JaCoby Jones’ two-run homer capped a three-run seventh inning as the Detroit Tigers came from behind to beat the Minnesota Twins 3-1 on Thursday afternoon.
Jones was hitting .135 in his last 10 games, and had struck out in his first two at-bats before hitting Lance Lynn’s 3-1 fastball for his fifth home run.
Detroit won the last two games of the series to improve to 23-17 at Comerica Park. The Tigers, who play their next eight games on the road, are 10-20 away from home.
Michael Fulmer (3-5) improved to 5-0 in five career starts against the Twins. He pitched seven innings, allowing one run on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts in ending a three-start winless streak.
Joe Jimenez pitched the eighth and Shane Greene threw the ninth for his 17th save.
Lance Lynn (4-5) took a shutout into the seventh but ended up allowing three runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings.
The Twins took a first-inning lead for the second day in a row. With one out, Eddie Rosario doubled and scored on Eduardo Escobar’s base hit.
After that, the game belonged to Fulmer and Lynn. After six innings, the Twins still led 1-0 with four hits to Detroit’s three.
John Hicks, though, led off the bottom of the seventh with his first career triple, a line drive to the right-centerfield gap. Niko Goodrum followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game. With two out, Lynn hit Jose Iglesias, and Jones hit Lynn’s 114th and final pitch over the wall.
The homer was the first Lynn had allowed in his last six starts.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: 1B Joe Mauer, who has been out since May 19 with a neck strain and concussion symptoms, is expected to return to the lineup on Friday.
Tigers: 1B Miguel Cabrera was scheduled to have his ruptured bicep tendon repaired Thursday. The team expects him to be ready for spring training. . C James McCann returned to the lineup after missing three games with the flu.
UP NEXT
Twins: Travel to Cleveland for a three-game weekend series. Kyle Gibson (1-4, 3.45) faces Cleveland’s Corey Kluber (10-2, 1.99) in Friday’s opener.
Tigers: Start a three-city, eight-game road trip with a weekend series against the White Sox. Mike Fiers (5-3, 4.01) will start for Detroit on Friday against Chicago’s Reynaldo Lopez (2-4, 3.26).—
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