MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Byron Buxton set a career best with his 29th home run and Joe Ryan pitched seven scoreless innings as the Minnesota Twins beat the San Diego Padres 7-2 on Sunday.
Buxton and Royce Lewis each had two hits for the Twins, who took two of three games in the series. San Diego dropped two games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
Ryan (13-7) scattered five hits and struck out eight. He threw a season-high 104 pitches while bouncing back from a pair of rough outings.
The All-Star right-hander allowed 11 earned runs in nine innings over his previous two starts.
San Diego dropped to 2-5 in its past seven games. Freddy Fermin and Bryce Johnson had RBIs in the ninth.
Buxton sent a changeup from Kyle Hart (3-3) three rows deep into the left-field seats for a two-run shot that gave Minnesota a 2-0 lead in the third. It was his fourth homer in four games, surpassing his previous season best of 28 home runs in 2022.
Recalled from Triple-A El Paso earlier in the day, Hart permitted three runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief as the Padres went with a bullpen game. He hit Luke Keaschall with a pitch to start the Minnesota fourth, and he scored on a single by James Outman.
Keaschall and Lewis had RBI singles in a three-run fifth to make it 6-0.
Key moment
Down 2-0, San Diego had runners on first and second with no outs in the fourth, but Ryan struck out Ramón Laureano and Gavin Sheets before Jake Cronenworth flied out.
Key stat
The Twins won their first series since Aug. 8-10 against Kansas City. Minnesota is 5-12 since then.
Up next
Padres: RHP Dylan Cease (6-11, 4.82 ERA) is scheduled to start Monday’s home game against Baltimore. RHP Kyle Bradish (0-1, 3.00) is the scheduled Orioles starter.
Twins: RHP Bailey Ober (4-7, 5.14 ERA) faces White Sox RHP Aaron Civale (3-9, 5.26) on Monday in the opener of a four-game series at home.
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