Mauer's Triple In 11th Lifts Twins Over Mariners
SEATTLE (AP) — Joe Mauer hit a two-run triple with two outs in the 11th inning, lifting the Minnesota Twins over the Seattle Mariners 4-2 on Sunday.
Mauer got three hits and drove in three runs. In addition to his first triple of the season, he had an RBI double as the Twins won for the third time in four games.
Seth Smith hit his first home run of the year and also doubled for the Mariners.
Seattle reliever Tyler Olson (1-1) walked Chris Herrmann to lead off the 11th. After a sacrifice bunt, Olson intentionally walked Brian Dozier. Shane Robinson fouled out before Mauer's triple.
Casey Fien (1-1) pitched two innings. Glen Perkins closed out the 11th for his fifth save.
Seattle went 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position. The Mariners stranded runners on third in the fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth innings.
Twins starter Kyle Gibson pitched into the eighth inning for the first time this year, allowing two runs and five hits.
Mariners starter Roenis Elias was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to make his first start of the season. He took the rotation spot of Hisashi Iwakuma, who was put on the DL Friday with a strained muscle under his right arm. Iwakuma will be out two to four weeks.
Elias struggled a bit early. He gave up a walk and two hits in the first inning, including Trevor Plouffe's run-scoring single.
Smith led off the fourth with his home run deep to right field, and Logan Morrison tied the game at 2 with an RBI groundout later in the inning.
Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon was ejected in the top of the fourth by plate umpire Sean Barber. McClendon had come to the mound to talk to Elias, and as he walked back to the dugout he exchanged words with Barber and was thrown out for his first ejection of the season.
UP NEXT
Twins: LHP Tommy Milone (2-0, 3.38 ERA) will make his fourth start of the season as Minnesota returns home to host Detroit. The game will open an 11-game homestand for the Twins.
Mariners: RHP Taijuan Walker (0-2, 10.66 ERA) will start at Texas, his first career start against the Rangers. He threw 1 1-3 scoreless innings of relief against the Rangers on September 7.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: Starting RHP Trevor May left in the fourth inning Saturday night with a bruised right elbow after being hit by a line drive. Manager Paul Molitor said the Twins aren't sure if the injury will cause a problem for his next start. "The big question is when to get him to start throwing the ball a little bit and see what kind of pain level he has," Molitor said.
Mariners: RHP Tom Wilhelmsen (hyperextended right elbow) is likely 10 to 12 days away from returning to the team, McClendon said. Wilhelmsen, who has been on the DL since April 11, recently started throwing and will soon progress to working off a mound, McClendon said.
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