By Anthony Maggio
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) - The Minnesota Twins have won four of the
last seven American League Central Division titles thanks in
large part to protecting their home turf. They are up to more
of the same in 2008.
Joe Mauer scored a season-high three runs and the Twins clinched
their four-game series against the Boston Red Sox with a 7-3
victory on Monday at the Metrodome.
Minnesota won three of four against the defending champs after
sweeping both Chicago and Detroit in its previous home series
and improved to 14-7 under the teflon roof.
"You've got to win at home and we've always been able to do
that," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "(The Red Sox are) as
good as you get in this league the way I look at it."
Minnesota took advantage of a career-high five walks from Boston
starter Clay Buchholz (2-3), scoring seven runs off the
23-year-old in his 4 1/3 innings of work.
"His offspeed is so good, but they were able to sit soft because
he wasn't throwing enough fastballs and when he did, they ran
back over the plate," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "When
he commands not just his fastball, but everything, that's where
he has those games where he can get deep and he's missing a lot
of bats."
Livan Hernandez (6-1), meanwhile, shook off a three-run first
inning to win his third consecutive start - beating the Tigers,
White Sox and Boston.
"It's not easy," Hernandez said. "You've got to concentrate and
you have got to plan the way you can pitch these guys and keep
them off balance. That's the most important (thing)."
Manny Ramirez's 498th career home run pushed Boston's advantage
to 3-0 after David Ortiz singled home Dustin Pedroia in the top
of the first inning, but the Twins quickly turned the game
around.
Brendan Harris, Mauer and Justin Morneau recorded consecutive
one-out singles in the bottom of the first and Mauer scored on
J.D. Drew's fielding error to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Minnesota tacked on two more in the third inning when Michael
Cuddyer singled home Mauer and Delmon Young hit a bases-loaded
fielder's choice to plate Morneau and give the Twins the lead
for good.
Mauer walked to lead off the fifth inning and Cuddyer hit a
one-out single to put runners on the corners. Monroe, coming
off a two-homer, four-RBI night on Sunday, followed with a
two-run double down the left-field line, and Young hit an RBI
single to chase Buchholz.
"I'm getting back (to my 2006 form)," Monroe said when his
28-home run season was mentioned. "It's early to say right now,
I don't want to get into it that deep. I just know that my
plan is working and I'm going to continue to work on it and
hopefully in September we'll still be talking about it."
Buchholz's only 1-2-3 inning came in the fourth as he struggled
with his command. The righthander gave up seven runs and eight
hits with five walks and four strikeouts. He has allowed 12
runs and 18 hits with six walks in his last two starts over just
8 1/3 innings.
"I might have been trying to throw too hard like I do
sometimes," Buchholz said. "Just trying to do too much instead
of pitching to contact. I was trying to miss bats."
After allowing four hits in the first inning, Hernandez
surrendered six hits with a walk over his next five frames. He
allowed three runs and 10 hits with a walk and a strikeout in
six innings pitched, and has now given up just five earned runs
in his last three starts over 22 innings.
Young, Cuddyer and Morneau all had two hits each for the Twins,
who won back-to-back games for the first time since winning five
straight from April 29 through May 4.
Minnesota, which hasn't lost a home series since dropping three
of four to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to start the
season, is in first place in the AL Central.
"We know we can play, we know what we're capable of and we know
what our goal is," Cuddyer said. "As long as we stick together
in here, then it doesn't really matter what people outside this
clubhouse think or say about us."
Drew extended his hitting streak to seven games with a 3-for-4
night as Boston lost for the fourth time in its last six games.
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