Carlos Santana hit the go-ahead home run in the fifth, Joe Ryan pitched seven strong innings and the visiting Minnesota Twins defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 Friday night.
Carlos Correa added two hits and two runs for the Twins, who have won 16 of their past 18 games. Ryan (2-2) allowed one run and six hits with seven strikeouts.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa drove in both of the Blue Jays’ runs, including one on a solo homer, in the opener of a three-game series. The Blue Jays have lost 11 of their past 15 games.
Toronto starter Yusei Kikuchi (2-3) allowed two runs, four hits and struck out three in eight innings.
The Twins scored once in the first on singles by Correa, Willi Castro and Jose Miranda, before the inning ended when Castro was caught stealing home. When Miranda took off from first in an attempted steal, second baseman Kiner-Falefa returned catcher Danny Jansen’s throw and Castro was tagged out at home.
Kiner-Falefa led off the bottom of the third by hitting a hanging sweeper to left for his second home run of the season.
Santana led off the Minnesota fifth with his fifth home run of the season, a drive to right on a 1-2 fastball.
The Blue Jays could not score in the fifth after they had runners at second and third with no outs. Ryan worked out of the jam with a strikeout and two line-drive outs.
Jhoan Duran replaced Ryan in the bottom of the eighth. He overcame a leadoff walk with a double-play grounder.
Kikuchi retired his final 12 batters before Nate Pearson replaced him in the ninth inning. Pearson allowed Correa’s double with one out before being replaced with two outs and Correa at third after a groundout. Pinch hitter Max Kepler hit an RBI single to extend his hit streak to 12 games.
Minnesota’s Griffin Jax earned his fifth save of the season despite allowing a run in the bottom of the ninth. With two away, he gave up a single, a walk and Kiner-Falefa’s RBI single.
George Springer (illness) did not play for Toronto. Davis Schneider batted first in the order in his place.
–Field Level Media
