ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Kyle Garlick is almost always a sure bat against left-handed pitchers, and he proved that yet again in the Twins' 9-1 victory Saturday at Tampa Bay.
Garlick smashed a career-high two home runs against Rays starter Shane McClanahan at Tropicana Field to help the Twins improve to 12-9 and even the series. The Twins have won eight of their past nine games. The Rays fell to 12-9.
Garlick's shots are more impressive considering McClanahan accumulated 11 strikeouts in his five innings.
After the Twins struggled at the plate Friday and saw their seven-game winning streak end, Garlick helped the team to an early lead Saturday with his first-inning homer. He ended McClanahan's outing two batters into the sixth inning, hitting his second homer, good for two runs this time.
The Twins added two more runs in the seventh from Trevor Larnach's RBI double and Max Kepler's RBI single. Carlos Correa contributed a RBI single in the ninth before Kepler — hitting in Garlick's third spot since the seventh inning — also banged a two-run homer. Ryan Jeffers drove in one more run that inning, helping the Twins end with 14 hits.
Twins starter Chris Archer ascended the Tropicana Field mound for the first time as a visitor after playing the majority of his career with the Rays. He lasted four innings, giving up two hits and one run from Taylor Walls' second-inning solo homer. Archer struck out four and issued three walks.
Miguel Sano started at first base for the Twins after missing the past three games with a left knee injury. He said he incurred a bone bruise when jumping up and down in celebration of the Twins' walk-off victory Tuesday.
"Still soreness, but sometimes we need to play with the soreness," Sano said. "That's what I'm going to do."
Sano exited the game before the bottom of the seventh inning in favor of Luis Arraez.
Byron Buxton was a late scratch from Saturday's lineup with a right hand contusion. He took a pitch off his lower palm in Friday's game.
