KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Dee Brown had an impressive day for a guy who stranded five baserunners.
Three straight times Kansas City's journeyman outfielder came to bat with the bases loaded. He responded with a grand slam and an RBI single during the Royals' 12-3 blowout Friday night of the slumping Minnesota Twins.
"My third time up, I told (Twins catcher) Matt LeCroy, 'Matt, I've already had a good day but now I can only fail,"' said Brown, who struck out in his other bases-loaded situation. He also flew out with two on in the eighth.
The five RBI were a career high.
"I had a chance for 12 RBI but only came up with five. It ended up being a good day but I left a lot of guys on base," he said.
Desi Relaford had a two-run homer and an RBI single for the Royals, who batted around in both the third and fourth innings and have won four of five since an eight-game losing streak.
The Twins, who outscored Kansas City 25-0 in a three-game sweep last week in Minnesota have matched their season-worst skid with five straight losses.
"We kicked their tails last week," said Brad Radke (5-6), who lasted only three innings in his second-shortest stint of the season. "This week they're kicking our tails."
Brown hit his second career grand slam off Radke in the six-run third. He had an RBI single off Joe Roa in the four-run fourth and struck out against Grant Balfour with two out and the bases loaded in the fifth.
Mike Sweeney singled in his first four at-bats, giving him hits in six straight and seven of eight at-bats. David DeJesus hit his first major league home run leading off the bottom of the first for the Royals.
Every starter but catcher John Buck had at least one hit and one run scored for the Royals, who had 17 hits. Buck was 0-for-5 and made the third out in every inning he batted.
"It just wasn't our night pitching," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Balls were falling everywhere -- bloops, blops and hard-hit balls. that was pretty much the night."
Darrell May (7-9), who started the year 2-8, pitched seven innings of seven-hit ball and won for the fourth time in five decisions. He gave up three runs, with two walks and three strikeouts.
Radke was charged with seven runs on eight hits. Roa got only one out and was charged with five hits and four runs.
The defending AL Central champion Twins unraveled in the fifth after Tony Graffanino beat out an infield single and sped all the way to third on third baseman Corey Koskie's wild throw. Sweeney then reached on an RBI single that skipped off the glove of shortstop Cristian Guzman and could have been ruled an error.
Matt Stairs then was given a single on a ball that was hit right at second baseman Luis Rivas, and Roa loaded the bases by hitting Angel Berroa.
Brown's slow roller glanced off Roa's glove for an RBI single, making it 9-1 before Ruben Mateo dumped a two-run single into right-center for an 11-1 lead.
Radke had Brown down 0-2 before Brown worked the count to 2-2 and lifted a changeup into the right-field seats.
"I battled him," he said. "I didn't hit it that good, but it was able to get out of here. I was a little out front but I knew it had a chance."
Shannon Stewart homered leading off the game for Minnesota on an 0-1 pitch, just as DeJesus would do for Kansas City a few minutes later. The Twins got two in the seventh on LeCroy's RBI double and Luis Rivas' sacrifice fly.
Notes
- Brown's other grand slam came on April 9, 2003, at Detroit.
- An MRI on Twins 1B Doug Mientkiewicz found no broken bones in his left wrist, which was hit by a line drive during batting practice.
- Radke's ERA went from 3.47 to 3.89.
- SS Guzman was back in the lineup after sitting out because of a nosebleed.
- DeJesus' home run was the Royals' first leadoff homer of the season. It was the first time both teams hit leadoff home runs since Aug. 30, 2000, when Jacque Jones did it for Minnesota and Ray Durham for Oakland.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2004, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
