Twins win series from Mariners 5-3 on Larnach's eighth-inning homer

SEATTLE – Trevor Larnach crushed a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning Sunday, and Cole Sands was the winning pitcher after the Minnesota Twins earned a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

It was almost cruel Joe Ryan doesn't receive more credit in the boxscore.

Ryan kept the Twins from disaster in the fifth inning when defensive mistakes piled up, and gritted through a tough inning when it appeared the team could do nothing right. He struck out 10 batters, his ninth career start with at least 10 strikeouts, while yielding two runs (one earned) in 5 2/3 innings.

After the Mariners tied the score in the seventh inning, Jose Miranda hit a one-out single to left field off reliever Ryne Stanek. Two pitches later, Larnach clobbered an elevated splitter over the center field fence, a 406-foot homer.

Larnach's big swing gave the Twins a homer in 19 consecutive games, a team record. The Twins completed their road trip through Oakland, Arizona and Seattle with a 6-3 record.

The Twins were on the brink of disaster in the bottom of the fifth inning. Call it bad defense, tough luck, or something in between, it was ugly to watch.

Dylan Moore opened the fifth inning with a triple to the center field wall. After a lineout to right field, Josh Rojas dropped a bunt in front of the plate. Ryan fielded the bunt and flipped the ball to catcher Christian Vázquez, but again Moore opted to remain at third, and Rojas was safe at first.

Julio Rodríguez, with runners on the corners, hit a comebacker to the mound that Ryan briefly fumbled. Moore was running on contact and Ryan dropping the ball gave him enough time to slide under a tag from Vázquez at the plate for the Mariners' first run.

The Mariners loaded the bases when Cal Raleigh hit a flyball to center that Buxton lost in the sun. Then a run scored when Luke Raley hit a groundball to the right side of the infield. Second baseman Austin Martin stopped the grounder, but first baseman Carlos Santana slipped in the dirt and was unable to cover first base.

Santana's slip was the only error in the inning, but the Twins gave Seattle three or four extra outs. Ryan, still pitching with the bases loaded and one out, struck out pinch hitter Ryan Bliss and induced an inning-ending pop-up. After the final out was secured, Ryan high-fived Vázquez in front of the dugout.

Ryan retired the two batters he faced in the sixth inning before manager Rocco Baldelli called for Caleb Thielbar out of the bullpen. Ryan, who threw 99 pitches, tried to wave off Baldelli when he saw him.

The left-handed Thielbar walked the two lefty batters he faced before Rodríguez lined out to first base.

The Twins used all three of their lefty relievers. Steven Okert surrendered a single in an 11-pitch at-bat to Raley in the seventh inning before Cole Sands gave up a game-tying RBI single to Jorge Polanco, a fastball in a 3-0 count that was drilled to the right field fence.

Facing Seattle starter Luis Castillo, Max Kepler opened the fifth inning with a single to right field, and Austin Martin followed two pitches later with an RBI double in the left-center gap. Miranda extended the fifth inning with a two-out, broken-bat RBI single to end a seven-pitch at-bat.

In the first inning, Willi Castro led off the game with a line drive through the right side of the infield. Castro swiped second base and scored on a bloop single from Larnach.

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