DETROIT -- Easy wins, especially against the Detroit Tigers, have been a rarity for the Minnesota Twins this season.

The last-place club got a chance to enjoy that feeling Tuesday while dealing a blow to the Tigers' playoff chances.

Jorge Polanco drove in a career-high four runs and Kyle Gibson pitched eight strong innings, carrying the Twins to an 8-1 victory over the Tigers at Comerica Park.

Minnesota beat the Tigers for only the third time in 14 games while snapping an 11-game road losing streak.

"A lot of guys contributed," manager Paul Molitor said. "It's something we can't say very often. It was a pretty solid all-around game."

Polanco had a two-run homer and two-run single among his three hits. He needed a triple in his final two at-bats for the cycle but popped out and drew a walk.

"He's coming along well," Molitor said. "He did a nice job early in the game and took a walk there at the end when we were kind of pulling for a triple. I didn't really pay attention to how many RBIs he had, I just know he put together some good at-bats. That's something he's been doing fairly consistently."

Gibson (6-9) posted his first victory in five starts by holding Detroit to one run on five hits while striking out four. He induced designated hitter Victor Martinez to hit into a double play after giving up a first-inning run and held the Tigers scoreless the remainder of his outing.

"The double play against Martinez early was big," Molitor said. "Other than that, he fairly cruised through a lot of those innings."

Twins second baseman Brian Dozier extended his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games with three hits and also scored twice. Kennys Vargas supplied two hits and a solo homer, while Robbie Grossman added two hits and two RBIs for the Twins.

Miguel Cabrera had an RBI single for Detroit, which has lost five of its last seven games.

Starter Matt Boyd (5-4) lasted only 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits. He hadn't given up more than three earned runs in his previous 10 starts.

"That was completely out of the norm for me," he said. "There are a few mechanical adjustments I need to make, just to make me more consistent."

The Tigers need to get hot over the next 18 games to have any hope of making the postseason.

"I just didn't do what I've done over the last two months and unfortunately, that really can't happen at this time of year," Boyd said. "I let the boys down in that sense."

Just as troubling for Detroit was its inability to come back against a pitcher who entered the game with a 5.34 ERA.

"You can't control when you're struggling offensively," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "Guys go into slumps, or they get out of whack mechanically, and sometimes it takes a while to get back to where they are when they're swinging well. It's just a simple fact of baseball."

Buck Farmer tossed 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief with five strikeouts.

Grossman's two-run single in the first put the Twins on top. Cabrera's RBI single in the bottom of the inning made it 2-1.

Minnesota scored three runs off Boyd in the third. Polanco, who doubled in the first, smacked a two-run homer. Grossman followed with a double, advanced on a single, and scored on Kurt Suzuki's sacrifice fly.

Polanco's third hit gave Minnesota a 7-1 lead in the fourth and ended Boyd's night. He slapped a two-out single to center with runners in scoring position.

The Tigers loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth but Gibson struck out Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

NOTES: Detroit 3B Nick Castellanos took swings in the batting cage as he continues to recover from a fractured left hand. He took part in batting practice Monday for the first time since sustaining the injury Aug. 6. ... Twins 1B Joe Mauer missed his third straight game with a quad injury. DH/3B Miguel Sano was also out of the lineup with lower back tightness. Sano left Monday's game in the seventh inning because of the injury. ... Minnesota RHP Trevor May will miss the remainder of the season with a lower back strain. May had just come off the disabled list on Friday but sustained a setback while making a relief appearance against Cleveland on Sunday. ... Detroit LF Justin Upton was not in the lineup because of a mild left calf strain. Manager Brad Ausmus is hopeful Upton will start Wednesday.