Twins jump on Blue Jays
TORONTO (AP) -- The Minnesota Twins haven't forgotten former manager Tom Kelly's philosophy of getting to a pitcher early.
Corey Koskie hit a three-run homer in a four-run first inning as the Twins won their third straight, 10-6 over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
The Twins, off to a 5-1 start under new manager Ron Gardenhire, have scored first in all six games this season.
"As soon as the first pitch is thrown, you need to be ready to play," Koskie said. "That's one thing Tom Kelly preached when he was here and that is one thing Gardy has carried over. We don't want to get behind the 8-ball."
Staked to a 4-0 lead in first, Brad Radke (1-0) didn't allow a hit until Carlos Delgado hit a bloop double with one out in the fourth.
Radke allowed three runs and four hits in six innings, struck out four and walked three.
"Tom Kelly always said, 'Make sure our guys are ready for the first inning," Gardenhire said. "It's been said here forever. That's the way we taught these guys. You have to be ready for the first inning, and right now we're doing some things early."
TWINS 7, BLUE JAYS 5
MINNESOTA TORONTO
ab r h bi ab r h bi
JJones lf 4 2 1 1 ShStwrt lf 5 0 2 2
CGzmn ss 4 1 2 0 Hinske 3b 3 1 1 0
Mntkw 1b 5 0 2 2 Lesher ph 0 0 0 0
DOrtiz dh 4 0 0 1 Wdwrd 3b 0 0 0 0
THnter cf 5 0 0 0 Mndesi dh 4 2 1 0
Koskie 3b 4 1 2 0 CDlgdo 1b 5 0 2 2
Mohr rf 3 1 1 0 JoCruz cf 3 0 1 1
Cnizaro 2b 3 1 1 2 Wells rf 5 0 1 0
Hcking 2b 1 0 0 0 TWilsn c 5 1 1 0
Prince c 4 1 1 1 Berg 2b 2 0 1 0
Bush 2b 3 1 1 0
FLopez ss 4 0 2 0
Totals 37 7 10 7 Totals 39 5 13 5
Minnesota 150 000 001 -- 7
Toronto 201 000 020 -- 5
E--Mientkiewicz (1), FLopez (2). DP--Minnesota 1. LOB--Minnesota 7, Toronto 12. 2B--CGuzman (1), Mientkiewicz (4), Koskie (1), Mohr (1), Mondesi (2), CDelgado (1), FLopez (2). 3B--Canizaro (1). HR--JJones (3). SB--CGuzman (1), Mientkiewicz (1). SF--DOrtiz.
IP H R ER BB SO
Minnesota
Lohse 4 1-3 8 3 3 3 3
Hawkins W,1-0 1 2-3 1 0 0 0 1
Wells 1 1-3 4 2 2 1 1
Romero 2-3 0 0 0 1 1
Guardado S,4 1 0 0 0 0 2
Toronto
Eyre L,0-1 6 5 6 5 2 5
Plesac 1 1 0 0 0 0
Cassidy 1 1 0 0 0 2
KEscobar 1 3 1 1 0 1
Wells pitched to 4 batters in the 8th.
HBP--by Cassidy (Mohr). WP--Romero. PB--Prince.
Umpires--Home, John Shulock; First, Mike Everitt; Second, Doug Eddings; Third, Mike Fichter.
T--3:20. A--18,947 (50,516).
Sunday Twins box
TWINS 10, BLUE JAYS 6
MINNESOTA TORONTO
ab r h bi ab r h bi
JJones lf 5 1 2 1 ShStwrt lf 4 0 0 0
CGzmn ss 4 0 1 0 Hinske 3b 4 1 1 0
Mntkw 1b 4 1 0 0 Mndesi dh 5 2 2 2
DOrtiz dh 3 3 1 1 CDlgdo 1b 2 2 2 0
THnter cf 3 1 1 3 Lesher 1b 1 0 0 0
Koskie 3b 3 2 1 3 JoCruz cf 4 0 1 1
Mohr rf 5 1 3 1 Wells rf 4 0 1 2
Przyns c 4 1 2 0 TWilsn c 3 0 0 0
Morris 2b 3 0 0 0 Bush 2b 4 0 0 0
Hcking 2b 0 0 0 1 Wdwrd ss 3 1 1 1
Totals 34 10 11 10 Totals 34 6 8 6
Minnesota 400 121 011 -- 10
Toronto 000 102 300 -- 6
DP--Minnesota 1. LOB--Minnesota 6, Toronto 6. 2B--JJones (1), Pierzynski (1), Hinske (4), CDelgado 2 (3), Wells (2). HR--DOrtiz (3), THunter (3), Koskie (1), Mohr (1), Mondesi (2), Woodward (1). CS--CGuzman (1). S--CGuzman. SF--THunter, Hocking.
IP H R ER BB SO
Minnesota
Radke W,1-0 6 4 3 3 3 4
Cressend 1 3 3 3 0 0
Wells 1 1 0 0 0 0
MJackson 1 0 0 0 1 1
Toronto
Cooper L,0-1 5 6 7 7 4 2
Thurman 2 4 2 2 1 0
Borbon 2 1 1 1 1 1
Thurman pitched to 3 batters in the 8th.
