Rosario, Mauer slug Twins past Blue Jays
The Sports Xchange
Sep 17, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS -- Eddie Rosario homered twice and Joe Mauer hit the fourth career grand slam as the Minnesota Twins scored seven runs in the second inning and six in the fifth in a 13-7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
Toronto's Josh Donaldson homered in each of the first two innings to help stake starter Joe Biagini (3-11) to an early five-run lead. But Rosario and Byron Buxton hit back-to-back homers to lead off the second and spark a seven-run Twins' rally.
After a rocky start, Minnesota starter Kyle Gibson (11-10) settled in to strike out eight batters over six innings.
With the Twins leading 7-5, third baseman Eduardo Escobar started a string of four straight singles off Toronto right-hander Chris Rowley to extend the lead to 8-5. It also set the table for Mauer, who easily cleared the right field wall.
One out later, Rowley surrendered Rosario's second of the game.
The Blue Jays took advantage of Gibson's control problems for four first-inning runs. After Gibson struck out leadoff hitter Ezequiel Carrera, Donaldson launched a 1-0 pitch into Target Field's second deck in left center field.
Gibson issued free passes to four of the next five batters and walked in a run before catcher Raffy Lopez's two-run single plated Jose Bautista and Kevin Pillar.
With one out in the second, Donaldson tagged Gibson with another solo shot, his 30th of the season, and Minnesota trailed 5-0 heading into the bottom half of the second.
After Rosario and Buxton homered, one-out singles by Escobar and Jason Castro and a Robbie Grossman walk loaded the bases for Brian Dozier, who dropped a run-scoring single into left field to chase Biagini. Mauer greeted reliever Tim Mayza by reaching on an error by Blue Jays second baseman Ryan Goins, scoring Castro and Grossman.
Jorge Polanco forced out Mauer at second to score Dozier and Rosario's second hit of the inning, a single, forced Gibbons to replace Mayza with Luis Santos. But Buxton doubled for his second hit of the inning to drive in Polanco to boost Minnesota's lead to 7-5 after two innings.
The Blue Jays scored twice in the seventh off Twins reliever Aaron Slegers when Justin Smoak doubled in Carrera and Bautista's groundout scored Donaldson.
NOTES: Blue Jays 3B Josh Donaldson's first-inning home run traveled an estimated at 476 feet, making it the third longest in Target Field history behind Jim Thome's 480 footer in 2010 and his 490-foot shot in 2011. ... Donaldson has feasted off Twins' pitching for six home runs and 10 RBIs this season. ... Toronto has Monday off before opening its final homestand of the season against Kansas City on Tuesday. ... Minnesota OF Eddie Rosario's second-inning home run marked the 16th straight game the Twins have homered, tying a team record for the second time this season. ... Twins 1B Joe Mauer's grand slam is his first since Sept. 1, 2012. ... Minnesota hits the road for the final time this season when it kicks off an 11-day, 10 game trip on Monday in New York against the Yankees before heading to Detroit and Cleveland.
Sep 17, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS -- Eddie Rosario homered twice and Joe Mauer hit the fourth career grand slam as the Minnesota Twins scored seven runs in the second inning and six in the fifth in a 13-7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
Toronto's Josh Donaldson homered in each of the first two innings to help stake starter Joe Biagini (3-11) to an early five-run lead. But Rosario and Byron Buxton hit back-to-back homers to lead off the second and spark a seven-run Twins' rally.
After a rocky start, Minnesota starter Kyle Gibson (11-10) settled in to strike out eight batters over six innings.
With the Twins leading 7-5, third baseman Eduardo Escobar started a string of four straight singles off Toronto right-hander Chris Rowley to extend the lead to 8-5. It also set the table for Mauer, who easily cleared the right field wall.
One out later, Rowley surrendered Rosario's second of the game.
The Blue Jays took advantage of Gibson's control problems for four first-inning runs. After Gibson struck out leadoff hitter Ezequiel Carrera, Donaldson launched a 1-0 pitch into Target Field's second deck in left center field.
Gibson issued free passes to four of the next five batters and walked in a run before catcher Raffy Lopez's two-run single plated Jose Bautista and Kevin Pillar.
With one out in the second, Donaldson tagged Gibson with another solo shot, his 30th of the season, and Minnesota trailed 5-0 heading into the bottom half of the second.
After Rosario and Buxton homered, one-out singles by Escobar and Jason Castro and a Robbie Grossman walk loaded the bases for Brian Dozier, who dropped a run-scoring single into left field to chase Biagini. Mauer greeted reliever Tim Mayza by reaching on an error by Blue Jays second baseman Ryan Goins, scoring Castro and Grossman.
Jorge Polanco forced out Mauer at second to score Dozier and Rosario's second hit of the inning, a single, forced Gibbons to replace Mayza with Luis Santos. But Buxton doubled for his second hit of the inning to drive in Polanco to boost Minnesota's lead to 7-5 after two innings.
The Blue Jays scored twice in the seventh off Twins reliever Aaron Slegers when Justin Smoak doubled in Carrera and Bautista's groundout scored Donaldson.
NOTES: Blue Jays 3B Josh Donaldson's first-inning home run traveled an estimated at 476 feet, making it the third longest in Target Field history behind Jim Thome's 480 footer in 2010 and his 490-foot shot in 2011. ... Donaldson has feasted off Twins' pitching for six home runs and 10 RBIs this season. ... Toronto has Monday off before opening its final homestand of the season against Kansas City on Tuesday. ... Minnesota OF Eddie Rosario's second-inning home run marked the 16th straight game the Twins have homered, tying a team record for the second time this season. ... Twins 1B Joe Mauer's grand slam is his first since Sept. 1, 2012. ... Minnesota hits the road for the final time this season when it kicks off an 11-day, 10 game trip on Monday in New York against the Yankees before heading to Detroit and Cleveland.
