Twins hang on late to edge Blue Jays, 3-2

Joe Ryan pitched seven innings of one-run ball to help the Twins edge the Blue Jays.

May 10, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan (41) pitches to the / John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Ryan pitched seven innings of one-run ball and the Twins were able to produce just enough offense to edge the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 Friday night in Toronto.

It was a pitching duel between Ryan and Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi with each surrendering very little damage. Ryan allowed just six hits and one run while fanning seven across his seven innings of work, while Kikuchi allowed two runs off four hits while fanning three.

The first run off Kikuchi came during the first inning when Jose Miranda hit an RBI single to give the Twins (23-15) an early 1-0 lead. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, once briefly a Twin, tied the game for the Blue Jays (17-21) with a 365-foot solo homer off Ryan during the third inning.

Carlos Santana's 342-foot solo shot in the fifth inning scored the go-ahead run for the Twins.

Jhoan Duran pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning to preserve the Twins' 2-1 advantage.

Max Kepler provided an insurance run for the Twins with an RBI single in the ninth inning that scored Carlos Correa, who doubled a couple at-bats earlier.

They needed it

With two outs, Kiner-Falefa hit an RBI single off Griffin Jax in the ninth inning to cut the Blue Jays' deficit to one. But Jax got Ernie Clement to ground out to the mound to pick up the save as the Twins hung on for the victory.

The Twins and Blue Jays meet for the second of their three-game series at 2:07 p.m. on Saturday.