Mauer returns with a bang for Twins

MINNEAPOLIS — Joe Mauer gave the Minnesota Twins a spark, and Justin Morneau kept it going.

Mauer, who had been sidelined by a back injury, homered in his first at-bat of the season and scored three times, and Morneau’s go-ahead two-run shot sent the Twins to a 7-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

David DeJesus drove in three runs for the Royals, and Jose Guillen made Kevin Slowey (4-0) sweat his perfect record with a two-run single that tied it at 5-5 in the fifth inning.

But Morneau connected in the bottom half and Minnesota’s bullpen took over from there. Matt Guerrier needed only 12 pitches for two perfect innings of relief, Jose Mijares struck out the side in the eighth and Joe Nathan notched his fourth save in the ninth.