KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals did not need a hit to score the winning run Sunday. It wasn’t about how they reached base, just what they did once they got there.

Speedy pinch runner Terrance Gore streaked home on a wild pitch with two outs in the 10th inning, scoring with a headfirst slide to lift the Royals over the winless Minnesota Twins 4-3.

The World Series champion Royals rallied for two runs in the ninth to tie it, then dropped the Twins to 0-6. This is Minnesota’s worst start since the Washington Senators moved to the Twin Cities in 1961.

“People wonder why we had (Gore) on our roster. That’s why,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Christian Colon drew a leadoff walk in the 10th from Trevor May (0-1). Gore then made his first appearance of the season, running for Colon, and dashed to third on May’s throwing error on a pickoff attempt.

May retired the next two batters and issued a walk. With a 1-2 count on Lorenzo Cain, May threw a breaking ball that bounced off catcher John Ryan Murphy’s chest protector and skittered to the right side of the plate.

“That’s what speed does,” Gore said. “I saw it roll out a little bit and then roll a little more. I said I’ve got a shot at this one and I was going for it.”

Mike Moustakas was on second base when Gore made his mad dash home.

“He’s so fast that anything that scoots away like that, he’s going to make it there,” Moustakas said. “I was happy he ended up going. I think he hesitated for a split second. If I’m hesitating, I’m walking back to third base, and he’s sliding headfirst into home plate and winning a game. It’s unreal how fast he is, but it’s awesome.”

Gore beat Murphy’s throw to May covering the plate. May slammed down his hand in frustration after Gore scored.

Wade Davis (1-0) picked up the victory.

Eric Hosmer snapped an 0 for 14 skid with an RBI triple in the ninth and scored on Kendrys Morales’ sacrifice fly as closer Glen Perkins failed to hold a 3-1 lead.

“I just couldn’t make a pitch to get those guys out,” Perkins said. “I had Hosmer 0-2 and I had Morales 0-2. I need to get those guys out. I didn’t get them out in that situation. It’s 0-2; that’s a strikeout.”

Ricky Nolasco held the Royals to one run, on a homer by Moustakas, and three hits over seven innings in his first start.

“We need that one,” Nolasco said. “It’s a little tough to swallow. We can’t afford to lose too many more before winning a few. A nice little win streak here and we’ll relax and get this thing going.”

Eduardo Nunez went 4 for 4 for Twins, matching his career high in hits.

Miguel Sano and Nunez had RBI singles in the sixth off Edinson Volquez, who struck out 10 and walked none in 5 2/3 innings.

It was Volquez’s first game with at least 10 strikeouts since Sept. 25, 2014 while with Pittsburgh at Atlanta.

Joe Mauer went 3 for 3, was hit by a pitch and walked intentionally in the ninth. The Twins star is hitting .344 in 83 games at Kauffman Stadium.

Brian Dozier homered off Luke Hochevar in the seventh for the other Minnesota run.

The Twins loaded the bases on a bunt single, error and two walks in the ninth, but Dillon Gee struck out Byung Ho Park to end the threat. It was Park’s fourth strikeout.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: OF Danny Santana was put on the 15-day disabled list with a pulled right hamstring. He was hurt Saturday.

ROSTER MOVE

The Twins recalled OF Max Kepler, the 2015 Southern League MVP, from Triple-A Rochester to replace Santana. Kepler, 23, was born in Berlin and in 2009 was given an $800,000 signing bonus, which at the time was a record for a European position player.

UP NEXT

Twins: RHP Kyle Gibson will start the home opener against the White Sox.

Royals: RHP Chris Young will start at Houston, the first road game for the defending World Series champs. The Astros will counter with RHP Collin McHugh, who gave up six runs while getting just one out against the Yankees in his initial start.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ian Kennedy followed up an unimpressive spring with a strong regular season debut with the Kansas City Royals.

Kennedy pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings and the Royals hit their first three home runs of the season to beat the winless Minnesota Twins 7-0 Saturday night.

“There was a little more added to it, coming to a new team that’s the defending world champs,” said Kennedy, who was 0-3 with a 6.30 in spring games. “You want to do well. It adds a little more to it in your first outing for them.”

The Twins fell to 0-5 for the first time since the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961.

Kennedy (1-0), signed by the Royals to a five-year $70 million contract in January, limited the Twins to five hits — including four singles, before being pulled after 109 pitches with two out in the seventh. He walked one and struck out seven.

“This is the pitcher we signed,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We don’t even look at spring training numbers. He was on top of his game.”

Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain hit successive home runs in the fourth for the first hits off Twins left-hander Tommy Milone, while Kendrys Morales homered in the sixth off Casey Fien.

“Even those two home runs I felt were two pretty well-placed pitches,” Milone said. “Just good hitters. They were either waiting for it or good adjustments.”

Milone (0-1) allowed four runs — two earned — and four hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar committed two errors — one fielding and one throwing — leading to the two unearned runs in the fifth.

“Everything went wrong that could,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “A decent start from Tommy and then the back-to-back homers. We were having trouble getting anything going offensively again. Then we made some mistakes in the field the next inning that kind of opened up the flood gates a little bit.”

Paulo Orlando, who was making his first start of the season, had three hits, including an RBI single in the three-run sixth and scored on Alcides Escobar’s two-out triple.

Chien-Ming Wang, who won 38 games for the Yankees in 2006-07, pitched a scoreless ninth, his first big league appearance since Aug. 24, 2013, while with Toronto.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: CF Danny Santana left with a strained right hamstring in the sixth and will be placed on the disabled list.

Royals: OF Jarrod Dyson (right oblique strain) went 1 for 2 with a RBI, walk and scored two runs Saturday for Triple-A Omaha in his first rehab game.

BUXTON, SANO OUT

CF Bryan Buxton, who was ranked the Twins top prospect entering the season, and LF Miguel Sano, who hit .280 with 18 HRs in 80 games as a rookie, were not in the lineup. Buxton has struck out 10 times in 15 at-bats, while Sano is 2 for 15 with no extra-base hits and striking out eight times. “Some of the guys who have not gotten off to good starts we are giving a little bit of a blow,” Molitor said. “You are just looking for some people to step up and kind of get this ship rolling in a more positive direction.” Buxton replaced the injured Santana in the sixth and struck out in the eighth, while Sano flied out as a pinch hitter with two runners on in the seventh and struck out to end the game.

NO DISGRACING AUGUSTA

Royals manager Ned Yost lives in Georgia, was on the Atlanta Braves’ coaching staff 12 seasons and managed three years in the South Atlantic League, where his teams would play games at Augusta. Yost, however, has never played the Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters. “I would not do that,” Yost said. “I would not disgrace that place with me playing golf on it. No way that would ever happen. Even if I was invited to play I would not do that.”

UP NEXT

Twins: RHP Ricky Nolasco, who was limited to 37 1/3 innings last year because of ankle and elbow injuries, will make his first start.

Royals: RHP Edinson Volquez, who threw six scoreless innings to beat the Mets in the season opener, will start the series finale.

— Associated Press —