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)

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Several hundred immigrants have been charged with unauthorized access to a newly designated militarized zone along the southern U.S. border in New Mexico and western Texas since the Department of Justice introduced the new approach in late April.

President Donald Trump's administration has transferred oversight of a strip of land along the U.S.-Mexico border to the military while authorizing U.S. troops to temporarily detain immigrants in the country illegally — though there's no record of troops exercising that authority as U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducts arrests. The designated national defense areas are overseen by U.S. Army commands out of Fort Bliss in the El Paso area in Texas and Fort Huachuca in Arizona.

The novel national security charges against immigrants who enter through those militarized zones carry a potential sentence of 18 months in prison on top of a possible six month sentence for illegal entry. The full implications are unclear for migrants who pursue legal status through separate proceedings in federal immigration court.

The Trump administration is seeking to accelerate mass removals of immigrants in the country illegally and third-country deportations, including Venezuelans sent to an El Salvador prison amid accusations of gang affiliation. The administration has deployed thousands of troops to the border, while arrests have plunged to the lowest levels since the mid-1960s.

The federal public defender's office in Las Cruces indicates that roughly 400 cases had been filed in criminal court there as of Tuesday as it seeks dismissal of the misdemeanor and petty misdemeanor charges for violating security regulations and entering restricted military property. Court records show that federal prosecutors in Texas — where a National Defense Area extends about 60 miles (97 kilometers) from El Paso to Fort Hancock — last week began filing the military security charges as well.

Las Cruces-based federal Magistrate Judge Gregory Wormuth is asking for input from federal prosecutors and public defense attorneys on the standard of proof for the trespassing charges “given the unprecedented nature of prosecuting such offenses in this factual context.”

Public defenders say there needs to be proof that immigrants knew of the military restrictions and acted “in defiance of that regulation for some nefarious or bad purpose.”

New Mexico-based U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, appointed in April, says hundreds of "restricted area" signs have been posted in Spanish and English to warn that entry is prohibited by the Department of Defense, along New Mexico's nearly 180-mile (290-kilometer) stretch of border.

In a court filings, Ellison has said there's no danger of ensnaring innocent people when it comes to immigrants who avoid ports of entry to cross the border in willful violation of federal law — and now military regulations.

ACLU attorney Rebecca Sheff said basic freedoms are at risk as the government flexes its power at the border and restricts civilian access.

“The extension of military bases ... it's a serious restriction, it's a serious impact on families that live in the border area,” she said.

The Department of Justice has warned Wormuth against issuing an advisory opinion on legal standards for trespassing in the military area.

“The New Mexico National Defense Area is a crucial installation necessary to strengthen the authority of servicemembers to help secure our borders and safeguard the country,” Ellison said in a court briefing.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico expressed concern Wednesday in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that anyone may be stopped and detained by U.S. Army soldiers for entering a 170-square-mile (440-square-kilometer) area along the border previously overseen by the Department of Interior and frequently used for recreation and livestock ranching.

Hegseth has emphasizing a hard-line approach to enforcement.

“Let me be clear: if you cross into the National Defense Area, you will be charged to the FULLEST extent of the law,” he said in a post on the social platform X.

Associated Press reporter Valerie Gonzalez contributed from McAllen, Texas.

FILE - Army soldiers look at the border wall next to a surveillance vehicle during the visit to the U.S. and Mexico border by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Sunland Park, N.M., Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton, File)