Twins fall to Tigers Friday

DETROIT (AP) -- Jeff Weaver is feeling good heading into the off-season, but he'd feel even better if had gotten one more out.

Weaver just missed earning his first career shutout, and settled for six-hit ball for 8 2-3 innings as the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 1-0 on Friday night.

The victory snapped the Tigers' three-game losing streak.

Weaver (11-15), who escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth, got two quick outs in the ninth before giving up a single to Doug Mientkiewicz.

Manager Phil Garner opted to bring in Todd Jones, who allowed a single to Torii Hunter before retiring Jacque Jones on a grounder for his AL-leading 42nd save.

"I really didn't want to take him out," Garner said. "The overriding thing was the number of pitches (126). If we're in a pennant race he stays in, and hopefully that's where we are next year."

Weaver struck out six and walked two. Though only 2-4 in his last six starts, the Tigers scored only four runs in the losses and were shut out twice. His ERA over the stretch was 3.44.

"I think he's been dominant in his last five or six outings," Garner said. "The thing for me, what he's doing is consistently keeping the ball down, and he's been doing that for a month and a half now."

Friday's win was especially rewarding for Weaver, who was only 1-3 with a 10.69 ERA in his previous four starts against the Twins.

"I was definitely a lot more focused on getting ahead and making them guess more and getting some little pop flies ahead in the count," Weaver said.

The Twins loaded the bases in the eighth on two singles and a hit batsman. But Denny Hocking struck out and Cristian Guzman popped to short.

Weaver exited to a loud ovation in the ninth.

"It definitely gave me chills," said Weaver, who also pitched out of a jam in the sixth. "That's what you go out and try to do every day."

Dean Palmer drove in the only run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. The RBI was the 100th of the season for Palmer.

Palmer's sacrifice fly came after Juan Encarnacion singled and Bobby Higginson doubled.

"It was an old-fashioned ballgame," Twins manager Tom Kelly said. "Weaver pitched a fantastic game. There was a really big disparity in his speed in keeping our hitters off-balance. He threw well on both sides of the plate. We only had a couple of chances."

"To have my last start finish like this certainly feels a lot better," Weaver said. "One of my goals was to finish strong, and I was able to do that."

Mientkiewicz, who helped lead the United States to the Olympic gold medal earlier this week, was 2-for-4 in his first big league game of the season.

MINNESOTA DETROIT

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Hcking 2b 4 0 0 0 Becker rf 4 0 1 0

CGzmn ss 4 0 0 0 Lindsey rf 0 0 0 0

Lawton dh 4 0 0 0 JEcrcn cf 4 1 1 0

Koskie 3b 4 0 1 0 Hggnsn lf 3 0 1 0

Mntkw 1b 4 0 2 0 Palmer 3b 2 0 0 1

Rivas pr 0 0 0 0 McMlln dh 3 0 1 0

THuntr cf 4 0 2 0 DCruz ss 3 0 1 0

JJones lf 3 0 0 0 HMorrs 1b 3 0 2 0

Barnes rf 3 0 2 0 Easley 2b 3 0 0 0

Przyns c 1 0 0 0 Asmus c 3 0 0 0

Totals 31 0 7 0 Totals 28 1 7 1

Minnesota 000 000 000 -- 0

Detroit 100 000 00x -- 1

DP--Minnesota 1, Detroit 2. LOB--Minnesota 7, Detroit 4. 2B--Higginson (42). SB--Lindsey (2). CS--JJones (5), DCruz (4). SF--Palmer.

IP H R ER BB SO

Minnesota

Mays L,7-15 8 7 1 1 0 5

Detroit

JWeavr W,11-15 8 2-3 6 0 0 2 6

TBJones S,42 1-3 1 0 0 0 0

HBP--by JWeaver (Pierzynski).

Umpires--Home, Iassogna; First, Barksdale; Second, Nelson, Jeff; Third, Hirschbeck, M..

T--2:28. A--28,604 (40,000).