Power fuels Twins 4-2 comeback vs. Mariners in cold opener

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Mitch Garver hit the go-ahead home run in the seventh for Minnesota, one inning after Miguel Sano tied the game with a two-run shot as the Twins powered their way past the Seattle Mariners for a 4-2 victory in their chilly home opener on Thursday afternoon.

Eddie Rosario went deep in the eighth to pad the lead, and Fernando Rodney worked the ninth for his first save with the Twins. That capped a stretch of 4 2/3 scoreless innings by the bullpen in relief of Kyle Gibson.

Zach Duke (1-0) picked up the victory, and Addison Reed striking out two in a perfect eighth.

James Paxton started strong for the Mariners with five scoreless innings after a first-pitch temperature of 38 degrees and a startling moment during the pregame ceremony. The bald eagle that was supposed to fly to the mound before the national anthem instead circled Paxton, a Canadian, where he was standing alone in left field on a break from his warmup throws. The confused bird wound up landing its large talons on the lefty’s right shoulder , before being lured away by the handler.

The remarkable poise shown by Paxton was challenged in the sixth, when Joe Mauer started with a single. Sano followed with a drive into the second deck, the only one of Minnesota’s 12 home runs this season that has come with a runner on base.