KANSAS CITY -- Imagine that -- a break goes the Royals' way for a change. What was almost a wild pitch turned into a crucial out. What a thing.

And, on a Wednesday afternoon when the Royals gave up 13 hits, they snapped a five-game skid with a 1-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium.

Emil Brown bounced an RBI single to left field in the ninth inning to end a scoreless tie. It was a big turnabout for Brown, who blundered on the bases in Tuesday night's loss.

"Yeah, because I didn't have to be on the bases today," Brown said, laughing. "I [messed] up enough."

The Royals' big break came in the top half of the ninth. Reliever Mike MacDougal gave up a one-out single to Mike Redmond and a double to Jason Bartlett. Brent Abernathy was dispatched to third as a pinch-runner for Redmond.

A 2-2 pitch to Michael Ryan was so far inside that catcher Paul Phillips couldn't get to it.

"We were going fastball in and it just kind of pulled a little too much, just out of my reach," Phillips said. "I just ran out of arm. My arm's not long enough to get it."

Away went the ball and here came Abernathy thundering toward the plate.

"It went all the way to the backstop and kicked right back to me," Phillips said. "And I was going to underhand the ball to Mac at home and I hear this loud roar, 'Throw it! Throw it! Throw it!'"

Phillips looked toward third base where Mark Teahen was waiting. By now, Abernathy was in full retreat back toward the bag.

Adjusting quickly, Phillips launched a rocket to Teahen and Abernathy was out.

"You see the ball pass the catcher and you're scoring," Abernathy said. "That's the only thing in your head. By the time it bounces back to him, you're dead to rights either way."

MacDougal struck out Ryan and the Royals were at bat. Ex-Twins player Denny Hocking led off with a single and, after Chip Ambres twice was unable to get down a bunt, he grounded to third. Uh-oh, charging Terry Tiffee booted the ball for an error.

Terry Mulholland relieved Matt Guerrier and struck out Matt Stairs. But Brown hit the next pitch just inside the third-base line and Hocking scored from second base.

"I thought I was in a race," Hocking said. "(Third base coach Luis) Silverio almost beat me home, for cryin' out loud."

So, except for the postgame dissections, it was over.

The Twins' 13 hits were the most they'd ever had while being shut out. The 13 hits were the most the Royals ever had allowed while pitching a shutout.

Royals starter Mike Wood turned in six shutout innings despite eight hits, two walks and a hit batter. He forced the Twins to strand eight runners.

"It gave me a headache halfway through, but I got through it," Wood said. "The defense was definitely in the right place at the right time."

In the fourth, when the Royals missed on a double play, Wood did a little defensive work himself. He threw home to nail Jacque Jones for the third out. Wood was covering first and took the return throw from shortstop Angel Berroa.

"I got there just a second late but he had me beat anyway," Wood said, "so I just came off and turned and threw. I got lucky. I appreciate it, Jones."

Even though there was no score after six innings, Wood was taken out. By that time, he'd thrown 81 pitches and wiggled out of several jams. How did he do it?

"He's a bulldog, that's why," Phillips said.

The Royals got only three hits off Twins starter Kyle Lohse. They didn't have a baserunner until Terrence Long singled after two outs in the fourth. Long, who fouled a pitch off his right shin during that at-bat, left the game with a bruise after the inning.

In the end, it wasn't a real clean victory as shutouts go, but it was big for the Royals. They avoided setting a franchise record for most losses in a month -- 21 was plenty -- and they'd won, 1-0, for the first time in a year, or since beating the Tigers on Sept. 1, 2004.

"What I liked about the game is that since I've been here, for however-many days, in my opinion this was the first game that we did not panic," Hocking said.

"And, to me, that's the sign of the maturity. There were huge situations from the first pitch to the last pitch and I never got the impression that anybody was nervous."