D-Backs Sweep Twins With 3-2 win, Run Streak To 6
PHOENIX (AP) -- The Minnesota Twins are headed home with the worst record in baseball.
The latest loss came 3-2 in Arizona on Sunday as the Diamondbacks ran their winning streak to six straight and completed a three-game interleague sweep of the Twins, who have lost 12 of 15.
Minnesota seemed to have righted things with three straight wins after a nine-game slide. Then came three losses in the desert.
"We had our chances," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We made pitches. Some crazy things happened, but bottom line they played a little bit better than we did in all those games from the seventh inning on."
After the game, Gardenhire announced the Twins will activate Jim Thome and Jason Repko from the disabled list before Monday night's game against Seattle. To make roster room, infielder Luke Hughes and outfielder Ben Revere were optioned to Triple-A Rochester.
"Thome for sure will be another big bat in the lineup," Gardenhire said. "Repko is an outfielder who plays everywhere. I really liked Ben Revere. I liked what he was doing. I know he needs to swing. I know he needs more at-bats but this was a hard one for me, sending Ben down now."
Juan Miranda homered and Daniel Hudson had an RBI single to go with his eight strong innings for the Diamondbacks, who have won eight of nine to climb to .500 (23-23) for the first time since April 20.
"We're rolling on a lot of cylinders right now," Hudson said. "It feels good. Everything's kind of going good right now -- our hitting, pitching, fielding. So I think we're taking a streak on the road in a good spot."
Miranda, 9 for 18 on the homestand with five RBIs, left in the eighth inning after being hit on the right wrist by a pitch. He said afterward it was nothing serious.
Hudson (5-5), who also had an RBI single, allowed two runs, including Delmon Young's first homer of the season, and eight hits in eight innings with six strikeouts and no walks to improve to 5-1 in his last six starts.
J.J. Putz pitched a scoreless ninth to extend his franchise record of 12 consecutive saves to start the season. The first two outs for Putz were on line drives he snagged.
Alex Burnett (0-3) took the loss.
Francisco Liriano got no decision in his third start since throwing a no-hitter against the White Sox in Chicago on May 3. He allowed two runs on six hits in six innings, striking out four and walking four.
"I am not real happy about it at all," he said. "The fact that I was getting too deep in the count, wasn't throwing first pitch for strikes. It was a battle for me out there. I was overthrowing today. I was throwing too hard, just rushing, going forward too quick, instead of staying back and hitting my spot. I was trying to be too perfect."
Willie Bloomquist, the first batter Burnett faced, doubled to center, where Ben Revere booted the ball, allowing the runner to advance to third. Revere made a bobbling, over-the-shoulder catch of Ryan Roberts' drive in deep center field, a sacrifice fly that scored Bloomquist to put Arizona ahead 3-2.
Miranda's home run, with one out in the fourth, was only the fifth for a left-handed hitter -- out of 56 total -- against the lefty Liriano and first since Ken Griffey Jr. did it on opening day of 2009.
After the home run, Xavier Nady walked, then Henry Blanco's bloop single put runners at first and second with two outs. Hudson singled in the run, his fifth RBI of the season, and Arizona led 2-0.
Young started the Minnesota fifth with an infield single, then Rene Rivera doubled to leave runners at second and third with no outs. Hudson fanned Alexi Casilla, but Liriano's groundout brought Young home to cut the lead to 2-1. Revere bounced out to third to end the inning.
Young's leadoff home run in the seventh tied it at 2.
NOTES: Liriano's single in the third was his second major league hit. The other was on May 19, 2006, at Milwaukee. ... Arizona swept an interleague series at home for the first time in franchise history. ... Minnesota plays its next six at home, where the Twins have played just 15 games, fewest in the majors. ... The Diamondbacks have Monday off, then play a doubleheader at Colorado, one of them to make up an April 3 game that was snowed out. ... Arizona's Justin Upton was 0 for 4 and is hitless in his last 15 at-bats.
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