Brooks Lee blasted a grand slam in a six-run third inning and Byron Buxton added a solo homer Sunday afternoon to help Minnesota beat the Detroit Tigers 8-1 and snap the host Twins’ three-game losing streak.
Minnesota starter Thomas Hatch (2-0) struck out four and allowed one run on three hits over five innings. Hatch and four Twins relievers combined to pitch a shutout over the final six innings.
The Tigers were denied a rare four-game sweep of the Twins on the road, a feat that they’d never achieved in Minnesota. It would have been the Tigers’ first four-game sweep of the franchise on the road since June 11-13, 1948 at the then Washington Senators’ Griffith Stadium.
It was the second straight time that the Twins pounded former Twins teammate Chris Paddack (4-11) who was obtained by Detroit on July 28. The Tigers starter gave up four runs on six hits in his first meeting on Aug. 5 and eight runs on nine hits on Sunday.
The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Royce Lewis hit a 376-foot homer to left field.
Colt Keith tied the game at 1 in the third when he scored from second off Kerry Carpenter’s single to right field.
Minnesota broke the game open in the third inning with six runs off Paddack. Buxton started it off with his solo shot that reached the second deck. Buxton, who was 1 for 13 in the first three games of the series, was 3 for 5 with two runs scored on Sunday.
After Trevor Larnach scored off Kody Clemens’ grounder, the Twins loaded the bases and Lee launched his first career grand slam to right field, scoring Luke Keaschall, Ryan Jeffers and Royce Lewis and giving Minnesota a 7-1 cushion.
Buxton added another run in the fourth when Keaschall grounded into a forceout.
–Field Level Media
