KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ryan Doumit was feeling dizzy even before he arrived in Kansas City, but he refused to tell anybody about it. Instead, he tried to go about his business behind the plate for the Twins.

By the fourth inning Wednesday night, he couldn’t take it anymore.

Doumit left the game after consulting with the Minnesota training staff and is likely to go on the disabled list with a suspected concussion. The news didn’t help to soothe the feelings of the Twins after they struggled to deal with the Royals’ bullpen in a 5-2 loss.

“I really couldn’t put it into words. I just didn’t have it,” said Doumit, who had a single in the first and popped out in the third before leaving the game.

“I felt like mentally in a fog. I was nauseous. I was dizzy. That was enough for me to not feel like I was going to adequate behind the plate,” he said. “If you can’t concentrate on the pitches you are calling, you shouldn’t be back there.”

Twins assistant GM Rob Anthony said that Doumit will be checked out again on Thursday and that there’s a “high probability” that he lands on the seven-day concussion list.

“You always have to rely on the player. You can’t read minds,” he said. “You wish he would have said something. We might have checked him earlier. Hopefully, it’s not anything serious.”

Royals starter Danny Duffy struck out seven in 3 2-3 innings in his return from Tommy John surgery, but he needed 93 pitches to get that far. He left trailing 2-1, but the Twins couldn’t squeeze another run across against the Kansas City bullpen the rest of the night.

Louis Coleman (2-0) and three more Royals relievers managed to navigate the final 4 1-3 innings, and All-Star closer Greg Holland worked around a single in the ninth for his 30th save.

“I’m not satisfied with this at all. It wasn’t where I wanted to be today,” Duffy said, “but we gutted it out, we got the win and the bullpen was amazing.”

Alex Gordon homered off Samuel Deduno (7-5) to tie the game once Duffy left. Alcides Escobar hit a go-ahead single later in the fourth, Lorenzo Cain hit an RBI single in the fifth, and Gordon drove in another run in the seventh with the 200th double of his career.

Deduno, who hadn’t lost for the Twins in his last four starts, allowed four runs on 12 hits in 5 2-3 innings. He didn’t walk a batter for the first time this season.

“The control was good. In the bullpen, no control, but when I came into the game it was pretty good,” Deduno said. “I was making my pitches, but they were hitting it. That’s part of the game. I can’t control that.”

Things started well enough for Minnesota.

Brian Dozier, whose leadoff homer set the tone in a 7-0 win Tuesday night, opened the game with a triple and Doumit delivered an RBI single to give them a 1-0 lead.

The Royals answered in the third when Brett Hayes, filling in at catcher while Salvador Perez is out with his own concussion, doubled and Escobar drove him in.

The Twins pulled back ahead in the fourth on Dozier’s two-out double, but the Royals answered again when Gordon snapped a 1-for-23 skid with his homer. Escobar drove in his second run of the game later in the inning to give the Royals the lead.

Cain’s RBI single and Gordon’s run-scoring double only gave the Royals bullpen a cushion.

Coleman retired five batters to run his streak of scoreless innings to 16 1-3, and Tim Collins struck out the only three he faced. Aaron Crow escaped a jam of his own creation in the seventh, and Kelvin Herrera left runners on second and third to end the eighth.

Holland ensured there would be little drama in the ninth.

“I felt really good about protecting a one-run lead in the fourth inning,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “It wasn’t pretty at times but they got it done.”

Notes: Twins OF Josh Willingham (left knee) will be activated Friday. RHP Liam Hendricks will be recalled from Triple-A Rochester the same day to start the second game of doubleheader against the White Sox. … The Royals optioned LHP Will Smith to Triple-A Omaha. … Perez began light workouts and could return from the seven-day concussion DL on Sunday. … The Royals open a four-game set Thursday against Boston.