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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Detroit catcher Eric Haase made a throwing error on a botched rundown, capping a chaotic play that gave the Minnesota Twins two runs for a wild 5-4 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night.
Miguel Sano had the final hit for the Twins -- and his ill-advised baserunning wound up helping them win their fifth in a row.
The Twins trailed 4-3 when Detroit closer Gregory Soto (1-1) walked Trevor Larnach and Gio Urshela to start the inning. Soto came back to strike out Max Kepler, who homered earlier and drove in three runs.
Then came the craziness.
Sano hit an 108 mph line drive that glanced off right fielder Robbie Grossman’s glove and rolled to the wall for a rocket of a single.
Larnach was held up at third base as Grossman quickly relayed the ball in, but Sano kept running toward second. That prompted Urshela to run from second to third, where Larnach was trapped as Haase ran up the base line with the ball in his hand to begin a rundown.
Except that never started, because Haase’s lollipop throw soared over third baseman Jeimer Candelario’s head and into the outfield to let Larnach score easily and Urshela race home for the winning run and a mob of giddy teammates waiting for him at the plate.
Haase entered the game in the seventh as a pinch-hitter for Tucker Barnhart.
Javier Baez gave the Tigers the lead with a three-run homer in the eighth against Emilio Pagan. Baez also hit a two-out RBI double in the sixth to chase Chris Paddack, the only run allowed by the Twins starter.
Griffin Jax (1-0) pitched the ninth for the victory.
JOIN THE CLUB: Tigers left-hander Andrew Chafin was reinstated from the injured list before the game, further reinforcing a bullpen that entered the evening with the third-best relief ERA (2.29) in the majors. Chafin had sidelined by groin trouble, after signing a two-year, $13 million contract with the team.
TRAINER’S ROOM: Tigers RHP Casey Mize (elbow sprain) has begun a throwing program at the team’s minor league facility in Lakeland, Florida, in weather more conducive to rehab. The first overall pick in the 2018 draft landed on the injured list after making two starts. … RHP Matt Manning (shoulder inflammation) is still experiencing tightness, manager A.J. Hinch said, and has not been cleared yet for activity. He was placed on the injured list last week.
UP NEXT: Tigers RHP Michael Pineda (1-0, 0.00 ERA) takes the mound on Wednesday night against the team he spent the previous four seasons with. RHP Joe Ryan (2-1, 1.69 ERA) pitches for the Twins in the middle game of the series.
Pineda threw five scoreless innings last week in his Tigers debut to beat another one of his former teams, the New York Yankees. Ryan beat Kansas City with six scoreless innings in his last turn.