MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Manny Margot and Carlos Correa went deep to keep Minnesota’s club-record home run streak going at 20 games, and the Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 5-3 on Tuesday night.
Byron Buxton scored the go-ahead run in the seventh with a head-first dive into home plate after leading off the inning with a double, and Royce Lewis hit a two-run double off Tigers ace Tarik Skubal before departing with tightness in his left groin muscle.
After rookie Simeon Woods Richardson pitched two outs into the sixth to match Skubal, who has quietly become one of the most dominant pitchers in the majors, the Twins got shutdown relief from Jorge Alcala (2-3), Griffin Jax in the eighth and closer Jhoan Duran in a perfect ninth for his 13th save in 14 attempts.
Justyn-Henry Malloy homered and Ryan Kreidler hit a two-run shot off Woods Richardson for the Tigers (38-47), who lost for the 17th time in their last 24 games.
Skubal gave up consecutive singles with one out in the third inning and was dragged through an 11-pitch at-bat by Correa, who hit six foul balls before taking a called third strike.
Then Lewis smacked a changeup from the star left-hander — the same pitch in the same spot he took a called third strike on in his first at-bat — down the left-field line to put the Twins on the board.
Buxton, who also walked twice, made a diving catch of Riley Greene’s sinking line drive to center field in the first inning. He has been heating up this summer after a slow start coming off yet another injury-marred season in 2023.
Buxton took third on a wild pitch by Will Vest (1-2) in the seventh and, on a high chopper by Ryan Jeffers that cleared the mound and was fielded by second baseman Colt Keith, raced home with the infield in to beat the throw and put the Twins back in front.
ROTATION SHUFFLE
The Tigers were planning to place RHP Casey Mize on the 15-day injured list after he left his previous start on Sunday early with hamstring trouble and bring back RHP Keider Montero, one of their top prospects, for at least a couple of turns in their rotation.
They also scratched RHP Jack Flaherty from his scheduled start on Wednesday after he received a second injection to alleviate tightness in his lower back. He’s expected to start early next week.
UP NEXT
Montero (0-2, 9.35 ERA) was expected to take the mound for the Tigers in the middle game of the series in place of Flaherty. Rookie David Festa (1-0, 9.00 ERA) will make his second major league start for the Twins on Wednesday night.
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