Tyler Austin blasted a two-run homer in his Minnesota debut, Kyle Gibson pitched seven strong innings and the Twins held off the host Detroit Tigers 4-3 on Saturday.
Austin was acquired from the New York Yankees on July 30 in the Lance Lynn trade and recalled from Triple-A Rochester this weekend. He hit eight homers in 34 games with the Yankees earlier this season.
Gibson (6-9) gave up one run on seven hits and struck out four. He had lost three of his last four starts. Trevor Hildenberger survived a two-run Niko Goodrum homer in the ninth to record his first save this season and second of his career.
Eddie Rosario scored a run and knocked in another for the Twins.
Detroit's Francisco Liriano (3-7) allowed three runs on six hits and issued four walks. Jim Adduci had three hits and scored a run, while James McCann added two hits and an RBI.
Liriano got into a jam in the first, then extricated himself. After retiring the first two batters, Liriano allowed a Logan Forsythe single and walked Miguel Sano and Austin. He also fell behind Jorge Polanco, but Polanco flied out on a 3-1 pitch.
The Tigers took the lead in the second. Adduci drilled a two-out, opposite-field triple, the third of his career. McCann then reached out and slapped a single to the opposite side to drive him in.
Minnesota tied it up in the third. Rosario walked, advanced on a Forsythe single and scored on a wild pitch. Forsythe eventually reached third with one out, but Liriano set down the next two batters to keep it at 1-1.
Liriano's luck ran out in the fifth when Sano reached on a one-out single and Austin launched a home run into the left field seats.
With reliever Zach McAllister in the game, the Twins tacked on another run in the sixth for a 4-1 advantage. Joe Mauer reached on a two-out infield single and scored on Rosario's deep double to right-center field.
Hildenberger gave up an Adduci single after Goodrum's homer but set down the next three batters, two on strikeouts.
--Field Level Media
Minnesota | Detroit | |
Kyle Gibson | Player | Francisco Liriano |
Win | W/L | Loss |
7.0 | IP | 5.0 |
4 | Strikeouts | 3 |
7 | Hits | 6 |
1.29 | ERA | 5.40 |
Minnesota | Detroit | |
Joe Mauer | Player | Jim Adduci |
2 | Hits | 3 |
0 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
2 | TB | 5 |
.500 | Avg | .750 |