Josh Donaldson blasted a go-ahead two-run homer, Bailey Ober pitched six solid innings, and the Minnesota Twins edged the host Detroit Tigers 3-2 on Monday.
Donaldson had a pair of extra-base hits, while Jorge Polanco scored and knocked in a run.
Ober (2-2) gave up two runs on five hits and struck out five. Jorge Alcala tossed two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and Alex Colome recorded his 10th save.
Derek Hill hit a solo homer for the Tigers. Hill and Harold Castro each contributed two hits.
Starting pitcher Casey Mize (7-7) gave up three runs on five hits with four strikeouts in six innings. Alex Lange pitched two innings of scoreless relief.
Tigers reliever Miguel del Pozo left the game in the ninth after getting struck in the face by a Max Kepler line drive. The ball was picked up by Jeimer Candelario, who threw Kepler out at first.
The game was a makeup of a postponement from May 9.
Neither team had a baserunner until Hill blasted his second homer of the season over the left field wall with two out in the third.
The Twins responded with three runs in the fourth. Byron Buxton hit a one-out double, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Polanco's single. Donaldson then drilled a 436-foot home run to straightaway center.
Detroit scored a run in the fifth. Castro led off with a double down the left-field line. He advanced on a long fly ball and scored on Zack Short's bloop single.
Minnesota threatened in the sixth on Donaldson's two-out double and Kepler's walk. Mize then struck out Miguel Sano to end the threat.
The Twins had runners on the corners with one out in the seventh. Lange wiggled out of that jam by inducing Luis Arraez to hit into a double play.
Detroit didn't go quietly in the ninth. Eric Haase reached on an infield single and Castro reached on an error with two out before Colome got the final out when pinch hitter Robbie Grossman flied out to right.
--Field Level Media
Minnesota | Detroit | |
Bailey Ober | Player | Casey Mize |
Win | W/L | Loss |
6.0 | IP | 6.0 |
5 | Strikeouts | 4 |
5 | Hits | 5 |
3.00 | ERA | 4.50 |
Minnesota | Detroit | |
Josh Donaldson | Player | Derek Hill |
2 | Hits | 2 |
2 | RBI | 1 |
1 | HR | 1 |
6 | TB | 5 |
.500 | Avg | .667 |