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Twins win 3-2 in extra innings, sweep Tigers in doubleheader

Brent Rooker singled in Polanco in the third for his first major league hit and RBI for the Twins.
Credit: AP
Minnesota Twins right fielder Brent Rooker dives for but misses a ball hit by Detroit Tigers' Jonathan Schoop for an RBI triple during the third inning of the second game of a baseball doubleheader Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

MINNEAPOLIS — Marwin Gonzalez singled home Willians Astudillo in the eighth inning, and the Minnesota Twins rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 and sweep Friday’s doubleheader.

Astudillo started on second base with the eighth inning considered an extra inning due to the seven-inning doubleheader rule. Gonzalez hit a grounder up the middle and Detroit center fielder Derek Hill, making his major league debut, bobbled the ball, allowing Astudillo to score easily.

Sergio Romo (1-1) pitched a perfect seventh and Trevor May picked up his second save in four chances as Minnesota won its fourth straight game.

Joe Jimenez (1-3) allowed Gonzalez’s hit to take the loss after Gregory Soto blew a save in the seventh. Soto walked the first two batters of the inning and Jorge Polanco followed with an RBI single.

Miguel Cabrera had a pair of hits for Detroit and three hits in the doubleheader, tying Brooks Robinson for 48th on the all-time list with 2,848.

Jonathan Schoop added an RBI triple for the Tigers, but he was left stranded as the runner at second in the bottom of the eighth with Detroit playing as the home team. The game was postponed in Detroit on Aug. 28 due to inclement weather.

Brent Rooker singled in Polanco in the third for his first major league hit and RBI for the Twins.

FIRST GAME

Polanco and Josh Donaldson hit back-to-back homers to lead off the bottom of the first inning, and Randy Dobnak (6-2) bounced back with five scoreless innings as Minnesota won the opener 2-0.

Polanco and Donaldson became the first duo to lead off the game with homers for the Twins since Eduardo Núñez and Brian Dozier in 2016 against Kansas City.

Detroit starter Matt Boyd (1-5) allowed consecutive leadoff homers for the third time in less than a month. He also gave up back-to-back home runs to the Chicago White Sox to start games on Aug. 12 and 17.

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