The Royals turned a blowout into a nail-biter but had enough left to outlast the Twins 11-8 on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium.

An early nine-run lead was reduced to one after six innings and the Royals were headed toward an epic collapse until a couple of turning points.

First, reliever Kevin McCarthy settled bullpen turbulence with a clean seventh inning.

Hunter Dozier then drove the first pitch of the Royals’ seventh over the left field wall for his first major-league home run and gave his team some breathing room.

Today's top news by email

The local news you need to start your day

Recaptcha requires verification.