The Twins hit two six-run home runs in the second inning to earn an 8-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals in the opener of a three-game series on Monday at Target Field in Minneapolis.

The second-inning run began when Carlos Santana worked a two-out walk. Ryan Jeffers and Austin Martin hit back-to-back singles off Royals starter Brady Singer. Martin brought Santana in to cut the Twins’ deficit to 2-1. Willi Castro then hit a 386-foot, three-run home run – his ninth of the season and a career high – to give Minnesota a 4-2 lead.

Then Trevor Larnach hit a single and Royce Lewis followed with a 389-foot two-run shot to make it 6-2. The Twins (66-52) didn’t give up after taking a four-run lead in the second.

Lewis was 2 for 4 overall with the home run, two RBIs and two runs scored.

The Royals (65-54) struck quickly when Bobby Witt Jr. hit a 401-foot solo home run off Twins starter Pablo Lopez in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. They added another in the second inning when Kyle Isbel’s single brought in Maikel Garcia, who had earlier come on a fielder’s choice.

Adam Frazier’s RBI single in the sixth inning was the last run Kansas City could score against Lopez, who allowed a total of six hits and three runs – two earned – and had a total of five strikeouts in six innings.

With the win, Lopez improved his season record to 11-8.

Singer allowed eight hits and six runs and had nine strikeouts in five innings in the loss.

Griffin Jax pitched a scoreless seventh inning to preserve the Twins’ three-run lead, and Minnesota added two more runs in the bottom half of the inning thanks to an RBI single by Matt Wallner and a sacrifice fly by Manny Margot, extending the lead to 8-3.

Trevor Richards went scoreless in the eighth inning and had two strikeouts, while Scott Blewett put the Royals in their place in the ninth inning and secured the Twins’ victory.

Byron Buxton was replaced by Margot in center field early in the sixth inning. It was later announced that he had to leave the game due to right hip discomfort. He will continue day to day.

The Twins and Royals meet for the second game of their three-game series on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m.