Yusei Kikuchi wanted to start an important six-game stretch against American League rivals with some of his best pitching.

Unfortunately, an efficient performance still wasn’t enough as Kikuchi gave up the go-ahead home run to Carlos Santana in the fifth inning as the Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Friday.

Kikuchi said he was disappointed to lose the first game of a three-game homestand against Minnesota before the Blue Jays travel to Baltimore to face the AL East-leading Orioles in a three-game set starting Monday.

“We know they’re really good teams and we know it’s an important stretch,” said Kikuchi through translator Yusuke Oshima. “We wanted to win but I did my best, just disappointing results at the end of the day.”

Kikuchi (2-3) pitched eight innings, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out three on just 97 pitches. Nate Pearson and Genesis Cabrera came out of Toronto’s bullpen, with Pearson giving up a run.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s home run in the third and his RBI single in the ninth was all Toronto (17-21) could muster. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., went 2 for 4 to improve his batting average to .253 after a slow start to the season.

It was the first time the two teams had met since Toronto manager John Schneider made the controversial decision to pull starting pitcher Jose Berrios after three innings for Kikuchi in the Blue Jays’ 2-0 loss to Minnesota in the decisive game of last year’s AL wild-card series.

Jose Miranda’s RBI single in the first opened the scoring as Minnesota (23-15) won its third straight. Pinch-hitter Max Kepler added another RBI single in the ninth.

“When you win, you have fun,” said Santana. “We have a great team, we’re playing good.

“We have to keep continuing to play and take it one day at a time, one game at a time. That’s why we’re playing good now.”