The Minnesota Twins used a five-run third inning and a rare performance from their bullpen to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-1 on Saturday night.
The Twins were able to get to Cardinals starter John Woodford early when Luis Arraez delivered a sacrifice fly and Miguel SanĂł smashed an RBI double in the first inning.
Minnesota added to its lead in the third when Arraez put the Twins ahead 3-0 with an RBI double. After Trevor Larnach added a sacrifice fly, Ryan Jeffers blasted a three-run homer that put Minnesota up 7-0.
RYAN JEFFERS! đź’Ąđź’Ąđź’Ą
A 3-run shot to extend the @Twins now 7-run lead over the Cardinals pic.twitter.com/WpP10fuooJ— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 1, 2021
That was more than enough run support for Twins starter Bailey Ober, who allowed just one run over six innings while collecting his first major league hit.
Armed with a 7-1 lead, the Twins bullpen stepped in and silenced the Cardinals’ bats. The quartet of Jorge Alcala, Caleb Thielbar, Juan Minaya and Alexander ColomĂ© held St. Louis to one hit over five innings to help Minnesota pick up the victory.
The Twins (44-61) will go for the series victory in St. Louis on Sunday when they send Michael Pineda to the mound against Adam Wainwright. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.
