Julien, Castro homer to help Twins sweep doubleheader with 4-1 win over Tigers
MINNEAPOLIS — Edouard Julien and Willi Castro homered and the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1 in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday.
Minnesota used a seven-run 12th inning to win the first game 11-5.
The Tigers struck out 27 times in the doubleheader and 42 times in a 24-hour span including Friday's rain-delayed 8-2 win.
Simeon Woods-Richardson (1-0) allowed one run on two hits and a walk in six innings in the second game. Cole Sands pitched the final 2 1/3 innings for his first save of the season.
Matt Manning (0-1) gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out seven. Like Woods-Richardson, he was called up Saturday.
Both offenses struggled against the late-afternoon shadows in the first five innings, with Julien's third-inning homer giving Minnesota a 2-1 lead.
In the sixth, Castro — who played his first four seasons with the Tigers — picked up Manning's sweeper well enough to hit his first homer of the season. That gave the Twins a 4-1 lead, and Woods-Richardson retired the last 14 batters he faced.
The first game went to extra innings thanks to an 8th-inning pinch-hit homer by Ryan Jeffers.
After both teams scored once in the 11th, Detroit reliever Alex Lange (0-1) walked Castro to start the 12th and Christian Vázquez bunted, but first baseman Spencer Torkelson's throw to third was late, loading the bases.
Lange walked Austin Martin to make it 5-4. Kyle Farmer and Carlos Santana struck out, but Jeffers hit a grounder to third that went through Zach McKinstry's legs for a three-run error.
McKinstry then replaced Lange, walked Manuel Margot and allowed a long homer to Wallner.
Jorge Alcala (1-0) got the win, allowing two runs in two innings.
Tigers starter Kenta Maeda allowed two runs — one earned — on five hits in six innings against his old team. He struck out five without walking a batter.
Minnesota's Joe Kelly struck out a career-high 12 batters in six innings but gave up three runs — one earned — on six hits and a walk.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: SS Carlos Correa was placed on the 10-day injured list after sustaining an oblique early in Friday's 8-2 loss to the Tigers. Manager Rocco Baldelli said he does not believe it is a serious injury, while Correa thinks it might have been related to the coughing he did during a recent illness.
UP NEXT
The teams finish the four-game series on Sunday afternoon, with Detroit RHP Jack Flaherty (0-1, 5.25) facing RHP Bailey Ober (0-1, 12.79).