Aug 31, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins third baseman Brooks Lee (2) scores on a sacrifice fly by catcher Ryan Jeffers (not pictured) as San Diego Padres catcher Freddy Fermin (54) awaits the throw in the fifth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Byron Buxton powered Minnesota with a milestone swing and Joe Ryan shut down San Diego’s bats, as the Twins beat the Padres 7–2 on Sunday afternoon at Target Field.
For the Padres, it was another frustrating afternoon in a stretch that’s starting to feel all too familiar. The loss means San Diego has dropped five of its last seven games and now sits two games behind the first-place Dodgers in the NL West.
The Padres couldn’t figure out Joe Ryan, who came in on shaky ground after two rough outings. The All-Star right-hander looked sharp again, scattering five hits across seven scoreless innings while striking out eight. He threw a season-high 104 pitches, showing the kind of dominance that had been missing in his previous two starts, when he gave up 11 earned runs in just nine innings.
San Diego didn’t mount much of a threat until the ninth inning, when Freddy Fermin and Bryce Johnson pushed across runs against the Minnesota bullpen. By then, though, the damage was already done.
Buxton, who’s been red-hot at the plate, did the heavy lifting early. In the third inning, he turned on a Kyle Hart changeup and launched it into the left-field seats for a two-run homer. That swing not only gave the Twins a 2–0 lead, it also marked Buxton’s 29th home run of the season—a new career high, eclipsing the 28 he hit in 2022.
Buxton wasn’t alone in delivering the blows. Royce Lewis and rookie Luke Keaschall chipped in RBI singles, while James Outman also drove in a run as the Twins steadily pulled away.
San Diego went with a bullpen game, calling up Hart from Triple-A El Paso earlier in the day. The left-hander struggled, allowing three runs in just 1 1/3 innings of relief. Minnesota broke things open with a three-run fifth inning, capped by run-scoring hits from Keaschall and Lewis that stretched the lead to 6–0.
For the Padres, this weekend’s set in Minnesota underscored how quickly momentum can shift. After closing in on the Dodgers earlier this month, San Diego now has work to do to climb back up in the NL West race.
The road trip continues with a series against Baltimore, and the Padres will need more consistent offense and steadier pitching if they want to keep pace with Los Angeles. For now, Sunday’s loss was another reminder that every game counts—and the margin for error is only shrinking.
