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 The Twins got just what the doctor ordered Wednesday night against
the St. Louis Cardinals, getting seven strong innings from
left-hander Tommy Milone in a 3-1 win at Target Field.
Milone allowed one run and five hits, walking none and striking out
five, to pick up his first victory since April 16. It was Milone's
second consecutive outing of seven innings and his third in seven
starts overall this season.
"From the first pitch to the last, it felt like I was in control out
there," Milone said. "Getting ahead was key and staying ahead. When
I wasn't ahead, getting back into counts with good pitches not with
stuff left over the plate."
After struggling with control during his first handful of starts
this season, Milone was optioned to Triple-A on May 1 to work on
cutting down his walks. After issuing 11 bases on balls in his first
four starts, he has had only two in three starts since being
recalled June 3.
Milone said the key is aggressiveness.
"The four games I had up here before being sent down, I had too many
walks. I was nibbling around the plate," Milone said. "I needed to
go down there and be aggressive, then come here and do the same
thing."
The win improved Minnesota to 5-11 in June after going 20-7 in May.
It was the third time in the last 11 games that the Twins provided
their starter with more than two runs.
"Tough to come by in this series, that's for sure," Twins manager
Paul Molitor said. "But we got enough runs and Tommy made them stand
up."
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Cardinals.
Twins closer Glen Perkins entered with two outs in the eighth and
got the final four outs for his league-leading 23rd save in 23
opportunities.
The Cardinals also got a strong pitching performance from their
starter, right-hander Carlos Martinez (7-3). He gave up two runs
(one earned), five hits and three walks with six strikeouts in 6 2/3
innings.
It was just the third time in 13 outings this season that the
Cardinals lost a game started by Martinez.
"I thought he was good, kept his composure and kept us in the game,"
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "We gotta score him some runs.
Gotta get more than one."
Twins shortstop Eduardo Nunez went 2-for-2 with a single, a double
and two RBIs, including an infield single in the eighth that allowed
left fielder Eddie Rosario to score, making it 3-1. Nunez also
walked and raised his season batting average to .323.
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St. Louis scored first in the second, opening the inning with a
double and a single. Two batters later, a single up the middle by
right fielder Jason Heyward gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
A double steal put two runners in scoring position, but Milone
worked out of the jam, getting two strikeouts to end the threat.
"We had a chance there to do a little bit more," Matheny said.
The Twins got a leadoff double of their own in the fourth when third
baseman Trevor Plouffe hit the ball into the left field corner.
After a single by Rosario, Plouffe scored on an error by Cardinals
first baseman Mark Reynolds on a pick-off attempt. Rosario moved to
third on the error and scored on a sacrifice fly by Nunez.
"Giving extra bases, giving outs is not a good recipe when we're not
able to get a whole lot going against their starter," Matheny said.
NOTES: Cardinals SS Jhonny Peralta was the team's designated hitter
with the series shifting to Minnesota. Pete Kozma started at short
and batted ninth. ... The Twins released RHP Tim Stauffer after
designating him for assignment last week. ... The Twins agreed to
terms with LHP Tyler Jay, the No. 6 overall pick in last week's
draft. Jay will be assigned to Class A Fort Myers. ... The Cardinals
and Twins will play the final game of their two-game series on
Thursday afternoon at Target Field. St. Louis' Jaime Garcia (2-3,
2.06 ERA) will face Minnesota's Mike Pelfrey (5-3, 3.18).
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
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