By Shane Lantz / Associated Press
SEATTLE — Max Kepler scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball in the eighth inning and Minnesota pitchers struck out 14 in the Twins’ 6-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night.
Kepler scored from third when a pitch from reliever Andrés Muñoz (2-3) got past catcher Tom Murphy, breaking a 3-3 tie. Kepler also hit a solo homer in the fifth inning off Luis Castillo.
Ryan Jeffers put the Twins ahead with a first-inning single, and rookie Edouard Julien and Kepler made it 3-0 with home runs in the fifth.
The Mariners tied it with a pair of homers of their own. Tom Murphy connected off Twins starter Kenta Maeda in the sixth inning, and Eugenio Suárez tied it with a two-run shot in the seventh off Griffin Jax.
Alex Kirilloff hit a two-run homer in the ninth against Devin Sweet in the pitcher’s major league debut.
Emilio Pagan (4-1) was the winner. Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 16th save.
Maeda had nine strikeouts for Minnesota. Castillo had a season-high 11 strikeouts as the Mariners matched the Twins with 14.
NO BUXTON
Twins DH Byron Buxton, in a 0-for-21 slump, was out of the lineup for the second straight day.
HERE’S JONNY
Mariners first-round pick Jonny Farmelo took batting practice at T-Mobile Park on Wednesday and hit three homers over the right-field wall. With Farmelo’s signing, Seattle has signed 21 of its 22 2023 draft picks.
ROSTER MOVES
The Mariners recalled Sweet and Prelander Berroa and on Wednesday from Double-A Arkansas, while sending down rookie relievers Ty Adcock and Isaiah Campbell.
UP NEXT
RHP Pablo López (5-5, 4.24 ERA) was set to pitch Thursday for Minnesota against RHP George Kirby (8-8, 3.43 ERA).
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