Twins use five-run seventh to beat Marlins, but remain two back of wild-card spot

The Tigers and Royals both won Wednesday night, keeping the Twins two games behind.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson (78) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at Target Field in Minneapolis on Sept. 25, 2024. / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Twins dug themselves an early hole, they missed some opportunities, but the end result was there in a crucial 8-3 victory over the Miami Marlins Wednesday night at Target Field in Minneapolis. 

The bad news for the Twins (82-76) is that the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals also won Wednesday, which means they remain two games back of an American League wild-card spot. 

But the Twins did take care of what they can control, and that was getting a win on Wednesday. They plated five runs in the seventh inning to break open a 3-3 tie with the Marlins (58-100).

Brooks Lee led off the inning with a double, and Christian Vazquez sacrifice bunted the next at-bat, but Marlins reliever Declan Cronin overthrew first baseman Jonah Bride, allowing Vazquez to reach and Manny Margot — who pinch ran for Lee — to score the go-ahead run from second.

Carlos Correa hit an RBI double a couple at-bats later to make it a two-run lead, Trevor Larnach — who went 2 for 3 with two RBIs — was intentionally walked and Royce Lewis drew another walk to load the bases. Carlos Santana then hit a two-out bases-clearing double to give the Twins an 8-3 lead. 

All that came despite the Twins having to dig themselves out of an early hole after a rough start from Simeon Woods Richardson, who allowed the first Marlins three batters to reach, the last of whom was Jake Burger, who hit a 370-foot, three-run homer for a 3-0 Marlins lead in the first inning. 

Woods Richardson’s day lasted just an inning after allowing back-to-back singles to lead off the second inning, forcing Twins manager Rocco Baldelli to turn to the bullpen early. Louie Varland was the first arm out and fanned three straight to leave two Marlins stranded in the second inning. 

Varland pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings. 

The Twins got within a run in the third inning on Larnach’s two-run single, and Byron Buxton knotted the game at 3-3 with a towering, 450-foot solo homer in the fourth inning. 

Twins relievers held it down from there until they finally plated some runs. Jorge Alcala, who was recalled on Wednesday, pitched 1 2/3 hitless innings and fanned three. Cole Sands struck out the side in the sixth inning. Griffin Jax pitched a scoreless seventh and got the first out of the eighth after the Twins took the big lead before Jhoan Duran came on to get the last two outs of the inning.

Justin Topa made his season debut in the ninth, pitching a 1-2-3 inning to close it out.

The Twins, however, are still two games back of a wild-card spot with four regular-season games remaining. They'll need a repeat performance when they meet the Marlins for the series finale at 6:40 p.m. on Thursday back at Target Field.