MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Brad Radke pitched his best game of the season, allowing four hits in seven innings to lead the Minnesota Twins over the reeling Kansas City Royals 6-1 Wednesday night.

Kansas City, on its second losing streak this season of six games or more, is 0-12 on the road this year, one shy of the record for most consecutive road losses at the start of a season, set by the 1969 Houston Astros.

The Royals, a major league-worst 5-20, have lost a team record 13 straight road games dating to last year. They are only the sixth team since 1900 and the fourth in the last 70 years to lose their first 12 road games.

Radke (3-3), coming off the poorest April of his major league career, struck out seven and walked none, lowering his ERA from 8.89 to 7.29. When he fanned Angel Berroa on a changeup in the fourth, Berroa slammed his bat against the ground in frustration, breaking it.

Radke allowed runners in each of the first three innings, then retired 11 in a row before Matt Stairs led off the seventh with his first home run of the year. Radke has given up a home run in 10 straight games.

Joe Mays (0-4) gave up six runs – two earned – and eight hits in 3 1-3 innings against his former team. Minnesota scored four unearned runs in the third after Rondell White’s sharp leadoff grounder bounced off Berroa’s glove at shortstop and into left field for a two-run error.

Juan Castro reached on an infield single, Shannon Stewart singled for a 1-0 lead, Joe Mauer hit an RBI groundout and Torii Hunter connected on the next pitch for a 427-foot, two-run homer to center.

Stewart chased Mays with an RBI double in the fourth, and Mauer hit a run-scoring double off Jimmy Gobble.

Notes: Twins pitchers have not walked a batter in the last three games. The staff has issued a league-low 57 walks this season. … Mays has pitched into the sixth inning only once this season.

AP-ES-05-03-06 2243EDT

Copy the Story Link