MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins offense couldn't have been much better to start Monday's game.
Luis Arraez — who entered the game with the second-highest on-base percentage in the American League at .437 — walked before Carlos Correa and Jorge Polanco followed with back-to-back singles. Max Kepler then stepped up and hit a grand slam into the right field seats.
Detroit, though, would slowly chip away at that four-run lead, tying the game. The Twins had to rely on Gio Urshela's walk-off infield single in the ninth to win 5-4 at Target Field in front of an announced crowd of 16,361.
With the score tied 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth, Kepler walked and pinch hitter Kyle Garlick put runners on first and third with a base hit to right. Gary Sanchez, another pinch hitter, popped out before Urshela smacked a groundball that trickled out of shortstop Javier Baez' glove to allow the winning run.
Twins starter Chris Archer had another short outing at four innings, but gave up just three hits and one run to the Tigers.
The Twins bullpen eroded the rest of the lead. Griffin Jax took the mound in Archer's stead and allowed a home run to Jonathan Schoop. Then in the sixth, Spencer Torkelson hit a double to the centerfield wall before Eric Haase drove him home on a base hit.
Joe Smith saw his 0.00 ERA disappear when he came in for the seventh inning. He surrendered three hits and the tying run — the first he has allowed in 17 appearances this season — from Miguel Cabrera's RBI single before Caleb Thielbar entered to finish the inning.
Detroit starter Elvin Rodriguez lasted five innings, giving up four hits and four runs, which all came in that first inning. The Twins did not get a hit again until Arraez' single in the fifth.