HBP--by MJackson (ShStewart). WP--Cooper, Borbon.
Umpires--Home, Mike Everitt; First, Doug Eddings; Second, Mike Fichter; Third, John Shulock.
T--3:00. A--21,071 (50,516).
After Minnesota's Jacque Jones led off the game with a single, Toronto starter Brian Cooper (0-1) walked Doug Mientkiewicz and David Ortiz before Torii Hunter hit a sacrifice fly. Koskie followed his with his first homer of the season to give the Twins a 4-0 lead.
The Blue Jays have allowed at least one run in the first inning of each game this season.
"It's difficult to spot the other team that many runs early in the ballgame," Toronto manager Buck Martinez said. "We have got to get out of the first inning without giving up any runs."
Dustan Mohr and David Ortiz also homered for the Twins, who won three of four against Toronto.
Chris Woodward and Raul Mondesi homered for the Blue Jays, who had won their first two games of the season.
Cooper started in place of Scott Eyre, moved up in the rotation to fill in for the injured Chris Carpenter. Cooper allowed seven runs and six hits in five innings.
"I didn't have command of any of my pitches," Cooper said. "Hopefully, if I get another chance I'll do better."
Mohr homered in the fourth, and Hunter hit a two-run drive in the fifth. Jones' RBI double off Corey Thurman made it 8-1 in the sixth.
Woodward hit a solo homer, and Mondesi hit a two-run shot off Jack Cressend in the seventh to cut the lead to 8-6.
Warren Morris had an RBI single in the eighth, and Ortiz homered in the ninth.
Notes: Toronto LF Shannon Stewart went for precautionary X-rays after being hit on the left arm by a pitch in the ninth. ... Attendance was 21,071 for Dave Winfield bobblehead day. Winfield helped Toronto win the World Series in 1993. ... Toronto manager Buck Martinez gave rookie SS Felipe Lopez a day off, and Woodward replaced him. ... The Twins play their home opener Friday. ... Koskie started the season in a 1-for-16 slump, but is hitting .174 (4-for-23).
Twins 7, Blue Jays 5
TORONTO (AP) -- If Eddie Guardado lives up to his nickname, he could lead the AL in saves.
Guardado saved his fourth game of the season and Jacque Jones hit his third home run as the Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-5 Saturday.
Guardado, nicknamed Everyday Eddie, has saved all of Minnesota's victories.
"I'm just happy with four," said Guardado, who got the nickname after making 60 or more appearances in each of his last six seasons.
"The nickname has stuck with me," Guardado said. "I guess it's good because I'm in the big leagues with a nickname."
Guardado was a situational left-hander for seven years before becoming the closer late last season.
"Eddie gets the ball. We don't call him Everyday Eddie for nothing," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He's almost pitched everyday."
Up 6-3 in the eighth, Minnesota reliever Bob Wells loaded the bases after Tom Wilson, Homer Bush and Felipe Lopez hit three straight singles. Shannon Stewart followed with a two-run single to left.
Left-hander J.C. Romero, making his fourth appearance of the season, struck out Raul Mondesi and got Carlos Delgado to pop up to shortstop Cristian Guzman to end the threat.
"We should give J.C. a nickname. It should be Everyday Romero," Guardado said. "If I don't stick with this closer's role, I'm gone."
Jones' homer off Kelvim Escobar gave Minnesota a 7-5 lead in the ninth.
LaTroy Hawkins (1-0) pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings for the win.
"The bullpen has been good so far," Minnesota's Doug Mientkiewicz said. "Hopefully, we don't use them too much so they are fresh at the end of the year."
Mientkiewicz hit an RBI double off Scott Eyre (0-1) in the first inning.
The Twins scored five runs in the second after Corey Koskie led off with a single and Dustan Mohr doubled. Jay Canizaro followed with what looked to be a single, but right-fielder Vernon Wells, normally the center fielder, allowed the ball to bounce over his head for a triple, scoring Koskie and Mohr.
Tom Prince followed with an RBI single, Jones walked and Guzman reached after Lopez bobbled a grounder at shortstop for an error, loading the bases.
Mientkiewicz then hit an RBI groundout and David Ortiz followed with a sacrifice fly, giving Minnesota a 6-2 lead.
Eyre allowed six runs -- five earned -- and five hits in six innings.
"This was very frustrating because I was good in the last four innings," Eyre said. "I do have good stuff. I can pitch in the big leagues. It's frustrating when you are not aggressive."
Minnesota starter Kyle Lohse allowed three runs and eight hits in 4 1-3 inning
Delgado's RBI single and Jose Cruz Jr.'s RBI grounder gave Toronto a 2-1 lead in the first.
Consecutive doubles by Mondesi and Delgado cut the lead to 6-3 in the third.
Notes: Stewart made his first start in left field after playing DH in Toronto's first three games. Mondesi was the DH.