Royals manager Ned Yost turned to pitching coach Dave Eiland in the fifth inning Saturday and told him that Kansas City was goin

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Royals manager Ned Yost turned to pitching coach Dave Eiland in the fifth inning Saturday and told him that Kansas City was going to have to protect a one-run lead against Minnesota. The way his bullpen has been going, there was no need to worry. Danny Duffy, Wade Davis and Greg Holland allowed one walk and no hits over the final four innings, and the Royals held on for a scrappy 5-4 victory over the Twins. "Theyve been lights-out, and theyre starting to get accustomed to the season," Yost said of his relief corps, which helped starter Jason Vargas polish off a shutout in the series opener. The Royals have won five straight after getting swept last weekend in Minnesota. "We all compete together," Holland said. "We take it upon ourselves that were one unit out there. You throw in the competitiveness and you expect your teammates to pick you up." Bruce Chen (1-1) allowed all four runs on eight hits and four walks, but the damage could have been a whole lot worse. The crafty left-hander twice walked the bases loaded, and his only clean inning was the first, when Brian Dozier hit a fly out that nearly left the park. Still, a five-run fourth inning off Kevin Correia (1-1) staked Chen to a lead, and one of the best bullpens in baseball last season made it stand up on a sun-splashed afternoon. Duffy tossed two scoreless innings, and Davis navigated a perfect eighth before turning the game over to Holland, who set down the top of the Minnesota lineup for his sixth save. The Royals are 9-0 when scoring at least four runs. Theyre 0-7 scoring three or fewer. "When we get that magic number," DH Billy Butler said, "were hard to beat." Kurt Suzuki homered and drove in three runs for the Twins, and Aaron Hicks also drove in a run. But it wasnt enough for Correia, who wound up allowing all five runs, four of them earned. The Twins didnt help him much with their shaky defence. Left fielder Jason Kubel lost a fly ball in the glaring sun and it fell for a double in the second inning. Then in the fourth, right fielder Chris Colabello misplayed a fly off the bat of Billy Butler that ended up at the warning track and put runners on second and third. "I took a chop step in and kind of froze. I didnt think he hit it that good," Colabello said. "Obviously theres nobody who feels worse about it than I do. Everything was being pushed toward centre. When I froze I got turned around." That was the start of the Royals game-changing charge. Mike Moustakas followed with a sacrifice fly and Justin Maxwell added an RBI single to tie the game. Alcides Escobar was plunked on the elbow, and Nori Aoki followed with a go-ahead single. Moments later, Escobar and Aoki took off on a double steal, and Twins catcher Josmil Pinto threw the ball into left field, allowing both runners to advance and making it 4-2. Omar Infante added a single to cap the five-run inning and give Kansas City a comfy cushion. "Were a starting staff that pitches to contact. We pride ourselves on making plays," Correia said. "These guys are going to come back and play good defence." The Twins got two runs back on Suzukis single in the fifth, but Chen managed to get Hicks to ground out with a pair of runners on board to preserve his one-run lead. "Some good things happened. Unfortunately, we had one bad inning and it cost us a ballgame," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "If we make the plays were supposed to make we win." NOTES: RHP Yordano Ventura pitches the series finale Sunday for Kansas City. RHP Phil Hughes is on the mound for Minnesota. ... Hicks collided with Colabello while making a catch at the wall in the fifth inning. Both players were OK. ... Twins 1B Joe Mauer, celebrating his 31st birthday, delivered a bunt single and scored in the fifth. ... Yost expects OF Jarrod Dyson (bereavement list) to return Monday. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Online .Y. - Terry and Kim Pegula have no immediate plans to tinker with their new NFL team. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Authentic .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. https://www.customjerseysnikebaseball.com/custom-nike-san-francisco-giants-jerseys/ Custom Nike Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys . It was a loss. But it was also a learning experience. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson had 24 points each to lift Brooklyn to a 94-87 win over the Raptors, making their first playoff appearance since 08. "I thought we played a little bit as expected as it is our first playoff game," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. Custom Nike Houston Astros Jerseys . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta.LANGLEY, B.C. - Wesley Berg scored three goals and assisted on another as the Coquitlam Adanacs edged the Six Nations Arrows 7-6 in Game 1 of the Minto Cup on Saturday. Eli McLaughlin scored twice and Tyler Pace and Jean Luc Chetner also scored to give Coquitlam a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series for the Canadian junior-A lacrosse championship. Quinn Powless led Six Nations with a goal and four assists, while Joohnny Powless scored once and chipped in three times.dddddddddddd. Shane Simpson, Brandon Montour, and Josh Johnson also scored for the Arrows. Adanacs goaltender Peter Dubenski turned aside 43 shots in the victory. Six Nations Doug Jamieson made 39 saves. The tournament continues Sunday with Game 2. Coquitlams only Minto Cup championship came in 2010. Six Nations has won twice — in 1992 and 2007. ' ' '