Minnesota Twins vs Philadelphia Phillies

The Twins struck first and struck hard. With two outs and nobody on in the first inning, Painter (5.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases. Brooks Lee smashed a grand slam to right field — one pitch after pulling a would-be slam just foul — to make it 4-0. Clemens led off the third with a solo homer to right, his 21st of the season, stretching the lead to 5-0.

Philadelphia got nothing against Twins starter Dean Kremer through the first five innings. Then came the sixth. Kremer retired the first two batters but issued three consecutive two-out walks — to Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott and Bryce Harper — the third forcing in a run. Bohm followed by crushing a 1-0 pitch for a three-run homer to left, his 14th of the year, cutting the deficit to 5-4.

In the eighth, the Phillies finished the job. Derek Hill, running for Luis Arraez, and Bryce Harper reached base against reliever Andrew Morris. Bohm looped an RBI single to shallow right field — a ball that glanced off the glove of first baseman Royce Lewis for an error — scoring Harper to tie the game at 5-5. De La Cruz then rolled a single that snuck between Lewis and the bag, plating two more to give the Phillies a 7-5 lead.

Jhoan Duran worked a tense ninth — allowing a single and a walk but striking out three — to earn his 26th save.

Kremer had dominated through five innings (5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), but the two-out control lapse in the sixth changed everything. After issuing three straight walks to load the bases, Kremer left a 1-0 fastball over the plate and Bohm deposited it into the left-field seats. The 5-0 lead was suddenly 5-4 and the momentum had swung entirely.

• Alec Bohm (PHI): 2-for-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, HR — Player of the Match. Homer in the sixth, go-ahead RBI single in the eighth.
• Bryan De La Cruz (PHI): 1-for-2 as a pinch-hitter, 2 RBI. Decisive two-run single in the eighth.
• Orion Kerkering (PHI): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R — earned the win (7-1) with a clean seventh.
• Brooks Lee (MIN): Grand slam, his 18th home run. Five first-inning RBIs.
• Kody Clemens (MIN): 2-for-4, solo HR (21st), RBI.
• Andrew Morris (MIN): 1.0 IP, 3 ER — took the loss (4-4). Had allowed two earned runs in 28.1 IP over his previous 27 appearances since June 12.

Philadelphia out-hit Minnesota 9-7 despite being shut out through five innings. The Phillies' four walks in the sixth — three drawn consecutively with two outs — turned a quiet inning into the decisive rally. Minnesota's bullpen, which had been a strength, cracked: Andrew Morris allowed more earned runs (3) in one inning than he had in his previous 27 appearances combined (2). Edmundo Sosa tripled in the third but was stranded, summing up a frustrating day for both sides with runners in scoring position.

The Phillies (67-58) swept the three-game series, winning the last two games by a combined 16-6 margin. They return to Philadelphia on Monday (17 Aug) to open a series against the Miami Marlins, with Cristopher Sánchez (15-4, 2.54 ERA) taking the mound. The Twins (60-65) dropped to 4-10 in August — their worst stretch of the season — and host the Atlanta Braves on Monday with Bailey Ober (7-4, 4.64) starting.

Philadelphia showed the resilience of a playoff contender, erasing a five-run hole without their regular shortstop Trea Turner (available but rested after fouling a ball off his knee on Saturday). For Minnesota, a promising start collapsed around control issues and a bullpen that finally broke after two months of excellence. The sweep underscores two teams heading in opposite directions as August deepens.