MINNEAPOLIS -- Ronny Rodriguez wasn’t in the Detroit Tigers’ immediate plans this season, after the signings of Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer. But the 27-year-old is making it impossible for the Tigers not to keep him in the lineup.

Rodriguez hit a pair of home runs -- both to the second deck at Target Field -- for his first career multi-homer game in Detroit’s 5-3 win over the Twins in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader in Minnesota.

• Box score

“I’ve been hitting those in BP,” Rodriguez said of the two long homers that totaled an estimated 868 feet. “I don’t look for homers. I just have a good contact, put the bat down and run the bases.”

Starter Spencer Turnbull got a no-decision, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings for the Tigers, who had lost three of four and will send left-hander Gregory Soto to the mound for Saturday’s nightcap and his first Major League appearance.

Joe Jimenez (2-1) allowed a tying home run in the eighth to C.J. Cron, but John Hicks homered in the top of the ninth to push Detroit ahead. Christin Stewart added an RBI single and Shane Greene finished off his 14th save in as many chances.

“Turnbull set the tone,” said bench coach Steve Liddle, who was acting manager after Ron Gardenhire was ejected in the third. “It’s all down to our starting pitching. He set the tone. They tried to attack him a couple times and he bowed up his neck and went right back at them. When he came off after the fifth, he goes, ‘I still got this. I still got this.’ So we sent him back out there for the sixth. Proud of the way the guys fought back.”

In just 17 games this season, Rodriguez leads the Tigers with five homers, and he has 14 RBIs, tied for the team lead with Miguel Cabrera and Stewart. Rodriguez is hitting .323/.368/.742.

Rodriguez started the scoring by sending a Michael Pineda offering deep to left-center field and over the bullpen at Target Field. The 454-foot blast was Detroit’s longest home run of 2019, according to Statcast, and tied for the fifth-longest by a Tigers player since 2015.

Two batters later, Brandon Dixon added another solo shot to left. Rodriguez then followed with his second homer to left field in the fourth to give Detroit a 3-1 lead.

Rodriguez, who signed with the Tigers as a Minor League free agent in 2017, made his Major League debut last season and hit .220 with five home runs in 62 games.

Fourteen of Rodriguez’s 20 hits this season have been for extra bases, and he’s helped fill in across the infield by starting games at second base, shortstop and first base.

“Before the game, I asked him, ‘Where’s the orange shoes?’” Liddle said. “He goes, ‘Oh, papi, the gray ones are hot,’ and he wasn’t lying. So, I think everyone’s going to be wearing gray shoes for the night game.”

Rodriguez said he isn’t superstitious, though, and that he'd go with the orange shoes in Saturday’s second game.

“It’s on me,” he said. “I don’t believe in that kind of thing.”

Gardenhire ejected

Gardenhire was ejected by home-plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt in the third inning after Turnbull had walked back-to-back hitters.

Pitching coach Rick Anderson had gone to the mound to meet with Turnbull. But as Anderson was on his way back to the dugout, Gardenhire made his way to home plate and was immediately ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

“I think Ron was sticking up for [me] with that one,” Liddle said. “I was yelling at him and I don’t think he liked the answer that I got back. Yeah, he’s going to protect the players and, apparently, he’s going to protect me. I don’t know if I’m going to have to pay that fine or not. That’s up for discussion, I think.”

It was Gardenhire’s 79th career ejection, including the postseason. He’s been ejected twice this year and is eighth all-time in manager ejections.