KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Minnesota Twins started with a bang and the Kansas City Royals finished with a whimper.

Aaron Hicks opened the game with a home run, and Tommy Milone picked up a rare road victory as the Minnesota Twins topped the Kansas City Royals 6-2 Monday night.

The Royals lost their fourth straight, equaling their worst losing streak of the season. It is the third time this season the club lost four in a row.

Milone (8-4) recorded just his second road victory. The left-hander stymied the Royals on six hits and two runs over seven innings. He walked one and struck out four.

"I thinking getting ahead (in the count) was real important and expanding the zone from there," Milone said. "Coming in with off-speed pitches, being able to throw pitches for strikes and being able to keep it down in the zone was real important and keeping the ball on the ground."

Milone was on the disabled list the first two weeks of July with an elbow strain.

"The two-week stint on the DL kind of helped get a refresher there," Milone said. "I'm feeling pretty strong right now."

Shortstop Eduardo Escobar drove in three of the Twins' runs. His single in a three-run sixth scored right fielder Torii Hunter. Escobar also had a two-run single in the seventh, and he finished 3-for-3.

"Some of the things we talked about include confidence," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "When you're putting the barrel on the ball and you're seeing the ball a little bit better. One of the things, he's improved on as of late is his patience."

Hunter had two hits and two runs.

Twins relievers Trevor May and Kevin Jepsen each threw a scoreless inning to close out the win.

Yordano Ventura, who won his four previous decisions, took the loss, giving up four runs on eight hits and five walks in 5 1/3 innings. Ventura (10-8) threw 107 pitches and struck out eight before he was replaced by Kelvin Herrera. Two Ventura wild pitches led to two runs in the sixth.

"I felt strong, and when I feel strong and you've got a curveball like I've got, sometimes you hold onto it a little bit too long," Ventura said through a translator. "That happens. I was throwing it like a strikeout pitch, and that will happen from time to time."

Herrera retired the only two batters he faced in his first outing since contacting chickenpox late last month.

Hicks, the Minnesota center fielder, deposited Ventura's third pitch into the Twins' bullpen for his second career leadoff home run. It was the Twins' major-league-leading eighth leadoff homer this season.

The Royals tied it in the bottom of the first.

Center fielder Lorenzo Cain singled with one out and advanced to third on first baseman Eric Hosmer's single to right. Designated hitter Kendrys Morales got Cain home with a fielder's choice grounder for his 100th RBI.

Cain, Hosmer and third baseman Mike Moustakas each had two hits for Kansas City.

"We haven't played up to our standard," Royals manager Ned Yost said of the losing skid. "I think our starting pitching hasn't been exceptionally sharp through this run, and offensively, we've faced some tough pitching."

NOTES: RHPs Joba Chamberlain and Louis Coleman were promoted from Triple-A Omaha, giving the Royals a 12-man bullpen. Kansas City designated RHP Yohan Pino and INF Dusty Coleman for assignment to clear spots on the 40-man roster. ... Royals 2B Ben Zobrist was moved to the leadoff spot, while SS Alcides Escobar batted ninth for the first time this season. ... Twins RHP Phil Hughes, who is out with a lower back injury, is scheduled to throw a three-inning simulated game Wednesday. ... Royals OF Alex Rios was in uniform after missing several games with chickenpox, but he didn't play. ... Twins RHP Kyle Gibson and Royals RHP Edinson Volquez are the Tuesday probables.