Buxton hits 3rd homer in 4 games, Jeffers also goes deep as Twins top Blue Jays 7-1
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Byron Buxton homered for the third time in four games and Ryan Jeffers hit a go-ahead, two-run drive that led the Minnesota Twins over the Toronto Blue Jays 7- 1 on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series. Daulton Varsho homered off Bailey Ober (3-1) in the fourth and Jeffers put the Twins ahead to stay at 2-1 in the bottom half against Kevin Gausman (2-2). Buxton homered two innings later, his team-leading eighth, and Austin Martin added an RBI single later in the sixth.
Buxton was 3 for 4 in his third three-hit game this season. Minnesota won for the second time in its last nine games and the third time in 14. Ober allowed four hits in six-plus innings.
Anthony Banda, Andrew Morris and Justin Topa combined for two-hit relief for a Twins bullpen that entered with a 5. 30 ERA, fourth-worst among big league bullpens. Gausman allowed four runs, four hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.
The four earned runs off him were a season high. Throwing errors by third baseman Kazuma Okamoto and shortstop Andrés Giménez contributed to a pair of unearned runs in a three-run eighth. Up next Toronto LHP Patrick Corbin (0-0, 3.
72 ERA) starts Friday against Minnesota RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (0-4, 6. 30). ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.