Detroit Tigers vs Minnesota Twins Match Player Stats On May 11, 2019 Game 1

John Hicks hit a tie-breaking solo home run in the ninth inning and the Detroit Tigers posted a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in the first game of a split doubleheader Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.

Ronny Rodriguez hit two home runs and Brandon Dixon also homered for Detroit, which won for just the second time in its last 11 meetings with Minnesota.

Joe Jimenez (2-1) got the win despite giving up a tying homer to C.J. Cron in the eighth. Shane Greene picked up his American League-leading 14th save by pitching a scoreless ninth.

Jason Castro also homered for Minnesota, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Reliever Trevor Hildenberger (2-2) gave up two runs in the ninth to suffer the loss.

The Tigers, coming off back-to-back shutout losses to the Angels and Twins, snapped a 19-inning scoreless streak in the second inning with two solo homers. Rodriguez crushed a 454-foot drive into the second deck above the bullpen in left-center, and Dixon curled a 378-footer inside the foul pole down the left field line.

The Twins cut it to 2-1 in the bottom half of the inning on Jonathan Schoop's double into the gap in left-center, driving in Jake Cave who had been hit by a pitch.

Rodriguez extended Detroit's lead to 3-1 in the fourth with his second homer of the game and fifth of the season, a 414-foot drive into the second deck in left field.

The Twins closed to within 3-2 in the sixth thanks in part to a successful challenge by the Tigers.

Castro jogged to first after it appeared he was hit on his hand by a pitch by Detroit starter Spencer Turnbull. Detroit challenged that the ball hit the knob of Castro's bat, which was confirmed by replay. Two pitches later, Castro belted his fifth home run of the season, a 443-foot drive into the plaza behind the bleachers in right field.

Cron tied it in the eighth with his eighth homer of the season, a 422-foot drive to center off Jimenez.

Hicks answered with his second home run of the season with one out in the ninth off Hildenberger, a line drive just over the fence and into the flower box in left. The Tigers added an insurance run later in the inning on Christin Stewart's RBI single, driving in Gordon Beckham who had doubled.

Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected in the third inning by home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt for arguing balls and strikes, the 77th ejection of his career and sixth time by Wendelstedt.

--Field Level Media