Twins 12, Reds 5: One streak ends, another continues

Byron Buxton hits another leadoff bomb, and the Twins are back at .500.

The Minnesota Twins finally snap a 6-game losing skid with a series-ending win over the Reds. Byron Buxton goes deep twice, the Brooks Lee hitting-streak continues, “Clutch” Kody Clemens comes through again and Jeffers returns with a bang as the Twins head home for what is going to be a toasty home series with Milwaukee.

After dropping the first two games of the series in frustrating fashion, the Minnesota Twins stormed into the Great American Ball Park on Thursday and delivered a thunderous response, hammering the Cincinnati Reds in the series finale with an all-out offensive explosion. The bats came alive, leading the Twins to a much-needed and morale-boosting win as they prepare to head back home for a high-stakes weekend against the Brewers.

For the Twins, this series star of the show has been: Byron Buxton. The centerfielder put on a clinic, launching two home runs — his 14th and 15th of the season — to spearhead the Twins’ offense. For the second straight game Buxton lead off the game with a home run.

But Buxton wasn’t alone. Enter Kody “Clutch” Clemens, who knocked his 7th homer of the season. Ryan Jeffers returned to the lineup smashing his 5th home run of the season and contributing in a big way throughout the game. He was dealing with a bruised hand and missed Wednesday’s rainy contest. He seemed to be back in full form though. In top of the third, Jeffers and Ty France ripped doubles to drive in three runs.

Speaking of consistency, Brooks Lee quietly kept doing his thing, extending his hitting streak to 18 games — now just four hits away from tying Bobby Witt Jr.’s league-best 22-game streak from earlier this season.

This was a complete team win, and it came at just the right time. After two frustrating losses to open the series, the Twins came out swinging, showed their resilience, and turned the momentum around heading into a big weekend series at Target Field.

Yes — it’s time for the Border Battle against the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Twins are heading home with a jolt of confidence and a lineup that has that spark again, at least it felt that way after today. It will be fun to see Byron Buxton perform this weekend. I already have my tickets with a couple Brewers fans – it’s on!

Here’s the pitching stats from today:

W (3-6) Chris Paddack: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 SO 4.48 ERA

Varland, Sands, Coulombe, Jax and Topa all made appearances with Sands giving up the only run.

L (4-8) Nick Martinez: 2 ²⁄₃ IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 4.55 ERA

Go Twins!