I’ll confess: I wasn’t optimistic about the Twins’ chances against the Toronto Blue Jays, a team they have historically struggled to beat.
But the Twins proved me wrong (Have a little faith, right?) after they blasted the Blue Jays on Wednesday and swept the three-game series. It was the Twins’ first sweep of the Blue Jays in Toronto since 2003.
Twins explode for 6 runs in the 11th inning, finish off their first sweep in Rogers Centre since 2003 with a 12-6 victory over the Blue Jays.
— Phil Miller (@MillerStrib) July 26, 2018
The see-saw game was finally tied by the Blue Jays in the eighth to send it to extra innings. And then the Twins went to work, blowing open a game in the 11th after Max Kepler was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run.
From there, they poured it on for a 12-6 win. The Twins scored 12 runs on 17 hits, with catcher Mitch Garver playing the role of hero. Garver went 4-for-6, including a home run, and knocked in five runs. Joe Mauer and Eddie Rosario had three hits apiece, while Brian Dozier and Jorge Polanco each had two hits.
Heckuva game by #MNTwins catcher Mitch Garver. That's five RBI!
Here's his 2018 @Topps card. pic.twitter.com/IQwPzsEpN9
— The Twins Almanac (@TwinsAlmanac) July 26, 2018
Starter Ervin Santana, who made his 2018 debut Wednesday, pitched pretty well for someone who last faced major league hitters in October 2017. He struck out five in five innings and allowed three runs with one walk in the no-decision start. Reliever Matt Belisle was credited with the win.
“The first inning was the tough one for me,” Santana told MLB.com. “After that, I settled down and took a deep breath and went back to work. I was very happy, especially with the performance today. Five innings, three runs — it was good. I’ll take it.”
Kyle Gibson gets the ball Thursday.
Extra innings…
-Thursday’s game kicks off a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Boston is baseball’s best team at 71-32, including a 34-13 mark at home. Remember, though, the Twins took two of three games from the Sox in June at Target Field, including wins over Chris Sale (Sale didn’t figure in the decision) and David Price.