The streaky Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 5-2 Tuesday night, fueled by a five-run sixth inning that featured a 450-foot grand slam by rookie Matt Wallner.
The Twins have now won three straight games – they won Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia before Monday’s off day – to continue a trend of very streaky play since returning from the All-Star break in mid-July.
Minnesota won 9 of 11 games immediately after the break and then lost five in a row. They then won 6 of 7 games, lost 4 straight and have now won 3 in a row.
At Target Field Tuesday night, the Twins were held to one hit over five innings before they erupted in the sixth inning. Jorge Polanco led off with a walk and moved to second on a single by Max Kepler. Royce Lewis ripped an RBI single to left to make it 2-1 and then Carlos Correa loaded the bases with an infield single.
Then came Wallner, blasting a 450-foot homer well into the upper deck in right-center field for a 5-2 lead.
Crank up the volume and just listen to the sound Matt Wallner’s swing made.pic.twitter.com/VyIgnjWhzD
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) August 16, 2023
The Tigers had a noteworthy performance from Miguel Cabrera, who hit his second homer of the season and the 509th of his career. He’s now tied with Gary Sheffield for 26th all time.
Up next: Twins vs. Tigers, Wednesday at 12:10 p.m. CT.
