RHP Wade Davis was made unavailable following the death of his step-brother. ... The Twins will begin a four-game set at the Chicago White Sox with a doubleheader on Friday. The Royals will continue their 10-game homestand by opening a four-game set versus Boston on Thursday.