Brooks Lee's 2-run single in 8th lifts Twins to 4-3 win over Royals

Brooks Lee's two-run single in the eighth inning lifted the Minnesota Twins to a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.

The Twins trailed 3-1 in the eighth when Josh Bell hit a one-out RBI single against Aaron Bummer (1-2). Nate Pearson entered and hit Royce Lewis with a pitch, and Lee followed with his bases-loaded single to right.

Minnesota stopped a four-game skid and moved within one-half game of Texas for the final AL wild card, tied with AL Central rival Cleveland.

Lewis led off the fifth with his 13th homer, a 421-foot shot to left that extended his hitting streak to a career-best 11 games.

Kody Funderburk (3-1) worked a scoreless seventh, Andrew Morris pitched the eighth and Yoendrys Gómez struck out two in the ninth for his 15th save and second with the Twins.