MINNEAPOLIS _ Miguel Sano's power and Byron Buxton's speed delivered the Twins' fifth consecutive victory on Saturday, 4-3 over the Tigers.
With the Twins trailing 3-1 in the seventh, Sano slammed a 414-foot home run off the second deck in left field to close the gap to one run. Sano then drove in the tying run in the bottom of the ninth with a sharp single to left field. And with two outs, Buxton hit a ground ball to shortstop and beat Willi Castro's throw, allowing Nelson Cruz to score the game-winning run as Buxton shouted with joy.
The electrifying rally kept the Twins within striking distance of first place in the AL Central.
Kenta Maeda dominated the Tigers for much of the night, retiring 18 of the 21 hitters he faced, but all three that reached against him scored, the final two due to some uncharacteristic trouble by Tyler Clippard. The veteran reliever surrendered three straight singles in the seventh inning, the first time all season he has allowed an inherited runner to score.
Tigers rookie Tarik Skubal knocked more than two runs off his 6.75 ERA by matching Maeda over the first six innings, allowing only two hits and two walks in a dominating performance of his own. He held the Twins without a hit until the fifth inning, when Brent Rooker led off with a single and Sano followed with an opposite-field hit of his own.
When Eddie Rosario hit a one-hopper back to Skubal, the pitcher chose to secure a double play and allow pinch-runner Jake Cave to score, the only run he allowed.
Sano later homered off the second deck in left field against Tigers reliever Joe Jimenez, who appeared to take offense when Sano watched his 414-foot blast before circling the bases. At inning's end, Sano and Jimenez waved to each other from their respective dugouts, apparently indicating no hard feelings between the two.
All that merely set up the ninth-inning rally, which most of the Twins watched from the top step of their dugout, yelling encouragement. Josh Donaldson opened the rally with a walk, and Cruz followed with a sharp one-hop grounder off closer Jose Cisnero's right hip. After Cave struck out, Sano singled home pinch-runner Ehire Adrianza to tie the game, and with two outs, Buxton won it with a slow ground ball that few other players could have turned into a hit.
