BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (Interstat) — A six-run first inning explosion by the Minnesota Twins proved too much for the Detroit Tigers to overcome, despite a late rally, as the Twins secured an 8-6 victory Wednesday night at Target Field.

The win gave Minnesota a three-game series sweep and pushed its record to an even 6-6, while Detroit fell to 4-8 with its fourth consecutive loss.

The game’s decisive moment came immediately, as the Twins sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first against Detroit starter Framber Valdez. Byron Buxton led off with a single, Austin Martin was hit by a pitch, and a fielder’s choice loaded the bases with no outs. Ryan Jeffers drove in the first run with a groundout, and after a walk re-loaded the bases, Josh Bell plated another with a single. Matt Wallner then laced a two-run double, and Royce Lewis capped the onslaught with a two-run single up the middle, tying the game after Detroit had held an early six-run lead from the previous half-inning.

That early cushion was enough for Twins starter Bailey Ober, who earned the win. Ober navigated 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He handed a 7-2 lead to the bullpen after the Tigers scratched across two runs in the sixth on an RBI single from Kerry Carpenter and a run-scoring hit by Dillon Dingler.

Detroit’s most serious threat came in the seventh, when they batted around and scored four times to pull within a run. Javier Báez and Kevin McGonigle singled ahead of Gleyber Torres, who smashed a two-run double. After a strikeout, Riley Greene delivered an RBI single to score Torres, making it 8-7. Dingler followed with another single, putting the tying and go-ahead runs on base, but Twins reliever Cody Laweryson struck out Parker Meadows to end the inning.

The Tigers put the tying run in scoring position again in the ninth against Minnesota closer Kody Funderburk. Greene walked and Dingler was hit by a pitch with one out, but Parker Meadows grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Zach McKinstry lined out sharply to second baseman Luke Keaschall to end the game, giving Funderburk his first save.

Ober, the winning pitcher, improved to 1-0. His performance stabilized the game after the offensive outburst, providing crucial innings. Valdez took the loss for Detroit, falling to 1-1 after being tagged for six runs on six hits while recording only three outs in the first inning.

Torres led the Tigers’ 12-hit attack, going 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs. Dingler had three hits and an RBI. For the Twins, who collected 11 hits, Lewis went 2-for-3 with the key two-run single in the first. Buxton scored twice, including after a double in the sixth that led to Minnesota’s final run on a bases-loaded walk.

The game, which lasted 2 hours and 57 minutes, was played before an announced crowd of 13,038 at Target Field. The combined 14 runs fell under the pregame over/under line of 8, a line surpassed by the seventh inning. The result also defied the projections of Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 4-3 Detroit victory, and its ELO system, which gave the Tigers a 53.6% probability to win.

The Twins’ bullpen, after Ober’s departure, combined for 3 1/3 innings of one-run relief. Laweryson recorded four outs, two via strikeout, and Cole Sands and Justin Topa also contributed before Funderburk closed it.

For Detroit, the relief corps of Will Vest, Kyle Finnegan and Enmanuel De Jesus combined for three scoreless innings to keep the game within reach after Valdez’s early exit.

The two teams conclude their four-game series Thursday afternoon in Bloomington. Detroit will then return home to open a series against the Miami Marlins on Friday, while Minnesota embarks on a road trip to face the Toronto Blue Jays.