Twins beat Mariners to end seven-game skid
MINNEAPOLIS -- Early homers by Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sano helped the Minnesota Twins snap a seven-game losing streak on Saturday, as they never trailed in beating the Seattle Mariners 3-2.
Minnesota, which has 99 losses, got seven solid innings from starter Tyler Duffey (9-11), who allowed just four hits and no walks. Seattle starter Ariel Miranda (5-2) allowed just three hits in four innings, but two of them cleared the fence. A trio of Mariners relievers retired the final 12 Twins batters in a row.
Brandon Kintzler pitched the ninth for the Twins, collecting his 15th save after a scare, when the first two Mariners reached base. Nelson Cruz's long homer in the fourth provided Seattle's only offense.
The night was a setback for Miranda, who had won his previous four consecutive starts, but lasted just 52 pitches versus the Twins. Duffey, who hadn't collected a win in more than a month, threw 85 pitches and struck out four Mariners. He was relieved by lefty Taylor Rogers, who struck out the side in the eighth.
While the Twins have been out of the race for weeks, the loss was costly to the Mariners, who fell two games back in the chase for the final American League wild-card spot.
The Twins, whose last win was Sept. 15 in Detroit, hadn't even led in a week. They took care of that negative statistic with their second batter of the game when Polanco sent a pitch into the front row of the left-field bleachers.
Minnesota's lead doubled in the second inning when Kennys Vargas led off with a walk, advanced on a single and a lineout, and scored on Logan Schafer's fielder's choice.
But Seattle rallied for a 2-2 tie in the fourth. After a Robinson Cano single, Cruz blasted a 3-2 pitch into the third deck in left field. Statcast listed the home run at 493 feet, which would make it the second-longest homer in the majors this season. It was the 39th of the season for Cruz, who also homered in the series opener on Friday.
But Minnesota took the lead back in the bottom of the fourth. Sano took Miranda's first pitch in the inning deep to left, putting the Twins up 3-2.
NOTES: Since it opened in 2010, Target Field has been rumored as a potential host of an NHL Winter Classic game, but football might be the next sport to come to the ballpark. Nothing has been finalized, but Twins president Dave St. Peter confirmed that the team is in talks with North Dakota State University officials regarding the Bison hosting a game in Minneapolis a year from now. North Dakota State has won the past five NCAA FCS titles. ... The Twins will close out their home schedule on Sunday afternoon, sending LHP Hector Santiago (12-9, 4.82 ERA) to the mound. His Seattle counterpart will be RHP Taijuan Walker (6-11, 4.32). ... Twenty-five years ago, the 1991 season was memorable for both the Twins and Mariners. Minnesota won the AL West and eventually its second World Series title, and the Mariners had two firsts in franchise history, finishing with a winning record (83-79) and drawing more than two million fans.