KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Phil Hughes ended a personal losing streak that dated to last July, pitching into the seventh inning Sunday and helping the Twins top the Kansas City Royals 8-3 to avoid a three-game sweep. Hughes (1-1), who signed a $24 million, three-year deal in December, allowed an RBI single to Omar Infante in the fifth and a two-run homer to Alcides Escobar in the seventh while winning for the first time in 17 appearances. He had lost eight games since that victory on July 2. Josmil Pinto homered and Trevor Plouffe and Kurt Suzuki each drove in a pair of runs for the Twins, who battered Yordano Ventura (1-1) before piling on against the Royals bullpen. The loss ended Kansas Citys five-game winning streak. Hughes solid showing came after he had allowed 12 earned runs in his first 15 innings with Minnesota. The former All-Star had not survived past the sixth since July 13, when he was still a member of the New York Yankees and was facing his current team. It helped that the Twins staked him to an early lead. After they went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position in a 5-4 loss Saturday, Plouffe came through with a double in the Twins first opportunity Sunday. His drive into the gap in right was enough to score Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer and give Minnesota a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Twins added on in the fourth. After Suzuki walked, the Royals were unable to turn a double play on a grounder by Aaron Hicks. Ventura then threw the ball away trying to pick him off first, and a wild pitch put Hicks on third base. Eduardo Escobars single scored the run. Ventura was finally pulled from the game in the fifth, when the 22-year-old right-hander gave up a leadoff triple to Plouffe and a single to Chris Colabello. He allowed four runs on six hits and four walks in four-plus innings, a line that looks even uglier after two dominant outings in which he allowed a combined one run on six hits against Tampa Bay and Houston. The Royals bullpen, which had thrown 14 straight scoreless innings, never gave their offence a chance to get Ventura off the hook. Pintos homer came off Louis Coleman later in the fifth, and Justin Marks -- making his big league debut -- allowed three more runs in the seventh. Escobars two-run shot later in the seventh knocked Hughes from the game, but relievers Brian Duensing, Casey Fien and Glen Perkins made sure his long losing streak would finally end. NOTES: The Twins played with 24 players after claiming OF Sam Fuld off waivers from Oakland and designating OF Darin Mastroianni for assignment. Fuld is expected to join the Twins on Tuesday in Tampa Bay. ... The Royals open a four-game series Monday in Cleveland with RHP Jeremy Guthrie on the mound. The Twins are off before their three-game set against the Rays. ... The Twins left 11 on base. The Royals stranded eight. Willian Chelsea Jersey . The two teams will play through the completion of the game starting at 5pm ct on Wednesday. The regularly scheduled Wednesday night matchup will follow that and will now be seven innings. Kepa Arrizabalaga Chelsea Jersey . - The Jacksonville Jaguars are leaning more toward playing injured quarterback Blake Bortles against Tennessee on Thursday night. http://www.chelseasoccerjerseysonline.com/womens-marcin-bulka-chelsea-jersey/ . According to MMAFighting.com, MacDonald needs an x-ray on his right ankle and doctors clearance to fight or he will be subject to a mandatory medical suspension that will end on August 22, 2014. Olivier Giroud Chelsea Jersey . "I wasnt waving the pom-poms to be involved with it to start with," Carlyle said after a 5-2 win over Carolina on Sunday night. "Its been a trying time. "Specifically we havent played as well as wed like to hang our hat on. Cesc Fabregas Jersey . But unfortunately for the Niagara Falls, Ont., native, a pulled muscle wouldnt allow him to go past the second set. Japan sealed its victory over Canada in the first-round Davis Cup tie after Nishikori downed an ailing Dancevic 6-2, 1-0.BOSTON -- Jason Kipnis delivered three singles for the Cleveland Indians, and then he helped them out with his glove. The Indians second baseman snagged a hard-hit grounder from Red Sox slugger David Ortiz to start an eighth-inning double play. Instead of facing a late Boston rally, the Indians held on for a 3-2 victory on Saturday that snapped a four-game losing streak. "He hit it pretty hard," Kipnis said. "You guys know as well as I do: Youve got some time with him going down the line. All he has to do is jog, with most of his hits." Asdrubal Cabrera and Michael Brantley each had a pair of hits for Cleveland, which had lost eight of its past nine games at Fenway Park. The Indians scored two runs in the seventh to take the lead on an error by catcher A.J. Pierzynski and a bases-loaded walk. "Were going to have to win some games like that," said Cleveland manager Terry Francona, whose team stranded 13 base runners and went 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position. John Axford (2-3) earned the win with one scoreless inning in relief of T.J. House, and Cody Allen pitched the ninth for his seventh save. Craig Breslow (2-2) took the loss, allowing two unearned runs and two hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. Boston starter Jake Peavy left with a 2-1 lead but remains winless in his past nine starts. "You just try to do what you can do to win," said Peavy, who entered the game with the second-lowest run support in the AL. "Obviously, its been tough to score on my day, thats something Im not going to shy away from. Im not blaming anyone. I have to be better. Guys have to find a way to be better on my day to win. Its frustrating, no doubt. At the end of the day its frustrating to lose." The Red Sox ledd 2-1 when Breslow relieved Peavy to start the seventh.dddddddddddd Cabrera hit a grounder behind second base that shortstop Jonathan Herrera grabbed with a diving stop, but his throw to first short-hopped Mike Napoli and popped off the heel of his glove. Michael Brantley singled to right, then second baseman Dustin Pedroia tried to come home on Kipnis grounder but Pierzynski couldnt come up with the ball. Home plate umpire Sean Barber initially signalled out, but changed the call when he saw the ball rolling in the dirt. "You cant second-guess that," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "Thats a good, aggressive defensive play. Then unfortunately we started to nitpick a little bit on the outside of the strike zone." Two outs later, David Murphy walked to load the bases and, after Junichi Tazawa relieved Breslow, Carlos Santana walked in the go-ahead run to make it 3-2. Jonny Gomes and Brock Holt had two hits apiece for the Red Sox, who scored a season-high 10 runs on Friday night. Boston had won seven in a row at home. Ortiz doubled in a run in the first inning for Boston. It was his 422nd career double in a Red Sox uniform, tying Wade Boggs for fourth on the teams all-time list. NOTES: Peavy is 0-4 with a 5.46 ERA in his past nine starts. ... Red Sox SS Stephen Drew missed his sixth straight game with a right side muscle injury. Farrell said he will be available on Sunday. ... RHP Clay Buchholz (right knee) OF Shane Victorino (right hamstring) and 3B Will Middlebrooks (right index finger) all made rehab appearances for Triple-A Pawtucket. ... Francona, who led the Red Sox to the 2004 and 07 World Series titles, got a big cheer when he came out to check on Michael Bourn after his third-inning single. ' ' '