Kody Clemens went 2-for-5 with a homer and five RBIs, and the Minnesota Twins cruised to an 11-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night in Minneapolis.

Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer and Trevor Larnach went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI for Minnesota, which snapped a five-game losing streak. Ryan Jeffers went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.

Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer for Seattle, whose four-game winning streak ended.

Twins left-hander Connor Prielipp (1-0) earned his first big-league victory in his second career start. The 25-year-old allowed two runs on one hit in five innings, and he walked three and struck out five.

Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo (0-2) continued his bumpy start to the season. He surrendered seven runs on seven hits in five innings, and his ERA increased from 5.01 to 6.35.

Minnesota opened the scoring in the second. Josh Bell hit a leadoff single and sprinted around the bases to score on Luke Keaschall’s double to right field.

In the third, the Twins piled on four more runs to pull ahead 5-0.

Jeffers started the big inning when he stepped to the plate with runners on first and third and one out. He delivered with a single to right to drive in Larnach.

Moments later, Clemens hit a three-run homer to right to give the Twins a five-run lead.

Buxton added a two-run shot in the fourth to give Minnesota a 7-0 advantage. It was his sixth home run of the season and his third in the past six games.

Seattle pulled within 7-2 in the fifth. Mitch Garver hit an RBI single to score Randy Arozarena, and Cole Young hit a sacrifice fly to drive in J.P. Crawford.

The Twins made it 8-2 in the sixth on an RBI single by Larnach.

Raleigh clubbed a two-run homer to right to cut Seattle’s deficit to 8-4 in the eighth. The shot marked his seventh homer of the season and his fifth in the past seven games.

Minnesota tacked on three more runs in the eighth. Jeffers hit an RBI single, and Clemens followed in the next at-bat with a two-run single.

–Field Level Media

After being selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday, quarterback Ty Simpson downplayed his pre-draft interaction with the team, calling it “really brief.”

The ex-Alabama signal-caller admitted Monday that the communication was far more extensive, as he had a private meeting with Rams coach Sean McVay.

The Rams already have Matthew Stafford, 38, as their starting QB, but they chose Simpson for a long-term view.

Simpson said Monday on ESPN Radio’s “Amber & Ian” of his pre-draft communication with McVay, “We tried to keep this under wraps as long as we could. It was something to where I knew they were interested, but they wanted to make it private and didn’t want people to know that they were interested.

“So, I had some secret meetings with Coach McVay, and I just was trying to be on script and do what everybody told me and not to tell anybody.”

The discussion lasted “hours and hours,” according to Simpson, “and it was just football. It was just straight football. And it was like a kid in a candy store. Me and him are sitting there, and we’re just going back and forth. You can tell the obsession he has for the game, and you can tell the love he has for quarterback play.

“It’s something that I appreciate, and it’s something that I enjoy because I really enjoy playing the position and value the position. So, being with him and then getting to know him and then just seeing a little bit of how I would get coached if I was fortunate enough to go there was something that I couldn’t have asked for a better situation.”

McVay was viewed by some analysts as portraying a negative vibe in interviews after the Rams chose Simpson with the No. 13 overall selection. He said, “Let’s make one thing clear, this is Matthew’s team.”

The next day, though he said he “couldn’t be more excited about being able to add (Simpson).”

On Saturday, McVay added about the team’s quarterback situation, “Whenever that time comes for (Simpson) to get an opportunity to be Matthew’s successor will be on Matthew’s terms.”

Simpson said Thursday of the pairing with Stafford, “It’s something that I cherish, being in the same room as a first-ballot Hall of Famer and a guy who is so smart like (McVay). We watched his film all the time when I was at ‘Bama, all the stuff they did. … So the fact that I get to be in a room and soak up all that knowledge, I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

–Field Level Media

The Denver Nuggets will be looking to avoid elimination in Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves without key contributor Aaron Gordon due to his injured calf.

The team ruled Gordon out Monday evening ahead of the game in Denver. Minnesota leads the first-round NBA playoff series three games to one, following Saturday’s 112-96 win. In that game, Gordon played but was visibly limited in his movement. He finished 4-of-11 shooting from the field, including 1 of 5 from 3-point range in scoring 9 points.

The 12-year veteran sustained the injury in Game 2 of the series and did not play in Game 3.

Gordon had season averages of 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

Neither team will be at full strength Monday, as the Timberwolves will be without guard Donte DiVincenzo who suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in Game 4 as well as All-Star Anthony Edwards, who sustained a hyperextended knee and bone bruise in that same contest.

Edwards will be week-to-week should Minnesota advance.

–Field Level Media