​MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 31: Minnesota Twins second baseman Kody Clemens (2) rounds the bases after hitting solo home run during the fourth inning of the MLB game between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins on August 31st, 2026, at Target Field in Minneapolis, MN.(Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The Tigers went to Minnesota to open a three-game series with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread. They did nothing to assuage their fans’ fears on Monday night, dropping said series opener by a 11-1 score.Starting for the Tigers was Jackson Jobe, making his fifth start this year after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He’s struggled with walks: his past two starts have seen him walk three batters in sub-five-inning outings, throwing 86 pitches in each. His stuff has looked good so far, though.Taj Bradley started for the Twins, and he’s been a solid part of their rotation this year; he started his career with a few years in Tampa, and they traded him to Minnesota midway through the 2025 season. His walk rate has really crept up this year to something you shouldn’t see in a starter: it was 3.8 per 9 innings coming into today. That wasn’t a problem tonight, though.Minnesota got on the board in the bottom of the first: a leadoff double by Luke Keaschall was followed by a productive groundout and a sacrifice fly by Old Friend™ Kody Clemens. Did you know Clemens had over 20 home runs this year? I sure didn’t.The Twins and Tigers traded nice 5-6-3 double plays in consecutive innings. You don’t see that too often.Clemens wasn’t done, though: he mashed a high curveball into the right-field seats for his twenty-third home run of the year to lead off the bottom of the fourth, and the Twins were ahead 2-0. Kevin McGonigle had a rough inning in the field, too: a ground ball slipped under his glove, and on a throw in from the outfield which would’ve nabbed a runner at second base, he just straight-up dropped it. But a routine fly ball to left field got the Tigers out of the inning without further damage.Keaschall led off the fifth by reaching base on an error by Hao-Yu Lee at third base, and he stole second. He drew a pickoff attempt by Jobe (heh) which plunked him, so let’s just say that the defence wasn’t great overall. Clemens walked at the end of a twelve-pitch battle, and Ryan Jeffers followed that with a three-run home run to make it a 5-0 game.The Tigers got on the board against Bradley with a leadoff no-doubter home run by Lee, going 439 feet into the bullpen to make it a 5-1 game.View LinkGleyber Torres followed with a sharply-struck single and Colt Keith walked, and you had to wonder, hey, are the Tigers getting something going here? Well, McGonigle flew out to the wall in right field, advancing Torres to third, but alas, Dillon Dingler then hit into a double play and the inning was over. The above clip is, truly, the Tigers’ only highlight of the game.Jobe