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Monroe continues to bash Twins as Tigers romp

May 13, 2007 - 6:08 AM MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Craig Monroe continued his magic, keeping the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins moving in opposite directions.

Monroe went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs scored to lead the Tigers to an 8-2 victory over the Twins on Saturday.

Magglio Ordonez added a pair of RBI singles for the Tigers, won have won three straight and 11 of 12 to take over the lead in the American League Central Division. The Tigers will go for the three-game sweep against Minnesota on Sunday.

"It is May, we can get respect now and can lose it rather quickly," Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson said. "If we can get it now, keep it and continue to maintain it through the summer and when the fall comes, then we'll be in a good situation."

Monroe, who entered the game with a .331 career average against Minnesota - his highest against any team with at least seven at-bats - singled to ignite a three-run fourth inning and brought home Carlos Guillen with a two-out blast to left field in the fifth.

Monroe is hitting .417 with four home runs in May after putting up a .193 average and one home run in April.

"I'm just trying to trust it," Monroe said. "I'm trying not to overanalyze and let my ability come through. Being in the cage, working on my swing constantly, I'm really trying not to take that thinking about it into the game. I just need to get out of the way and let my ability go, just let it get better."

"When you start the season after a big year like he had last year, you put a little pressure on yourself and the expectations are there," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "People think you will just walk up and push a button and it will automatically kick in. It doesn't work that way.

"I think he's been working, he's much more relaxed now, seeing the ball better, and he's more aggressive in the strike zone."

Chad Durbin (3-1) won his second consecutive start for Detroit, allowing two runs on seven hits in six innings. It was the fourth straight start in which Durbin allowed no more than two earned runs.

The Twins pushed across their only runs off Durbin with back-to-back two-out RBI doubles from Mike Redmond and Jason Kubel in the sixth inning.

"The guys at the top of our rotation set the tone, then it comes down to me," Durbin said. "I'm just trying to hold that true and give our guys the best chance to go out there and hit, because they can hit."

Redmond finished with three hits for Minnesota, which has lost its fourth straight contest and scored two runs or fewer for the fourth time in its last eight games.

"We banged the ball around pretty good early in the game and had runners in scoring position, we just have to come up with the big hit," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We had our chances today, we put some good swings on them. It's just not coming enough."

Durbin had plenty of help from his offense, which scored in the first inning for the fourth straight contest. Gary Sheffield and Ordonez hit back-to-back RBI singles before Minnesota starter Sidney Ponson (2-5) could record an out.

Ordonez hit his second RBI single in the third inning after shortstop Jason Bartlett's two-base throwing error on Sheffield's two-out grounder kept the inning alive.

The Tigers added three more in the fourth inning on Mike Rabelo's RBI double and back-to-back groundouts by Granderson and Placido Polanco.

Ponson was pulled after the fourth inning after allowing six runs - five earned - on six hits. The first-year Twin was saddled with his second consecutive loss after allowing at least four earned runs for the fourth time in his seven starts this season.

Gardenhire said he hasn't thought about what to do with Ponson going forward, but with the Twins stockpile of young pitchers waiting for a chance at the major league level - he may soon run out of chances.

"If it happens it happens," Ponson said. "I'm not going to sit here and put more pressure than there is already on myself. The manager knows what he's doing, so whatever his decision is."

Monroe accounted for Detroit's final two runs with his home run off Minnesota reliever Glen Perkins in the fifth inning.

Gardenhire could have been hinting at Perkins possibly replacing Ponson in the rotation after the game when he said, "We need to stretch him out." Perkins threw a career-high four innings on Saturday, and was a starter in the minor leagues.

Twins first baseman Justin Morneau left the game in the eighth inning when Nick Punto's throw from third base bounced off the turf and hit him in the face. Morneau suffered a broken nose, which was put back in place by team doctor Dan Buss. Morneau is considered day-to-day.