Final
Baker helps Twins blank Dodgers
Jun 29, 2011 - 9:07 PM Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Scott Baker tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings to lead Minnesota to a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the rubber match of a three-game interleague series.Baker (6-5) scattered six hits and a walk while striking out nine in the Twins' second straight victory after a six-game losing streak.
"I threw some good changeups. I also threw some pretty good sliders. Joe (Mauer) did a great job back there keeping me throwing off-speed. That's a good fastball hitting team and I was just keeping them off balance," said Baker.
Matt Capps kept the shutout intact in the ninth to earn his 13th save of the season.
Rubby De La Rosa (3-3) was the tough-luck loser, allowing one run on six hits and two walks through seven strong innings.
No Dodger had more than one hit and Matt Kemp doubled for the only extra-base knock as Los Angeles dropped its fifth contest in the last seven tries.
"[Baker] had pretty good stuff. He had some good off-speed pitches," said Kemp. "He just stayed in the zone and threw strikes. He did his job."
Ben Revere led off the bottom of the first with a triple over Andre Ethier's head in right field. Tsuyoshi Nishioka came up next and hit a dribbler toward first base that allowed Revere to cross the plate for the game's only run.
LA tried to manufacture a game-tying run in the third after Dee Gordon singled to lead off the inning, advanced to second on a Tony Gwinn Jr. sacrifice bunt and then stole third. But Casey Blake popped out in foul territory on the first-base side and Ethier fanned on a 2-2 slider to end the threat.
The Dodgers also put a man on third in the sixth when Kemp came up to bat with two outs and smoked a ball into the left-center gap. Revere tracked it down, but had the ball fall out of his glove as he tried to corral it. Kemp then swiped third, but James Loney's bouncer to second ended the inning.
Game Notes
Minnesota won despite hitting 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranding nine men on base...Los Angeles went 0-for-4 and left eight...Baker threw 119 pitches and 87 for strikes...Michael Cuddyer needs one home run to tie Jacque Jones for 10th on the Twins all-time list with 132.
- LOS ANGELES: 0
MINNESOTA: 1
Final
Jun 29 4:00 PM - Tsuyoshi Nishioka grounded out pitcher to first scored Ben Revere. None on with one out and Joe Mauer due up.
Dodgers 0, Twins 1 Bot 1, 1 OutJun 29 1:26 PM - LOS ANGELES: 0
MINNESOTA: 0
Top 1, 0 Outs
Jun 29 1:11 PM
Related News
- When Clayton Kershaw was Shohei Ohtani for a day Dec 26
- Greatest Minnesota Twins: The Twinkie Town Definitive List (Round 9) Dec 26
- 2023 review: Andre Jackson Dec 25
- Notes: Shohei Ohtani, Joe Kelly, Walker Buehler, Manuel Margot Dec 25
- 2023 review: Yonny Hernández Dec 24
- The season of perpetual hope (Pt. 3 of 3): Jim Eisenreich Dec 24
- Dodgers will pay $19.4 million luxury tax for 2023 Dec 23
- 2023 review: Phil Bickford Dec 23
- Reactions to Yamamoto signing with Dodgers Dec 23
- Rival Roundup, Vol. 47: Home for the Holidays Dec 23
- Shelby Miller signs with Tigers Dec 22
- 2023 review: Justin Bruihl Dec 22