Pablo Lopez pitched seven strong innings, Minnesota batters backed him with four homers and the Twins cruised past the host Detroit Tigers, 9-3, on Friday night.

Lopez (9-7) gave up two runs and six hits while notching seven strikeouts. Byron Buxton and Christian Vazquez homered and drove in two runs apiece. Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach had solo shots and Willi Castro added two RBIs for the Twins.

Javier Baez homered for the second straight game for Detroit. Keider Montero (1-4) allowed six runs (five earned) and eight hits in five innings.

Prior to the game, Detroit’s All-Star outfielder Riley Greene was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain. An MRI detected a mild strain.

The Twins took a 2-0 lead three batters into the contest. Buxton clubbed his 12th homer of the season and Larnach followed with his 11th long ball.

Wallner made it 3-0 with his one-out blast in the second inning.

Detroit sliced Minnesota’s advantage to 3-2 in the third. Carson Kelly was hit by a pitch and, one out later, Baez lifted his two-run shot over the left center field wall.

The Twins extended their lead to 6-2 in the fourth. Wallner walked and advanced to third on Vazquez’s two-out single. Vazquez stole second before Castro slapped an opposite-field single.

Both runners scored and Castro went all the way to third on a throwing error by second baseman Colt Keith. Buxton followed with an RBI double.

With Joey Wentz on the mound, Minnesota made it 8-2 in the sixth. Brooks Lee had a one-out single prior to Vazquez’s fifth homer.

Detroit loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh but failed to push across a run. Lopez set down the next three batters on a fielder’s choice and two popouts to preserve the six-run advantage.

The Tigers scored a run in the eighth off Josh Staumont when Mark Canha was hit by a pitch, moved to second when Matt Vierling walked and scored on Bligh Madris’ single.

Minnesota tacked on a run in the ninth on Lee’s bases-loaded walk.

–Field Level Media