MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Max Kepler had three hits, including a two-run homer that put Minnesota ahead to stay, and Jose Berrios threw seven sharp innings to help the Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 8-2 on Saturday night.

Eddie Rosario and Logan Morrison also homered as the Twins won their second straight against the Royals. Kepler went 3 for 3 with a walk and scored two runs.

Berrios (11-8) had trouble throwing strikes in his middle innings and allowed the Royals to take a 2-1 lead after walking the bases loaded in the third. But the All-Star right-hander settled down and remained unbeaten against AL Central opponents this season.

The Twins regained the lead on Kepler’s homer off Burch Smith (1-3) in the fourth. Rosario added a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Logan Forsythe and Bobby Wilson each drove in a run in the sixth.

Morrison added his 15th homer in seventh, a towering two-run shot off Glenn Sparkman that traveled an estimated 442 feet before landing in the right-field concourse.

Smith was charged with a season-high six runs in five-plus innings in his fifth start of the year.

Addison Reed and Oliver Drake combined for two innings of scoreless relief. Drake, claimed off waivers from Toronto on Friday, set a major league record by pitching for his fifth team this season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: Manager Paul Molitor said RHP Aaron Slegers (shoulder) would begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester on Saturday night. … RHP Michael Pineda is scheduled to begin his recovery from Tommy John surgery when he starts his rehab assignment with the Florida Gulf Coast on Monday.

JOHAN’S CALL

The Twins inducted former ace Johan Santana into the franchise’s hall of fame in a pregame ceremony. Santana, who won two AL Cy Young Awards during his eight seasons in Minnesota, became the 31st member of the Twins Hall of Fame. For five seasons, from 2003-07, he led the AL in wins (82), strikeouts (1,152), ERA (2.92) and opponent batting average (.212).

Surrounded by family and former teammates, Santana was introduced by former teammate Torii Hunter before being presented with a Twins blazer by Rod Carew.

“Go chase your dreams, work hard, be passionate about what you do. Have fun and never give up, and good things will happen to you,” Santana told the crowd.

Before the game, Twins manager Paul Molitor said he thought it was good for his current young crop of players to see former Twins players return to see Santana’s induction.

“It’s meaningful and I think it’s a good way for our organization to kind of bridge generation to generation through the hall of fame,” Molitor said.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (7-9) will make his 24th start of the season Sunday. After posting a 6.88 ERA in his first 10 starts, he has a 3.00 ERA since May 24, the fourth-lowest in the AL in that stretch.

Twins: RHP Ervin Santana (0-0) looks to return to his ace form when makes his third start since returning from the 60-day DL after being sidelined by an injured finger. He has allowed a combined eight earned runs in 10 1/3 innings with six strikeouts this season.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — In a matchup of teams on track to both lose 100 or more games, the White Sox avoided getting swept in a three-game series.

Jose Abreu hit a tying home run off Jason Adam in the eighth and pinch-hitter Daniel Palka had a three-run homer off Jason Hammel later in the inning, leading Chicago over the Kansas City Royals 6-4 Thursday.

Kansas City overcame a 2-0 deficit when pinch-hitter Whit Merrifield hit a three-run homer in the eighth off Xavier Cedeno (1-0), but Abreu homered with one out in the bottom half against Adam (0-3). Abreu’s 141st big league homer moved him ahead of Ron Kittle into sole possession of 10th on the White Sox career list.

Avisail Garcia doubled, Omar Narvaez was intentionally walked and Hammel relieved. Palka drove a hanging slider a half-dozen rows in the right-centerfield bleachers. He tied the White Sox record of three pinch homers in one season, set by Oscar Gamble in 1977.

“I wanted to hit a home run,” Palka said of his mindset.

Rosell Herrera hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth off Luis Avilan, who got his first save in seven major league seasons.

Chicago (38-70) won for the second time in eight games. Kansas City (34-74) had been seeking its first three-game sweep at the White Sox since June 13-15, 2014.

White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez allowed two runs and five hits in seven-plus innings, leaving with a 2-0 lead after Alcides Escobar doubled leading off the eighth and Adalberto Mondesi reached on a bunt single.

Jace Fry struck out Alex Gordon, Mondesi stole second, and Juan Minaya struck out Salvador Perez. Merrifield greeted Cedeno with his first big league pinch-hit homer.

Lopez had been 0-4 with an 8.27 ERA in his prior four starts.

“I felt good. I felt in command of all my pitches. I was focused today,” Lopez said.

Royals rookie Brad Keller gave up two runs, five hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings.

Narvaez, who has 17 hits in 10 RBI in his last 12 games, had a run-scoring single in the fourth. Tim Anderson had an RBI double in the seventh off Tim Hill.

“Did a phenomenal job keeping us in the game,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: RHP Nate Jones (strained right arm) played catch for the first time in two weeks. … C Kevan Smith could to begin paternity leave Friday.

UP NEXT

White Sox: RHP Lucas Giolito (7-8, 6.26) is to start Friday at Tampa Bay.

Royals: RHP Heath Fillmyer (0-1, 3.29) is to open Friday at Minnesota.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — Alex Gordon hit a two-run homer and drove in four, helping the Kansas City Royals pound the sloppy Chicago White Sox 10-5 on Wednesday night.

Gordon also walked and scored during Kansas City’s five-run fifth. Brett Phillips added two hits and Ryan O’Hearn singled in a run in his second major league game as the last-place Royals posted consecutive wins for the first time since they won three in a row from July 20-22, matching their season high.

Jakob Junis (6-11) pitched 5 2/3 innings of four-run ball in his first win since May 18. The 24-year-old right-hander was 0-8 with a 6.67 ERA in his previous 10 starts.

