Minnesota 4, Seattle 2
When: 4:10 PM ET, Sunday, April 26, 2015
Where: Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington
Temperature:
56°
Umpires:
Home -
Sean Barber, 1B -
Angel Hernandez, 2B -
Scott Barry, 3B -
Ted Barrett
Attendance:
35242
By The Sports Xchange
SEATTLE -- Minnesota first baseman Joe Mauer capped off a 3-for-5 game with the game-winning triple in the top of the 11th inning as the Twins beat the Seattle Mariners 4-2 on Sunday to win the series.
Mauer's two-out triple drove in a pair of runs to break a 2-2 tie. He also had a single and a double on a night when he drove in three of the Twins' four runs.
Minnesota (8-10) capped off a .500 road trip in which the Twins went 3-3 as they head into a season-long 11-game homestand. Seattle (7-11) has lost back-to-back games heading into a 10-day road trip against AL West opponents.
Minnesota reliever Casey Fien (1-1) pitched scoreless innings in the ninth and 10th to earn his first win of the season, while closer Glen Perkins earned his fifth save of the season and his second in as many games.
Seattle reliever Tyler Olson (1-1) suffered the loss after giving up the Mauer triple.
Minnesota's Kyle Gibson gave a solid start that lasted into the eighth inning before he came out after 99 pitches. Gibson allowed two earned runs off five hits over seven-plus innings but did not factor into the decision.
In three starts against the Mariners since the beginning of the 2014 season, Gibson is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA.
Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon got ejected in the top of the fourth inning for arguing with home-plate umpire Sean Barber. McClendon initially appeared to be frustrated with starting pitcher Roenis Elias and tossed his pitch counter onto the dirt outside of the dugout before making a trip to the mound.
After a short conversation with Elias, McClendon walked back toward the dugout and threw a few words toward Barber, who appeared to warn him at least twice before tossing McClendon out of the game. McClendon then approached Barber and exchanged a few more words, concluding the discussion with a throat-slashing gesture before returning to the dugout and making his way to the Mariners' clubhouse.
It marked the 30th time in his career, and the first time this season, that McClendon has been ejected from a game.
Elias, who was called up from Triple-A earlier in the day after having spent the entire 2014 season with the Mariners, was solid in his first start of the season. He allowed two earned runs off six hits while striking out six over 5 2/3 innings. The score was 2-2 when Elias came out after 105 pitches.
Elias got off to a shaky start and was somewhat fortunate to come out of the first inning only trailing 1-0. After retiring the first batter, Elias allowed three consecutive baserunners, with Minnesota's Trevor Plouffe hitting an RBI single to drive in the first run of the game.
Elias settled down after that but got himself into trouble again in the third, when back-to-back hits from centerfielder Shane Robinson and first baseman Joe Mauer resulted in another run and a 2-0 Twins lead.
The Mariners, seeming to get a boost from the McClendon ejection, scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 2. Designated hitter Seth Smith led off the frame with a home run, then first baseman Logan Morrison added an RBI on a ground out that scored second baseman Robinson Cano from third base.
The score remained tied at 2 heading into the ninth. Minnesota threatened in the top of the inning while facing Mariners closer Fernando Rodney, but he was able to get Plouffe to ground into an inning-ending out with two runners on base – the ninth and 10th runners left on base by the Twins during the game. Seattle got a leadoff single from leftfielder Dustin Ackley in the bottom of the inning but left him stranded to send the game into extra innings.
Cano's 11-game hitting streak came to an end with an 0-for-4 performance. Smith had two hits for Seattle.
NOTES: Seattle called up LHP Roenis Elias from Triple-A Tacoma before Sunday's game. Elias is replacing starter Hisashi Iwa
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
| Minnesota |
|
Seattle |
|
Kyle Gibson
|
Player |
Roenis Elias
|
|
No Decision |
W/L |
No Decision |
|
7.0 |
IP |
5.2 |
|
3 |
Strikeouts |
6 |
|
5 |
Hits |
6 |
|
2.57 |
ERA |
3.18 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
| Minnesota
|
9 |
0 |
13 |
.225 |
23 |
9 |
4 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
| Seattle
|
6 |
1 |
12 |
.162 |
18 |
7 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
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