Twins 12, Royals 0

MINNEAPOLIS – Kyle Lohse threw Minnesota’s team-record third straight complete-game shutout, leading the Twins to a 12-0 victory over the crumbling Kansas City Royals.

Lohse’s six-hitter came after Brad Radke tossed a four-hitter and Johan Santana turned in a three-hitter to start the series.

This was the first time in Twins history they shut out an opponent in three straight games.

The Royals, who lost their eighth straight and 13th out of 14, have one run in their last 37 innings. They’re off Thursday, then play a weekend series at Baltimore.

Rookie Joe Mauer had his first career four-hit game, and Minnesota’s first five batters – Cristian Guzman, Lew Ford, Mauer, Corey Koskie and Torii Hunter – went 14-for-21 and scored all 12 runs. Hunter and Matthew LeCroy each had three RBIs.

Lohse (3-6) won for just the second time in his last 15 starts, getting more run support than he had in all of June. In five starts last month, the Twins scored a total of five runs while he was in the game.

This was his fourth career complete game and third shutout. He struck out seven and walked none.

Dennys Reyes (2-4) got only three outs and was replaced by Justin Huisman after hitting Koskie with a pitch in the second. Reyes gave up six hits, six runs – four earned – and one walk.

Five batters were hit in this game, two by Lohse in the first. After LeCroy’s two-run double put the Twins up 4-0 in the bottom half, Reyes hit Michael Cuddyer in the ribs – prompting a warning for both benches by home plate umpire Chris Guccione.

After a run-scoring single by Mauer in the second, Reyes hit Koskie in the back and yelled at himself in frustration. Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire thought Reyes should have been ejected, but he got tossed instead for arguing with Guccione.

The Royals had plenty of chances to end their scoreless streak – putting two runners on in four of the first seven innings.

Dee Brown, who went 3-for-3, and Tony Graffanino hit consecutive one-out singles in the seventh. But Lohse struck out rookie John Buck and Damian Jackson to end it.

Notes: Minnesota made a solid contribution to the blooper archives in the fourth inning when Hunter broke for third base on a ball hit to second. Koskie was already on third, and both players slid into the base as Graffanino’s throw arrived. Hunter was out, Koskie safe. … Huisman was charged with three runs in 2 2-3 innings, raising his ERA to 6.75. In his last 13 2-3 innings, he’s given up 26 hits and 15 earned runs. … Royals 1B Mike Sweeney sat out his sixth straight game with a stiff back. … Twins 1B Doug Mientkiewicz was scratched from the lineup with a bad bruise sustained when a batting-practice ball hit by teammate Luis Rivas struck him squarely on the left wrist. … Gardenhire, halfway through his third season, has 13 career ejections. … Mauer is batting .500 (16-for-32) in his last eight games.

AP-ES-07-07-04 2246EDT