In homer-happy game, double off wall sinks Twins in 9-8 loss to Blue Jays

In a game that featured a combined eight home runs, it was a two-run double from Addison Barger off the top of the right-field wall that turned into the game-winning hit.

The Twins, who haven’t won consecutive games since Aug. 8, blew a two-run lead in the eighth inning during a 9-8 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.

One day after the Twins rallied in the ninth inning for a surprising victory, it was their turn for a kick to the gut. In the bottom of the eighth, Twins lefthanded reliever Génesis Cabrera allowed a pinch-hit solo homer to Ty France in an 0-2 count. It was France’s first homer since he was traded by the Twins on July 31.

Cabrera allowed a pinch-hit single to Alejandro Kirk before Michael Tonkin replaced him. Tonkin issued a five-pitch walk to George Springer, then surrendered the go-ahead hit to Barger.

The Twins, who have lost 12 of their last 16 games, finished with a 2-4 record on their road trip against the Blue Jays and the Chicago White Sox.

BOXSCORE: Toronto 9, Twins 8

MLB standings

Eight years to the day when Buxton hit a career-high three homers in a game against the Blue Jays at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, he started a slugfest with two home runs. All nine Twins position players recorded a hit, and the team stole a season-high five bases.

Manager Rocco Baldelli briefly spoke in the losing clubhouse, telling reporters in Toronto, “We can be upset that we lost the game, absolutely, but we should not be upset with the way we played.

“That was incredibly impressive. That was fast-paced, great at-bats. The baserunning was awesome. We didn’t just have them on their heels. I think we had them kind of shrugging, wondering what they were going to do to stop our guys on the bases. I couldn’t get enough of it.”

The Twins had 10 hits and eight runs, six earned, against Blue Jays lefty starter Eric Lauer. It was the first time Lauer allowed more than seven hits or three runs in a start this year.

Buxton, playing in his 100th game this season, homered on Lauer’s sixth pitch. He launched a cutter over the center-field wall for his seventh leadoff homer of the season.

It was Buxton’s 16th career multihomer game, which is tied with Kent Hrbek for the fourth most in Twins history. The only Twins players with more multihomer games are Harmon Killebrew (35), Justin Morneau (20) and Tony Oliva (18).

From there, it was a mix of power and speed for the Twins offense. Luke Keaschall also hit a solo homer in the third inning.

The Twins broke a tie score with a three-run fourth inning. Austin Martin hit a two-out single, and Edouard Julien followed with a double in the left-center gap. Martin scored from first base while Julien ran to third on the throw to the plate. Catcher Tyler Heineman, attempting to toss out Julien, made a wide throw to third, allowing Julien to successfully run around all the bases.

Buxton, the next batter, ended up at second base after reaching on a throwing error. Ryan Jeffers followed with an RBI single to left field.

Brooks Lee hit a solo homer off Lauer in the fifth inning, a bit of revenge after his third-inning lineout to center on a leaping catch from Blue Jays center fielder Daulton Varsho. Kody Clemens extended the rally with a single and a stolen base, scoring when Royce Lewis poked a two-out, two-strike RBI single to right field.

Woods Richardson gave up two homers to Davis Schneider, including a solo blast two pitches into the bottom of the fourth inning. Andrés Giménez ended Woods Richardson’s outing two batters later with a 401-foot homer on a splitter left over the middle of the plate.

Giménez was credited with an RBI double in the sixth inning when he bounced a chopper past a charging Keaschall, the Twins second baseman.

Before Toronto rallied in the eighth inning, the Twins had two runners in scoring position with two outs in the eighth inning, a chance to extend their lead. But Seranthony Domínguez struck out Buxton on a full-count sweeper out of the strike zone.