The 6-foot-9 right-hander allowed four hits and one walk, improving to 4-1 with a 2.23 ERA over his last six starts. Cole Sands closed out the game with two scoreless innings, holding the Phillies to one hit in their last 27 at-bats.
Ober’s resilience was critical after Harper’s 424-foot homer, his hardest-hit ball of the season at 113.8 mph off the bat, gave the Phillies an early lead. Harper’s blast followed a single by Trea Turner, but Ober quickly settled in, dominating the Phillies lineup.
Minnesota’s offense responded in kind. Willi Castro's RBI single in the third and Manny Margot's go-ahead two-run single in the fifth off Phillies starter Ranger Suárez (10-5) provided the cushion. Suárez, who has struggled recently, lost his fourth straight decision, failing to finish the sixth inning for the third time in his last four starts. Despite being one of eight Phillies All-Stars, Suárez has seen his ERA rise from 1.36 to 2.87 over the past two months.
The Twins entered the game with a daunting 2-19 record against teams with superior records, but their performance against Suárez offered a sense of accomplishment. Suárez allowed seven hits and one walk in 5 1/3 innings and was on an 85-pitch limit due to recent back spasms.
Harper, an eight-time All-Star and two-time NL MVP, now has 23 homers and 65 RBIs this season. This game marked his first appearance at Target Field in his 13-year career, completing his tour of all 30 current major league ballparks.
The Phillies, who have lost five of their last seven games, will look to rebound as RHP Zack Wheeler (10-4, 2.70 ERA) takes the mound on Tuesday night against Twins RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (3-1, 3.51 ERA) in the middle game of the series.
