Twins 2, Cardinals 1
MINNEAPOLIS -- Kennys Vargas' solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Minnesota Twins to a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday at Target Field.
The blast came on a 1-1 count against Cardinals right-hander Carlos Villanueva and was Vargas' fourth homer of the season and first since May 6.
The beneficiary was Twins reliever Blaine Boyer, who picked up the win after working around a leadoff double in the top of the ninth to keep the score tied at 1.
Twins right-hander Mike Pelfrey allowed one run and one walk with three strikeouts in eight innings but did not figure into the final decision.
Cardinals left-hander Jaime Garcia was solid, pitching six shutout innings and allowing four hits and two walks while striking out four.
Minnesota and St. Louis each swept the home portion of the two-game home-and-home series, with the Cardinals winning Monday and Tuesday at Busch Stadium. Minnesota won 3-1 at Target Field on Wednesday night.
The winning teams in the four games combined to score just 11 runs.
The Cardinals broke the scoreless tie on a home run by right fielder Jason Heyward in the seventh. After working ahead in the count 3-1, Heyward smashed a fastball over the right field wall for his sixth homer of the season, giving St. Louis a 1-0 lead.
Minnesota tied the score at 1 with a home run in the bottom of the eighth when designated hitter Joe Mauer drove a 3-2 pitch the opposite way that landed in the left field seats. The homer was his third of the season.
NOTES: Cardinals C Yadier Molina received a day off in the field; he was the designated hitter and batted fifth. Tony Cruz started behind the plate and batted ninth. ... Twins DH/1B Kennys Vargas batted eighth in the order. It's the lowest Vargas has batted in his major league career. ... The Cardinals return to National League play on Friday when they open a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. ... The Twins continue their interleague schedule on Friday when they open a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs at Target Field.