Twins work 11 innings to break losing streak, beat Padres 4-3

Alex Kirilloff has played in four games since being called up from Class AAA St. Paul. He has not been around long enough to be infected with the same hitting ailment that has overwhelmed the team.

Kirilloff has had competitive at-bats throughout the first two games of the Twins series against San Diego, including his walkoff single in the 11th inning on Wednesday to lift the Twins to a 4-3 victory.

Kirilloff reached base four times in five plate appearances Tuesday, with two hits, a walk and a fielder's choice. His game-winner sets up a rubber game on Thursday as the teams wrap up a three-game series. In the two games, Kirilloff has two hits and three walks.

Perhaps he can rub off on his teammates.

"I'm just trying to stick with my approach, my process," said Kirilloff, who has been limited the last two seasons due to wrist problems. "Kind of just take the environment out of it and not let that change anything I'm trying to do. That's been my focus and just take it one step at a time."

San Diego took a 3-2 lead in the 10th by executing a suicide squeeze that scored Rougned Odor. The Twins got a leadoff single by pinch hitter Donovan Solano that scored Willi Castro with the tying run. Solano moved to second on a wild pitch by the Padres' Josh Hader.

Their attempt at execution killed them, however, as Christian Vázquez missed two bunt attempts before striking out. Hader, one of the league's filthiest lefthanders, then got out of the inning by striking out Nick Gordon and Max Kepler.

But Solano got to him for a big hit.

"He throws a lot of fastballs up," Solano said. "We need to get ready for those fastballs and get on top. For me, it is trying not to do too much."

Griffin Jax pitched the top of the 11th, striking out Matt Carpenter with the bases loaded to end the inning. He pumped his fist as the announced crowd of 18,467 released the loudest cheer of the night — before Kirilloff batted in the bottom of the inning.

"It's good be healthy, be back and playing ball," Kirilloff said.

Kepler provided a jolt to the struggling Twins offense with a first-inning home run to right field. Kepler entered the game batting .213, but was 2-for-5 with his sixth homer and three runs scored on Wednesday.

The Twins took a 2-0 lead in the third on back-to-back doubles by Kepler and Carlos Correa, with Correa's blast to center inches short of clearing the fence. Kirilloff followed with a single to right. Correa was waved home but was tagged out inches before sliding across home plate. Now, it was a matter of trying to make the score hold up.

Pablo López navigated San Diego's imposing-but-underperforming lineup for six innings before giving up a home run to Juan Soto to lead off the seventh. López went 6 1/3 innings, giving up the one run on two hits and four walks with eight strikeouts. On most nights, that is enough. On Wednesday, it meant the Twins held a 2-1 lead going into the eighth inning.

Jorge López took over in the eighth and loaded the bases with one out before Manny Machado lofted a sacrifice fly to right field that allowed Trent Grisham to score the tying run and force extra innings. The Twins, who had lost five of their last seven games entering Wednesday, prevailed.

"That's a really good win," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "There was a lot of stuff going on in that game. A lot of it was subtle. A lot of it was apparent. But our pitching went out there and kind of took the bull by the horns there."