Twins plate seven runs off Pirates' Ben Heller in 10th to win series finale

The Twins plated seven runs in the 10th inning to power their way to an 11-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in their series finale Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh to snap a five-game skid.

Manny Margot led off the inning with an RBI triple to center field off Pirates reliever Ben Heller, who struggled immensely with command during the inning, that scored automatic runner Kyle Farmer. Then Heller hit Byron Buxton with a pitch, walked Ryan Jeffers and hit Willi Castro with a pitch that plated the second run of the inning. Castro was hit twice by pitches in the game.

Carlos Santana then followed up with a two-run double to give the Twins a big cushion. Carlos Correa hit a two-run single the next at-bat, and Max Kepler followed up with another RBI single as they put the cherry on top and gave the Twins an 11-4 advantage. Heller threw 46 pitches in the inning, allowing seven runs — six earned — off five hits, one walk, and he hit three batters with pitches.

Josh Staumont gave up a leadoff RBI single to Oneil Cruz in the bottom of the 10th, but that was the only damage the Pirates would do as Staumont closed it out for the first Twins win of the series.

The Twins (34-31) found themselves in a 4-3 deficit after plating the first three runs of the contest when the Pirates (31-34) got to Twins starter Bailey Ober for three runs in the fifth.

Ober was cruising through four innings, but he found his way into trouble in the fifth after quickly getting the first two outs of the frame. But after the first two outs, Ober issued back-to-back walks to Henry Davis and Andrew McCutchen to put runners on first and second.

Bryan Reynolds then hit an RBI double to get the Pirates within one before Connor Joe hit a two-run triple that gave Pittsburgh a 4-3 advantage.

Royce Lewis, pinch hitting, plated the tying run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.

Ober allowed the four runs off seven hits while fanning five across 4 2/3 innings.

The Twins got off to a quick start, plating three runs in the first inning, though the third was gifted to them by the umpires. Jose Miranda drew a bases-loaded walk to plate the first run, and Alex Kirilloff followed up with a fielder’s choice that scored Correa.

Then Byron Buxton was up to bat, and he fouled off a pitch from Pirates starter Jared Jones, but the umpires ruled it was a passed ball, allowing Kepler to score from third base. The play was not reviewable and the run stood, giving the Twins an early 3-0 advantage.

Jones allowed two runs off six hits while fanning three across five innings.

The Pirates plated their first run in the second inning when Jared Triolo hit an RBI single that scored Rowdy Tellez, who doubled the previous at-bat. That scored stood until the Pirates plated three in the fifth inning and Lewis’ sacrifice fly tied it back up in the sixth inning.

Twins relievers Caleb Thielbar, Cole Sands, Griffin Jax, Jorge Alcala and Jhoan Duran, who picked up the win, combined to pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings to get the Twins into extras at 4-4.

The Twins return home Monday night when they’ll begin a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies. First pitch at Target Field is scheduled for 6:40 p.m.