ST. LOUIS (AP) — Michael A. Taylor and Ryan Jeffers each hit a two-run homer, and the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 on Thursday night.
The Twins took two of three from the Cardinals and increased their division lead to 2 1/2 games over idle Cleveland. Minnesota has won just twice in its last eight games.
Sonny Gray (5-4) picked up the win in his first start with the Twins, giving up two runs and five hits in seven innings.
Jhoan Duran gave up a leadoff single in the ninth to Alex Burleson, his third hit in a 3-for-4 night. Burleson scored on a ground out. After a two-out infield single, Duran struck out Taylor Motter to pick up his 19th save.
Matthew Liberatore (1-4) pitched 5 2/3 innings before chased with the bases loaded in the sixth. Drew Verhagen issued a walk to Taylor for a run before getting a strikeout to end the threat. Liberatore allowed five earned runs and six hits with two walks.
Minnesota stung Liberatore with two, two-run home runs in the second. Jeffers homered to center field to score Edouard Julien. Willie Castro followed with a double off Liberatore’s foot as the ball caromed into short left field. After stealing third, he walked home when Taylor hit a 3-0 pitch into Big Mac Land in the third deck in left field for a 4-0 lead.
St. Louis got a run back in the second when Dylan Carlson sliced a double to left, scoring Tommy Edman.
Alec Burleson hit a one-out home run into the right-field bullpen, cutting the Twins lead to 5-2. Burleson hit a three-run homer in Wednesday’s loss.
