Salvador Perez had three hits, including his 20th home run of the season, as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins 7-4 Friday night at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals overcame a 3-0 deficit in the first to break a nine-game losing streak.

Richard Lovelady (1-0) earned the win in relief. Scott Barlow earned his third save.

J.A. Happ (4-4) took the loss. He allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Royals starter Brady Singer lasted just three innings. He threw 72 pitches, surrendering three runs (two earned) on five hits.

The Twins jumped on Singer from the start. Luis Arraez and Josh Donaldson had back-to-back doubles, though Arraez held up to make sure Donaldson's drive wasn't caught. With runners on second and third, Trevor Larnach hit a line drive off Singer, who threw wildly to home, allowing both runners to score. Larnach scored on a single by Alex Kirilloff.

The Royals tied it in the second. Perez, who was named Friday to the 2021 Home Run Derby, led off with a solo homer, his fifth career home run off Happ. Hanser Alberto followed with a double, Hunter Dozier singled and Michael A. Taylor doubled to level the score.

The Twins loaded the bases with two outs in the third but Singer struck out Max Kepler to end the threat. Alberto's two-run home run in the bottom of the third, Alberto's first as a Royal, scored Perez and gave the Royals a two-run lead.

The Royals added another run in the fifth. The first three batters got hits, with Carlos Santana's single scoring Whit Merrifield.

The Twins loaded the bases again in the sixth, this time with no outs. But they only managed one run on a double-play groundout.

The Royals got an insurance run in the eighth on a one-out double by Nicky Lopez and a pair of wild pitches.

--Field Level Media