SEATTLE — The Twins sure didn’t make it easy on themselves on Sunday.

It wasn’t their crispest day defensively and they gave away extra chances to a first-place team, some of which the Mariners took advantage of. But in the end, they were able to overcome all that, using a late Trevor Larnach home run to pull ahead of the Seattle Mariners in their 5-3 win on Sunday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.

Larnach’s home run extended the Twins’ streak of games with a home run to 19 games, a new club record. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.

The left fielder launched the two-run shot in the eighth inning, after former Twin Jorge Polanco had lined a ball off the right field wall, bringing home the game-tying run a half an inning earlier.

Minnesota Twins’ Jose Miranda breaks his bat on an RBI single to score Austin Martin against the Seattle Mariners during the fifth inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

That had wiped away a lead that the Mariners had cut into during a turbulent fifth inning in which starter Joe Ryan essentially had to get seven outs.

With one out in the inning and a runner on third, Ryan fielded a ball hit towards him and fired toward home. But Dylan Moore hadn’t broken home and catcher Christian Vázquez’s throw was too late to get the runner at first.

Ryan was unable to field the next ball hit towards him cleanly and his throw home was too late to get Moore. The next batter, Cal Raleigh, singled on a high fly ball to center field that Byron Buxton couldn’t track in the sun. And yet another batter, Luke Raley, reached on a groundball hit toward second that Austin Martin was able to stop. Problem was, first baseman Carlos Santana had also dove for the ball and Ryan was not at first to cover. A second run scored on the play.

But despite the defensive difficulties, the Ryan allowed just two runs that inning — and in his start overall. It may not have been his smoothest start, but he exited after 5 2/3 innings pitched having struck out 10 batters and the Twins holding a lead.

The Twins scored one run in the first inning when Trevor Larnach’s single brought home Willi Castro and another pair in the fifth inning on RBI hits from Martin, a double, and Jose Miranda.

With the win, the Twins capped their road swing 6-3, winning each series in their season-long nine-game trip.

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