Twins blast 5 home runs to end Jays' 8-game win streak
TORONTO (AP) — Kyle Garlick and José Miranda each hit two home runs, Byron Buxton also went deep and the Minnesota Twins beat the Blue Jays 9-3 Friday night, snapping Toronto’s winning streak at eight.
“It was huge,” Miranda said. “This builds our confidence for tomorrow.”
Jharel Cotton (1-1) and four fellow relievers combined for six no-hit innings after taking over for Chi Chi González as the Twins ended a three-game slump. Minnesota had lost seven of its previous 10.
Minnesota had scored just two runs in its previous three games, all losses to Detroit, before piling up nine runs and 12 hits against Toronto.
“We really came alive,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Our guys just didn’t stop and it was great to see.”
George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. both hit solo homers but the Blue Jays lost for the fourth time in 16 games.
“Today was the first time that everybody struggled,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “The pitching struggled, we didn’t really hit, and that’s why we lost the game.”
Garlick hit a two-run homer in the first inning and added a solo drive in the third, both off Yusei Kikuchi (2-2). Garlick has six home runs this season and two career multi-homer games.
Garlick left because of a sore right hamstring after he singled in the sixth and was erased on a forceout. Nick Gordon took over in left field.
“We’re going to have to evaluate him to see when he’s going to be available,” Baldelli said of Garlick.
Miranda hit a solo homer off Kikuchi in the second and had a two-run drive off Trevor Richards in the sixth. Miranda has four homers this year after the first multi-homer game of his career.
“Especially against a good team like the Blue Jays, it felt pretty good,” Miranda said.
Buxton hit a two-run homer off Jeremy Beasley in the ninth, his 12th. He went 3 for 5 and finished a triple shy of the cycle.
Down 2-0 after Garlick’s first homer, the Blue Jays answered quickly. Back in the lineup after sitting out the past two games with a non-COVID illness, Springer hit his 49th career leadoff homer. Bo Bichette followed with a double and scored the tying run on Teoscar Hernández’s single.
Miranda’s first home run and Garclik’s second made it 4-2, but Guerrero cut it to 4-3 with a solo homer in the bottom half, his 11th. Guerrero’s 421-foot homer had an exit velocity of 114.4 mph.
Miranda made it a three-run game when he connected on a 3-2, two-out changeup from Richards, who has allowed six home runs in 22 innings.
Making his season debut, González allowed three runs and four hits in three innings.
Jovani Moran struck out the side in the fourth but left after walking the first two batters he faced in the fifth. Cotton came on and struck out Springer, got Bichette to fly out, then fanned Guerrero.
“The changeup was excellent, just an excellent pitch,” Baldelli said. “He’s a real quality option for us going forward, I think.”
Cotton pitched two innings and Tyler Duffey, Joe Smith and Griffin Jax each worked one inning.
Kikcuhi allowed four runs and seven hits in 4 2-3 innings.
ROSTER MOVES
The Twins put OF Max Kepler, RHPs Emilio Pagán and Trevor Megill and LHP Caleb Thielbar on the restricted list to comply with the Canadian government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. González, OF Mark Contreras and RHPs Cotton and Ian Hamilton were added as weekend replacements, all from Triple-A.
POWER PACK
Minnesota also hit five home runs in an April 10 win over Seattle.
FOUR SPOT
Toronto had four hits, ending a streak of six games with 10 or more base hits.
START ME UP
Springer has six leadoff homers this season, matching Devon White’s 1991 club record.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: INF Gio Urshela stayed in the game after injuring his right foot on a pickoff play at second base that ended the fourth. Luis Arráez replaced Urshela on defense in the bottom of the fifth, with Miranda moving from first to third. Baldelli said Urshela is day to day.
Blue Jays: LHP Hyun Jin Ryu (forearm) is expected to miss multiple weeks and will be replaced in the rotation by RHP Ross Stripling, manager Charlie Montoyo said. … 3B Matt Chapman had a scheduled day off. Chapman was hit by a pitch Thursday that bounced off his shoulder and hit the earflap of his helmet. … RHP Nate Pearson (mononucleosis) allowed one hit, a home run, in two innings in his first rehab appearance at Triple-A Buffalo Thursday.
UP NEXT
RHP Dylan Bundy (3-2, 4.76) starts Saturday against Blue Jays RHP José Berríos (3-2, 5.62). Berríos spent parts of six seasons with the Twins but has faced his former twice after being traded to Toronto last July, going 1-1.