• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Twins knock around Tigers for 20 runs

Aug 23, 2014 - 6:53 AM Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Eduardo Escobar finished a double shy of the cycle, compiling a career-high five hits with three runs scored and two RBI, to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 20-6 drubbing of the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a four-game series on Friday.

Danny Santana went 3-for-5 with a homer, four RBI and two runs scored in the win. Oswaldo Arcia and Trevor Plouffe also homered, Joe Mauer finished with three RBI, and Brian Dozier knocked in a pair for Minnesota.

"That's probably once in a season, once in a couple of seasons type of game for us," Plouffe said. "We kept taking good at-bats and we didn't give any away."

Ryan Pressly (2-0) was credited with the win in relief of starter Tommy Milone. The southpaw allowed five runs -- three earned -- on 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings in his second start with the Twins.

Robbie Ray (1-4) was roughed up for six runs on six hits in just 1 1/3 innings of work.

Ian Kinsler homered, while Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera each had two hits in the setback. The Tigers fell 2 1/2 games behind division-leading Kansas City.

"The scoreboard speaks for itself, we got our butts kicked," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.

Kinsler led off the game by smashing his 12th homer of the season, a shot to left, which gave Detroit an early lead.

Minnesota would answer with a six-run second and send Ray to the showers in the process. Kennys Vargas doubled to begin the frame and scored on Arcia's two-bagger. Plouffe made it three straight doubles to open the frame, knocking in Arcia, then Escobar sent a shot over the wall in left to give the Twins a 4-1 advantage. After Jordan Schafer singled, Santana poked a home run to left that capped the scoring in the inning.

Detroit worked its way back into the contest with four runs in the fifth. Torii Hunter reached on a fielding error by Escobar with one out, then RBI hits from Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez and Nick Castellanos cut the deficit to 6-4. Bryan Holaday knocked a sacrifice fly to left that scored J.D. Martinez to make it a one-run game.

The Tigers had runners on the corners an inning later with one out, but Victor Martinez grounded into an inning-ending double play and the Twins pulled away with nine runs in the sixth.

Escobar tripled off Jim Johnson to begin the frame and consecutive walks to Schafer and Santana loaded the bases. After Dozier singled in a run, Mauer greeted Ian Krol with a base hit that plated a pair for a 9-5 lead. Errors by Kinsler and Castellanos led to three more runs in the inning and Mauer capped the nine-run surge with a bases-loaded walk that gave the Twins a commanding 15-5 lead.

Minnesota added two more for good measure in the seventh. Alex Avila contributed an RBI groundout in the eighth for Detroit.

Arcia clobbered a two-run homer off position player Andrew Romine in the ninth and Plouffe followed with a solo shot to left to account for the final margin.

Game Notes

Milone entered with a 3-0 record and 2.31 ERA in four starts against Detroit ... Schafer went 2-for-3 with three walks, three runs and an RBI ... Detroit had won 21-of-30 in Minnesota entering the game ... Ray has lost four straight starts ... The Twins outhit Detroit, 20-15 ... Minnesota went 9-for-19 with runners in scoring position ... Both teams stranded 11 runners on base ... Game time: 3:59.