Twins 7 - 8 Diamondbacks
Final
  for this game

D-Backs hang on to defeat Twins

May 21, 2011 - 6:10 AM

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Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Ryan Roberts had a three-run double and Stephen Drew belted a solo shot, as the Arizona Diamondbacks escaped with an 8-7 win over the Minnesota Twins to take the first meeting of a three-game interleague set.

Kelly Johnson drove in two runs while Ian Kennedy pitched 7 2/3 strong innings for Arizona, which have won four straight games. Kennedy (5-1) allowed four runs on six hits.

"That was a fun game," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. "Minnesota was pressuring us and it's just fun. It's a good feeling to get the win."

Trevor Plouffe, Danny Valencia and Michael Cuddyer each had solo shots for the Twins, who had a three-game win streak halted. Jason Kubel had two RBI in defeat but had a key strike out in the ninth where the Twins scored three runs.

Brian Duensing (2-4) was saddled with the loss for Minnesota, allowing five runs on seven hits over six-plus innings.

The Twins made it interesting in the final inning with Valencia's one-out homer and later on Drew Butera doubled to bring home Delmon Young to make it an 8-6 game.

Without the services of usual closer J.J. Putz, the Diamondbacks had to go with David Hernandez, who walked the tying and go-ahead run to load the bases with one out. Showing obvious control problems the pitcher walked a third straight batter, Plouffe, to bring in a run and make it 8-7.

With the bases still loaded, Joe Paterson came into the game to face Minnesota's sluggers Kubel and Justin Morneau. Paterson buckled down to fan Kubel and force Morneau into a ground out to end the game and get his first-career save.

"We wanted to win, but it was a good sign that we kept things interesting and close," Kubel said.

Drew's lead-off homer in the seventh tied the game at two and sparked a five- run rally that put the Diamondbacks in the driver's seat.

Chris Young kept it going with a double and Miguel Montero singled to put runners on the corners with no outs. Xavier Nady brought in Young with a single which spelt the end of Duensing's outing.

Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Roberts came up big with a double that pushed all three runners home for a 6-2 lead.

Minnesota didn't go away, though, scoring two off of Kubel's triple in the eighth that hit the base of the overhang balcony in center field. The play was reviewed and showed that the ball landed well below the yellow boundary line and kept it a 6-4 game.

However, the home team got the two runs back during their half of the eighth. Montero had an RBI single and scored on Johnson's double to push it to an 8-4 game.

The Twins got on the board during the second inning with Cuddyer's one-out homer that soared into the left field seats. Johnson's two-out RBI single tied the game at one apiece in the fifth.

Minnesota, though, regained the lead in the sixth with Plouffe' homer that landed in the same area as Cuddyer's earlier shot.

Game Notes

Earlier this week Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew succumbed to cancer and the Twins attended his funeral today at Christ's Church of the Valley in Peoria, AZ. Manager Ron Gardenhire, Cuddyer and Morneau were among the pall bearers...This was the first matchup between the teams since the Twins won all three meetings with the D'Backs in 2008 at the Metrodome...Minnesota fell to 1-4 on a seven-game road trip.






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