MINNEAPOLIS _ After back-to-back drubbings, the Twins got to enjoy an offensive eruption of their own on Tuesday night. Max Kepler and Brian Dozier homered, Eddie Rosario connected three times, and the Twins punished Seattle pitching with 28 hits _ a new franchise record _ including eight in a row in the third inning, snapping their five-game Target Field losing streak by crushing the Mariners 20-7.
Every Twins starter but Joe Mauer knocked a hit in the third inning, and Mauer joined the fun two innings later, as Minnesota scored 20 runs for the first time since 2014.
The Twins scored seven runs in both the third and seventh innings, after getting off to a four-run start in the second, and improved to 13-19 at home.
Rosario, Kennys Vargas and Jason Castro collected four hits apiece, and Eduardo Escobar tied a career high with five hits, all singles.
The Twins had been outscored 27-11 in their past two games, and quickly fell behind 3-0 in this one. But they responded with a record-breaking offensive explosion.
Kyle Gibson won his fourth consecutive decision, and second in a row against the Mariners, leading the Twins to the blowout. It's true, but hardly accurate. Gibson reverted to the problematic, always-in-trouble nibbler that earned him a demotion to Class AAA last month. The veteran right-hander gave up 12 hits, most by a Twins pitcher in one game since Ricky Nolasco in August 2014, and he left runners in scoring position in four innings.
At one point in the fourth inning, after he had surrendered three doubles to the first four batters of the inning, Paul Molitor jogged to the mound for a one-on-one conference, signaling to catcher Castro to remain where he was.
After the meeting, Gibson settled down and retired the side without incident. But he gave up two more hits and another run in the next inning.
None of it mattered, though, thanks to the piling-it-on Twins offense. Trailing 3-0, the Twins took the lead with a four-run second, begun by Kepler's long home run into the right-field stands, and capped by Rosario's even-longer home run off the right field facade.
After Mauer struck out to open the fourth, the next six Twins singled off Seattle starter Christian Bergman, Jorge Polanco's RBI single finally forcing Bergman out of the game. But Rosario greeted reliever Casey Lawrence with a first-pitch blast to the Seattle bullpen, his second two-run shot on two pitches from two pitchers.
Brian Dozier immediately followed with his 11th home run of the season, the team's first back-to-back homers since the same two hitters managed the feat last August.
Another seven-run inning in the eighth gave the Twins 19 runs, and insured that Gibson would become the first Twins pitcher to give up 12 hits yet record a victory since Kyle Lohse in 2002.
