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Deadspin | Providence draws tough task of shutting down Zuby Ejiofor, No. 13 St. John’s

Deadspin | Providence draws tough task of shutting down Zuby Ejiofor, No. 13 St. John’s

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Mar 3, 2026; New York, New York, USA; St. John’s Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) walks off the court after defeating the Georgetown Hoyas 72-69 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Providence has at least one more game under Kim English. And that game could not feature a juicier opponent.

The ninth-seeded Friars rode a historic game from freshman Stefan Vaaks to a Big East tournament win over eighth-seeded Butler on Wednesday, setting up a second-round showdown with top-seeded St. John’s on Thursday afternoon in New York.

Rick Pitino and 13th-ranked St. John’s (25-6) went 18-2 in the league to take a second straight regular-season title. However, the Red Storm’s first league loss came Jan. 3 at Madison Square Garden against Providence, which rallied from a 13-point hole to prevail 77-71 on Feb. 14.

The return game in Rhode Island got ugly. Duncan Powell fouled ex-Providence forward Bryce Hopkins hard when he went up for a layup, causing a fight and six ejections before St. John’s won 79-69. Powell served a three-game suspension.

“I think (the fight) was all, truthfully, blown out of proportion, to tell you the truth,” English said Wednesday. “Again, it was a hard foul, a couple guys got in each other’s face, there was some pushes. I mean, I think it got completely blown out of proportion.”

He repeatedly declared “there’s no beef” between Providence and St. John’s.

“We have a game in the greatest arena in the world,” English said, “and it’s one of the best coaches in the history of college basketball against the Big East Player of the Year (Zuby Ejiofor). It’s a team, a program we have a lot of respect for. That’s all it is. There’s no beef between us and St. John’s.”

That doesn’t even touch on Pitino putting his thumb on the scale of the Friars’ coaching search from afar.

It was reported last week that Providence will part ways with English after this season, and a rogue report last month indicated that Pitino’s son, Richard Pitino, would consider leaving his post at Xavier for the Providence job. The younger Pitino has since denied interest, and Rick Pitino — who coached the Friars from 1985-87 — also stated his son wouldn’t be leaving Xavier.

Providence looked like a lost cause Wednesday when it fell behind 15-2 to start the game, but Vaaks sparked the comeback and finished with career highs of 28 points and eight 3-pointers. He tied the Big East tournament record for threes in a game, while Ryan Mela added 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Jaylin Sellers went for 23, seven and four.

Vaaks scored 16 and 20 in the two games against St. John’s, and Sellers had 15 and 13 before he was ejected from the latter matchup.

“No extra motivation,” Sellers said. “They’re on the list, so we got to take care of business to keep our season alive. Me personally, I learned from the situation, and now it’s just time to be a leader and make sure that my guys are ready to play the next 40 (minutes).”

The focus will have to be on stopping Ejiofor, named the conference’s Player of the Year on Wednesday. He posted 33 points and 15 rebounds in the first meeting with Providence but just 14 and four in the rematch. Ejiofor is averaging 16.0 points (54.6 FG%), 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks this season.

Hopkins has added 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest in his first season at St. John’s after three injury-ravaged years at Providence. He said at a team autograph signing earlier this week that he had a gut feeling the Red Storm would draw a third matchup with the Friars.

“I don’t know what made me feel like that, but it was just a feeling I had that we were going to match up with them again … so I mean, it is what it is,” Hopkins said.

All this comes amid the backdrop of Madison Square Garden, the Red Storm’s home away from campus that has attracted plenty of Providence supporters as well.

“I got my team together this morning talking about the Big East tournament, how spectacular it is,” Pitino told Hoops HQ on Tuesday. “I said, ‘Guys you’re not going to fully appreciate this until you leave New York, but you guys just played 11 or 12 games as your home court in the World’s Greatest Arena.'”

