MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Alex Kirilloff’s single in the 11th inning scored automatic runner Max Kepler and the Minnesota Twins pulled out a 4-3 win against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night.
With Kepler on second, Carlos Correa was intentionally walked. Kirilloff then pulled a pitch from Domingo Tapia (0-1) down the right-field line to help Minnesota snap a three-game losing streak.
Griffin Jax (2-4) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 11th to secure the win for the Twins after both teams scored their automatic runners in the 10th.
Kepler homered, doubled and scored three runs for Minnesota, which got another quality start from Pablo López.
Juan Soto homered for San Diego, which has lost three of four. Josh Hader blew his second save in 13 chances this season when pinch-hitter Donovan Solano singled in the 10th to score the automatic runner. The Padres are winless in four extra-inning games this season.
San Diego loaded the bases in the top of the 11th after a pair of walks — one intentional — but Matt Carpenter struck out looking for the third time in the game to end the inning.
López didn’t allow a hit until Xander Bogaert’s infield single leading off the fifth. He departed after striking out Bogaerts in the seventh, one batter after Soto hit his sixth homer.
López didn’t have his typical pinpoint command, walking a season-high four. But he gave up just two hits and struck out eight. Minnesota starting pitchers started the day with the league’s second-best ERA (3.14), batting average against (.223) and were first in strikeouts (226).
San Diego rallied against reliever Jorge López in the eighth.
Trent Grisham led off the inning with a single, moved to third on a single by Fernando Tatis Jr. and scored on Manny Machado’s sacrifice fly to deep right-center field that Kepler was able to run down in the gap to prevent any further runs.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: IF Kyle Farmer was reinstated from the injured list four weeks after he was hit in the face by a 92 mph fastball thrown by Chicago’s Lucas Giolito that caused a laceration and knocked four teeth out of alignment. 3B Jose Miranda was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul.
UP NEXT
RHP Yu Darvish (2-2, 3.19 ERA) starts the afternoon series finale for San Diego, while Minnesota sends RHP Bailey Ober (2-0, 0.98) to the mound. Darvish has allowed more than one earned run just twice in his six starts. Ober has allowed two runs in 18 1/3 innings since taking the rotation spot of the injured Kenta Maeda.
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