Torkelson homers twice against the Twins again, leading the Tigers to an 8-7 victory

MINNEAPOLIS - MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Spencer Torkelson homered twice against Minnesota for the second time in a week, and the Detroit Tigers survived a late scare for an 8-7 victory over the Twins on Wednesday.

Torkelson lifted Griffin Jax’s 1-1 sweeper into the left-field seats at Target Field to give the Tigers a 6-4 lead in the top of the seventh, giving the second-year first baseman his fourth career multi-homer game.

His previous one came last Wednesday against the Twins in Detroit.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - AUGUST 16: Spencer Torkelson #20 of the Detroit Tigers hits a solo home run in the third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on August 16, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

Torkelson, who also homered Tuesday night and almost had a third in the ninth inning Wednesday, leads the Tigers with 20 home runs. He’s the seventh player in club history with that many during his age-23 season.

Relievers Beau Brieske, Tyler Holton, Alex Lange and Will Vest combined for 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Holton (2-2) earned the win with by striking out five in 2 1/3 perfect innings.

Jason Foley gave up back-to-back homers in the ninth, and Matt Wallner, who delivered Minnesota a victory Tuesday, had a drive that was caught on the left-field warning track.

Donovan Solano grounded into a double play to end the game.

Following their final game this season against divisional foe Detroit, the Twins (63-59) remain four games ahead of Cleveland for the AL Central lead. The Tigers — 8-5 against Minnesota in 2023 — are eight back of the Guardians.

Minnesota’s Kenta Maeda gave up three or fewer runs for a 10th straight outing, tying Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee for the longest active streak among AL starters. Maeda recorded six strikeouts and allowed three earned runs on seven hits, including Riley Greene’s two-run homer to the right-center field second deck in the top of the third inning.

Two batters later, Torkelson smacked Maeda’s first-pitch curveball into the left-field bleachers to make it 4-3.

Jax (5-7) took the loss, surrendering four earned runs on three hits — including Torkelson’s second homer and Kerry Carpenter’s solo shot a batter later — in one inning.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with an RBI, extending his career-best hitting streak to 12 games.

Tigers rookie starter Reese Olson gave up four earned runs on eight hits while throwing just 2 2/3 innings.

Minnesota’s Eduardo Julien hit three singles. His bases-load hit to right field in the second inning scored a pair of runs, and Jorge Polanco hit an RBI sacrifice fly as the Twins took a 4-0 lead.

Olson was pulled for reliever Brieske, who struck out Joey Gallo with two outs and runners on second and third to keep Minnesota from extending its then one-run lead. Brieske gave up one hit and two walks in one inning before Holton came in and and retired all seven batters he faced.

That included a bases-loaded strikeout of Wallner to end the fourth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: RHP Spencer Turnbull, on the injured list since May 15 with neck discomfort, made a rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Toledo, allowing six runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and a walk in five innings.

Twins: SS Carlos Correa sat out to take advantage of Minnesota’s off day Thursday in letting a sore foot heal. Manager Rocco Baldelli said Correa woke up sore Wednesday after legging out an infield single in the Twins’ 5-3 win the night before.

UP NEXT

Detroit heads to Cleveland for a four-game series against the Guardians starting Thursday. Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal is scheduled to start against Cleveland’s RHP Xzavion Curry (3-1, 3.39 ERA)

The Twins are off Thursday, then host Pittsburgh for a three-game series Friday-Sunday. RHP Pablo Lopez (8-6, 3.66 ERA) will start for Minnesota. The Pirates haven’t announced their Friday starter yet.