KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Matt Wallner hit a long home run to jump start the Twins offense before left-hander Kris Bubic and the Kansas City Royals bullpen shut down the entire lineup.
Wallner’s 424-foot solo homer into the fountains at Kauffman Stadium gave the Twins a lead in the top of the second inning, but they fell behind in the bottom half and couldn’t mount anymore rallies in a 3-1 loss in Kansas City’s home opener.
Wallner continued improving his results against left-handed pitching, but overall the Twins offense mustered just three total hits and three total walks against four Royals pitchers. Using his changeup, Bubic allowed a run and struck out six over six innings.
“He mixes his pitches well and makes good ones in good counts,” Wallner said of Bubic, who made the AL All-Star team in 2025.
Wallner slugged .471 against lefties a season ago, a marked improvement over his first MLB seasons. He’s one of a few Twins hitters who handle left-handed pitching well.
John Schreiber faced Wallner as the potential tying run in the ninth, but he hit a weak grounder to first resulting in the final out.
After a day off, the Twins (1-3) resume the series in KC with right-hander Joe Ryan on the mound Wednesday night. The Twins will face another lefty, Noah Cameron, before getting ace Cole Ragans against Taj Bradley in the series finale.
Right-hander Simeon Woods-Richardson gave up the lead in the bottom of the second on a two-run homer by Kyle Isbel. Woods-Richardson allowed two runs, five hits and two walks over five innings. He needed 48 pitches to get through the first two innings before gaining command.
“Jitters in the first game of the season, long innings with a lot of full counts,” Woods-Richardson said of his start. “I was dragging, but then I settled in.”
The Royals added insurance in the eighth on a solo homer by Isaac Collins against lefty Kody Funderburk.
Wallner and second baseman Luke Keaschall had a scary collision in the eighth inning on a pop fly to right by Salvador Perez that Keaschall caught. Both affected players stayed in the game and Wallner said afterward he’d “never been better” physically.
Leadoff man Austin Martin finished 1-for-1 with two walks before Trevor Larnach pinch-hit for him as the potential tying run in the eighth. Larnach grounded into an inning-ending double play started by Bobby Witt.
Martin also ran the Twins out of a possible scoring chance in the first getting picked off and caught stealing second after hitting a leadoff single.
“We’re going to stay aggressive on the bases,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “Bubic picked a good pitch to throw over.”
With Royals closer Carlos Estévez sidelined because of a foot injury, Schreiber pitched out of light trouble in the ninth for Kansas City, which was celebrating its home opener. The family of former outfielder Terrance Gore helped Zane Gore, his 11-year-old son, throw out the first pitch. Gore died in February at 34 during what was reported to be a routine operation.
Catcher Salvador Perez #13 of the Kansas City Royals singles during the opening day game against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium on March 30, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson #24 of the Minnesota Twins pitches during the first inning of the opening day game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on March 30, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)