–Field Level Media

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Deadspin | Knicks finish off Hawks with record-setting 51-point blowout Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives past Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) in the first quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images OG Anunoby scored 26 of his 29 points in the first half to lead visiting New York to a historic 140-89 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday as the Knicks won their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series 4-2. It was the most points scored by the Knicks in a playoff game and their largest winning margin in the postseason. The only bigger victory margin in club history came earlier this year, when New York routed the Brooklyn Nets 120-66 on Jan. 21. The Hawks endured the second-worst postseason defeat in franchise history. The then-St. Louis Hawks lost 133-75 to the Minneapolis Lakers on March 19, 1956. New York, who produced a 63-11 first-half run, led by as many as 61 and beat the Hawks for the third straight game to advance to the conference semifinals for the fourth straight year. The third-seeded Knicks next will face either the second-seeded Boston Celtics or the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers. Anunoby shot 11-for-14 from the field and added seven rebounds and four steals. “I work hard on my game and the ball finds me,” Anunoby said. New York’s Mikal Bridges scored 24 points, Jalen Brunson had 17 points and eight assists. Karl-Anthony Towns had his second career playoff triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, with three steals. The starters were out of the game midway in the third quarter. “I thought we did a great job with our defense,” Towns said. “You know, I thought our offense was created by our defense (which) did a great job of causing turnovers, upping the pressure, and we executed offensively. It’s a great recipe for success.” Sixth-seeded Atlanta was led by Jalen Johnson with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists. “I did not see it going down like this tonight,” said Atlanta’s CJ McCollum, who scored 11 points. “None of us did.” The Knicks took control early and showed their dominance in the first quarter, taking a 40-15 lead into the second. New York shot 69.2% from the field (18-for-26) and was helped greatly by eight Atlanta turnovers. Anunoby scored 14 in the opening quarter. The Knicks finished the first quarter on a 31-4 run, which became a 39-4 run as the lead continued to grow. Tempers flared in the second quarter and resulted in New York’s Mitchell Robinson and Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels being ejected for a fracas with 4:39 left in the half. While battling for position on a free throw, Daniels hit Robinson with a high elbow. Pushing ensued and official Brent Barnaky was knocked to the ground, but no punches were thrown and order was quickly restored. Both players were assessed a technical foul and ejected. The Knicks’ 47-point halftime lead (83-36) was an NBA postseason record. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Knicks #finish #Hawks #recordsetting #51point #blowoutApr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives past Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) in the first quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

OG Anunoby scored 26 of his 29 points in the first half to lead visiting New York to a historic 140-89 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday as the Knicks won their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series 4-2.

It was the most points scored by the Knicks in a playoff game and their largest winning margin in the postseason. The only bigger victory margin in club history came earlier this year, when New York routed the Brooklyn Nets 120-66 on Jan. 21.

The Hawks endured the second-worst postseason defeat in franchise history. The then-St. Louis Hawks lost 133-75 to the Minneapolis Lakers on March 19, 1956.

New York, who produced a 63-11 first-half run, led by as many as 61 and beat the Hawks for the third straight game to advance to the conference semifinals for the fourth straight year. The third-seeded Knicks next will face either the second-seeded Boston Celtics or the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.

Anunoby shot 11-for-14 from the field and added seven rebounds and four steals.

“I work hard on my game and the ball finds me,” Anunoby said.

New York’s Mikal Bridges scored 24 points, Jalen Brunson had 17 points and eight assists. Karl-Anthony Towns had his second career playoff triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, with three steals. The starters were out of the game midway in the third quarter.


“I thought we did a great job with our defense,” Towns said. “You know, I thought our offense was created by our defense (which) did a great job of causing turnovers, upping the pressure, and we executed offensively. It’s a great recipe for success.”

Sixth-seeded Atlanta was led by Jalen Johnson with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

“I did not see it going down like this tonight,” said Atlanta’s CJ McCollum, who scored 11 points. “None of us did.”

The Knicks took control early and showed their dominance in the first quarter, taking a 40-15 lead into the second. New York shot 69.2% from the field (18-for-26) and was helped greatly by eight Atlanta turnovers. Anunoby scored 14 in the opening quarter.

The Knicks finished the first quarter on a 31-4 run, which became a 39-4 run as the lead continued to grow.

Tempers flared in the second quarter and resulted in New York’s Mitchell Robinson and Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels being ejected for a fracas with 4:39 left in the half.

While battling for position on a free throw, Daniels hit Robinson with a high elbow. Pushing ensued and official Brent Barnaky was knocked to the ground, but no punches were thrown and order was quickly restored. Both players were assessed a technical foul and ejected.

