Twins chase Max Scherzer early to win series against Blue Jays

Tristan Gray hit a three-run home run Sunday afternoon and the visiting Minnesota Twins defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-2 in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Kody Clemens added a solo home run and Taj Bradley (3-0) went five innings to pick the win for the Twins, who have won six of their last seven.

Daulton Varsho and Ernie Clement each had three hits for the Blue Jays, who finished a 2-4 homestand. The Blue Jays had a 12-8 advantage in hits, but were 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Toronto took a 1-0 lead in the first against Bradley. Clement, elevated to the leadoff spot after George Springer was placed on the injured list with a fractured left big toe, doubled and scored on Varsho's single.

Max Scherzer (1-2) walked Josh Bell and hit Matt Wallner with a pitch to open the second. Gray made him pay with a homer to right that gave Minnesota the lead for good.

The Twins added five in the third. Clemens led off with a 417-foot homer to right, which he embellished with a nifty bat flip. Trevor Larnach and Luke Keaschall singled before Bell's second walk loaded the bases. Wallner poked an RBI single to right and Victor Caratini lined a sacrifice fly to right to end Scherzer's outing.

Joe Mantiply hit Gray with a pitch and Brooks Lee lashed a two-run double to left to make it 7-1.

Scherzer allowed eight runs, five hits and two walks and hit a batter while striking out three in 2 1/3 innings.

Despite command issues, Bradley made it through five innings in which he allowed one run, five hits and four walks with seven strikeouts. He held Toronto to 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position while throwing a career-high 106 pitches.

Andrew Morris made his major league debut when he replaced Bradley in the sixth and allowed a double and struck out two. He gave up two hits and Jesus Sanchez's sacrifice fly in the seventh and pitched around three singles in the eighth.

Toronto recalled Eloy Jimenez from Triple-A Buffalo and he was 2-for-4 with two strikeouts in replacing Springer as DH.

--Field Level Media