Rookie Brooks Lee went 2-for-4 with a triple and a career-high five RBIs, and the Minnesota Twins pulled away for a 9-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Carlos Santana finished 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and three runs for Minnesota (79-70), which avoided a three-game sweep. Ryan Jeffers went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Spencer Steer hit an RBI triple for Cincinnati (73-78). Ty France hit a sacrifice fly to account for the Reds’ other run.
Twins right-hander Cole Sands (8-1) pitched two innings of scoreless relief. He was one of three relievers to follow David Festa, who gave up two runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Reds right-hander Rhett Lowder (1-2) gave up three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The Reds started the scoring with two runs in the top of the fourth. Steer hit his RBI triple to center field, and France followed two batters later with a sacrifice fly to center to score Steer.
The Twins cut the deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth. Willi Castro singled to left to drive in Santana.
A three-run sixth gave the Twins a 4-2 lead. They scored all three runs with two outs.
Jeffers evened the score with a double to left. In the next at-bat, Lee stepped to the plate with runners on second and third, and he delivered a two-run single to make it 4-2.
The Twins put the game away with five runs in the seventh to increase their lead to 9-2.
Santana started the big inning with a two-run shot to left. It was his 22nd homer.
The Twins’ next three batters reached safely as Trevor Larnach doubled, Castro was hit by a pitch and Jeffers singled to center. That loaded the bases with two outs for Lee, who came through again with a bases-clearing triple to right to make it 9-2.
Twins reliever Jorge Alcala pitched a pair of scoreless innings to close out the game.