The Knicks’ 47-point halftime lead (83-36) was an NBA postseason record.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Knicks #finish #Hawks #recordsetting #51point #blowout">Deadspin | Knicks finish off Hawks with record-setting 51-point blowout Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives past Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) in the first quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images OG Anunoby scored 26 of his 29 points in the first half to lead visiting New York to a historic 140-89 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday as the Knicks won their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series 4-2. It was the most points scored by the Knicks in a playoff game and their largest winning margin in the postseason. The only bigger victory margin in club history came earlier this year, when New York routed the Brooklyn Nets 120-66 on Jan. 21. The Hawks endured the second-worst postseason defeat in franchise history. The then-St. Louis Hawks lost 133-75 to the Minneapolis Lakers on March 19, 1956. New York, who produced a 63-11 first-half run, led by as many as 61 and beat the Hawks for the third straight game to advance to the conference semifinals for the fourth straight year. The third-seeded Knicks next will face either the second-seeded Boston Celtics or the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers. Anunoby shot 11-for-14 from the field and added seven rebounds and four steals. “I work hard on my game and the ball finds me,” Anunoby said. New York’s Mikal Bridges scored 24 points, Jalen Brunson had 17 points and eight assists. Karl-Anthony Towns had his second career playoff triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, with three steals. The starters were out of the game midway in the third quarter. “I thought we did a great job with our defense,” Towns said. “You know, I thought our offense was created by our defense (which) did a great job of causing turnovers, upping the pressure, and we executed offensively. It’s a great recipe for success.” Sixth-seeded Atlanta was led by Jalen Johnson with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists. “I did not see it going down like this tonight,” said Atlanta’s CJ McCollum, who scored 11 points. “None of us did.” The Knicks took control early and showed their dominance in the first quarter, taking a 40-15 lead into the second. New York shot 69.2% from the field (18-for-26) and was helped greatly by eight Atlanta turnovers. Anunoby scored 14 in the opening quarter. The Knicks finished the first quarter on a 31-4 run, which became a 39-4 run as the lead continued to grow. Tempers flared in the second quarter and resulted in New York’s Mitchell Robinson and Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels being ejected for a fracas with 4:39 left in the half. While battling for position on a free throw, Daniels hit Robinson with a high elbow. Pushing ensued and official Brent Barnaky was knocked to the ground, but no punches were thrown and order was quickly restored. Both players were assessed a technical foul and ejected. The Knicks’ 47-point halftime lead (83-36) was an NBA postseason record. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Knicks #finish #Hawks #recordsetting #51point #blowout

South Africa plans to arrive in Mexico almost a fortnight before the opening game of ​the World Cup in order to acclimatise to the altitude, coach ‌Hugo Broos said. Co-host Mexico opens the tournament on ​June 11 with a Group A match against ⁠South Africa at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which is 2,200m (7,216 feet) above sea level.

While most of the South African players ‌are based at clubs in Johannesburg, which has an altitude of 1,753m, Broos says his squad needs ‌time to adjust to the conditions in Mexico before ‌the ⁠opening game.

The squad will travel on May 30 to ⁠their base in Pachuca, which is around 200 metres higher than Mexico City. The city is less than 100 km from Mexico City.

“The first ​days it will be difficult ‌to train at 100 per cent because of the altitude, so that is what we will do in the second week,” Broos said in a radio interview.

READ: Mexican goalkeeping legend Guillermo Ochoa to retire after FIFA World Cup 2026

South Africa plans to ‌take on Nicaragua at home in a friendly on ​May 29, although this is not confirmed, and is negotiating to have Puerto Rico as a ⁠warm-up opponent for a second international scrimmage in Pachuca. In its other World Cup group matches, South Africa will meet the ‌Czech Republic in Atlanta on June 18 and South Korea in Monterrey on June 24, seeking to advance past the first round for the first time in its fourth World Cup appearance.

“It’s not an easy group for us. First of all, we will face the host in the opening ‌game, at the Azteca Stadium, and it will be very difficult for ​us there,” Broos said earlier in the year. But the veteran coach, who played for semifinalist Belgium ⁠at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, has also previously predicted ⁠his side could cause some upsets at the tournament, which is also being played in Canada and the ‌U.S.

South Africa and Mexico drew 1-1 at Soccer City in Johannesburg in the opening game of the 2010 ​World Cup, which South Africa hosted.

Published on May 01, 2026

#South #Africa #plans #early #Mexico #arrival #adapt #World #Cup #opener">South Africa plans early Mexico arrival to adapt for World Cup opener South Africa plans to arrive in Mexico almost a fortnight before the opening game of ​the World Cup in order to acclimatise to the altitude, coach ‌Hugo Broos said. Co-host Mexico opens the tournament on ​June 11 with a Group A match against ⁠South Africa at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which is 2,200m (7,216 feet) above sea level.While most of the South African players ‌are based at clubs in Johannesburg, which has an altitude of 1,753m, Broos says his squad needs ‌time to adjust to the conditions in Mexico before ‌the ⁠opening game.The squad will travel on May 30 to ⁠their base in Pachuca, which is around 200 metres higher than Mexico City. The city is less than 100 km from Mexico City.“The first ​days it will be difficult ‌to train at 100 per cent because of the altitude, so that is what we will do in the second week,” Broos said in a radio interview.READ: Mexican goalkeeping legend Guillermo Ochoa to retire after FIFA World Cup 2026South Africa plans to ‌take on Nicaragua at home in a friendly on ​May 29, although this is not confirmed, and is negotiating to have Puerto Rico as a ⁠warm-up opponent for a second international scrimmage in Pachuca. In its other World Cup group matches, South Africa will meet the ‌Czech Republic in Atlanta on June 18 and South Korea in Monterrey on June 24, seeking to advance past the first round for the first time in its fourth World Cup appearance.“It’s not an easy group for us. First of all, we will face the host in the opening ‌game, at the Azteca Stadium, and it will be very difficult for ​us there,” Broos said earlier in the year. But the veteran coach, who played for semifinalist Belgium ⁠at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, has also previously predicted ⁠his side could cause some upsets at the tournament, which is also being played in Canada and the ‌U.S.South Africa and Mexico drew 1-1 at Soccer City in Johannesburg in the opening game of the 2010 ​World Cup, which South Africa hosted.Published on May 01, 2026 #South #Africa #plans #early #Mexico #arrival #adapt #World #Cup #opener

