• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Garza solid, Cuddyer and Kubel homer in Twins' win

Sep 20, 2007 - 4:44 AM By Anthony Maggio PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- It took Matt Garza 13 appearances at the Metrodome, but he finally got his first career win at home.

Garza threw 6 1/3 effective innings to improve to 1-10 at home as the Minnesota Twins finished off a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 4-2 victory on Wednesday.

Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel homered for Minnesota, which beat Texas for the seventh time in nine meetings this season.

"We were joking before the game that maybe we should wear road uniforms," Garza said. "It's a good feeling."

Garza (4-6), who had been 0-5 with a 6.07 ERA in six starts here this season, allowed two runs - one earned - and six hits with five strikeouts. He entered the contest with a career 6.40 ERA and .317 opponents batting average at home.

He got off on the wrong foot in this contest as well, giving up a leadoff home run by Frank Catalanotto.

But after Ian Kinsler followed with a single, Garza induced a double-play grounder and cruised from there. He allowed only two hits through the next five innings and did not issue a walk for the first time in his last five starts.

Garza won for the first time in four starts overall after posting a 6.60 ERA in his three previous outings.

"It's about settling down and using your pitches," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Don't try to overpitch people. Early on, he had to figure that out."

"It's a learning process," Garza said. "You just have to keep them off-balance. If they can't catch up to it, why change? There's a fine line."

Vicente Padilla (6-10), who faced only two batters in his previous start before being ejected for hitting Oakland's Nick Swisher on Sunday, did not fare as well. After going 3-0 in his previous five outings, Padilla struggled with his control and put Texas in an early hole.

Using primarily off-speed pitches and working at a snail's pace, Padilla walked two batters in the first inning and the first two of the second, allowing a run to score in both frames. Justin Morneau plated Jason Bartlett with a single in the first and Garrett Jones scored on Bartlett's groundout in the second.

Padilla reached 60 pitches in the first two innings.

"He was a human rain delay out there," Gardenhire said.

"He just had problems with his command early," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He's more effective when he uses his fastball. I don't know why he decided to go to as much off-speed as he did, but he has a good fastball and if he uses it, it makes it more effective."

Torii Hunter walked to start the third inning, but Padilla caught him stealing before Cuddyer put Minnesota ahead, 3-1, with a solo homer to center - his 15th of the season.

Padilla still managed to get through five innings without further damage, but his five walks were his most since issuing six on April 19 in Chicago against the White Sox. He had allowed only one earned run in his previous 12 frames.

Texas nearly got Padilla off the hook in the seventh inning as they cut the deficit to 3-2.

After Jason Botts led off with a base hit, David Murphy singled two batters later and left fielder Jones misplayed the bounce, allowing Botts to score from first and Murphy to reach second base while chasing Garza. But Glen Perkins struck out both pinch hitter Sammy Sosa and Travis Metcalf to end the threat.

"Perkins came in and did a super job," Gardenhire said. "That's a couple nights in a row he's come up and gotten people out. He's throwing the ball really good."

Kubel led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run, giving the Twins a 4-2 cushion. Perkins and Juan Rincon bridged the gap to closer Joe Nathan, who worked a perfect ninth for his 34th save in 38 chances.

Murphy had two hits for the Rangers, who have lost eight of their last nine.