Keaschall’s First MLB Homer Sparks Twins’ 6-3 Win Over Tigers
DETROIT, MI — Luke Keaschall made his presence felt in a big way Tuesday night, blasting his first major league home run to help lift the Minnesota Twins to a 6-3 win over the Detroit Tigers.
Activated from the 60-day injured list earlier in the day, Keaschall wasted no time making an impact in just the eighth game of his MLB career. His two-run homer in the first inning gave the Twins an early 3-0 advantage. He later added an RBI single during Minnesota’s two-run fifth inning, pushing the lead to 6-1.
Trevor Larnach joined the power surge with his 15th home run of the season — a solo shot in the fourth inning. It was also his second homer in as many games.
Rookie Zebby Matthews (3-3) turned in a solid outing for the Twins, allowing one run on five hits across five innings, striking out six and walking one.
Chris Paddack (4-10), facing his former team for the first time since being traded to Detroit last week for catcher Enrique Jimenez, lasted four innings. He gave up four runs on six hits and fell to 0-3 this season against the Twins — also taking losses in matchups on April 12 and June 29.
Detroit’s late rally came in the eighth inning when Jahmai Jones lined a two-out, two-run triple to trim the deficit to 6-3, but it wasn’t enough to mount a full comeback.
The Tigers, leaders of the AL Central, have now dropped three of their last nine games. The Twins, who have struggled in recent weeks, snapped a rough stretch in which they had lost seven of nine.
Detroit was without two of its key players — All-Star outfielder Riley Greene got the night off, while second baseman Gleyber Torres was scratched due to tightness in his right forearm.
A defensive miscue by Matt Vierling in the first inning also proved costly. He appeared to misread a fly ball from Ryan Jeffers, turning what could have been an inning-ending catch into a double. Minnesota capitalized with a three-run inning.
Up Next:
The series concludes Wednesday with Detroit’s Jack Flaherty (6-10, 4.36 ERA) set to take the mound. Minnesota will go with a bullpen day to close out the set.
