Twins 3, Mariners 2
MINNEAPOLIS -- Kurt Suzuki's RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Minnesota Twins to a 3-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night at Target Field.
Suzuki's clutch hit capped a two-run final inning for Minnesota, who used a leadoff double by designated hitter Miguel Sano and two wild pitches from Mariners closer Carson Smith to tie the score at 2.
For Smith, it was his third consecutive blown save and dropped the right-hander's record to 1-5 this season.
The walk-off win was Minnesota's fifth this season and kept the Twins one game ahead of the Baltimore Orioles for the second wild-card spot in the American League.
Right fielder Nelson Cruz's solo home run in the sixth gave the Mariners a 2-1 lead that looked like it was going to hold up. Seattle left-hander Mike Montgomery pitched six innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits and two walks while fanning six.
Seattle's bullpen did not allow a hit after the fourth inning until Sano's double to lead off the ninth, walking one during that span.
Twins right-hander Trevor May got the win, pitching one shutout inning before the rally.
Minnesota right-hander Kyle Gibson pitched well in a no-decision, allowing two runs, six hits and a walk in seven innings with four strikeouts.
Seattle scored once in the first inning against Gibson.
Third baseman Kyle Seager singled and Cruz had a ground-rule double ahead of designated hitter Robinson Cano's RBI groundout that brought home Seager for a 1-0 lead.
Minnesota failed to get anything going against Montgomery early. The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the third, but he was able to escape the jam. First baseman Joe Mauer hit a sharp ground ball to second baseman Ketel Marte that the rookie bobbled but had enough time to start a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
The Twins capitalized on a one-out triple in the fourth by third baseman Trevor Plouffe, who scampered home on a wild pitch to tie the score at 1.
NOTES: Mariners 2B Robinson Cano returned to the lineup, batting fourth as the designated hitter. Cano missed the previous three games with an abdominal strain. ... Mariners 1B Logan Morrison remained out of the lineup with a bruised left thumb sustained Wednesday. Morrison, who is day to day, has missed four games. ... Twins 3B Trevor Plouffe was reinstated from the paternity list. He missed three games. ... Twins RHP Kevin Jepsen, acquired in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, was added to the 25-man roster. ... Twins SS Danny Santana was optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Santana is hitting .218 with no homers and 20 RBIs in 74 games. ... Twins SS Jorge Polanco was optioned to Double-A Chattanooga. Polanco has three hits and an RBI in 10 at-bats with Minnesota this year. ... The Mariners and Twins complete their four-game series at Target Field on Sunday afternoon. Seattle's Hisashi Iwakuma (2-2, 5.10 ERA) will oppose Minnesota's Mike Pelfrey (5-7, 3.92).