Tigers 6, Twins 5
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jarrod Saltalamacchia's two-out RBI double in the top of the eighth inning plated the winning run as the Detroit Tigers finished off a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 6-5 win on Sunday afternoon at Target Field.
The Tigers rallied from separate two-run and three-run deficits in winning their fifth consecutive game.
Minnesota, which had its second worst April in franchise history, has lost four straight games and nine of its last 12 overall.
Mark Lowe pitched an inning of shutout relief for his first win.
Ryan Pressly, who allowed three hits and a run in one inning of work, took the loss.
Francisco Rodriguez allowed a two-out double in the ninth to Miguel Sano, who was thrown out at third trying to stretch it into a triple to end the game.
Victor Martinez had three more hits for the Tigers and finished the series with nine hits in 13 at-bats. Justin Upton also had three hits and Nick Castellanos homered and had four RBIs.
Joe Mauer had three hits for Minnesota and Oswaldo Arcia had two hits and knocked in two.
Detroit led off the eighth inning with back-to-back singles against Pressly before Castellanos lined into a 6-4 double play. Saltalamacchia picked up his teammate by driving a double the other way, scoring Upton from first base.
The Twins got the leadoff man on in the bottom of the inning but stranded him at second base.
Minnesota scored a pair of runs off former Twin Mike Pelfrey in the first inning, thanks to three singles and a walk, all with two outs. Mauer started the rally with a single, followed by a walk to Sano. Byung Ho Park grounded a single through the hole between first and second, scoring one, and Arcia lined a single to center for a 2-0 lead.
Castellanos followed a leadoff double in the second by Martinez with a one-out sacrifice fly. Detroit tied the game in the fifth getting a two-out triple by Anthony Gose ahead of an infield hit by Jose Iglesias.
Mauer and Arcia each had RBI hits in the bottom of the fifth and Kurt Suzuki added a sacrifice fly for a 5-2 lead, but Castellanos blasted a three-run homer off Twins starter Ricky Nolasco in the next half inning to tie it again.
Pelfrey allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks in four-plus innings, striking out three.
Nolasco allowed five runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings of work. He struck out four and walked none.
NOTES: Tigers OF Cameron Maybin played in his third rehabilitation game of the season at Triple-A Toledo on Saturday, going 2-for-3 with two doubles. Maybin, out with a sore shoulder, has not played a game with the Tigers this season and could return this month. ... Twins 3B Trevor Plouffe went 1-for-4 with a single in his first rehab game with Single-A Fort Myers on Saturday. Plouffe, on the 15-day DL with an intercostal strain on April 19, could return to the lineup this week. ... Detroit will continue its six-game road trip on Tuesday when it starts a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. The Tigers will send right-hander Justin Verlander to the mound (2-2, 5.46 ERA) against Indians righty Josh Tomlin (3-0, 3.18 ERA). ... Minnesota will embark on a six-game road trip beginning Monday against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Twins RHP Jose Berrios (0-1, 11.25 ERA) will oppose Astros LHP Dallas Keuchel (2-3, 4.41 ERA).