Mexican goalkeeping legend Guillermo Ochoa to retire after FIFA World Cup 2026

South Africa plans to ‌take on Nicaragua at home in a friendly on ​May 29, although this is not confirmed, and is negotiating to have Puerto Rico as a ⁠warm-up opponent for a second international scrimmage in Pachuca. In its other World Cup group matches, South Africa will meet the ‌Czech Republic in Atlanta on June 18 and South Korea in Monterrey on June 24, seeking to advance past the first round for the first time in its fourth World Cup appearance.

“It’s not an easy group for us. First of all, we will face the host in the opening ‌game, at the Azteca Stadium, and it will be very difficult for ​us there,” Broos said earlier in the year. But the veteran coach, who played for semifinalist Belgium ⁠at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, has also previously predicted ⁠his side could cause some upsets at the tournament, which is also being played in Canada and the ‌U.S.

South Africa and Mexico drew 1-1 at Soccer City in Johannesburg in the opening game of the 2010 ​World Cup, which South Africa hosted.

Published on May 01, 2026

#South #Africa #plans #early #Mexico #arrival #adapt #World #Cup #opener">South Africa plans early Mexico arrival to adapt for World Cup opener

South Africa plans to arrive in Mexico almost a fortnight before the opening game of ​the World Cup in order to acclimatise to the altitude, coach ‌Hugo Broos said. Co-host Mexico opens the tournament on ​June 11 with a Group A match against ⁠South Africa at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which is 2,200m (7,216 feet) above sea level.

While most of the South African players ‌are based at clubs in Johannesburg, which has an altitude of 1,753m, Broos says his squad needs ‌time to adjust to the conditions in Mexico before ‌the ⁠opening game.

The squad will travel on May 30 to ⁠their base in Pachuca, which is around 200 metres higher than Mexico City. The city is less than 100 km from Mexico City.

“The first ​days it will be difficult ‌to train at 100 per cent because of the altitude, so that is what we will do in the second week,” Broos said in a radio interview.

READ: Mexican goalkeeping legend Guillermo Ochoa to retire after FIFA World Cup 2026

South Africa plans to ‌take on Nicaragua at home in a friendly on ​May 29, although this is not confirmed, and is negotiating to have Puerto Rico as a ⁠warm-up opponent for a second international scrimmage in Pachuca. In its other World Cup group matches, South Africa will meet the ‌Czech Republic in Atlanta on June 18 and South Korea in Monterrey on June 24, seeking to advance past the first round for the first time in its fourth World Cup appearance.

“It’s not an easy group for us. First of all, we will face the host in the opening ‌game, at the Azteca Stadium, and it will be very difficult for ​us there,” Broos said earlier in the year. But the veteran coach, who played for semifinalist Belgium ⁠at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, has also previously predicted ⁠his side could cause some upsets at the tournament, which is also being played in Canada and the ‌U.S.

South Africa and Mexico drew 1-1 at Soccer City in Johannesburg in the opening game of the 2010 ​World Cup, which South Africa hosted.

