Byron Buxton homers twice as Twins end six-game losing streak by beating Reds 12-5

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jun 19, 2025

Published in Baseball

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CINCINNATI – The Minnesota Twins have 88 games remaining in their season after Thursday’s 12-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, but the next month could factor heavily into what direction they’re headed.

Byron Buxton looks determined to keep them in contention ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. Buxton homered twice — the 14th multi-homer game in his career — and every Twins starter recorded a hit in their biggest offensive outburst in three weeks.

The Twins accumulated 17 hits, matching their second-highest hit total in a game this season, plus a season-high eight walks. All the offense snapped their six-game losing streak, salvaging one win on their road trip through Houston and Cincinnati, and the Twins returned to .500 with a 37-37 record.

It was back-to-back homers on consecutive pitches that put the Twins ahead. Down by a run in the second inning, Ryan Jeffers drew a walk with two outs. Kody Clemens followed with a two-run homer off Reds right-hander Nick Martinez, pulling a cutter down the right-field line. Clemens admired his work for a moment, taking a slow strut out of the batter’s box after his first hit in 12 days because he rarely was in the lineup amid a stretch where the team faced a line of lefty pitchers.

Buxton, on Martinez’s next pitch, walloped a changeup for a drive into deep left field to make it a 4-2 ballgame.

It was two homers in two innings for Buxton. He hammered a 432-foot homer on Martinez’s fourth pitch, lifting an elevated 92-mph fastball into the second deck in left field. It was Buxton’s second consecutive game with a leadoff homer and the 12th time he’s done it in his career, tying Dan Gladden for the fifth-most leadoff homers in Twins history.

Homering in three straight games, Buxton did his signature “Buck Truck” celebration, then pumped his arm after rounding second base. Despite a two-week stint on the concussion injured list, Buxton ranks sixth in the American League in homers (15), eighth in RBI (45) and 10th in runs (43).

“He said this is the best he’s felt in a little bit,” said former Twins reliever Emilio Pagán, who chatted with Buxton during a delay in Tuesday’s game. “It’s good for the game of baseball when he’s playing. You can see the highlights, what he’s capable of doing. He’s fun to watch, man. He’s one of the best.”

The Twins added three runs in the third inning. Ty France, who is batting .366 with runners in scoring position, thumped an RBI double off the left field wall. Jeffers followed with a two-run double down the left-field line off Martinez, who gave up seven hits and seven runs across 2 2/3 innings in his shortest start of the season.

In the fourth inning, the Twins had four straight batters reach base with two outs, which included back-to-back RBI hits from Trevor Larnach and Carlos Correa.

After the Twins left the bases loaded in the fifth inning and two runners in the seventh, Jeffers put the game out of reach with a 448-foot, two-run homer to center off ex-Twins reliever Taylor Rogers. The Twins added a run with three walks in the ninth inning.

Twins starter Chris Paddack, coming off his worst start in two months, allowed four runs and six hits in five innings. He gave up a pair of two-out RBI hits in the first inning when he had trouble generating any swings and misses, and he allowed a two-run homer to Gavin Lux in the third inning.

The Reds threatened in the seventh inning, in a four-run game, with two runners in scoring position and Elly De La Cruz at the plate. Danny Coulombe escaped with a strikeout before the Twins added to their lead in the next inning.

Brooks Lee extended his hitting streak to 18 games for the Twins.

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