Matt Wallner’s three-run homer highlighted a seven-run fourth inning as the Minnesota Twins beat the San Diego Padres 11-4 on Wednesday.
The victory ended Minnesota’s three-game losing streak and prevented a sweep in San Diego. The Twins finished a seven-game road trip with a 4-3 record. The Padres suffered only their seventh loss in 29 games.
Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson (5-3) was supported by 18 hits from his team and won his second consecutive start. The 23-year-old right-hander shut out the Padres for four innings and gave up a run on three hits, with seven strikeouts and two walks in five innings.
Woods Richardson struggled initially with a 29-pitch first inning.
“It’s tough to create a rhythm for our guys when you do that,” Woods Richardson said. “But then I just tried to throw strikes, get us out of that early, and get us rolling again.”
Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli praised Woods Richardson for overcoming his rough start.
“The biggest point of the entire game was him getting through the first inning and finding a way to keep them down,” Baldelli said. “He was searching for it a little bit, but he found a way to make some pitches and get us out of it.”
The Twins took the lead in the third inning and broke the game open in the fourth. They sent 10 batters to the plate, scored seven runs, and extended their lead to 8-0.
With one out, Minnesota got two singles and run-scoring doubles from Austin Martin and Willi Castro. Royce Lewis added an RBI single before Wallner’s homer, his eighth of the year, sailed deep into the right-field seats.
“It’s so much easier to hit when guys are getting hits, guy after guy,” Wallner said.
