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Twins Complete Sweep of the Pirates off Joe Mauer’s Home Run

By Brennen Rupp

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Joe Mauer‘s last home run came on August 17, 2014. That’s 286 at-bats. That streak came to an end with a bang tonight. In a tie game in the 13th inning, Mauer hit the go-ahead home run and helped the Minnesota Twins complete the two-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Following Mauer’s home run Twins closer, Glen Perkins came on to record his 15th save of the season. He now leads the majors with 15 saves.

May 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher J.R. Graham (62) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning of an inter-league game at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

While it will be Mauer’s home run that gets the headlines, one can’t overlook the work J.R. Graham did. Graham pitched three scoreless innings working out of the bullpen. He gave up one hit and recorded two strikeouts.

For the second night in a row, the Twins jumped on the Pirates early, plating three runs in the first inning. With the bases loaded, Torii Hunter hit a three run double. Hunter is now leading the Twins in RBIs with 24 on the season.

Mike Pelfrey had a solid outing, working six innings and giving up one run on five hits. He had three, 1-2-3 innings and at one point retired eight men in a row.

Andrew McCutchen‘s home run in the eighth inning off Blaine Boyer tied the game at three. It also snapped Boyer’s streak of scoreless innings at 18.

The Twins are now six games above .500 with a record of 23-17 and head to Chicago to take on the White Sox for a weekend series. The Twins are 5-2 against the White Sox so far this season.

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