Surging Twins keep Webb, Diamondbacks reeling
MINNEAPOLIS - After a remarkable start to the season, Brandon Webb seems to have lost his magic. The Minnesota Twins may have found it.
Brian Buscher had two hits and two RBIs, helping the Twins complete a three-game sweep of Webb's Arizona Diamondbacks with a 5-3 victory yesterday.
Coming off his shortest outing since 2004, when he lasted just 3 1/3 innings against Oakland last week, Webb (11-4) gave up five runs - four earned - and eight hits in seven innings. The 2006 NL Cy Young winner started the season 9-0, but is 2-4 with a 4.64 ERA since.
"It seems like the big inning has been the problem," Webb said. "If it's one or two, it's not as big of a deal. But four or five runs in one inning is a bad inning. I need to cut down and try to minimize the damage."
The Twins have leaned heavily on the big inning during their six-game winning streak. They scored all five of their runs in the fifth yesterday, the fifth straight game they have scored at least four runs in an inning.
"That's fine," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "However you want to get them in, that's OK."
Arizona manager Bob Melvin's decision to start Conor Jackson - the normal first baseman - in left field played a role in the latest tough frame for Webb.
Jackson went 3 for 4 and scored a run, but made a crucial mistake in the fifth when he lost a pop fly from Delmon Young in the Metrodome's white ceiling that fell in for a double and ignited Minnesota's rally.
"I can't fault him. He played the position pretty well, he just lost one ball in the roof," said Melvin, who made the move looking to maximize his offense. "We just couldn't nail it down after that and it just got out of hand, just like the previous games."
Buscher followed with a two-run single and Alexi Casilla added another two-run single as the Twins took a 5-3 lead.
Though still a little shaky in the field, Buscher is hitting .353 with 12 RBIs and six runs scored in 10 starts since he was called up. The Twins are 7-3 in those games.
Livan Hernandez (8-4) gave up three runs (one earned) and nine hits with five strikeouts in seven innings for the Twins, who have their longest winning streak since July 2006.
Joe Nathan worked the ninth for his 19th save in 21 chances.
"We're on a little bit of roll here," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We've had some fun. A lot of clutch hits coming all at once and we got them."
The Twins gift-wrapped a three-run fourth inning for the Diamondbacks. After singles by Jackson and Mark Reynolds, Chris Snyder hit a sharp, two-out one-hopper to Young in left field.
Young charged hard in anticipation of making a play on Jackson at home - except the ball squirted under his glove and rolled to the wall. Jackson and Reynolds scored, and Snyder wound up at third before scoring on a wild pitch.
