[June 11, 2014]TORONTO -- Kevin Correia said he
didn't change anything. The difference is that he had some good results
in earning his third win of the season on Tuesday.
The right-hander pitched into the seventh inning and Brian Dozier
hit a two-run homer in the first inning as the Minnesota Twins
defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-0.
It was the second game in a row in which Dozier hit a first-inning
home run.
"I felt like I've been throwing the ball well and just not getting
the results," Correia said. "I just stuck to what I've been doing. I
went out there and I didn't change a lot tonight and stuck to what
I've been doing I got a better result out of it."
It was the third time in the past four games that the Blue Jays, who
lead the American League East, have been shut out. The St. Louis
Cardinals blanked Toronto 5-0 in successive games on Saturday and
Sunday.
"You never see that coming," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said.
"Naturally as hot as we were, you figure you're going to cool off a
little bit. We hit some balls on the money tonight right at
somebody. Correia, I thought, was hitting his spots pretty good too.
That's baseball, that's the way it goes sometimes. When you're not
hitting, you've got to match them on the mound and we didn't do
that."
The victory by the Twins (30-33) evened the three-game series, with
the rubber match to be played Wednesday afternoon.
Correia (3-7) held the Blue Jays to six hits and one walk while
striking out one and reduced his earned-run average to 5.60 in
picking up his first win since May 20.
"It looked like he was kind of searching to find it, but once it got
going, he got his confidence, started making pitches," Twins manager
Ron Gardenhire said. "Great performance by him."
Toronto left-hander J.A. Happ (5-3) fell behind before he got an
out, when Dozier, the Twins' second baseman, hit a two-run homer in
the first.
"He was getting ahead but he just couldn't put anybody away,"
Gibbons said. "He had to work way too hard tonight. They worked him
pretty good. You spot them two runs in the first, you figure you're
going to score some runs, but it never helps you."
Happ allowed six hits, three walks and four runs (three earned) in 3
2/3 innings. Right-hander Chad Jenkins replaced him and pitched 3
1/3 innings, allowing one hit.
"They're a good hitting team," Happ said. "They're patient and they
battled a lot there. They fouled off a lot of balls. I felt good. I
felt the same as I have the last few starts. Results are the only
thing that matter. I felt the same. I felt like I was locating
pretty good for the most part."
Correia was replaced by left-hander Brian Duensing after Blue Jays
catcher Dioner Navarro led off the seventh with his second single of
the game.
Pinch-hitter Steve Tolleson struck out and pinch-hitter Kevin Pillar
forced Navarro at second before shortstop Jose Reyes extended his
hit streak to 11 games with a single to left. But left fielder Melky
Cabrera lined out to third to end the threat.
Right-hander Jared Burton took over in the eighth and set the Blue
Jays (39-27) down in order and left-hander Glen Perkins pitched the
ninth.
Dozier hit his first-inning homer to left on an 0-1 changeup to give
the Twins a 2-0 lead. His 14th homer of the season scored center
fielder Danny Santana, who led off the game with a walk. Santana and
Dozier both homered to start Monday's game, which the Blue Jays won
5-4.
The Blue Jays loaded the bases in the second with one out but Reyes
hit a bouncer that Correia snagged and got the force at home.
Cabrera bounced out to first to end the inning.
"That was huge," Correia said. "That would probably have been two
runs if I don't make that play. The way I throw, I'm kind of falling
off to first. A lot of balls that go up the middle, that's really
your only option at that point. Occasionally they go in. That was a
nice spot to have it go in your glove."
The Twins scored twice more in the fourth. They loaded the bases on
an infield single by designated hitter Kendrys Morales, a walk by
right fielder Oswaldo Arcia and a single by third baseman Eduardo
Nunez.
Happ struck out catcher Kurt Suzuki and shortstop Eduardo Escobar,
but Santana trickled an RBI single to third baseman Juan Francisco,
who threw wildly to first, allowing the second run to score.
NOTES: Twins OF Aaron Hicks (right shoulder) tried throwing during
early batting practice on Tuesday, but his shoulder still bothered
him. Manager Ron Gardenhire said that if it does not improve by
Wednesday, Hicks would be sent home for further examination. He was
available to pinch hit or run but not play in the outfield. ... The
Blue Jays signed fifth-round draft pick Lane Thomas, 18, a center
fielder from Bearden HS in Tennessee, the third player Toronto has
signed of the 41 it selected last week. ... Twins OF Sam Fuld
(concussion) was 1-for-3 with a home run in his third game on a
rehabilitation assignment with Double-A New Britain on Tuesday.. ...
RHP Marcus Stroman (3-0, 5.40 ERA) will start for Toronto against
Minnesota RHP Phil Hughes (6-2, 3.46 ERA) in the series finale on
Wednesday afternoon.