Published on May 01, 2026

#South #Africa #plans #early #Mexico #arrival #adapt #World #Cup #opener
Deadspin | Twins bats come alive late to take down Jays in series opener Apr 30, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) celebrates after hitting a double off Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Yohendrick Pinango (24) in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Byron Buxton went 3-for-4 with a double, a homer and an RBI, and the Minnesota Twins pulled away for a 7-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night in Minneapolis. Ryan Jeffers hit a two-run homer for Minnesota, which won the opener of a four-game series. Austin Martin, Josh Bell and Luke Keaschall drove in one run apiece for the Twins. Daulton Varsho hit a solo homer for Toronto’s lone run. Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (3-1) limited the Blue Jays to one run on four hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out two. Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (2-2) allowed four runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He also walked two and struck out two. Toronto opened the scoring in the top of the fourth inning. Varsho belted a 397-foot solo shot over the wall in right field for his fourth homer of the season and his first since April 14. The Twins responded to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Trevor Larnach drew a leadoff walk, and Jeffers followed with a two-run homer over the wall in left-center field. Buxton continued his power surge in the sixth. He led off the inning with a solo shot to left-center field that marked his eighth homer of the season and his fifth homer in the past nine games. The blast by Buxton made it 3-1, and the Twins added another run in the sixth to seize a three-run lead. Martin ripped an RBI single to center to drive in Larnach. Minnesota tacked on three more runs in the eighth to increase its advantage to 7-1. Buxton started the big inning with a single to center. Jeffers reached on a fielder’s choice ground ball that included a throwing error by Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, and Bell capitalized moments later with a single to make it 6-1. Keaschall capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to left to drive in Bell. Twins relievers Anthony Banda, Andrew Morris and Justin Topa combined to pitch three scoreless innings to preserve the victory for Ober. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Twins #bats #alive #late #Jays #series #openerApr 30, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) celebrates after hitting a double off Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Yohendrick Pinango (24) in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Byron Buxton went 3-for-4 with a double, a homer and an RBI, and the Minnesota Twins pulled away for a 7-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night in Minneapolis.

Ryan Jeffers hit a two-run homer for Minnesota, which won the opener of a four-game series. Austin Martin, Josh Bell and Luke Keaschall drove in one run apiece for the Twins.

Daulton Varsho hit a solo homer for Toronto’s lone run.

Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (3-1) limited the Blue Jays to one run on four hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out two.

Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (2-2) allowed four runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He also walked two and struck out two.

Toronto opened the scoring in the top of the fourth inning. Varsho belted a 397-foot solo shot over the wall in right field for his fourth homer of the season and his first since April 14.


The Twins responded to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Trevor Larnach drew a leadoff walk, and Jeffers followed with a two-run homer over the wall in left-center field.

Buxton continued his power surge in the sixth. He led off the inning with a solo shot to left-center field that marked his eighth homer of the season and his fifth homer in the past nine games.

The blast by Buxton made it 3-1, and the Twins added another run in the sixth to seize a three-run lead. Martin ripped an RBI single to center to drive in Larnach.

Minnesota tacked on three more runs in the eighth to increase its advantage to 7-1.

Buxton started the big inning with a single to center. Jeffers reached on a fielder’s choice ground ball that included a throwing error by Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, and Bell capitalized moments later with a single to make it 6-1.

Keaschall capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to left to drive in Bell.

Twins relievers Anthony Banda, Andrew Morris and Justin Topa combined to pitch three scoreless innings to preserve the victory for Ober.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Twins #bats #alive #late #Jays #series #opener">Deadspin | Twins bats come alive late to take down Jays in series opener Apr 30, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) celebrates after hitting a double off Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Yohendrick Pinango (24) in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Byron Buxton went 3-for-4 with a double, a homer and an RBI, and the Minnesota Twins pulled away for a 7-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night in Minneapolis. Ryan Jeffers hit a two-run homer for Minnesota, which won the opener of a four-game series. Austin Martin, Josh Bell and Luke Keaschall drove in one run apiece for the Twins. Daulton Varsho hit a solo homer for Toronto’s lone run. Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (3-1) limited the Blue Jays to one run on four hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out two. Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (2-2) allowed four runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He also walked two and struck out two. Toronto opened the scoring in the top of the fourth inning. Varsho belted a 397-foot solo shot over the wall in right field for his fourth homer of the season and his first since April 14. The Twins responded to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Trevor Larnach drew a leadoff walk, and Jeffers followed with a two-run homer over the wall in left-center field. Buxton continued his power surge in the sixth. He led off the inning with a solo shot to left-center field that marked his eighth homer of the season and his fifth homer in the past nine games. The blast by Buxton made it 3-1, and the Twins added another run in the sixth to seize a three-run lead. Martin ripped an RBI single to center to drive in Larnach. Minnesota tacked on three more runs in the eighth to increase its advantage to 7-1. Buxton started the big inning with a single to center. Jeffers reached on a fielder’s choice ground ball that included a throwing error by Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, and Bell capitalized moments later with a single to make it 6-1. Keaschall capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to left to drive in Bell. Twins relievers Anthony Banda, Andrew Morris and Justin Topa combined to pitch three scoreless innings to preserve the victory for Ober. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Twins #bats #alive #late #Jays #series #opener

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