Associated Press

Jimmy Gobble pitched a complete game, Joe Randa went 4-for-5 with a homer
today and the Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 12-2 in Minneapolis.

David DeJesus hit a two-run homer, and the top five batters in Kansas City's
lineup each had two RBIs.

Officially eliminated from postseason play with a loss on Saturday, the
Royals sure didn't play like a team that's 281/2/ games behind the first-place
Twins. They won at the Metrodome for the first time in nine tries this year.

Minnesota was the one looking like a cellar dweller, making two errors,
managing only six hits and giving up plenty of hard-hit balls in their first
loss
in six games.

Gobble (7-8) gave up six hits, three runs, two walks and struck out four. In
four previous starts against the Twins this year, Gobble had a 9.95 ERA in 19
innings.

Making his second start since being recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Aug. 29,
Gobble didn't give up a hit until the fourth.

Twins starter Kyle Lohse (7-11) failed to finish the fourth in a rare poor
performance against the Royals. Three of his seven wins have come against Kansas
City - including a six-hit shutout on July 7.

But Lohse, whose struggles make the end of Minnesota's rotation a worry for
the playoffs, gave up seven hits and six runs, three earned, in 3 2-3 innings.

Things were fine until Lohse walked ninth-place hitter John Buck allowed a
two-run shot to DeJesus.

Lohse, who won 27 games over the past two seasons, gave up four more runs in
the fourth - though a few of them weren't his fault.

With two outs and runners at the corners, Desi Relaford lined a ball off the
thumb on Lohse's glove hand and it rolled in front of the mound. Lohse located
it too late, and Angel Berroa scored on the single.

Then Abraham Nunez hit a routine fly ball to left, where Shannon Stewart
dropped it for a two-base error - allowing two more to cross the plate. Matt
Stairs drove in Nunez with a single, finishing Lohse.

Notes: Kansas City played its 68th road game, winning for just the 18th time
- fewest in the majors. ... Twins starters were 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA in the
previous four games.

September 6, 2004


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