Runs in the eighth and ninth inning, including Edward Olivares scoring on a Jhoan Duran wild pitch, snapped a three-game losing skid for the Kansas City Royals with their 3-2 defeat of the Minnesota Twins on Saturday in Minneapolis.

With offense in short supply through six innings -- both sides managing just a run -- Byron Buxton's seventh-inning solo home run broke a 1-1 stalemate. Kansas City responded in the eighth.

Bobby Witt Jr. drew a leadoff walk, then stole second. Vinnie Pasquantino advanced Witt to third base on a groundout, and after an MJ Melendez fly out, Salvador Perez singled to drive Witt home.

The Royals threatened to take the lead when Hunter Dozier, pinch-running for Perez, stole second and Nick Pratto drew a walk. But after falling behind 3-0, Jorge Lopez recovered to coax an inning-ending flyout from Kyle Isbel.

Aroldis Chapman (1-1) pitched a perfect bottom half of the eighth for Kansas City, which included a pair of strikeouts. Chapman picked up his first win of the season.

The Royals then threatened again in the top of the ninth when Olivares and Michael Massey drew back-to-back walks against Duran (0-1).

After Nicky Lopez moved Olivares to third on a sacrifice, the Royals made good on this second threat when Duran's wild pitch sent Olivares home.

Minnesota got the tying run into scoring position when Carlos Correa and Jorge Polanco delivered back-to-back, one-out singles off of Scott Barlow, but Barlow closed out Kansas City's third win in 15 games when he struck out Buxton looking and forced Trevor Larnach into a game-ending groundout.

Barlow picked up his fourth save of the season, and third in as many Royals wins.

Starters Brad Keller of Kansas City and Bailey Ober of Minnesota went 5 1/3 and 5 2/3 innings, respectively. Keller walked five and gave up six hits, but one earned run when Buxton scored on a wild pitch in the fourth inning.

Ober struck out six and gave up four hits, one of which accounted for his lone earned run on a Lopez single that scored Olivares in the fifth.

--Field Level Media