Max Kepler had a pinch-hit, three-run triple and Willi Castro went 3-for-4 with a homer, double and two runs scored to lead the Minnesota Twins a 8-4 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Kyle Farmer went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, Donovan Solano had a two-run single and Jordan Luplow went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored for Minnesota (75-67) which increased its American League Central lead to seven games over Cleveland, which plays the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim later on Saturday night.
Kenta Maeda (4-7) picked up the win, allowing two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two to help the Twins win for the sixth time in eight games.
Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and DJ Stewart all homered for New York (64-76) which lost its third straight game. David Peterson (3-8) suffered the loss while allowing three runs on eight hits in six innings. He walked one, hit a batter and struck out eight.
New York jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Nimmo led off with his 23rd home run of the season, a 363-foot opposite-field drive just over the left field fence. Jeff McNeil followed with a single, stole second and then scored on a two-out single by Daniel Vogelbach.
Minnesota tied it, 2-2, in the second inning on a two-out, two-run single by Solano, driving in Ryan Jeffers, who had singled, and Castro, who had doubled.
The Twins took a 3-2 lead in the third when Luplow doubled and scored on a bloop single by Farmer.
Minnesota extended the lead to 7-2 with a four-run seventh against reliever Drew Smith, highlighted by Kepler’s two-out, three-run triple off the top of the wall in right-center. Farmer followed with a double to drive in Kepler.
New York cut it to 7-4 in the eighth with two solo home runs off reliever Louie Varland. Alonso hit the first, his 43rd of the season, that was a 427-foot line drive into the second deck in left. Stewart added his 11th, a 428-foot drive to right-center.
Castro made it 8-4 in the bottom half of the inning with his sixth homer of the season.
–Field Level Media