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Royals hope to break out brooms on Twins

Jun 10, 2015 - 2:18 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Kansas City Royals have the brooms ready for the Minnesota Twins Wednesday, as the AL Central rivals close out a three-game series from Target Field.

The Royals have taken the first two meetings by close scores. posting a 3-1 win on Monday and a 2-0 decision last night.

Kansas City, which is one game ahead of Minnesota for the division lead, received another strong performance from Chris Young and he hurled 6 1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball. He walked three and struck out two to improve to 5-2.

"One thing I learned from Greg Maddux is to evaluate the way you threw the ball," Young said. "I threw well enough. They hit some balls hard and probably could have had a hit much earlier than they did."

Young carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Greg Holland picked up his 11th save in the ninth.

Salvador Perez homered and Mike Moustakas drove in a run for the reigning AL champions, who will visit St. Louis next on this eight-game sojourn.

Edinson Volquez gets the start for K.C. Wednesday and hopes to rebound from Friday's 4-0 loss to Texas in which he gave up all four runs in 5 1/3 innings. The Royals had won his previous five starts and Volquez is 4-4 with a 3.26 ERA in 11 starts.

Volquez has made three career starts against the Twins, going 1-1 with a 2.18 ERA. He is winless (0-2) in four road assignments this season.

Minnesota has lost two straight, four of five and six of its last nine games, and Trevor May was saddled with the tough-luck loss on Tuesday. He held the Royals to a run in six innings, gave up seven hits and fanned five batters.

Trevor Plouffe posted the lone hit, a triple, for the Twins.

"We just were kind of fighting it," said Twins manager Paul Molitor. "Guys were up there trying to figure out ways to get us into an offensive groove and sometimes they're overdoing it. You have to take a step back."

The Twins are slated to visit Texas and St. Louis next, and will hand the ball to Kyle Gibson in Wednesday's finale versus the Royals. Gibson is 4-3 with a 3.00 earned run average in 11 starts and has posted back-to-back no-decisions, including Friday's 10-5 setback to Milwaukee.

Gibson was fortunate not to suffer the loss and allowed five runs and six hits in seven innings with a season-best nine strikeouts. He did not walk a batter.

The right-hander has pitched well in five career starts against the Royals and is 4-1 with a 2.03 ERA.

Kansas City is 5-3 against Minnesota this season.