BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (Interstat) — Iván Herrera hit two home runs and drove in three runs to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 9-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday afternoon at Target Field. Herrera opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first inning. Pedro Pagés doubled in a run in the second and Masyn Winn added a sacrifice fly. The Cardinals built a 4-0 lead before the Twins answered with Luke Keaschall’s two-run homer in the fifth. St. Louis broke the game open with five runs in the seventh, capped by Blaze Jordan’s three-run homer. Jordan finished with three RBIs. The Twins scored single runs in the eighth and ninth but couldn’t complete the comeback. Matt Svanson earned the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, striking out two. He improved to 2-1. Justin Lawrence took the loss, falling to 0-3. Attendance was 23,408. The game lasted 2 hours, 44 minutes. St. Louis improved to 38-30; Minnesota dropped to 32-40.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (Interstat) — Blaze Jordan hit a three-run homer and Iván Herrera and Jordan Walker each went deep as the St. Louis Cardinals broke open a tie game with a five-run seventh inning and beat the Minnesota Twins 9-6 on Saturday afternoon at Target Field. The victory evened the three-game series after the Twins edged St. Louis 9-8 on Friday. The Cardinals improved to 38-30, while Minnesota fell to 32-40. St. Louis jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings. Masyn Winn walked to open the game and Herrera followed with a two-run homer, his eighth of the season. In the second, Jordan tripled and scored on a double by Pedro Pagés, who later came home on a sacrifice fly by Winn. The Twins answered in the fourth. Byron Buxton led off with his 22nd homer, and two batters later Royce Lewis added a solo shot, his sixth, to cut the deficit to 4-2. In the fifth, Luke Keaschall hit a two-run homer, scoring Ryan Kreidler, to tie the game at 4-4. The Cardinals reclaimed control in the seventh. After two quick outs, Herrera launched his second homer of the game, a solo shot to left field. Walker followed with his 18th homer, also to left. Lars Nootbaar then singled, Alec Burleson singled, and Jordan crushed a three-run homer to left-center field, his first of the season, giving St. Louis a 9-4 lead. Minnesota mounted a late rally. In the eighth, Austin Martin walked, advanced on a single by Buxton and scored on a single by Kody Clemens. In the ninth, the Twins loaded the bases with nobody out on three walks. After a strikeout, Josh Bell grounded into a force out that scored Brooks Lee, but Victor Caratini flied out to end the game. Matt Svanson earned the win, pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts. He is 2-1. Justin Lawrence took the loss, falling to 0-3. The Cardinals used five relievers after starter Matthew Liberatore worked five innings. Jordan finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Herrera went 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored. Walker was 1-for-5. For the Twins, Buxton had two hits, including a homer, and Lewis added a homer and a double. Attendance was 23,408. Game time was 2:44. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 7-4 St. Louis win, and the team’s ELO system gave the Cardinals a 55.70 percent probability of victory. St. Louis was a -1.5 favorite on the spread. The combined 15 runs went under the over/under line of 9.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (Interstat) — The St. Louis Cardinals face the Minnesota Twins on Saturday evening at Target Field, looking to build momentum after splitting the series opener 1-1 in a game that was cut short. St. Louis (37-29) enters with a clear advantage in the standings, sitting eight games above .500 and riding a wave of strong pitching performances. The Cardinals have won five of their last six, including a three-game sweep of the New York Mets earlier in the week. Minnesota (31-39) has lost four of its last five and was shut out 11-0 by Detroit on Thursday. St. Louis is expected to start left-hander Matthew Liberatore (3-3), though right-hander Connor Prielipp (2-4) also is listed as a probable pitcher. Liberatore has been steady but unspectacular this season. The Cardinals’ bullpen has been a strength, with right-hander Hunter Dobbins emerging as a reliable arm. Dobbins has allowed just four earned runs over 13 innings in his last three appearances, striking out 15 while earning a win and a hold. He threw 4.1 innings in Thursday’s loss at New York, allowing three runs. Minnesota will counter with its own bullpen-heavy approach but has struggled to get consistent outs. Right-hander Cody Laweryson has allowed five earned runs over six innings in his last five outings, including three runs against the Chicago White Sox on June 3. The Twins’ offense has been sporadic, and the pitching staff has allowed 10 or more runs four times in the last 10 games. The weather forecast calls for clear skies and 76 degrees at game time. The Interstat game simulator projects a 7-4 victory for St. Louis. The Cardinals are installed as a -1.5 favorite, with the over/under set at 9 runs. St. Louis will conclude its road trip Sunday before returning home to face San Diego on Monday. Minnesota continues its homestand with a visit from Texas on Monday.