Bailey Ober struck out seven batters in a complete-game shutout to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 3-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
Byron Buxton stole home and Ryan Jeffers clubbed a two-run home run to lead Minnesota at the plate. The Twins have won three games in a row after losing 16 of their previous 21.
Kyle Stowers and Jakob Marsee had one single apiece for Miami’s only hits. The Marlins were shut out for the fourth time this season.
Ober (4-2) recorded his first complete-game shutout in his 124th big-league start. The big right-hander allowed two hits and walked none, and he threw 64 of 89 pitches for strikes.
Marlins right-hander Eury Perez (2-5) allowed three runs on three hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out eight.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when the Twins finally broke through with a two-out rally that led to three runs.
Buxton started the action when he drew a two-out walk. Trevor Larnach followed with a single that put runners on first and third as Jeffers stepped to the plate.
Moments later, Larnach took off from first base on an attempted steal, and Marlins catcher Joe Mack fired a throw to second base to try to throw him out. Larnach got stuck in a rundown between first and second, and Buxton saw an opening to sprint toward home plate.
Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards pivoted and fired a throw to the plate, but Buxton beat the tag to make it 1-0. He was credited with stealing home.
Larnach also notched a steal as he headed toward second base once Edwards threw toward the plate. Jeffers drove him in with a towering, two-run homer to left to make it 3-0.
The Twins had a chance to add more runs in the seventh. They loaded the bases with two outs, but Marlins reliever Josh Ekness got Josh Bell to ground out to end the inning.
