Key facts
- The Minnesota Twins defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 9-8.
- Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee hit go-ahead home runs in the eighth inning.
- Kody Clemens also homered, tying the game in the seventh inning.
- Alec Burleson homered for the fourth consecutive game for the Cardinals.
- Joe Ryan struck out eight over six innings for the Twins.
- Andrew Banda earned the win, and Andrew Morris recorded the save.
The Minnesota Twins secured a narrow 9-8 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in a high-scoring affair on Friday night. The game was decided in the eighth inning when Minnesota's Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee hit consecutive home runs off Cardinals reliever Ryne Stanek, who had previously surrendered a game-tying blast to Kody Clemens in the seventh.
St. Louis had taken an early lead with a home run from Alec Burleson, who has now homered in four consecutive games. The Cardinals extended their lead to 3-1 in the second inning, but Minnesota battled back to tie the game at 3-3 in the fifth. St. Louis then surged ahead 7-4 in the seventh before the Twins mounted their comeback.
Joe Ryan started for the Twins, striking out eight over six innings and allowing three runs. Kyle Leahy pitched five innings for the Cardinals, giving up four runs. Andrew Banda secured the win for Minnesota, and Andrew Morris closed out the game for his second career save.