Greg Maddux's winless streak reaches 9 games

[June 26, 2008]  SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Greg Maddux's winless streak reached nine starts, the second-longest drought of his brilliant career, when the Minnesota Twins beat the San Diego Padres 9-3 Wednesday night for their eighth straight victory.

Brendan Harris hit his second go-ahead homer in two nights, a two-run shot, and Maddux (3-6) squandered an early 3-0 lead. Pinch-hitter Craig Monroe added a two-run drive for the Twins and Carlos Gomez had three hits. Justin Morneau went 0-for-4 with a walk, ending his 12-game hitting streak.

The Twins are last in the majors with 50 homers yet have hit four in two games at spacious Petco Park.

Minnesota's entire winning streak has come against NL teams. San Diego has lost four in a row and nine of 11.

Maddux's longest winless stretch is 13 starts from May 11 to July 14, 1990, with the Chicago Cubs.

In his 23rd season, the 42-year-old Maddux dropped to 0-3 in nine starts since his last win, May 10 against Colorado. Maddux became the ninth big leaguer to reach 350 wins that night. Getting to 351 has been a struggle, although Mad Dog had a 2.70 ERA in his previous eight starts.

He allowed six earned runs Wednesday night, his most since yielding a career-high nine in a 9-0 loss at Arizona on April 18. He gave up seven hits in 5 2-3 innings.

Maddux left to a nice ovation from the crowd of 22,324. A night earlier, Padres closer Trevor Hoffman, baseball's career saves leader, was booed after giving up homers on consecutive pitches to Harris and Brian Buscher in the ninth inning of Minnesota's 3-1 win.

San Diego took a 3-0 lead against Glen Perkins (4-2). Kevin Kouzmanoff hit an RBI triple in the two-run first inning and Scott Hairston had an RBI double in the second.

Maddux gave it all back in the third, when the Twins scored three runs on three hits and a hit batsman. The big hit was a two-run double by Joe Mauer.

The Twins went ahead on Harris' two-run shot with one out in the fourth that was caught by a fan in the first row of the second deck in left field. It was Harris' fourth. Michael Cuddyer was aboard on an error by Kouzmanoff at third.

Maddux was chased by Carlos Gomez's two-run single with two outs in the sixth that made it 7-3.

Monroe homered off Mike Adams in the eighth, his seventh.

Perkins went five innings, allowing three runs and six hits. Three Twins relievers allowed only two hits in the last four innings.

Notes: San Diego rookie Carlos Guevara, who relieved Maddux, left the game after being hit on the lower right leg by Morneau's comebacker leading off the seventh. He has a bruise and is day-to-day. ... Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Cato June threw out the ceremonial first pitch. He's a California native and was a starter on the Indianapolis Colts' Super Bowl championship team in 2006. ... San Diego fell to 3-11 in interleague play this season and 83-107 overall.

[Associated Press; By BERNIE WILSON]

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