MINNEAPOLIS— Royce Lewis homered in the eighth inning to break the game open, and Chris Paddack came back from a rough outing with a sharp performance to lift the win. Minnesota twins to a 5-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.
Lewis, who was injured in the season opener and missed two months with a severe right quad strain, has homered four times in seven games. Lewis took Rockies reliever Nick Mears deep to left for a 435-foot, two-run explosion to cap a three-run eighth inning.
“It’s impressive, but nothing that would shock you right now. He’s a very dangerous hitter,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You feel like with every swing something good can happen for your team.”
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Christian Vásquez, Carlos Correa and Trevor Larnach each added a point for the Twins, who have won two in a row after losing five straight games.
Paddack (5-3) allowed six hits and struck out six in 6 1/3 innings. He got out of trouble in the first inning when Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon singled to open the game and ended up on third base. But the Twins righthander struck out Ryan McMahon, leaving Blackmon in third place.
“He pitched well. We had a chance in the first inning. Double play got us,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “But Paddack threw well. He’s got good stuff.’
Rockies right-hander Dakota Hudson (2-8) took the loss despite allowing just four hits in 6 2/3 innings. One of the two runs he allowed was unearned.
In his previous start, Paddack allowed seven runs in four innings in a loss to the Yankees. Although he said he felt like his stuff was good in that outing, New York jumped him for four runs in the first inning before finally settling for a while.
On Monday the stuff was sharp again, but with better results. He did not allow a runner beyond first base after the opening inning and did not issue a walk.
Paddack left the game to a standing ovation from the Target Field crowd.
“I just felt like myself tonight,” Paddack said. “It was fun.”
Manny Margot scored the first run of the game after doubled to the right corner and advanced to third base on an error by right fielder Hunter Goodman. Margot scored one batter later on a sacrifice fly by Vázquez.
The Twins scored another run in the fourth. Lewis reached first base on a force out, advanced to second base on a groundout by Max Kepler and scored on Correa’s two-out double.
TRAINER ROOM
Rockies catcher Elias Díaz left the game with tightness in his left calf. Díaz was injured in the top of the first inning when he grounded into a double play. He was examined by team trainers and was replaced behind the plate in the bottom of the first inning by Jacob Stallings.
NEXT ONE
RHP Cal Quantrill (5-4, 3.58 ERA) starts the second game of the series for Colorado, looking to follow up his strong performance last time in a win against St. Louis. Minnesota will recall RHP Louie Varland (0-4, 9.18) from Triple-A St. Paul to start Tuesday’s game. Varland hasn’t pitched in the Majors since April.
