Ryan wins for 7th time in 8 decisions, Clemens hits 9th homer and Twins beat Mariners 2-0
Joe Ryan won for the seventh time in eight decisions, Kody Clemens hit his ninth homer and Willi Castro drove in the go-ahead run as the Minnesota Twins beat the Seattle Mariners 2-0 on Wednesday night to stop a five-game losing streak.
Ryan (8-3) allowed three hits in six innings, struck out eight and walked none to help Minnesota end a six-game home skid, its longest at Target Field since an eight-game slide from April 27 to May 20, 2016. Ryan has allowed one run or none in nine of 15 starts.
Jhoan Duran, reaching 100 mph with three pitches, got three straight outs for his 11th save in 13 chances, combining with Louis Varland and Griffin Jax for hitless relief.
Byron Buxton singled in the sixth off George Kirby (1-4), advanced on a groundout and scored on Castro's single.
Clemens homered in the seventh off Eduard Bazardo as Minnesota (38-42) won for the second time in 13 games.
Kirby allowed one run and three hits in six innings.
Seattle (41-38) had won three in a row.
Julio Rodríguez had an infield hit leading off the sixth, but Ryan struck out home run leader Cal Raleigh and got ex-Twin Jorge Polanco to hit into a double play.
Seattle began the day with the third most home runs at 105 and Raleigh's 32 accounted for 30%. The Mariners hit 14 homers through the first five game of their 10-game trip.
Seattle RHP Emerson Hancock (3-3, 5.43) and Minnesota RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (2-4, 5.06) start Thursday's finale of the four-game series.
