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Bonser helps Twins post second consecutive shutout win

Apr 13, 2008 - 3:41 AM By Alan Eskew PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) - In a series highlighted by pitching thus far, a pair of streaks on the mound came to an end on Saturday night.

Boof Bonser tossed six scoreless innings and Jason Kubel homered to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 2-0 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Bonser (1-2) entered Saturday's start without a win this season and had yet to notch a victory in seven career April outings. But the righthander surrendered just three hits in this one while walking two and striking out four.

"It was tough to feel my fingers," Bonser said of the freezing night with a wind at 14 miles per hour that made it feel like 33 degrees for the first pitch. "It was unbelievable. I don't know how I got it done, but I did. I was trying to feel my fingers, and other than that, sitting next to the heater.

"I tried to block it out, but sometimes you can't and just say to yourself, 'it's cold.' A lot of my off-speed pitches backed up on me, but I had good location down. If it were a little bit warmer, I would have gone out for the seventh."

Bonser was happy to get his initial April victory.

"I got the hard one out of the way," he said.

Royals righthander Brett Tomko (1-1) never had lost to the Twins, posting a 4-0 mark in six career starts. The veteran was charged with two runs and six hits in six-plus innings.

Twins closer Joe Nathan continued his dominance over the Royals, working a scoreless ninth to pick up his 28th save against the club. He has more career saves against Kansas City than any other team.

"In this weather it's harder to hit," Nathan said. "It was definitely a game where balls don't carry as much. I had a good feeling. You know if you command your pitches it's going to be good."

"Anytime you have Nathan to finish the game, it can't get any better," Bonser said.

Minnesota's pitching has been the story of the series thus far, posting shutouts in each of the first two games of the series. Livan Hernandez led the way to a 5-0 victory on Friday.

Royals manager Trey Hillman modified his lineup in an attempt to get his offense going, but it was to no avail.

"You always hope when you shake up the lineup that it does something for run production and it didn't," Hillman said. "Guys are pressing. We're going to hit again. We are going to score some runs again."

Kubel's home run on a 3-2 pitch from Tomko with two outs in the second inning gave the Twins a 1-0 lead.

"We had some chances to break the game open but they made pitches and we swung at pitches," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Boof was fantastic and the bullpen was fantastic. Boof changed speeds and threw the ball in and out.

"Tomko works a lot in on lefties' hands. Kubel was able to get the bat head through there. Boof was the story after that. He had a good performance and was good locating the ball well down in the strike zone. It was a good pitchers' night. We always feel good whenever we take the ball to our bullpen."

The Twins added a run in the seventh, chasing Tomko when Kubel, Brendan Harris and Denard Span opened the inning with singles, with Span's plating Kubel.

Ramon Ramirez replaced Tomko and was greeted with a bunt single by Nick Punto - the major league-leading sixth bunt hit by the Twins this season - that loaded the bases. Minnesota, however, failed to pad its lead as Ramirez struck out rookie Carlos Gomez and Ron Mahay set down the next two hitters.

Bonser held the Royals hitless until Ross Gload's single to left field with one out in the fifth. Alberto Callaspo singled with two outs, but Mark Grudzielanek flied out to shallow center to end the inning.

The Royals have not scored since the first inning on Thursday against the New York Yankees, going 26 frames without a run.

"You don't go into a game worrying about what we're going to score," Tomko said. "I try to follow my gameplan and not worry about what we're doing on offense because soon as you start to thinking about it, it might affect how you go out there and pitch.

"And the last thing you want to do is try not to give up any runs. Then you're getting out of what you need to do and that's just make pitches. Those guys will come around and start putting runs on the board."

Billy Butler, who batted cleanup for the first time this season, singled in the sixth to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games.