CINCINNATI (AP) -- Torii Hunter homered again after a long delay at the start of the game, and Phil Hughes got his third straight victory, leading the Minnesota Twins to an 8-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.
The start was delayed 2 hours, 1 minute because a storm was headed toward the ballpark. The storm dissolved on the way.
Hunter got the Twins going by hitting a solo homer in the first inning off Anthony DeSclafani (5-6), his fourth homer in the last four games. He later singled and doubled.
Eduardo Nunez had three hits, including an RBI single while Kurt Suzuki drove home two runs with a single during a four-run seventh inning as the Twins evened the interleague series.
Hughes (7-6) gave up solo homers by Eugenio Suarez and Marlon Byrd, leaving in the seventh inning with the Twins up 7-2. Two errors and Blaine Boyer's run-scoring wild pitch helped the Reds close the gap.
Glen Perkins gave up a walk in the ninth while getting his 25th consecutive save, the second-longest streak in Twins history.
Many of the 28,556 fans sat in their seats during the long delay at the outset and watched the scoreboard, which showed the U.S. beating Germany 2-0 in a Women's World Cup semifinal.
During the rain-less delay, Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips tweeted: "This has to be one of the dumbest rain delays I've ever seen ... Let's get ready for Midnight Baseball!!!" The game ended at 12:30 a.m. with a few hundred fans in the stands.
Hunter's 12th homer put the Twins ahead right away. He's 8 for 17 in the last four games.
Joe Mauer's sacrifice fly made it 3-1 in the fifth inning. Brian Dozier doubled and scored as the Twins pulled away in the seventh.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: C Suzuki was in the starting lineup despite being hit in the throat by a throw during Monday's game.
Reds: Phillips was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game with sore hands. ... RHP Raisel Iglesias threw 43 pitches in three innings during his first rehab start for Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday night. Iglesias, who is recovering from a strained oblique, gave up one hit, walked one and struck out three.
UP NEXT
Twins: Trevor May (4-6) is coming off the worst start of his career. He retired only one batter while allowing six runs and six hits in a 10-4 loss at Milwaukee last Friday.
Reds: Johnny Cueto (4-5) makes his sixth start since being sidelined by an inflamed pitching elbow. He's 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in those five starts since returning.
