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| Inglett, Blue Jays edge Twins TORONTO 3, MINNESOTA 2 |
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By Jon Avise PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Joe Inglett's first pinch hit couldn't have come at a better time. Inglett - who was called up from Class AAA Syracuse just five days ago - plated the go-ahead run with a pinch single in the 11th inning Thursday, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins. "I was just going up there looking for a fastball, looking for one inside I could keep my hands inside me and get a base hit," Inglett said. Scott Rolen sparked the inning when he roped a leadoff double in the 11th against Twins righthander Jesse Crain (2-1), who issued two two-out walks to Lyle Overbay and Gregg Zaun. That set the stage for Inglett, who blooped a hit just beyond the infield to drive home Rolen and make it 3-2. "Anytime you've got situations like that you've got butterflies," Inglett said. Shawn Camp (1-1) recorded the final out of the 10th to notch the win while B.J. Ryan remained perfect on the season, collecting his seventh save for the Blue Jays, who swept this three-game series from the Twins and have won four straight overall. The three-game triumph was Toronto's first sweep of the Twins under the Teflon roof of the Metrodome since late July, 2002. "When you get on a roll like this, hopefully, we just keep on trucking, keep on picking up wins," Inglett said after the Jays' fourth consecutive win put them within a game of the .500 mark at 21-22. Thursday's game started familiarly. Toronto continued a series-long trend, again jumping out to an early lead against Twins starter Glen Perkins and putting Minnesota in a hole it failed to dig out from. In the third, Brad Wilkerson reached with a one-out single down the left-field line and Aaron Hill followed by drawing a walk. Alex Rios then singled to right to get the Jays on the board, and Rolen plated Hill when he reached on a fielder's choice. The Twins countered in their half of the frame with a run without the benefit of hit to cut the lead in half. Rookie Matt Tolbert walked, stole his fourth base, advanced to third on a flyout and motored home when Dustin McGowan's wild pitch squirted past catcher Rod Barajas. Neither young starting pitcher showed his best stuff on the afternoon. McGowan walked five, though he surrendered only two hits - taking a no-hitter into the fifth - in his five-inning, 101-pitch performance. "It was a struggle," McGowan said after his third five-walk outing of the season. "Sometimes, when you don't have your best stuff you go what you gotta do. (I) made some pitches, got out of some jams. It's tough, it really is, but you've got to find a way to get through." Perkins also labored through six innings in his second start this season, giving up five hits, walking two and striking out six while throwing 102 pitches. But the Minnesota native allowed only the two third-inning runs, giving the Twins a chance to claw even and knot the game in the fifth. Adam Everett led off the inning with a walk and, with one out, Brendan Harris singled sharply to left for Minnesota's first hit of the game off McGowan. Justin Morneau then drove a double off the high wall in right - his team-leading 32nd RBI of the season - to even the score. But it wasn't enough. Even more disappointing for Minnesota is the fact the sweep came on the heels of a high for the team after it took three of four vs. the defending world champion Boston Red Sox over the weekend in Minneapolis. After two sloppy games where defensive errors aided the surging Jays, the Twins were sharper with the leather Thursday. But it didn't matter. "It happens in the game - it's not like we got blown out in any of these games," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of the struggles after last weekend's big wins. "We had opportunities to win. The only thing that bothers you is when you make the mistakes and errors that cost you the game. "But today was a good baseball game pitched good by both teams. There were opportunities for a big hit." Minnesota did, in fact, get some key hits. But twice - in the fifth inning and again in the seventh - the Twins had baserunners cut down at home plate. "It happens; that's the game," Twins right fielder Michael Cuddyer said. "They had to make perfect throws and they did on all those plays. Unfortunately, they made the plays." |
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