Twins rally to take doubleheader from Tigers

MINNEAPOLIS — Marwin Gonzalez singled home Willians Astudillo in the eighth inning, and the Minnesota Twins rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 and sweep Friday’s doubleheader.

Astudillo served as Minnesota’s automatic runner at second in the eighth inning of the seven-inning game. Gonzalez hit a grounder up the middle, and Detroit center fielder Derek Hill, making his major-league debut, bobbled the ball, allowing Astudillo to score easily.

Sergio Romo (1-1) pitched a perfect seventh and Trevor May picked up his second save in four chances as Minnesota won its fourth consecutive game.

Adding to the oddity of playing the eighth as an extra inning and having a runner start on second base, the Twins were the road team for the second game. The game was originally postponed in Detroit on Aug. 28 because of inclement weather.

Joe Jimenez (1-3) allowed Gonzalez’s hit to take the loss after Gregory Soto blew a save in the seventh. Soto walked the first two batters of the inning and Jorge Polanco followed with an RBI single.

Miguel Cabrera had a pair of hits for Detroit and three hits in the doubleheader, tying Brooks Robinson (Little Rock) for 48th on the career list with 2,848.

In the first game, Polanco and Josh Donaldson hit back-to-back homers to lead off the bottom of the first inning, and Randy Dobnak (62) bounced back with five scoreless innings as Minnesota won 2-0.

BLUE JAYS 8-2, RED SOX 7-3

Yairo Munoz

had three hits and Boston salvaged a spit of its doubleheader as the “road” team at Fenway Park with a victory over Toronto to halt a fivegame losing streak. Munoz went a combined 6 for 7 in the doubleheader.

YANKEES 6-3, ORIOLES 5-6

Miguel Andujar singled in the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning and New York defeated Baltimore in the opener of a doubleheader. Gary Sanchez homered for the Yankees, who had won 18 in a row at Camden Yards until Ryan Mountcastle had a solo home run and an RBI single to help the Orioles win the second game.

WHITE SOX 7, ROYALS 4

Eloy Jimenez went 3 for 5, including his seventh double of the season in the seventh inning, to help Chicago pull away from Kansas City at Kauffmann Stadium.

INTERLEAGUE

BREWERS 7, INDIANS 1 Corbin Burnes (20) pitched six strong innings, and Keston Hiura hit an RBI double in Milwaukee’s four-run seventh inning in a victory over host Cleveland.

RAYS 5, MARLINS 4 In St. Petersburg, Fla., rookie left-hander Josh Fleming won his third consecutive start, Michael Perez had a three-run double and Tampa Bay beat Miami.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

BRAVES 7-9, NATIONALS 1-10

Trea Turner gave Washington the lead by hitting a sixth-inning home run off Will Smith and the Nationals held on in the seventh to beat Atlanta and split a doubleheader. Ronald Acuna Jr. homered twice and Dansby Swanson added a two-run shot as the Braves beat the Nationals in the first game. Acuna hit three home runs in the doubleheader.

REDS 4-3, PIRATES 2-4 Pittsburgh took advantage of an uncharacteristically average performance by Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer (3-3) to split a doubleheader. The Reds took the opener behind Luis Castillo, who worked six solid innings. Cincinnati, however, missed a chance to sweep a doubleheader for the third time this season when Anthony Alford hit a two-run triple off Bauer in the fourth and tied it when Bauer’s second wild pitch of the season briefly skipped out of reach of catcher Tucker Barnhart.

PHILLIES 5, METS 3 Jake Arrieta (3-4) pitched seven solid innings to lead visiting Philadelphia over New York for its fifth consecutive victory.

CUBS 4, CARDINALS 1 Yu Darvish pitched seven strong innings in his seventh consecutive win to lead the Cubs to a victory over St. Louis in the opener of a five-game series. Wilson Contreras had three hits and four RBI for Chicago, including a leadoff home run in the sixth inning.