Carlos Santana hit a three-run home run, right-hander Bailey Ober struck out 10 and the visiting Minnesota Twins defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 Sunday afternoon.
Minnesota’s Max Kepler hit a two-run double in the eighth to extend his career-best hit streak to 14 games in the rubber match of a three-game series.
The Twins have won 17 of their past 20 games. They have won six straight series.
The Blue Jays have lost 12 of their past 17.
Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah (0-1) was making his second start of the season and allowed three unearned runs, four hits and one walk with six strikeouts in seven innings.
Ober (4-1) allowed no runs, one hit and no walks in 6 1/3 innings.
Ober retired his first 11 batters of the game before allowing Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s two-out single in the fourth before ending the inning on a strikeout.
After allowing a single to his first batter of the game, Manoah did not allow another hit until Santana singled with two out in the fifth. The inning ended on a force out.
Minnesota’s next base runner came with one out in the seventh when third baseman Ernie Clement made his second error of the game on Kepler’s grounder. Willi Castro followed with a single to right, making Kepler the first runner of the game to reach second base. Kepler then took third on a force out. Santana followed with a blast to right center on a changeup for his seventh home run of the season and his third of the series.
Ober struck out Daulton Varsho to lead off the bottom of the seventh and was replaced by Cole Sands. Guerrero walked and Bo Bichette singled. Davis Schneider was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After Kody Funderburk replaced Sands, pinch hitter Danny Jansen hit a sacrifice fly to center.
Toronto’s Erik Swanson allowed a one-out single to Edouard Julien. In the eighth. Julien stole second and reached third on a groundout. Carlos Correa walked. Kepler scored both runners with a double to right center.
Jhoan Duran pitched the bottom of the ninth for the Twins. He allowed only a hit batter.