In Minneapolis, the Minnesota Twins managed to overcome the Toronto Blue Jays with a 6-3 victory on Sunday, thus avoiding a series sweep and halting their three-game losing streak. The significant shift in momentum came in the fourth inning when Brooks Lee and Christian Vázquez delivered consecutive home runs. These key hits helped the Twins take a lead that they maintained for the rest of the game.
Starting off the fourth inning, Minnesota was trailing 3-2. Brooks Lee changed the tides with his fifth home run off Bowden Francis, followed immediately by Vázquez’s second homer of the season. The Twins never looked back after these explosive back-to-back plays. Joe Ryan had a notable performance on the mound, achieving his seventh win of the season by allowing three runs—two of them earned—across five innings. This victory also ended the Blue Jays’ four-game winning hot streak. Relief pitchers Brock Stewart, Cole Sands, and Griffin Jax each contributed an inning without allowing a score, and Jhoan Duran sealed the game by securing his 10th save in 11 attempts during the ninth inning.
Toronto initially took the lead in the second, courtesy of Alan Roden’s RBI double. However, Minnesota responded promptly with a groundout RBI from Vázquez and a sacrifice fly from Trevor Larnach, nudging them ahead at 2-1. The Blue Jays regained a temporary lead when Alejandro Kirk drove in a run with a single, and George Springer followed up with a run-scoring double in the third, putting Toronto ahead 3-2.
Pitcher Mason Fluharty relieved in the fourth inning but had to make an early exit in the fifth after allowing two runners on base. Erik Swanson took over but was quickly met with a challenge as Ty France hit an RBI single, stretching Minnesota’s lead to 5-3. Brooks Lee earned a walk to load the bases, and despite Swanson striking out Vázquez, Byron Buxton drew another walk, setting the final score at 6-3. Bowden Francis, Toronto’s starter, struggled through 3 1/3 innings, conceding four runs, five hits, and five walks.
The game marked the Twins’ first series victory at home against the Blue Jays since 2013, a satisfying achievement considering their goals to break away from their recent losing streaks. Notably, Minnesota boasts having issued the fewest walks in the majors at 164, 31 fewer than Toronto, who conceded eight walks in this matchup alone.
Looking ahead, the Blue Jays are slated to start a new series against the St. Louis Cardinals, who have named Andre Pallante as their starting pitcher. Meanwhile, the Twins will prepare to host the Texas Rangers over a three-game home series, though starting pitchers for this matchup have yet to be announced.