MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Matt Wallner hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday to give the Minnesota Twins a rain-delayed 5-3 victory and a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Christian Walker had put the Diamondbacks ahead 3-2 with a solo home run in the top of the ninth.
Max Kepler led off the bottom half by hitting his third homer in three games. Jorge Polanco walked, and Wallner sent a soaring drive off the facing of the scoreboard in right-center field off new Arizona closer Paul Sewald (3-2), who was acquired from Seattle in a trade Monday.
Minnesota opened a 4 1/2-game lead in the AL Central over Cleveland.
Zac Gallen pitched seven strong innings for Arizona, allowing two runs and three hits while striking out eight.
Dallas Keuchel, the 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner, made his Twins debut and first appearance in the majors since Sept. 2, 2022, for Texas. He signed a minor league deal with the Twins on June 22 and went 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in six starts at Triple-A St. Paul.
Against the Diamondbacks — one of three teams he pitched for last year — Keuchel gave up one run in five innings while working around eight hits. He walked two and did not strike out a batter.
Caleb Thielbar (2-1) allowed Walker’s homer in the ninth but got the win.
The start of the game was delayed 2 hours, 12 minutes, due to inclement weather.
Carlos Correa had a two-run single that put the Twins in front 2-1 in the sixth.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. tied it with an RBI double in the seventh.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: RHP Brandon Pfaadt (0-5, 7.11 ERA) takes the mound Tuesday night when Arizona hosts the Dodgers. He’s coming off the best start of his young career, when he held the Giants to one run over seven innings Thursday.
Twins: RHP Pablo López (6-6, 4.01) faces the Tigers in Detroit on Monday night. López struck out 10 in his only start against Detroit this year.