Prieto Homers As Twins Beat Royals 8-3

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Alex Prieto hit his first major league homer and Corey Koskie drove in three runs, leading the Minnesota Twins over the Kansas City Royals 8-3 Sunday. <br/><br/>Kyle Lohse (2-4)

Monday, May 31st 2004, 5:41 am

By: News On 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Alex Prieto hit his first major league homer and Corey Koskie drove in three runs, leading the Minnesota Twins over the Kansas City Royals 8-3 Sunday.

Kyle Lohse (2-4) allowed three runs and nine hits in five-plus innings for his first victory in eight starts. Lohse's only other victory this year was against the Royals on April 17.

Prieto, a rookie infielder, hit a two-run homer in the fourth off Jimmy Gobble (2-3) following an RBI single by Henry Blanco. The home run came in Prieto's 37th career at-bat.

Lew Ford, who had a solo homer in the third, was hit by a pitch, and Koskie's two-run single made it 6-0. Koskie added an RBI single in the ninth.

Minnesota, which lost the first two games of the series, avoided getting swept in Kansas City for the first time in 10 years. Still, at 12-15 this month the Twins are ensured of their first losing May in four years.

Gobble, a 22-year-old rookie left-hander, lost for the third time in four decisions, giving up six runs and eight hits in 3 2-3 innings.

Matt Stairs hit an RBI double in the fourth for the Royals, and Benito Santiago homered leading off the fifth. Later in the inning, Mike Sweeney popped out with the bases loaded and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz dropped the ball in short right trying for a basket catch, but umpires already had called out Sweeney on the infield fly rule.

Mientkiewicz threw to first in an attempt to double up Carlos Beltran, but his throw hit the runner in the back. Desi Relaford scored as Blanco, the catcher, ran down the ball and threw to first, where right fielder Jacque Jones tagged out Beltran off the bag for the final out.

Matt LeCroy hit an RBI single in the seventh.