MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — TJ Friedl went 4 for 4 with a two-run homer and Nick Martinez pitched six strong innings for his third straight win as the Cincinnati Reds routed the scuffling Minnesota Twins 11-1 on Saturday night.

Jake Fraley had three hits for the Reds, including a solo homer. Cincinnati scored nine times in the fourth to put away the game early.

“That’s a playoff team, right? They’re right there. To be able to do that against a staff like that and a team that’s been playing well all year, it’s good for us,” Fraley said.

Minnesota remained 2 1/2 games ahead of Detroit for the final American League playoff berth but dropped 3 1/2 games behind Kansas City for the league’s second wild card.

“I think you’ve got to put it like, ‘Don’t play to give it up. Play to take it,’” Twins infielder Kyle Farmer said of the team’s mentality. “When we went to Cleveland last year around this time, we took it from them. It was just a different mindset. We have to get back towards that mindset of taking it rather than giving it up.”

Martinez (9-6) allowed one run and three hits with no walks and six strikeouts. In three September starts, he’s 3-0 with a 0.48 ERA.

“He knows how to pitch. He’s been on a great roll. He has a great changeup, but he has really six different pitches that he can use and throw for strikes,” Reds manager David Bell said.

Brent Suter pitched three scoreless innings to earn his second save of the season.

Byron Buxton had an RBI single for the Twins, who have lost eight of 11.

“There’s only one way to play this game,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You can play with urgency and play relaxed and play loose. And that’s where we have to be. It doesn’t feel like we’re doing that. We’ve been pressing on the offensive side of the ball. We know that. You just have to keep going.”

Minnesota starter Simeon Woods Richardson (5-5), who has failed to complete five innings in any of his last four starts, worked out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam without allowing a run in the third. But that 28-pitch effort took its toll an inning later, when he was pulled after allowing a walk and two singles to tie it at 1.

Fraley singled off reliever Louie Varland to load the bases, and Noelvi Marte doubled to give the Reds a 3-1 lead.

Jonathan India followed with a two-run single, and before the inning was over Spencer Steer had a two-run double and Friedl a two-run homer, his second longball in as many nights.

Meanwhile, the Twins had just three hits after the first inning and were held to fewer than three runs for the sixth time in their last 11 games.

“It looks like guys are just getting frustrated with themselves and not looking at the bigger picture, just looking at the results right now,” said Farmer, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning in mop-up duty.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: RHP Hunter Greene (elbow soreness) is slated to throw live batting practice on Tuesday. If all goes well, Bell said Greene could still be in line to make two more starts this season.

Twins: SS Carlos Correa (plantar fasciitis) returned to the lineup for the first time since the All-Star break. He started at shortstop and played four innings, doubling in his second plate appearance. He was pulled along with Buxton in the fifth with the Twins trailing 9-1.

UP NEXT

Twins RHP David Festa (2-6, 5.08 ERA) starts Sunday’s series finale against RHP Rhett Lowder (1-1, 0.59).

Reds 11, Twins 1

Cincinnati	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
India 2b	4	2	2	2	1	0	.248
De La Cruz ss	3	1	0	0	1	2	.257
Benson rf	1	0	1	1	0	0	.193
Stephenson c	3	0	1	0	1	2	.256
Maile c	1	0	0	0	0	0	.157
Steer lf-ss	4	2	1	2	1	0	.231
Friedl cf	4	2	4	2	0	0	.233
Hinds cf	0	0	0	0	1	0	.273
France 1b	5	1	1	1	0	0	.288
Espinal dh	5	0	0	0	0	1	.259
Fraley rf	4	2	3	1	0	0	.280
Dunn lf	1	0	0	0	0	0	.050
Marte 3b	5	1	2	2	0	1	.205
Totals	40	11	15	11	5	6

Minnesota	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Julien 2b	3	0	0	0	0	1	.210
Wallner rf	3	1	0	0	0	2	.251
Lewis 3b	2	0	1	0	0	0	.246
a-Lee ph-3b-ss	2	0	0	0	0	0	.221
Larnach dh	3	0	0	0	0	2	.252
Jeffers c	1	0	0	0	0	0	.229
Buxton cf	2	0	1	1	0	0	.277
Margot lf	2	0	0	0	0	0	.248
Correa ss	2	0	1	0	0	0	.310
K.Farmer ss-p	2	0	1	0	0	0	.219
Castro lf-cf	3	0	1	0	0	1	.248
Miranda 1b-3b	3	0	0	0	0	1	.292
Vázquez c-1b	3	0	0	0	0	1	.230
Totals	31	1	5	1	0	8

Cincinnati	000	910	010=11	15	0
Minnesota	100	000	000=1	5	0

a-grounded out for Lewis in the 6th.

LOB–Cincinnati 7, Minnesota 5. 2B–Marte (8), Steer (33), India (28), Lewis (15), Correa (17), K.Farmer (12). HR–Friedl (13), off Varland; Fraley (5), off Blewett. RBIs–France (16), Marte 2 (17), India 2 (56), Steer 2 (88), Friedl 2 (53), Fraley (25), Benson (43), Buxton (51).

Runners left in scoring position–Cincinnati 4 (France 2, Stephenson 2); Minnesota 2 (Correa, Castro). RISP–Cincinnati 7 for 14; Minnesota 2 for 6.

Runners moved up–Maile. GIDP–France, Miranda.

DP–Cincinnati 1 (Steer, India, France); Minnesota 1 (Julien, Correa, Miranda).

Cincinnati	IP		H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Martinez, W, 9-6	6		3	1	1	0	6	76	3.37
Suter, S, 2-2	3		2	0	0	0	2	48	3.19

Minnesota	IP		H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Woods Richardson, L, 5-5	3		5	3	3	3	3	69	4.08
Varland	1		5	6	6	1	2	29	8.57
Blewett	3		3	1	1	0	1	41	1.23
Thielbar	1		2	1	1	1	0	27	5.70
K.Farmer	1		0	0	0	0	0	7	0.00

Inherited runners-scored–Varland 2-2. HBP_Martinez (Wallner), Suter (Julien).

Umpires–Home, Chris Guccione; First, Ryan Additon; Second, Emil Jimenez; Third, Gabe Morales.

T–2:31. A–28,881 (38,544).