Twins win 6th straight series behind Santana's 3rd HR in as many days

TORONTO -- Carlos Santana loves hitting at Rogers Centre.

The 39-year-old was drifting through the season before his Twins traveled to Toronto on Friday. His batting average sank below the Mendoza Line as he entered the weekend. His OPS was just .601. On a one-year deal with his fifth club in three seasons, it wasn’t unrealistic to question how much juice the 15-year veteran had left.

Then Santana’s massive three-run homer in the seventh inning of Sunday’s 5-1 win reminded everyone how the man they call “Slamtana” earned his nickname.

The switch-hitter seized a special opportunity on a day when early offense was scarce. A Blue Jays error opened the door to another two-out at-bat in that fateful seventh frame, and when Toronto starter Alek Manoah fell behind 2-0, Santana sat and waited for his pitch. Although the changeup tailed off the plate, Santana let it rip, driving the ball over the right-center-field wall for his third homer in as many days and seventh blast on the season.

“I tried to [focus] middle-away,” said Santana, breaking down the three-pitch at-bat.

There’s something in the air when the Twins come to Toronto. Minnesota has now homered in 20 straight games at Rogers Centre dating back to 2017. Opponents are noticing Santana’s relentless success in Toronto, too.

“He's done some damage against us for sure. I'd like to see [Santana] get the hell out of here,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider, tongue-in-cheek.

Santana’s latest feat, alongside a two-run double in the eighth inning from Max Kepler -- who extended his hit streak to 14 games -- lifted the club to a clutch road series win. Already winners in 17 of their last 20, the Twins have now won six consecutive series, the longest such streak since 2010.

After a bumpy first few weeks of the season, Twins skipper Rocco Baldelli has noticed a “night-and-day” difference in his club’s offensive approach lately. To him, the Twins’ run-scoring diversity is key. It’s not like Minnesota is winning only on homers, for example; each player in the lineup provides something unique, and right now everyone is doing their job.

“It's adjustment making,” Baldelli said. “It's changing your approach as the game goes on to dictate how to win. You need to do different things at different points in the game, and our guys are finding a lot of different tools in their bag to get it done.”

It’d be unfair to document the day without noting Bailey Ober’s remarkable outing on the mound. The Twins’ starter was lasered in for 6 1/3 one-hit innings with zero walks, while matching his career high with 10 strikeouts.

After a disastrous eight-run outing to start his season, the 6-foot-9 right-hander has been on the money, snapping off seven solid starts since and posting a 2.16 ERA during that span. Ober’s consistency is his biggest weapon as a mid-rotation starter. And on getaway days like Sunday, he overcame a stuffy first inning to deliver exactly what Minnesota needed.

“The mindset kind of shifted going into the second inning,” said Ober. “It was just, ‘Get ahead early.’ I feel like once I was able to do that, I was able to get into a groove and kind of be in control of the game.”

And control the game he did. Ober stymied the Blue Jays from the get-go, drowning out any life from the home crowd. Baldelli loved what he saw from the visitors’ dugout.

“[Ober] was awesome,” said Baldelli. “He was just fantastic. I told him, ‘I think it's absolutely one of your best outings that I've ever seen.’ And he's had a ton of great outings.”

Now the Twins can soak in their series win on a happy flight back to Minneapolis, where a three-game series with the Yankees awaits. On a torrid stretch and only a half-game behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead, the Twins are ready to rise to any challenge coming their way.

“We're riding three straight weeks of playing really good baseball,” said Baldelli. “When you have a chance to win every game, it keeps everybody involved and keeps your mind really focused, razor-sharp, where you want to be.”