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MINNEAPOLIS – The Detroit The two biggest surprises of the Tigers at the start of the season gave rise to a show on Saturday afternoon, ending the series of defeats of the team at the opening of the two-player match at Target Field.

Right-hand rookie Spencer Turnbull was once again good, scoring some of his best tricks in round six throughout the year. Short-shot Ronny Rodriguez continued his hot streak, hitting two homers at home.

But after the Tigers scorer got a late lead, it was John Hicks who propelled him to victory by winning a solo victory against the left pitch wall at the top of the ninth inning for a 5-3 win. .

Christin Stewart added a simple RBI to comfort the lead later in the round.

Ronny Rodriguez celebrates after hitting a home run in the second run Saturday in the first match of a double. (Photo: David Berding, USA TODAY Sports)

The Hicks' home run was a round after Joe Jimenez – who has launched well lately – has allowed a solo home run at C.J. Cron to create the tie. The home race was held without ball, two strikes count, on a fast ball in the center.

Turnbull allowed two runs on four hits in 5⅔ innings. He was all over the points again, but broke through the hotspots and the limited damage. He hit six and walked four.

Rodriguez provided most of the Tigers' pop, beating solo goals over Minnesota right-hander Michael Pineda in the second and fourth rounds. The second round of Rodriguez was followed by another of Brandon Dixon.

Tigers coach Ron Gardenhire earned his 79th career game for bats and strokes in the third set.

The Tigers (17-19) and the Twins of the American League (24-13) play the game 2 at 20:10

[ Tigers’ Gregory Soto gets quick call to majors, thanks to doubleheader ]

Here are three observations:

Rodriguez's show

It's no exaggeration to call Rodriguez, the Tigers' most valuable player, in the first month and a half. Rodriguez crushed the ball, and in big situations: he hit .323 in 17 games, including 14 out of 20 for extra bases. Nine of those shots tied the game or gave the Tigers a lead.

Turnbull Day

It was his best start to the season. Facing a difficult alignment of Twins – without a break, from top to bottom – Turnbull sank, leaving plenty of traffic on the early bases, but did not break. He threw a lot of good shots and his business was moving again, as evidenced by the jumps of the Twins. Turnbull was erratic – he threw 111 heights, 62 strikes, 49 balls at the top of his career – but when his stuff is lit, it does not matter.

Late sleeves

Jimenez and Hicks know better than going with a fastball while dominating the count, but Cron's home run did not make a difference. Jimenez is doing much better, but such mistakes are added: Jimenez now has three saves, most in the Food League. The Tigers replied with two points early in the ninth and Shane Greene scored his 14th stop in the bottom half.

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Contact Anthony Fenech at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech. Learn more about the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our newsletter.