MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) — Taj Bradley continued his dominant start to the season, outdueling Tarik Skubal and leading the Minnesota Twins to a 4-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night at Target Field.

Bradley (2-0) was overpowering, allowing one run on six hits over 6 1/3 innings. He walked none and struck out 10, improving to 3-0 in starts this season, all Twins victories. In those three outings, he has surrendered just two runs over 16 2/3 innings while striking out 22.

The right-hander’s performance was the cornerstone of the win before an announced crowd of 12,341, as the Twins evened their record at 5-6. The Tigers fell to 4-7.

For five innings, the game was a tense pitchers’ duel with neither side able to break through. Detroit threatened in the second, putting runners on second and third with one out after a Zach McKinstry double and a Spencer Torkelson single, but Bradley struck out Parker Meadows and, after hitting Javier Báez with a pitch, got Colt Keith to ground out to end the inning.

Minnesota also squandered early opportunities against Skubal (1-2), stranding runners in scoring position in the second and fourth innings. The Tigers’ left-hander navigated traffic with the help of a double play in the third, keeping the game scoreless.

The stalemate was decisively broken in the bottom of the fifth, which proved to be the game’s pivotal frame. Skubal, who had allowed eight hits but no runs to that point, began to unravel. He issued a one-out walk to Byron Buxton and another to Austin Martin. Luke Keaschall then lined a single to center, scoring Buxton for the game’s first run.

Ryan Jeffers followed by lashing a two-run double down the right-field line, plating both Martin and Keaschall to extend the lead to 3-0. After a strikeout, Josh Bell delivered the inning’s final blow, driving a double to left field to score Jeffers and cap the four-run outburst, ending Skubal’s night after 4 2/3 innings. He was charged with four runs on eight hits, striking out seven.

Detroit chipped away in the seventh, ending Bradley’s night. Consecutive singles by Torkelson and Meadows put runners on first and second with one out. After a strikeout, Jahmai Jones flew out, advancing Torkelson to third. Rookie third baseman Kevin McGonigle then delivered an RBI single to left off reliever Taylor Rogers, cutting the deficit to 4-1.

The Tigers mounted another threat in the eighth against the Twins’ bullpen, drawing two walks to put the tying run at the plate, but Rogers struck out Kerry Carpenter to escape the jam.

Minnesota loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth against Detroit relievers Tyler Holton and Connor Seabold, but could not add an insurance run as Holton struck out Brooks Lee and got Buxton to pop out.

Detroit made a final push in the ninth against Twins closer Justin Topa. Báez led off with a double and, after a strikeout, scored on McGonigle’s second RBI hit of the night, a double to right. McGonigle advanced to third on a groundout, and a walk to Riley Greene put the potential tying run on first. Topa settled in, however, getting Dillon Dingler to ground out to shortstop to end the game and secure his first save.

Four Twins relievers — Cole Sands, Rogers, Jhoan Duran and Topa — combined to allow one run over the final 2 2/3 innings to seal the win. Holton and Seabold provided 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief for Detroit.

McGonigle finished 2 for 5 with two RBIs for the Tigers, who collected nine hits but went 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Bell led the Twins’ 10-hit attack, going 3 for 4 with an RBI. Jeffers’ two-run double was the key hit in the decisive fifth inning.

The victory gave Minnesota its second straight win after taking the series opener on Monday. The teams are scheduled to meet again Wednesday in the third game of their four-game series.

According to Interstat, the result was an upset, as its game simulator had projected a 4-2 Detroit victory and its ELO system gave the Tigers a 55.6% probability to win. Detroit had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total of six runs went under the over/under line of 6.5.