Luke Keaschall hit his first homer in the majors and Trevor Larnach also cleared the fences against former teammate Chris Paddack, helping the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 6-3 on Tuesday night.
The AL Central-leading Tigers lost for just the third time in nine games. The rebuilding Twins had dropped seven of their previous nine games.
Keaschall was activated from the 60-day injured list earlier the day and in the eighth game of his career, he hit a two-run homer in the first inning to give Minnesota a 3-0 lead. His RBI single in a two-run fifth put the Twins ahead 6-1.
"He's played great since we've had him here," says Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. "He's looked good throughout. He did a good job in spring training. He's an exciting young player. I think, like everybody here, we are enjoying watching him get exposed to the big leagues but performing at this level. And again, continually making things happen and great, just a great day for him and a great return."
Larnach's 15th homer of the season and second in two days was a solo shot that gave Minnesota a 4-1 lead in the fourth.
Zebby Matthews (3-3) allowed one run on five hits and a walk while striking out six over five innings.
Paddack (4-10) gave up four runs on six hits over four innings in his second start since Detroit acquired him from Minnesota for catcher Enrique Jimenez last week before the trade deadline.
Jahmai Jones hit a two-out, two-run triple in the eighth inning to pull the Tigers within three runs.
Detroit gave All-Star outfielder Riley Greene the night off and All-Star second baseman Gleyber Torres was a late scratch, missing the game with a tight right forearm.
Key moment
Matt Vierling appeared to misjudge the ball off Ryan Jeffers' bat in the first, turning a potential inning-ending catch into a double and the Twins went on to score three runs.
Key stat
Paddack is 0-3 in three Minnesota-Detroit games this season, losing against the Tigers on April 12 and June 29 and against his former team Tuesday night.
Up next
Detroit; Wednesday, 12:10 p.m. CT. Pregame at 11:30 a.m. on 830 WCCO and the Audacy App (in-market restrictions apply)
PITCHING PROBABLES: Twins: TBD; Tigers: Jack Flaherty (6-10, 4.36 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 144 strikeouts)
BOTTOM LINE: Both the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins are looking for a series win with a victory on Wednesday.
Detroit is 66-49 overall and 37-22 at home. Tigers hitters have a collective .318 on-base percentage, the seventh-ranked percentage in the AL.
Minnesota has a 23-36 record on the road and a 53-60 record overall. The Twins have a 40-18 record in games when they record eight or more hits.
The matchup Wednesday is the ninth meeting between these teams this season. The Tigers hold a 5-3 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Gleyber Torres has 17 doubles and 13 home runs for the Tigers. Wenceel Perez is 12 for 34 with two doubles, a triple and two home runs over the past 10 games.
Brooks Lee has 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 43 RBIs for the Twins. Matt Wallner is 8 for 29 with a triple and four home runs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Tigers: 6-4, .278 batting average, 3.48 ERA, outscored opponents by 19 runs
Twins: 3-7, .239 batting average, 5.93 ERA, outscored by 26 runs
INJURIES: Tigers: Gleyber Torres: day-to-day (forearm), Paul Sewald: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Reese Olson: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Parker Meadows: 10-Day IL (quadricep), Sean Guenther: 60-Day IL (hip), Sawyer Gipson-Long: 15-Day IL (neck), Jackson Jobe: 60-Day IL (flexor), Jason Foley: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alex Cobb: 60-Day IL (hip), Ty Madden: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (elbow), Alex Lange: 60-Day IL (lat)
Twins: Simeon Woods Richardson: 15-Day IL (illness), Byron Buxton: 10-Day IL (side soreness), Anthony Misiewicz: 15-Day IL (shoulder), David Festa: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Pablo Lopez: 60-Day IL (shoulder)