MINNEAPOLIS — They played Prince's "Sometime It Snows In April" on a 37-degree Friday night at Target Field. That's where second baseman Jorge Polanco made his long-awaited season debut and Washington denied manager Rocco Baldelli his 300th Twins win with an eighth-inning rally for a 3-2 victory.
The Nationals scored twice in that eighth against Twins reliever Griffin Jax.
Right fielder Lane Thomas' single drove in shortstop CJ Abrams from second for the tying run and Keibert Ruiz drove in Thomas for the go-ahead run.
Polanco batted sixth in Baldelli's order and singled in his first at-bat after he missed the season's first 19 games because of left knee inflammation.
He came to the plate in the ninth with no outs and runners on first and second base, but lined out to shortstop. That kept Byron Buxton and pinch-runner Willi Castro where they were, in place for the Nationals' double play that ended the game.
The Twins scored their only runs — two of them — in the third inning, thanks to Joey Gallo's fifth home run of the young season and sacrifices made by Michael A. Taylor and Max Kepler. Those two pushed catcher Ryan Jeffers just across the plate for a 2-0 lead that stood until the eighth.
Nationals DH Joey Meneses hit a solo homer deep over the center-field wall with one out in the seventh inning made it 2-1 and set the stage.
The game was played in two hours and 33 minutes before an announced 12,469 hearty, enduring fans.
Starter Tyler Mahle evened his record at 2-2 after he went 6 1/3 innings and allowed one run, three hits, struck out four, walked none and left after Meneses' homer. It was Mahle's sixth time facing the Nationals but his first as a Twin.
The former Cincinnati Reds pitcher made his fourth start of the season and his second at home, winning with five innings thrown at Miami on April 3 and losing decisions against Houston and at the New York Yankees.
Baldelli entered Friday's game with 299 career victories That's sixth on the club's all-time list, behind Tom Kelly's 1,140, Ron Gardenhire's 1,068, Sam Mele's 378, Gene Mauch's 378 and Paul Molitor's 305.
Before Friday's game, Polanco answered a reporter who welcomed him back to baseball and the big leagues by answering with "thank you" four times rapidly in succession.
"Muy excited," Polanco said in the Twins' clubhouse. "I'm really excited to be back with the major league club again. I'm just happy to be here."
He did rehab assignments in Class A Fort Myers and Class AAA St. Paul before he was recalled Friday.
Baldelli practically beamed before Friday's game when asked about writing Polanco's name on the night's lineup.
"A very good day for us as a team," he said. "Obviously, we've been waiting patiently for Jorge to come back. We were very deliberate because we need to be with his rehab. But he's been doing well."
Baldelli called him a "full go" heading back into the middle of the lineup, batting fifth and playing at the second-base spot.
"But we're not going to play him 10 days in a row to start his season," he said. "But he's going to play a lot. He'll be out there."
Baldelli was asked before the game if he has a preferred spot in his lineup order for Polanco.
"It may change, as we've seen," Baldelli said. "We'll see how he's doing. It has been a long time since he has played at the major-league level and we'll let him get going and get comfortable and then see where's at. When he starts swinging the bat good, it's always tempting to move him around, especially being the switch-hitter that he is."
