After a 90-minute rain delay to start the game, the Minnesota Twins took advantage of three home runs to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-6 for their second win in the four-game series between the teams.
The game went back and forth early as the Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-1 lead thanks to run-scoring hits by Ryan Raburn and Brennan Boesch. After the Twins rallied with five runs in the top of the third to chase Detroit starter Duane Below from the game, the Tigers tied the game up at 6-6 with a three-run fourth inning thanks to a solo shot from Boesch and a two-run homer by center fielder Austin Jackson.
Eventually, though a sacrifice fly by DH Ryan Doumit would plate the winning run for the Twins while Joe Mauer greeted reliever Joaquin Benoit with his 18th home run of the season to lead off the ninth and add a little insurance.
Trevor Plouffe came up big for the Twins at the plate and in the field as he hit his 19th home run of the season to cap off the 5-run third inning for Minnesota. Then in the field with the Twins clinging to a one-run lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, Plouffe snared a sharp line drive from Miguel Cabrerra and then fired the ball to first to double off Quintin Berry.
Reliever Brayan Villareal was tagged with the loss (3-2), while Minnesota reliever Jeff Gray earned the win to move to 5-0 on the season and closer Glen Perkins notched his fourth save. The two teams continue their four-game series on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. ET.
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