Minnesota Twins vs Detroit Tigers Match Player Stats On Sep 24, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Sep 24, 2017

DETROIT -- Eduardo Escobar hit a three-run home run and Jorge Polanco a solo shot Sunday to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 10-4 thrashing of the Detroit Tigers and a sweep of their four-game series.

Minnesota, which entered the game with a 4 1/2-game hold on the American League's second wild card spot, is off Monday before starting a three game series in Cleveland. Detroit has lost seven straight and is 4-20 in September with six road games left.

Joe Mauer hit a two-run double to left-center field in the sixth inning and scored when Escobar hit his three-run home run, his 20th, as Minnesota bumped its lead to 10-2.

Ian Kinsler hit a two-run home run, his 22nd, with two out in the ninth to make it 10-4.

Jose Berrios (13-8) almost didn't make it through the fifth to qualify for the win. He ended up pitching five innings, allowing five hits and two runs with two walks and six strikeouts.

Singles by Andrew Romine put runners on first and second and a pair of wild Berrios pitches scored one while Alex Presley's bloop single to left brought Detroit to within 5-2. Nicholas Castellanos plopped a single to right but Berrios got the third out on a drive to deep left to keep manager Paul Molitor from going to his bullpen.

Alan Busenitz pitched an inning for the Twins while Ryan Pressly got two outs, Taylor Rogers one, and Michael Tonkin worked the eighth and ninth to finish the game.

Mauer singled to right and Polanco doubled to right center, both runners scoring on a groundout to second by Eddie Rosario plus a bloop single to right center by Escobar, making it 5-0 for the Twins.

The first five runs were charged to starter Buck Farmer (4-5), who allowed eight hits, walked three and struck out five in five innings.

Second-inning singles by Jason Castro, Kennys Vargas and Brian Dozier produced a 2-0 Minnesota lead in the second. Vargas doubled after a one-out walk in the fourth and Zach Granite drove a sacrifice fly to right to up the lead to 3-0.

Polanco hit his 12th home run of the season with two out in the first. The solo shot went to right, a Farmer fastball that caught too much strike zone and gave the Twins a 1-0 lead.

NOTES: 1B Miguel Cabrera was out of the Detroit Tigers' lineup Sunday and scheduled for an afternoon MRI on his sore lower back/hip area. ... RF Max Kepler, who hurt his side in the first inning Saturday night, did not start for the Minnesota Twins on Sunday but said he was available to pinch-hit. ... 3B Nicholas Castellanos made his first start at third base for Detroit since Sept. 1. He has been playing right field since then. "He's still taking ground balls at third," manager Brad Ausmus said.