Brooks Lee and Trevor Larnach hit key home runs in the third inning as the Minnesota Twins rallied for a 7-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The win improved the Twins to 8-7 amid a tough stretch against left-handed starters. Joe Ryan earned his second win with strong pitching after an early setback.
The Twins trailed 2-0 early after Daulton Varsho homered off Joe Ryan. But Minnesota exploded for seven runs in the third against Toronto lefty Eric Lauer. Switch-hitting shortstop Brooks Lee opened the rally with a solo homer to left field, his second in as many days and first of the season on Friday. He finished 2-for-4 and praised the team's offensive opportunities: “We've been doing a good job on offense. More opportunities, more chances to get a hit.” Two walks and three singles followed before Trevor Larnach crushed a three-run homer to right, his first of the year and just his sixth career homer against lefties. Manager Derek Shelton noted Larnach's potential: “When you perform, you get more opportunities.” Ryan then settled in, allowing just one hit over seven innings with help from catcher Ryan Jeffers. “Jeffers did a really good job just communicating between pitches, setting up well,” Ryan said. The victory marked the ninth time in 15 games the lefty-heavy Twins faced a southpaw starter, a challenge they have handled well so far.
