Buxton hits 3-run HR, Bradley has 8 strikeouts to help Twins beat Nationals 11-3

WASHINGTON (AP) — Byron Buxton hit a three-run homer, Brooks Lee drove in three runs and Taj Bradley struck out eight in six solid innings to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Washington Nationals 11-3 on Tuesday night.

Buxton’s homer, his sixth in the last eight games and 11th this season, made it 10-3 in the eighth. Lee was 3 for 5 with two doubles and Trevor Larnach added two hits and two RBIs.

Bradley (4-1) gave up two runs and four hits and walked two.

Cade Cavalli (1-2) gave up six runs — three earned — in four innings for the Nationals, who are 4-13 at home this season.

Kody Clemens was hit by a pitch with two outs in the second and Luke Keaschall followed with an infield single before Lee doubled down right field line to give the Twins a 2-1 lead.

Austin Martin singled before Clemens and Keaschall each walked to load the bases with no outs in the fourth. Martin scored when Lee reached on a fielding error by Cavalli and a sacrifice fly by Royce Lewis drove in Clemens before Larnach’s two-run double made it 6-1.

Daylen Lile walked, moved to third when Curtis Mead doubled and scored when CJ Abrams reached on a fielder’s choice to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Mead’s double in the fifth drove in Lile.

Mead and José Tena each went 2 for 4 with a double.

Josh Bell singled to drive in Ryan Jeffers, who led off the seventh with a double, to make it 7-2.

James Wood hit a liner off the top of the wall in left for a double that drove in Tena in the bottom of the inning and cut the Nationals’ deficit to 7-3.

Up next

Minnesota RHP Bailey Ober (3-1, 3.55 ERA) starts Wednesday against Miles Mikolas (0-3, 8.23) in the second of a three-game series.

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