Twins 2 - 1 Tigers
Final
  for this game

Suzuki lifts Twins past Tigers

May 10, 2014 - 6:04 AM Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Kurt Suzuki hit a two-run single off Justin Verlander in the seventh inning Friday night and the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 2-1 to open a three-game series.

Phil Hughes (4-1) threw seven shutout innings to extend his winning streak to four straight starts, including two against Detroit. The right-hander struck out three and gave up eight hits without a walk.

"We battled," said Twins second baseman Brian Dozier. "Kirk Suzuki came up with a huge hit, but going up against a good lineup, what Phil did was more impressive than anything."

Verlander (4-2) lost to the Twins for the first time in more than four years, snapping a nine-decision winning streak spanning 12 starts. He allowed seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 114 pitches.

"It's tough to hold a team to zeroes forever. He did more than give us a chance to win," said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus. "Until the last inning it didn't seem like we were able to string a few hits together."

The Tigers have dropped two in a row on the heels of a season-high eight-game winning streak. They were coming off a 6-2 loss to Houston on Thursday.

The Twins were outhit by Detroit 10-9, but snapped a three-game losing streak.

Glen Perkins gave up doubles to Austin Jackson and Alex Avila in the ninth inning as Detroit plated a late run, but settled down to earn his ninth save. Avila's RBI hit went off Jason Kubel's glove in deep left field.

Earlier, Verlander had retired 12 of 13 batters since letting a runner reach third base in the third inning before Chris Parmelee hit a one-out single in the seventh.

Danny Santana added a two-out hit and Dozier worked a five-pitch walk off the hard-throwing right-hander to load the bases for Suzuki, who grounded a 94 mph fastball into center field for Minnesota's 2-0 lead.

Game Notes

Twins first baseman Joe Mauer (back) missed a fifth straight games but manager Ron Gardenhire has said he expects the former AL MVP to return before the end of the weekend ... The start of the game was delayed by 27 minutes because of rain ... The teams split two games in a rain-shortened series last month ... Verlander has thrown at least 105 pitches in all eight of his starts this season. His last loss to the Twins came April 27, 2010 in Detroit ... Detroit's Victor Martinez was 0-for-4, snapping his 11-game hitting streak.






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