Minneapois ? Salvador Perez hit a two-run homer, Lorenzo Cain had four hits and two RBIs, and the Kansas City Royals picked up where their bats left off the night before while beating the tumbling Minnesota Twins 7-4 on Tuesday.

Wade Davis worked a wobbly ninth inning for his 12th save in 13 attempts, preserving the seventh win for the Royals in their last nine contests. They raised their two-game total in Minnesota this week to 30 hits and improved to 5-0 against the Twins this season.

After going 5 for 5 in the series opener, missing the cycle by a home run, Perez went deep just one day and a couple of innings too late. The three-time All-Star catcher followed a leadoff walk by Kendrys Morales in the second inning with a soaring drive off his 2013 teammate Ervin Santana that landed in the grass behind the wall in center field for a 2-0 lead.

That was all Edinson Volquez (5-4) needed to pick up his fifth victory, matching the cumulative total for Twins starters this season.

Volquez has given up four or more runs in four of his last six turns, and he surrendered six hits and three walks in 62/3 innings in this one. The right-hander struck out six, though, and was stuck with two unearned runs in the fourth when right fielder Paulo Orlando let a clean single by Eduardo Escobar skip off his glove for an error that allowed two Twins to come home.

Escobar had three hits, including a leadoff double against Davis in the ninth, but the Twins lost to the division rival Royals for the eighth straight time at home. They fell to 4-19 against the American League Central this year.

Davis walked two batters after Escobar to load the bases, but he rebounded with strikeouts of Eduardo Nunez, Joe Mauer and a routine fly out by Miguel Sano.

Santana (1-3) lasted only 32/3 innings, allowing nine hits, six runs and two walks in the second time this month he failed to finish the fourth inning.

Surging Royals

Perez has a 10-game hitting streak, batting .415 (17 for 41) during that stretch. He’s a .415 career hitter (22 for 53) at Target Field.

Orlando has an eight-game hitting streak, with a .567 batting average (17 for 30) during this span.

Trainer’s room

Royals: Cheslor Cuthbert played 3B for Mike Moustakas, whose status was again day to day with a bruised knee. … RHP Chris Young (strained forearm) threw a bullpen session.

before the game, moving a step closer to a return to the rotation.

Twins: Sano moved to DH to give Byung Ho-Park, who ended a 0-for-21 skid with a single on Monday, a break. Sano struck out three times. … 2B Brian Dozier was on the bench for the second straight game, before drawing a pinch-hit walk in the ninth. He’s in a 1-for-19 slide, dropping his batting average to .199.

Up next

Royals: RHP Dillon Gee (1-0, 2.90 ERA) will make his third start of the season on Wednesday, after picking up his first victory with Kansas City on Friday.

Twins: RHP Tyler Duffey (1-3, 3.30 ERA) will take the mound in the matinee to finish the series, after allowing a season-high six runs to Toronto on Friday.