KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Please don't ask Kansas City Royals pitchers how to get Joe Mauer out. They don't know.

Mauer stroked four hits, including a two-run homer, and the Minnesota Twins downed the Royals 5-3 on Saturday night.

Mauer is batting .365 against pitchers on the Royals' active roster. His four-hit game was his first since Aug. 14, 2013, when he went 5-for-7 against Cleveland in an extra-inning game.

"I've been feeling pretty good lately, the last couple of weeks," Mauer said. "Tonight I got something to show for it. That's always nice, but I felt good at the plate and hopefully it carries over into tomorrow."

It was Mauer's 23rd game with at least four hits.

"He stayed on the lefties, he stayed on the righties," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Him putting us on the board with the two-run homer was really nice to see right out of the chute."

Third baseman Trevor Ploufee singled, doubled and tripled in his first three at-bats but struck out in the seventh inning in his final at-bat to fall short of the cycle. He was on-deck in the ninth.

Left-hander Brian Duensing (3-0) picked up the victory with a scoreless fifth inning after starter Mike Pelfrey had another early exit.

Glen Perkins converted his 27th consecutive save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Twins got an insurance run in the seventh with shortstop Danny Santana scoring on right fielder Torii Hunter's sacrifice fly.

Right-hander Joe Blanton, who gave up five runs and five hits in 2 2/3 innings in his previous start at Houston, fell behind 2-0 after only four pitches.

"It was good to get him into the fifth inning especially after the first," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Mechanically, he was drifting, which means his body was going forward and not allowing his arm to catch up, which results in a flat fastball and not as much bite on the sinker.

"About the middle of the second, he stayed back over the rubber more and allowing your arm to get in a more downhill position and threw the ball pretty good from that point on."

But by then the Royals trailed 3-0. Pitching coach Dave Eiland made a mound visit in the first inning and rookie left-hander Brandon Finnegan was warming up in the second.

"I just struggled to get a rhythm in the first inning," Blanton said. "After that, I made a couple of adjustments as the game went on and I got in a better groove."

Second baseman Brian Dozier singled on Blanton's first pitch before Mauer hit a 90 mph sinker on a 2-0 count over the fence in right field.

Successive one-out singles by Ploufee, left fielder Eddie Rosario and designated hitter Miguel Sano loaded the bases. Ploufee scored on center fielder Aaron Hicks' groundout to first baseman Eric Hosmer, making it 3-0.

The Royals loaded the bases in the third with center fielder Lorenzo Cain's double down the right-field line sandwiched around walks to third baseman Mike Moustakas and Hosmer. Pelfrey got out of that clutter by retiring designated hitter Kendrys Morales on a ground ball to Dozier.

The Twins made it 4-0 in the fifth when Ploufee's triple, his third hit of the game, scored Mauer, who singled.

The Royals closed to 4-3 in the bottom of the inning and chased Pelfrey.

Second baseman Omar Infante and shortstop Alcides Escobar singled and Moustakas walked on four pitches to load the bases. Cain's single scored Escobar and Moustakas and sent Pelfrey to the showers. Morales' groundout drove in Moustakas with the final run of the inning.

In Pelfrey's past two starts, he has yielded 11 runs, 16 hits and six walks in six innings.

Blanton was pulled after five innings, surrendering four runs and nine hits.

Twins reliever Ryan Pressly left in the seventh with a strained right shoulder.

NOTES: Royals RHP Yordano Ventura is scheduled to make his third rehab start Monday for Triple-A Omaha. Ventura is on the disabled list with an ulnar nerve irritation. ... C Chris Herrmann made his 19th Twins start as Kurt Suzuki, who is in a 3-for-23 skid, was given a breather. ... Royals manager Ned Yost asked INF Dusty Coleman about his first day in the majors. "He said, 'It could have been a little better,'" Yost said. Coleman got trapped in a rundown between third and home in his debut Friday. ... RHP Ervin Santana, who made 32 starts in 2014 for the Royals, will start the series finale. It will be his first Twins start after serving an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. The Royals will counter with LHP Danny Duffy. ... The Twins optioned RHP Alex Meyer to Triple-A Omaha to make roster room for Santana. ... Twins manager Paul Molitor said RHP Trevor May will be going to the bullpen after posting a 4-7 record and 4.37 ERA in 15 starts.