Margot sparks seven-run 10th as Twins beat Pirates to avoid sweep

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Manuel Margot hit an RBI triple to start a seven-run outburst in the 10th inning, and the Minnesota Twins ended a five-game losing streak with an 11-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Margot led off the 10th with a triple to center field off a cutter from Ben Heller (0-1), scoring automatic runner Kyle Farmer. Willi Castro was hit by a pitch for a second time in the game, bringing in another run with the bases loaded and no outs. Carlos Santana tacked on two more with a double to right ahead of a two-run single from Carlos Correa and another single from Max Kepler that made it 11-4.

“The game is nuts,” Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You can play and things go a certain way for days and days and days at a time, and then you put it together and you put up, what did we put up, seven runs in one inning in extra innings? It's goofy. And when I say it's nuts, we're all kind of nuts. If you kind of like this, you like it for things like today.”

Heller, who plunked three batters, has an ERA of 49.50. He allowed five runs in one inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, two days after being selected from Triple-A Indianapolis.

“You have to try to keep his head up,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. “I mean, he’s scuffled the two outings up here. We've got to continue to work with him.”

Jhoan Durán (1-2) pitched a perfect ninth inning.

The Twins were shut out in the first two games of the three-game series after being swept in three games at Yankee Stadium. The Pirates finished a 4-2 homestand that included winning two of three against the Dodgers.

“It took a lot,” Baldelli said. “Squeezing a lot of the juice out and trying to get every bit that you can. You just keep squeezing and hope that more comes out. I don’t know what I’m really saying at the moment, but truth is, it took a lot of work.”

Jared Jones went five innings and allowed three runs — all in the first — on six hits for Pittsburgh.

The rookie right-hander was tagged with back-to-back singles from Trevor Larnach and Correa in the first before walking Kepler to load the bases with one out. José Miranda walked to force in the first run, Correa scored on a fielder’s choice and Kepler made it 3-0 on a passed ball.

Henry Davis and Andrew McCutchen walked with two outs in the Pirates fifth. Bryan Reynolds snuck an RBI double off Twins starter Bailey Ober just over a leaping Santana at first base and down the right-field line.

Connor Joe then sent a changeup to left-center for a two-run triple, putting Pittsburgh ahead 4-3 and ending Ober’s outing after 4 2/3 innings. He gave up four runs and seven hits.

“I felt great,” Ober said. “Felt like I was under control the whole game until I was trying to get that last out when I was out there.”

Kyle Nicolas hit Castro with a pitch and walked Santana to load the bases with one out in the sixth. Justin Bruihl allowed a sacrifice fly by Royce Lewis, tying it 4-all.

“Everything is positive,” Santana said. “It's a long season, a long season. The season is up and down, but we have to keep our heads up, take it one day at a time and try to play hard every day for a win.”

UP NEXT

Twins: RHP Chris Paddack (4-3, 5.26 ERA) will start Monday to begin a three-game home series against the Rockies. RHP Dakota Hudson (2-7, 5.25) goes for Colorado.

Pirates: Rookie RHP Paul Skenes (3-0, 3.00 ERA), drafted No. 1 overall in 2023, will take the mound Tuesday to open a three-game series in St. Louis opposite RHP Miles Mikolas (4-6, 5.32).

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