Royals 5, Twins 0: Jason Vargas threw seven scoreless innings and Mike Moustakas clubbed a two-run homer as host Kansas City won its fourth straight game in the opener of the three-game series.

Vargas (2-0) scattered seven hits while lasting at least seven innings for his fourth consecutive start this season and lowered his ERA to 1.24. Omar Infante had two hits and two RBIs and Alcides Escobar had three hits and two runs scored in the No. 9 spot for the Royals, who were swept by the Twins last weekend.

Minnesota starter Ricky Nolasco (1-2) allowed five runs and 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings, a big turnaround from last weekend when he held the Royals to one run and five hits in eight innings of a 7-1 victory. Josmil Pinto had two hits for the only multi-hit game for Minnesota.

The Twins couldn’t do anything with a leadoff walk in the second, hit into an inning-ending double play in the third and Pinto was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double to end the fourth. Nolasco surrendered one-out doubles in the second and third innings, and didn't survive the second one as Infante’s infield single scored Escobar and Eric Hosmer’s single drove in Norichika Aoki for a 2-0 lead.

Infante added another RBI single in the fifth and Moustakas made it 5-0 with his two-run homer in the sixth. Vargas gave way to Aaron Crow, who pitched a perfect eighth, and Louis Coleman finished off the ninth for the Royals.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Twins OF Darin Mastroianni went 0-for-4 and is hitless in his last 15 at-bats dating to last season. … Twins 1B Joe Mauer owns four triples in his career against the Royals and no more than two against any other major-league team. … Royals OF Alex Gordon threw out Pinto at second for his 57th outfield assist since 2011, the most in the majors in that span.