Twins stop slide on Julien's homers, Correa's throw to nab Ohtani at plate in 3-2 win over Dodgers

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Edouard Julien homered twice and scored three runs for the Minnesota Twins to spark a slumping lineup and lead a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.

Julien, who entered the afternoon in a 3-for-28 start to the season, led off the first and fifth innings with opposite field drives into the bleachers in left for his first career multi-homer game. Alex Vesia (0-1) relieved starter Bobby Miller to start the fifth and took the loss.

Julien, the second-year second baseman, also started the third with a single and scored on a single by Byron Buxton that stopped an 0-for-33 skid for the Twins with runners in scoring position.

Max Muncy led off the fourth inning with a home run and Teoscar Hernández hit an RBI double for the Dodgers, whose opportunity to tie the game in the sixth was thwarted when Shohei Ohtani — who went 1 for 3 with a walk — was thrown out at the plate to end that inning.

Freddie Freeman drilled a double down the right field line that Alex Kirilloff was slow to snag, prompting third base coach Dino Ebel to wave Ohtani in from first. Shortstop Carlos Correa took the relay throw in shallow right and fired a perfect strike to catcher Christian Vázquez, who pivoted left to snap a tag on Ohtani's right leg. Home plate umpire Marvin Hudson initially ruled Ohtani safe, but the call was overturned after a replay review.

The Twins secured their first win at Target Field after matching the club's second-worst home start in a season. They began 0-5 in 1962 and 0-4 in 1981 at Metropolitan Stadium.

Steven Okert earned his first career save with a scoreless ninth, capping a stellar performance by Minnesota's injury-thinned bullpen in relief of starter Chris Paddack. Kody Funderburk (1-0) finished the fifth for Paddack by striking out Muncy with runners at the corners. Griffin Jax struck out the side in the eighth inning.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: After an off day, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-1, 4.09 ERA) starts on Friday night to begin a three-game series against San Diego. RHP Michael King (2-0, 3.14 ERA) takes the mound for the Padres.

Twins: RHP Pablo López (1-1, 2.84 ERA) pitches on Thursday afternoon to begin a four-game series at Detroit. LHP Tarik Skubal (1-0, 2.92 ERA) starts for the Tigers.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB