Bailey Ober is officially on a roll. The Twins' right-hander delivered his third straight quality start on Thursday, holding the Blue Jays to just one run over six-plus innings in a 7-1 victory that pushed Minnesota to 14-18 on the season.
Ober was nearly untouchable, surrendering only four hits all night. The lone blemish came in the third inning when Daulton Varsho launched a solo home run to give Toronto an early lead. But Ober quickly settled back in, retiring batters with efficiency until a leadoff single in the seventh prompted his exit—another strong outing in the books.
The Twins' offense responded in style. After Varsho's blast, Trevor Larnach drew a walk to extend his on-base streak to 16 games, then came around to score on Ryan Jeffers' towering 404-foot home run to left-center field. That fourth-inning blast gave Minnesota a lead they'd never surrender.
Byron Buxton added to the fireworks with a home run of his own off Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman, finishing the day with three hits. The Twins piled on four runs against Gausman, a pitcher they've historically handled well.
Looking ahead, the series continues Friday night with Simeon Woods Richardson (0-4, 6.30 ERA) taking the mound for Minnesota against Toronto's Patrick Corbin (0-0, 3.72 ERA). The two faced off earlier this season, with Woods Richardson—battling food poisoning at the time—allowing five runs in four innings, while Corbin gave up four in four frames.
For Twins fans, this win is a welcome sign of momentum. Ober's consistency on the mound and timely hitting from the lineup are exactly what the team needs to climb back toward .500.
