Royals avoid sweep by Twins

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Knowing that in four days he would pitch an afternoon game in heat approaching 100 degrees, Darrell May wore a path from the bedroom to the bathroom.

"You've really got to hydrate yourself more than normal," said the winner in Kansas City's 5-4 victory over Minnesota on Sunday.

"I've been killing the water and Gatorade and getting myself up four or five times a night using the restroom. I've been drinking as much water as I could possibly hold."

Fully hydrated and knowing this game was about as important as any that Kansas City had played all year, May went 6 1-3 heat-soaked innings, giving up six hits and three runs, with three strikeouts.

Raul Ibanez and Joe Randa hit consecutive home runs in a four-run third as the Royals avoided a three-game sweep in heat that climbed past 100 degrees.

Manager Tony Pena was so concerned about the stifling heat, he cautioned his starter to cut down on his warmup tosses.

"I talked to Darrell and said we don't want you to throw too many pitches in the bullpen," Pena said. "He only threw about 25. I only asked for five (innings) and he gave me six."

Rick Reed (5-12) labored three innings for the Twins and gave up nine hits and five runs.

"He just didn't have anything," said Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire. "He was getting hit pretty hard, even when he got outs."

The good news for the Twins came from a local hospital, where first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz had his left wrist X-rayed after he banged it on Ken Harvey's helmet in the third inning.

Mientkiewicz, who had two cortisone shots on the wrist on Thursday and missed two games, seemed in pain as he left the game. But X-rays proved negative.

His replacement at first, Matt LeCroy, hit one of the Twins' three solo homers. Also going deep was Shannon Stewart and Luis Rivas, who has hit 10 of his 17 career homers off the Royals.

The victory allowed the Royals to reclaim a three-game lead over Minnesota in the AL Central. The Chicago White Sox went into their game at Texas on Sunday night 2 1/2 games out.

The Royals begin a seven-game road trip on Monday with the first of three at New York, then go to Minnesota for four.

Pena left slumping All-Stat reliever Mike MacDougal in the bullpen and had Curtis Leskanic work the ninth for his first save since Sept. 23, 2001, when he was with Milwaukee.

Notes: Seven pitchers worked the game and not one issued a single walk. Minnesota's three pitchers -- Reed, Joe Mays and LaTroy Hawkins -- did not have a walk or a strikeout among them. ... OF Dustan Mohr was out Sunday after going to the hospital with severe heat cramps on Saturday. Gardenhire said Mohr had IVs and was not kept in the hospital.

Saturday's Game

Twins 14, Royals 5

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Torii Hunter drove in three runs for the second straight game and the Twins routed the Kansas City Royals, 14-5 Saturday.

Kyle Lohse (10-9) went seven innings for the win, which brought Minnesota within two games of first-place Kansas City in the AL Central.

Luis Rivas scored three runs for the Twins. Doug Mientkiewicz, Corey Koskie, Jacque Jones and A.J. Pierzynski each had two RBIs.

Carlos Beltran, who had missed five starts with a sore elbow, homered twice and drove in the Royals' first three runs.

Notes: It was the eighth career multihomer game for Beltran and his second this season. ... Umpire Dana DeMuth was a last-minute scratch with a pulled hamstring. He was replaced by James Hoye. ... It was unofficially Minnesota Day in Kansas City. As the Twins and Royals played in the afternoon, the Chiefs and Vikings were getting set for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff across the parking lot in Arrowhead Stadium in an NFL exhibition game.