Kansas City, Mo ? Hitters beware. Eric Milton has a new weapon.

Mixing a suddenly effective changeup with his always-reliable fastball and curve, the Minnesota left-hander retired 19 batters in a row and beat Kansas City, 1-0, on a cold Wednesday night.

“Tonight I threw some really good changeups. I’ve never had that pitch, never been able to count on that pitch before,” said Milton, who went seven innings.

“Now I have that in my arsenal and tonight it worked great.”

For Dan Reichert (0-1), it was another frustrating season debut. The right-hander, who lost 1-0 to the Yankees in his first appearance last year, went seven innings and struck out a career-high eight.

“Danny was focused,” Royals manager Tony Muser said. “He had real good command. Command-wise, it was one of the best games I’ve seen him pitch.”

Minnesota’s Torii Hunter made the play of the night. Milton, after surrendering two-out singles to Carlos Beltran and Mike Sweeney in the first, had retired 17 straight when Sweeney sent a drive rocketing into dead center.

But Hunter leaped with his back to the wall and snared the ball in the webbing of his glove, robbing Sweeney of a home run.

“Probably the best center fielder in the game,” Sweeney said. “I thought it was gone. Even though the air was heavy and the ball wasn’t carrying, that was as hard as I can hit a ball.”

Hunter, a Gold Glove outfielder last year, was shocked at how the ball carried on a cold night.

“The ball wasn’t carrying today but Sweeney somehow got a power surge into his,” said Hunter. “I just told myself I might as well hit the fence and try to get it.”

Milton (1-0), who was 15-7 last season, struck out two and did not give up a walk while beating the Royals for the fourth time in a row and the 10th time in 12 career decisions.

He was replaced to start the eighth by J.C. Romero. Eddie Guardado pitched the ninth for his second save.

Reichert gave up six hits, walked two and struck out a career-high eight through seven innings.

Jacque Jones, who hit two home runs in Monday’s opening day victory over the Royals, singled leading off the third and scored on a single by David Ortiz.

“It’s nice to get in a groove like that, especially as cold as it was,” Milton said. “From the second inning on, I didn’t have to throw from the stretch.”

Notes: After an opening day crowd of more than 40,000, an announced crowd of only 10,856 showed up to brave the chilly night wind. … Third baseman Corey Koskie made a good play on Dave McCarty’s grounder in the fifth, going to his knees to make the stop and then nipping the runner by a step at first. … Minnesota second baseman Luis Rivas was hit in the left forearm by Reichert’s pitch in the fourth, but X-rays were negative.