Twins shut out Jays to lead in League title

Jose Berrios allowed four hits while pitching seven shutout innings to win his fifth consecutive start and Mitch Garver had three hits, including a two-run homer, to lead the visiting Minnesota Twins to a 3-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night. Berrios (6-1) pitched around leadoff singles in the third, fourth and sixth innings and didn't allow a batter to reach second base until Billy McKinney's two-out ground-rule double in the seventh. Berrios, who didn't walk a batter and struck out five, then got Brandon Drury to ground out to end the threat.

Berrios improved to 2-0 in three career starts against the Blue Jays, allowing just one run on 13 hits in 19 2/3 innings. He has struck out 19 and has five walks. Taylor Rogers overcame two singles in the ninth to pick up his fourth save.

Aaron Sanchez (3-3) took the loss, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks over seven innings. He struck out six. Max Kepler also had two hits and scored a run for Minnesota, which increased its American League Central lead to four games over the Cleveland Indians.

Sanchez, who entered the game leading the AL in walks per nine innings with an average of 5.66, threw 31 pitches in the first inning, including a two-out, bases-loaded walk to Marwin Gonzalez that gave the Twins a 1-0 lead. Kepler and Jorge Polanco opened the game with back-to-back singles but Sanchez looked like he might get out of the jam by striking out Nelson Cruz and getting Eddie Rosario to pop out. However, Sanchez then issued back-to-back walks to Garver and Gonzalez to force in the run.

Minnesota extended its lead to 3-0 in the sixth when Rosario led off with a bloop single to centre, then scored on Garver's seventh homer of the season, a 424-foot drive into the second deck in left centre. The Blue Jays brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth after singles by Randal Grichuk and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. But Rogers got McKinney on a weak grounder to first to end the game.

(With inputs from agencies.)