Chicago lost for the sixth time in seven games. Yoan Moncada broke out of a slump with his fifth career leadoff homer, two hits and two walks, but he also committed one of two costly errors for the White Sox.

With one out and runners on first and second in the fifth, lumbering Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez hit a hard grounder to third. Yolmer Sanchez threw to second looking to start a double play, but the ball went off the top of Moncada’s glove and into right field.

Whit Merrifield jogged home to make it 4-1 Royals. Lucas Duda, Rosell Herrera and Phillips followed with run-scoring hits, and a wild pitch brought home another run before Alcides Escobar lined to right for the final out of the inning.

Another error — this one on a bad throw by pitcher Dylan Covey (4-7) — helped set up Gordon’s two-out, two-run double in the third. Covey was charged with seven runs, four earned, and five hits in 4 1/3 innings, dropping to 1-5 with an 8.89 ERA in his last six starts.

Gordon’s drive to right off Tyler Danish made it 10-1 in the sixth. It was Gordon’s first homer since July 10 and No. 7 on the year.

Junis, who is from Rock Hills, Illinois, about two hours west of Chicago, allowed six hits, struck out five and walked three. He surrendered five homers in 5 2/3 innings in a 6-3 loss to Chicago on April 26 in his first career appearance against the White Sox.

Junis was pulled after Leury Garcia’s two-run single in the sixth. Garcia also had an RBI single in the eighth against Glenn Sparkman.

UP NEXT

Royals right-hander Brad Keller (4-4, 3.43 ERA) and White Sox right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (4-9, 4.57 ERA) pitch in the series finale Thursday afternoon. Keller, who turned 23 on Friday, has won each of his last two starts. Lopez is 0-4 with an 8.72 ERA in his last four games.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn got the ball from his first major league hit. Brett Phillips got his bats back.

For one night at least, everything was all right with the Kansas City Royals.

O’Hearn hit a two-run homer in his big league debut, helping Danny Duffy and the Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 4-2 on Tuesday.

“Today was the most fun I had at a baseball field, once I kind of settled down a little bit, ever,” O’Hearn said. “I’m ready to get back tomorrow.”

Phillips also hit a two-run shot for last-place Kansas City, which had dropped four of five. Duffy (7-9) pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, rebounding nicely from a rocky start against Detroit.

It was Phillips’ first hit since he was acquired Friday in the trade that sent third baseman Mike Moustakas to Milwaukee. Phillips had to use Hunter Dozier’s bat for his Kansas City debut Sunday against the Yankees after his lumber got lost while he was flying to New York to join his new team.

He was reunited with his bats in time for the series opener against Chicago, and he looked quite comfortable on his fifth career homer in the seventh.

“It’s always a blessing to help the team win in any way you can,” Phillips said.

The White Sox lost for the fifth time in six games. They wasted prime scoring opportunities in the fourth and eighth, and another threat in the sixth was curtailed by a mental mistake by Tim Anderson — prompting manager Rick Renteria to replace the young shortstop.

Matt Davidson hit a two-run shot in the seventh for his eighth homer against the Royals this season. But Tim Hill got one out, Jason Hammel worked a rocky eighth and Wily Peralta finished for his sixth save.

Playing in front of his parents, brother and sister, O’Hearn bounced to first in his first at-bat in the second. He came up again with one out and a runner on first in the fifth, and drove a 1-0 pitch from James Shields (4-13) over the wall in right .

O’Hearn, an eighth-round pick in the 2014 draft who turned 25 on Thursday, was promoted from Triple-A Omaha before the game. He became the third player in franchise history to homer in his major league debut, joining Clint Hurdle in 1977 and Mark Quinn in 1999.

“It was fun to watch,” Duffy said.

O’Hearn also walked and scored on Phillips’ homer.

Duffy allowed six hits, struck out seven and walked four. The left-hander went 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA in six July starts.

Duffy got some help when the speedy Anderson failed to run out a low liner to third baseman Rosell Herrera with runners on first and second in the sixth. Third base umpire Lance Barksdale ruled the ball hit the ground — it looked as if it might have been caught cleanly — and Herrera threw late to second.

But Whit Merrifield just jogged over and lobbed the ball to first baseman Lucas Duda for the final out of the inning. Renteria then put Nicky Delmonico in left and moved Leury Garcia to shortstop before the start of the seventh.

“It’s like we tell these guys: Don’t assume anything,” Renteria said. “Just go until they ultimately make the call. We’ll let the opposing team make the review call. It didn’t look very good having him standing at the plate and having the ball go around the diamond.”

Anderson said he was surprised by Renteria’s decision to pull him out of the game.

“But he’s the manager. It’s his call,” Anderson said. “I can’t do nothing but respect his decision (and) come tomorrow and be ready to play.”

ABOUT THAT DEADLINE

The White Sox acquired minor league left-hander Hunter Schryver from Tampa Bay for $1 million in international signing bonus pool money. Schryver, a seventh-round pick in the 2017 draft out of Villanova University, was assigned to Class A Winston-Salem.

The Royals did not make a trade in the final hours before the non-waiver deadline.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: OF Brian Goodwin was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left groin strain. He got hurt running the bases on Saturday night against the Yankees. … INF Cheslor Cuthbert, who is out with a lower back strain, was transferred to the 60-day DL.

White Sox: OF Luis Robert, one of Chicago’s top prospects, was slated to begin a rehab assignment with the Arizona League White Sox. Robert had been sidelined by a left thumb injury.

UP NEXT

Jakob Junis (5-11, 5.06 ERA) and Dylan Covey (4-6, 5.40 ERA) pitch Wednesday night in a matchup of struggling right-handers. Junis is 0-8 with a 6.98 ERA in his last nine starts for Kansas City. Covey has one win and an 8.73 ERA over his last seven starts.

— Associated Press —