TORONTO -- Brooks Lee and Trevor Larnach provided the spark, and the Twins kept showing their lefty-heavy lineup can handle a tough early run of southpaw starters.
After falling behind by two runs early, Minnesota erupted in the third inning, with Lee right in the middle of it again. Batting right-handed against Blue Jays lefty Eric Lauer, the switch-hitting shortstop opened the rally with a solo homer to left field, setting the tone for a 7-4 win at Rogers Centre.
There was plenty to like about the performance, especially given the matchups Minnesota has drawn to open the season. The Twins lean heavily left-handed -- they carried five lefty bats on the roster Saturday -- and entered the day having logged 208 at-bats against left-handed pitching this year, more than any team in baseball.
Lee finished 2-for-4 and has become an important part of Minnesota’s effort to outwork these difficult platoon matchups. He delivered a key hit Thursday, launched his first homer of the season Friday and went deep again Saturday.
From there, the Twins kept the pressure on, finishing the inning with seven runs. Following Lee’s blast, Minnesota strung together two walks and three singles against Lauer before Larnach delivered the decisive blow.
Larnach turned on a high fastball and sent it soaring over the right-field wall for a game-breaking three-run homer, his first of the season. In a matter of moments, the Twins had flipped the game with the kind of patient, powerful inning that has helped them weather this challenging stretch.
Saturday marked the ninth time in 15 games the Twins faced a left-handed starter. Grinding out quality at-bats in those spots has been an important part of their 8-7 start amid a stiff early season schedule.
On the mound, Joe Ryan was excellent, shrugging off an early two-run homer to power through the Jays lineup. The Twins ace finished his day with seven innings pitched, yielding just two earned runs on two hits with five strikeouts.