Twins close homestand on high note, crush Reds in series finale

Minnesota plated eight runs in the sixth and seventh innings in the victory.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher David Festa (58) delivers a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Target Field in Minneapolis on Sept. 15, 2024. / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

There were plenty of good vibes coming from the most recent Twins homestand. There was the return of the lucky summer sausage, and more importantly, the activations of Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa from the injured list. But the results on the field still left something to be desired. 

The Twins got the results on the field on Sunday as they were able to close the homestand on a high note. The Twins took a two-run lead in the sixth inning and put the game away with a five-run seventh inning in a 9-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds that staved off a series sweep in their series finale Sunday afternoon in front of an announced crowd of 22,545 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Overall, the Twins (79-70) went 3-3 in series against the Reds and Los Angeles Angels this week.

The Twins remain 2.5 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers for the final American League wild-card spot.

Trailing 2-1 in the sixth inning, the Twins got a two-out RBI double from Ryan Jeffers that knotted the game, followed by a two-run single from Brooks Lee the next at-bat as they took a 4-2 lead.

After Cole Sands pitched a scoreless top of the seventh, Carlos Santana hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom, and Lee wasn't done driving in runs, either, hitting a bases-clearing triple as the Twins' lead grew to 9-1. The triple was the first of Lee's career, and he had a career-high five RBIs.

"When you're up there in those moments, and you battle your way and you find a way and you drive in all these runs ... that's a memorable day," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of Lee's performance. "It is. It's memorable for our team and we get the win, and he was a huge part of it."

David Festa worked through some self-induced traffic in the first inning — he hit Jonathan India with his first pitch of the day and walked Tyler Stephenson — and sent the Reds (73-78) down in order in the second and third innings, striking out the side in the third inning as the game remained scoreless.

But Festa gave up three straight hits in the fourth, including an RBI triple to Spencer Steer, then a sac fly to Ty France that made it 2-0. With two outs, he issued back-to-back walks to load the bases.  

"Just lost some guys with a few too many walks," said Festa, who walked three overall and gave up two runs off three hits while fanning four across 3 2/3 innings in his start. "... I have way too many walks for my liking the last two outings, but the bullpen did a great job picking me up as well as the offense, and the defense was great behind me. I'm just happy that we won."

It was Ronny Henriquez who picked up Festa first, getting the final out of the inning without further damage. Sands struck out three in a pair of scoreless innings to improve to 8-1 on the season.

The Twins were able to cut their deficit in half in the bottom of the fourth inning, getting a two-out RBI single from Willi Castro. They knotted the game on Jeffers’ RBI double in the sixth inning, and then Lee’s two-run single gave Minnesota its first lead of the day, a lead it wouldn't ever surrender.

Buxton and Correa were not in the lineup Sunday afternoon. Neither is going to play every day as they both are still dealing with the injuries that had sidelined them. Both played in Saturday's loss.

The Twins begin a critical four-game series at the division-leading Cleveland Guardians at 5:40 p.m. on Monday.