TORONTO — The Twins are currently without the services of 18 players on their 40-man roster thanks to the injured list, COVID list and restricted list.
And yet they still halted Toronto's eight-game winning streak, dealing the Blue Jays a 9-3 defeat at Rogers Centre on Friday. The Twins improved to 31-23 as Toronto dropped to 30-21.
Kyle Garlick did what he does best — stack up hits against left-handed pitchers — smacking a two-run homer off Toronto starter Yusei Kikuchi in the first inning. Toronto immediately tied it, though, with George Springer's solo homer nicked off Twins' spot starter Chi Chi Gonzalez before Teoscar Hernandez added an RBI single.
Jose Miranda responded with a leadoff solo homer in the second, and Garlick delivered his second home run of the game in the third. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added another home run in the third, but that was the last time Toronto would score.
Miranda notched his first multi-home run game with his two-run homer in the sixth. Nick Gordon basically engineered a run in the eighth, taking first after being hit by a pitch, going to second on a balk, stealing third and scampering home on Luis Arraez' single.
Byron Buxton sent the Twins' fifth home run of the game to the left-center stands in the top of the ninth, scoring the Twins' final two runs.
In all, the Twins outhit the Blue Jays 12-4. Gonzalez went three innings, giving up four hits and three runs before Jovani Moran, Jharel Cotton, Tyler Duffey, Joe Smith and Griffin Jax finished the game without giving up a hit.
Unfortunately, the Twins' personnel issues didn't lighten. Gio Urshela appeared to injure his right ankle as Toronto picked him off at second base in the fourth inning. While he stayed in the game to play third base to finish out that inning, Arraez ended up coming into the game to replace him in the next inning.
