Minneapolis ? Solid pitching, a little power and fast feet helped Minnesota send a message to Kansas City about the AL Central race.

Pinch-hitter A.J. Pierzynski singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning after Shannon Stewart’s hustle on a bunt forced a key misplay, leading Minnesota past the Royals, 6-2, Thursday afternoon.

“We’re not going to go away,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “I think Kansas City maybe thought if we lost today, we were going to go away. But we don’t want to go away.”

Jacque Jones homered and drove in three runs, Torii Hunter also homered and Brad Radke was sharp in a no-decision for Minnesota, which salvaged a split of the two-game series and pulled within 51/2 games of the Royals in the AL Central. The Chicago White Sox are in second place.

Improving to just 4-8 against the Royals this year, the Twins — 6-2 since the All-Star break after losing 22 of 28 — admitted this was a game they had to have.

“It was huge,” Jones said. “We don’t want to get too far back toward the pack.”

Raul Ibanez homered and had an RBI triple for Kansas City, which tied the game at 2 on Ibanez’s homer off Radke in the seventh but watched Jason Grimsley (2-4) give up four runs in the eighth.

“Nobody’s going to give it to us,” Royals manager Tony Pena said. “We are in first place with two great ballclubs behind us. They’re going to be there. Nobody’s running away.”

LaTroy Hawkins (7-2) pitched a scoreless eighth for the victory. Denny Hocking led off the bottom of the inning with a single, and Stewart moved him over with a sacrifice bunt that first baseman Ken Harvey fielded.

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But Stewart avoided the tag — twisting his torso away from Harvey, almost leaving the baseline — and took second when Harvey’s throw sailed past second baseman Carlos Febles, who was covering the bag.

“I was assuming he was out, and I shouldn’t have,” Harvey said. “Then I rushed it. That play totally changed the game, and it was my fault.”

Pierzynski’s single made it 3-2, and Stewart came home on Grimsley’s wild pitch. Doug Mientkiewicz walked, and Jones doubled in two runs to put Minnesota up 6-2.

The Twins, especially the veteran Radke, were determined to keep from getting swept and falling further behind in the division. Radke, matching Kansas City’s Darrell May in a crisp pitcher’s duel, gave up five hits, two runs and four walks and seven innings while striking out four.

“Brad was vintage Brad today,” Jones said.

May, who began the season 0-4 with 12 no-decisions in his first 16 starts, gave up just two runs in 20 innings of his previous three outings.

He was just as sharp on Thursday, save for a couple mistakes, walking three and allowing just three hits in seven innings. May struck out two, missing a chance for a career-best sixth straight victory.

Jones, who struggled against left-handed pitching earlier in his career but has slowly brought up his average to .253 against lefties this season, hammered a 3-2 pitch from May off the football press box with two outs in the second inning for his 11th home run to tie it at 1.

Hunter gave the Twins the lead in the fourth with a homer to left-center, his 18th and fourth since the All-Star break.

After Ibanez’s triple scored Aaron Guiel in the first, Radke retired 17 in a row until Ibanez’s homer evened the game at 2 in the seventh. He missed a chance to win two straight starts for the first time since May 16, when he earned his fourth consecutive victory.

Though he’s just 6-9 with a 5.33 ERA, Radke still has the Twins’ confidence — especially in a key game.

“As we usually say around here, Radke came up big when we needed him the most,” Gardenhire said.

Notes: Jose Lima (groin) threw out of the bullpen Thursday, and Pena said he hopes the veteran start Sunday. … Hawkins walked Febles to start the eighth, but backup catcher Matthew LeCroy threw him out trying to steal. That was LeCroy’s first caught-stealing in eight attempts against him this year. … Grimsley’s last three outings have been rough. He was ejected for hitting Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki with a pitch on Sunday and was charged with two runs without recording an out against the Mariners on Monday.