Twins send Tigers to 119th loss

DETROIT (AP) -- Alan Trammell will be proud of the way the Detroit Tigers competed in the final week of the season, even if they tie or break the modern-day record for losses.

Michael Cuddyer hit the first pitch of the 11th inning into the left-field seats and the Minnesota Twins beat Detroit 5-4 Friday night, putting the Tigers one defeat away from the record for futility.

If Detroit (41-119) loses Saturday or Sunday against the Twins, the Tigers will tie the post-1900 record of 120 losses set by the 1962 New York Mets.

After losing 10 straight games to break the AL record for losses, set by the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit had won three straight.

"I'm smiling because you never know what you can do when you dig as deep as you possibly can," Trammell said. "And they are digging as deep as they can.

"Honestly, if we do win the next two games, yeah great, but with 119 losses, we're still going to be talked about. But this week has really been uplifting to watch this effort."

Lew Ford's double gave Minnesota a 4-3 lead in the 10th, but the suddenly scrappy Tigers, who had won three straight, tied it in on Shane Halter's RBI single.

Eddie Guardado (3-5) blew a save in the 10th, but earned the win after Cuddyer's homer off Franklyn German (2-4).

"We were looking for a low fastball and the ball was up," Trammell said. "(Cuddyer) was ready and he jumped him."

LaTroy Hawkins pitched the 11th for his second save.

The Twins had won a season-high 11 in a row before losing to Detroit in 11 innings Thursday.

Minnesota had chances to build leads in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings, but Nate Cornejo got out of each jam with inning-ending double plays.

"Another interesting night of baseball," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I'm not sure what happened. We had a lot of scoring opportunities and missed almost all of them. Then they were running around the bases and we couldn't do anything about it. Luckily, Cuddyer hits a big homer and Hawk does the job."

Detroit's Dmitri Young, who hit his 29th homer in the fifth inning and led off the 10th with a double, had his first four-hit game of the season.

Minnesota started eight of its regulars after resting most of them for two games after clinching its second straight AL Central title Tuesday. But by the top of the seventh, most of the everyday players were taken out. Doug Mientkiewicz, who has a sore left wrist, was the only regular rested Friday.

"It's strange to be on the bench so much, but it is really good to get the rest," Torii Hunter said. "I feel so much better right now. My back doesn't hurt, my knees don't hurt."

Both starters -- Minnesota's Eric Milton and Cornejo -- gave up three runs on eight hits and struck out one.

Milton had one walk and one strikeout over five innings. Milton, who missed most of the year following knee surgery, is expected to come out of the bullpen in the AL division series against the New York Yankees.

Cornejo, winless in his last six starts, walked four over seven innings.

Notes: Kyle Lohse will start Sunday because Kenny Rogers pitched in relief Friday. ... Detroit's Bobby Higginson is 1-for-21 over his last six games. .. An announced crowd of 16,518 attended the game. ... Young had not hit more than 21 home runs before this season.

MINNESOTA DETROIT

ab r h bi ab r h bi

ShStwrt lf 3 0 0 0 ASnchz cf 5 1 3 0

Ryan lf 2 0 0 0 Hggnsn rf 5 0 0 0

Rivas 2b 3 0 0 0 Monroe lf 6 1 1 0

Gomez 2b 3 0 1 0 DYong dh 5 1 4 2

JJones rf 3 1 1 0 Torres dh 0 1 0 0

Mohr rf 2 0 0 0 CPena 1b 2 0 1 1

LeCroy dh 3 2 2 0 Halter 3b 5 0 2 1

Koskie 3b 3 0 2 1 Inge c 5 0 0 0

Mrneau 1b 1 1 0 0 Infante 2b 3 0 0 0

THnter cf 3 0 0 0 WMoris 2b 2 0 1 0

Ford cf 2 0 1 1 RStiago ss 3 0 0 0

Przyns c 2 0 2 1

Bowen c 2 0 1 0

Cddyer 1b 5 1 2 2

CGzmn ss 3 0 0 0

Prieto ss 2 0 0 0

Totals 42 5 12 5 Totals 41 4 12 4

Minnesota 000 201 000 11 -- 5

Detroit 200 010 000 10 -- 4

E--Cuddyer (1). DP--Detroit 3. LOB--Minnesota 9, Detroit 11. 2B--LeCroy (18), Ford (6), Pierzynski (34), DYoung (34). HR--Cuddyer (4), DYoung (29). SB--ASanchez (40), Torres (5), Halter (2). CS--ASanchez (18). S--ASanchez, CPena, RSantiago. SF--CPena.

IP H R ER BB SO

Minnesota

Milton 5 8 3 3 1 1

RReed 2 0 0 0 0 1

Rogers 1 1 0 0 0 1

Balfour 1 1 0 0 1 0

Guardado W,3-5 1 2 1 1 0 3

Hawkins S,2 1 0 0 0 1 1

Detroit

Cornejo 7 8 3 3 4 1

JWalker 1 2 0 0 0 2

Spurling 2 1 1 1 1 2

German L,2-4 1 1 1 1 0 1

WP--JWalker.

Umpires--Home, Tim McClelland; First, Tony Randazzo; Third, C.B. Bucknor.

T--3:25. A--16,518 (40,120).