The Minnesota Twins halted the red-hot Miami Marlins’ eight-game winning streak on Wednesday night with a gritty 2-1 win at loanDepot park, sparked by timely hitting from rookies Brooks Lee and Carlos Correa and a strong outing from Simeon Woods Richardson.
Minnesota wasted no time getting on the board, ending an 18-inning scoring drought in the opening frame. Byron Buxton led off the game with a single off Marlins right-hander Janson Junk, advanced on a wild pitch, and moved to third on Willi Castro’s single. Brooks Lee followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Twins a 1-0 lead and notch his first career RBI.
Miami responded quickly in the second. Kyle Stowers, who has been on a tear lately, belted a solo home run — his second in as many nights — off Woods Richardson to even the score. The blast was his fifth in nine games and 15th of the season, ending a long homerless stretch that dated back to mid-May before his power surge reignited during the Marlins’ win streak.
Castro, who finished 3-for-4 on the night, set the table again in the fourth with a leadoff double. Lee and Correa followed with back-to-back singles to reclaim a 2-1 lead for Minnesota, a margin they would protect the rest of the way.
Woods Richardson (4-4) delivered a composed performance over five innings, limiting Miami to just one run on two hits while striking out five. He gave way to Brock Stewart in the sixth, who immediately faced trouble. Jesús Sánchez led off with a double, and Stowers appeared to drive him in with a two-out single. However, the ball deflected off base umpire Emil Jimenez, resulting in a dead ball that forced Sánchez to return to third. Stewart then struck out Eric Wagaman to preserve the slim lead.
A pivotal moment came in the seventh when Danny Coulombe faced a bases-loaded jam. Otto Lopez sent a deep fly to left, but it died at the warning track, and Harrison Bader fired home to throw out the tying run for the second out, allowing Coulombe to escape unscathed and keep the score at 2-1.
Jhoan Duran closed out the ninth with a clean inning for his 13th save in 15 tries, as four Minnesota relievers combined to toss three scoreless frames.
Junk (2-1), making his third consecutive start for the Marlins after previously working in long relief, was sharp again. He struck out seven and allowed just two runs across six innings, but received little offensive support.
Stowers’ homer marked his fifth in his last nine games after going 31 games without one. His recent resurgence has been crucial to the Marlins’ midseason surge.
Danny Coulombe’s escape from a bases-loaded situation in the seventh preserved the lead, and Bader’s defensive gem gunning down the tying run at home sealed the inning.
The series wraps up Thursday with Twins right-hander David Festa (2-2, 5.40 ERA) facing off against Marlins righty Eury Pérez (0-2, 6.19 ERA) in the rubber game. Miami looks to bounce back and take the series after Wednesday’s tight loss.
