TORONTO — Tyler Duffey nearly blew a five-run lead in the ninth inning, but the Twins hung on for a 8-6 victory on Sunday at Rogers Centre.
Jhoan Duran was presumably supposed to pitch the final two innings, but he appeared to hurt his lower left leg while trying to hustle to make an out at first, so he only finished the eighth.
Duffey struck out his first batter before walk his second and giving up a hit to his third. Then Santiago Espinal smacked a three-run homer to put the Blue Jays within two runs. Duffey gave up one more hit before Jorge Polanco botched a double play with a throwing error. Then Jovani Moran took the mound to face Toronto's leadoff hitter George Springer with a runner on second and one out to go.
Moran put one more on base but eventually earned the save. The American League Central leaders improved to 32-24 while the AL East Blue Jays fell to 31-22.
Luis Arraez leads the league with his .447 on-base percentage, and that prowess was on full display Sunday. He 4-for-4 plus a walk, scoring two runs as the Twins took the series 2-1.The Twins jumped on Toronto's starter Kevin Gausman, smacking nine hits and five runs off him through 3 2⁄3 innings. Two of those runs, though, were unearned, the product of some Blue Jays' fielding errors while contending with the afternoon sun.
Twins starter Devin Smeltzer went four innings and allowed just four hits and two runs, including home runs to George Springer and Alejandro Kirk. Toronto's only other run was also a solo homer from Matt Chapman, off reliever Joe Smith.
Trevor Larnach and Gary Sanchez both delivered home runs for the Twins as well, in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. The Twins were outhitting the Blue Jays 16-6 until the bottom of the ninth.
