(Best E Casino) - Hoping to halt a nine-game losing streak, the Kansas City Royals will turn to emerging ace Zack Greinke tonight in the middle portion of a three-game series with the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium.

Coming off getting swept in back-to-back four-game sets for the first time in club history, the Royals dropped a heart-breaking 4-3 game in 12 innings to Minnesota on Tuesday.

Momentum seemed to be shifting Kansas City's way when Mark Teahen tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with a three-run inside-the-park homer, but the Twins' Michael Cuddyer singled to right in the 12th frame, scoring Joe Mauer with the winning run.

Cuddyer ended 3-for-6 and had two runs batted in, while Justin Morneau and Alexi Casilla each recorded three hits for the Twins, who have won two in a row and three of four overall.

Nick Blackburn was unbelievable through eight innings, but after retiring the first batter in the ninth, he started to come undone. His line ended at two runs on eight hits in 8 1/3 innings of work. Jesse Crain (2-2) earned the win with a scoreless 11th, and Matt Guerrier got his first save of the year with a scoreless 12th.

The Twins are now two games back of the first-place Chicago White Sox in the American League Central.

Miguel Olivo went 3-for-5 and scored a run in defeat, and David DeJesus had two singles for the Royals, who are on their longest losing streak since dropping 13 games in a row from May 12-25, 2006.

Brian Bannister started for the Royals and went five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits in the no-decision. Leo Nunez (3-1) took the loss after he gave up a run on two hits and two walks in the 12th.

Greinke leads the Royals' starting staff with five wins and a 2.82 earned run average, but the right-hander is coming off his worst outing of the season. Greinke hadn't allowed more than three runs in any of his starts this year until he was tagged for six runs on nine hits over five innings of a loss to Toronto on Friday.

He missed the Twins both times around earlier in the year and is 2-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 11 games (7 starts) lifetime against them.

Livan Hernandez will try to get back on track for the Twins tonight. Hernandez won three straight starts before getting a loss in Colorado on May 17. He then faced Texas on Thursday and was beat up for six runs (5 earned) on 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings of what ended up being a no-decision. On the season, the righty is 6-2 with a 4.22 ERA.

Hernandez, a career National League hurler before this season, has faced the Royals twice already this year, marking his first-ever appearances against them. He has won both outings, holding Kansas City to four runs in 14 innings.

The Twins have won five of seven meetings with the Royals so far this season and took two of three tests at Kauffman Stadium from April 11-13. Since the start of the 2005 campaign, Minnesota has compiled a 21-12 record in Kansas City.