Twins beat Royals 8-3 with home runs by Castro and Lewis in 6-run 2nd inning off Singer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Willi Castro had a three-run home run and Royce Lewis hit a two-run shot in a six-run second inning for the Minnesota Twins on the way to an 8-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals to open a key series between the division rivals and close wild card competitors on Monday night.

“If we keep playing like this, a game like today, we’re going to be a good spot at the end of the year,” Castro said.

Pablo López (11-8) finished six innings with two earned runs allowed for his third win in four starts for the Twins. He fell behind on a first-inning home run by Bobby Witt Jr. and an RBI single in the second by Kyle Isbel, who had three hits, but the Twins overwhelmed Royals starter Brady Singer (8-8) after that.

The Twins, who improved to 6-2 against the Royals this season, remained 3 1/2 games behind American League Central leader Cleveland after splitting a four-game series with the Guardians during the weekend. The third-place Royals dropped to five games back.

“We pay enough attention to it because it’s everywhere: it’s on social media, it’s in the MLB app, it’s on the scoreboard, it’s in every ballpark when you walk in and the scoreboard has standings,” López said. “So you’re aware of it, but we like to be in the mindset that we control our own destiny.”

The Twins (66-52) occupy the second AL wild card spot. The Royals (65-54) control the third spot, with a two-game cushion above the cut in their refreshing push to return to the playoffs for the first time since they won the 2015 World Series.

Six consecutive batters reached with two outs against Singer, whose first three starts out of the All-Star break were superb before some vulnerability for the fifth-year right-hander in his last two turns.

After Austin Martin started the onslaught with an RBI single, Castro hit his ninth homer to set a career high as his helmet tumbled off on the exuberant turn around second base. Lewis then unloaded to finish an eight-pitch at-bat for his 15th home run — in just 40 games — this season.

“That’s the inning that messed up the whole night," said Singer, who hadn't given up a homer since July 14. "Obviously I would like to have that back.”

Witt was hit by a 95 mph fastball on the forearm by López, but the major league batting leader — who also has the most games, hits and runs in baseball — was able to stay in.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Royals: 2B Michael Massey batted leadoff after being scratched from the lineup with tightness in his back two days ago. The team had a rare Sunday off after a two-game series against interleague rival St. Louis. Massey had two different stints on the injured list this season with back trouble.

Twins: CF Byron Buxton departed after the fifth inning with discomfort in his right hip.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Seth Lugo (13-6, 2.72 ERA) will pitch on Tuesday night. Lugo, who leads MLB in wins and is second in innings, is 8-2 with a 2.37 ERA in 12 starts on the road this season.

Twins: RHP Zebby Matthews, who began the year in Class A, is scheduled to make his major league debut in the middle game of the series as the rotation gets reshuffled following the injury to Joe Ryan.

Matthews had yet to be added to the roster but was in the clubhouse on Monday afternoon after being summoned from Triple-A St. Paul. The native of North Carolina, an eighth-round draft pick in 2022, was expecting family and friends in a group of at least 20 people to be at Target Field on Tuesday.

“Most of them were kind of in shock. They couldn’t believe this was actually happening because of where I started, but they’re really excited for me,” Matthews said. "They’ve all played a big piece in my journey along the way, so being able to tell them and then having them up here tomorrow will be special.”

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez throws to the Kansas City Royals in the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt runs the bases on a solo home run against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Kansas City Royals' Kyle Isbel hits an RBI single against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Minneapolis. The RBI was the 100th of Isbel's career. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer strikes out Minnesota Twins' Max Kepler for his 600th career strikeout in the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Minnesota Twins' Willi Castro hits a three-run home run against the Kansas City Royals in the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Minnesota Twins' Royce Lewis runs the bases on his two-run home run against the Kansas City Royals in the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Minnesota Twins' Royce Lewis hits a two-run home run against the Kansas City Royals in the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Minnesota Twins' Willi Castro runs the bases on his three-run home run against the Kansas City Royals in the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

BANGKOK (AP) — The death toll from the massive earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,085 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter.

In a short statement, the military said another 4,715 people have been injured and 341 are missing.

The epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake was near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions.

Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures and with telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, it's thought the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in.

The World Health Organization said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health center had been completely destroyed while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centers had been partially damaged.

“With infrastructure compromised and patient numbers surging, access to health care has become nearly impossible in many of the worst-hit areas,” the U.N. said. “Thousands of people are in urgent need of trauma care, surgical interventions and treatment for disease outbreaks.”

A mobile hospital from India and a joint Russian-Belarusian hospital also were now operating in Mandalay.

With many left homeless by the earthquake, and many others staying away from their homes over fears ongoing aftershocks will bring them down, workers in Naypyitaw labored in the 40 degree Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) busily erected big tents in open fields to provide some shelter.

Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war.

The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations.

As concerns grew that ongoing fighting could hamper humanitarian aid efforts, the military declared a temporary ceasefire Wednesday, through April 22. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule.

The military said it would still take “necessary” measures against those groups if they use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks.

Already on Thursday there were reports from local media in Kachin state in the north of Myanmar that military attacks continued in several areas, but they could not be independently confirmed. Prior to the earthquake the military was battling the Kachin Independence Army militia group. The earthquake shook Kachin, but there have been no reports of damage there.

In Bangkok, where the quake brought down a skyscraper under construction, the search for survivors and bodies continued as Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said a possible sound of life was detected in the rubble. By mid-afternoon, more than 144 hours after the earthquake, nobody had been found.

Twenty-two people were killed and 35 injured in the city, mostly by the collapse of the unfinished building.

Associated Press writer Jintamas Saksornchai contributed to this report.

Rescuers carry the body of a victim, from a collapsed building in the aftermath of Friday's earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo)

Rescuers carry the body of a victim, from a collapsed building in the aftermath of Friday's earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo)

Rescue members carry a dead body from a collapsed building in the aftermath of Friday's earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo)

Rescuers carry the body of a victim, from a collapsed building, in the aftermath of Friday's earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo)

Rescuers scan the rubbles at the site of an under construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Rescuers manually clear the rubble after getting a sign of life at the site of an under construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April, 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Rescuers return after accessing the situation at the site of an under construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April, 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Rescuers manually clear the rubble after getting a sign of life at the site of an under construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April, 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Rescuers manually clear the rubble after getting a sign of life at the site of an under construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April, 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Workers clean and wash the road outside the site of an under construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April, 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)