Donovan Solano hit a three-run triple to highlight a five-run eighth inning and Christian Vazquez homered to lead the visiting Minnesota Twins to an 8-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night.
Vazquez went 2-for-2 with and two walks and Solano while Solano and Willi Castro each had two hits for Minnesota (73-66), which extended its American League Central lead to seven games over the second-place Guardians. Griffin Jax (6-8) picked up the win with a scoreless inning of relief.
Bo Naylor homered and Will Brennan had two hits and scored a run for Cleveland (66-73). Trevor Stephan (6-6) took the loss allowing five runs on three hits, two walks and a hit batter in two-thirds of an inning.
The contest was tied 3-3 entering the eighth inning when the Twins broke it open, taking advantage of Stephan’s wildness.
Vazquez started the rally with a single and then advanced to third on an opposite-field double down the left field line by Castro. One out later, Jorge Polanco drove in pinch runner Joey Gallo with a sacrifice fly.
Stephan then walked both Royce Lewis and Max Kepler to load the bases. Castro scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3, and Stephan then hit Carlos Correa with a pitch to load the bases again.
Solano followed with a sinking line drive. Center fielder Myles Straw ran in and tried to short-hop the ball, but it bounced past his glove and rolled to the track, allowing all three runners to score, making it 8-3.
The Twins, coming in off a 20-6 win in the series opener on Monday, picked up where they left off in the first inning, jumping out to a 2-0 lead against Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee. Lewis walked with two outs and scored on a double by Kepler. Correa then followed with a single to drive in Kepler.
Cleveland tied it 2-2 in the third on Naylor’s home run to right, driving in Brennan, who had singled to start the inning. It was Naylor’s eighth homer of the season.
The Guardians took a 3-2 lead in the fifth when Gabriel Arias led off with a double to center, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Straw.
Minnesota tied it 3-3 in the sixth when Vazquez sliced the ball just inside the right field foul pole for his sixth home run of the season.
—Field Level Media
Original source here
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