Three Twins hit solo home runs and then the bullpen held on until the last out in their 3-2 comeback victory over Arizona on Friday at Target Field.
Jorge Polanco in the third inning, Max Kepler in the sixth and Michael A. Taylor in the seventh all hit one out on a night the AL Central Division-leading Twins stayed 2.5 games ahead of second place Cleveland.
Kepler’s homer — his 16th this season — came off the first pitch in the Twins’ sixth inning and tied the score 2-2.
Taylor’s solo homer led off the Twins’ seventh and gave them a 3-2 lead they’d never lose.
That homer, his 14th, came after he struck out with the bases loaded in the second inning after Arizona took an early 1-0 on Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s home run.
“It feels good to win,” Taylor said afterward. “You’re not going to get a hit every time. The opportunity with the bases loaded, I felt like I had a good at-bat. I swung at the pitches I wanted to and I thought that pitch was down — and the call didn’t go my way.”
Taylor’s opposite-field homer stood as the winner after Twins closer Jhoan Duran, with runners on first and third in the ninth, got Arizona leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdoma to pop a bunt out to him attempting to squeeze a runner home.
Then Duran, the fifth Twins pitcher of the night, struck out second baseman Katel Marte on a full count, looking at a called third strike for the save.
Twins starter Bailey Ober worked hard, his pitch count reaching into the 80s by the fourth inning. He pitched through the fifth, giving up two runs including the homer.
Newly acquired Dylan Floro came on for the sixth and Caleb Thielbar, just back from injury, got four out before Emilio Pagán and Duran closed.
“Three solo homers tonight, two from the lefties, Taylor with the big one late,” Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler said. “Bailey battled; they fouled off a lot of balls.
“He turned it over to the bullpen and they did a great job. It was a really nice 3-2 win.”
The Twins have won three of their past four games after they lost five consecutively before that.
Kepler tied the score at 2 with his solo homer hit 408 feet to right-center field on the sixth inning’s first pitch.
“The last four or six weeks, Max has been a steady part of what we’re doing,” Tingler said. “We’re getting steady at bats from him. He’s driving he ball. Even his outs have been squared up.”
Earlier Friday, the Twins put designated hitter Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Wednesday because of a right hamstring strain.
Buxton has played 85 games this season, hitting .207 with 17 home runs.
To replace Buxton on the 26-man roster, the Twins claimed outfielder/first baseman Jordan Luplow off waivers from Toronto.
Rocco Baldelli managed the game for the Twins, but he had Tingler do his pre- and postgame media obligations so he could be with his wife. The couple is expecting twins.