Maybe a healthy Twins team will be the difference in September.
Outfielder Kyle Garlick returned to the lineup from the injured list on Friday and didn’t miss a beat, collecting three hits in four trips to the plate to pace a 9-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.
The win — a much needed win — ended the Twins’ six-game losing streak that started with the Texas Rangers and then continued in Houston where the Twins were swept. The Twins struggled to hit and score runs during the slide, but they rebounded nicely Friday at Target Field with nine runs on nine hits.
Garlick also hit a home run, as did Carlos Correa and Gary Sanchez, and Gilberto Celestino came up big in the third inning with a bases-clearing double. The Twins scored two runs in the first inning and tacked on six more in the third after Celestino’s hit.
On the mound, starter Joe Ryan cruised, pitching six shutout innings with eight strikeouts to improve to 10-6 with a 3.56 ERA. Twins pitching allowed four hits total.
And the best news on Friday? Both the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox lost, so the Twins picked up a game on the Guards, while the South Siders fell further behind. The Twins are now three games out of first place in the AL Central.
Sonny Gray gets the ball on Saturday.
Extra innings…
-The Twins turned three double plays on Friday.
-The Twins finished their season series with the Astros at 0-6. The Twins this season also struggled against the Dodgers (0-4) and the Rangers (2-5), but they are 9-4 against the Royals and 5-1 versus the A’s.
-The Twins have two more games at home against the Giants, then welcome the Red Sox for three more. Then they hit the road for three games at Chicago and four in New York. If they can survive that road series, then they largely play AL Central teams to end the season. Can they do it?