Field Level Media
Aug 18, 2018
Mikie Mahtook homered and drove in four runs and Ryan Carpenter collected his first career victory as the Detroit Tigers held off the host Minnesota Twins 7-5 at Target Field on Saturday.
Mahtook's second homer of the season, a three-run shot in the fifth, gave Detroit a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Ronny Rodriguez contributed a two-run double and Jim Adduci added two hits and a run scored.
Carpenter (1-1), a rookie left-hander, gave up three solo homers but lasted 5 1/3 innings. Shane Greene got the last four outs for his 26th save.
Joe Mauer, Tyler Austin, Miguel Sano and Mitch Garver homered for the Twins, who won the first two games of the four-game series.
Tyler Duffey (1-2) gave up three runs in 2 1/3 innings of relief and took the loss. Starter Kohl Stewart didn't get out of the third as he surrendered three runs, three hits and four walks.
Mauer led off the bottom of the first with his second homer in as many at-bats. He hit a pinch-hit three-run homer in Minnesota's 5-4 win on Friday night.
Austin also homered for the second time in the series, a one-out blast in the second.
The Tigers briefly took the lead with a three-run third inning against the erratic Stewart. Adduci reached on a one-out infield single. Stewart walked the next two batters, then induced Victor Martinez to pop out.
Mahtook was hit by pitch to force in a run and Rodriguez ripped a double to right, bringing home two more runs.
Sano tied the score at 3-all in the bottom of the inning with his 11th long ball over the left-center wall.
Mahtook put Detroit back on top after the first two batters reached base in the fifth, crushing his second homer of the series over the left-field wall for a 6-3 lead.
Grayson Greiner scored on an error with two out in the eighth, increasing Detroit's advantage to four runs.
The Twins cut that in half in the bottom of the inning. Max Kepler drew a walk against Joe Jimenez and Garver then joined the home run parade with his seventh of the season.
--Field Level Media