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Peralta stars as Tigers tame Twins

Jul 23, 2011 - 4:19 AM Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Jhonny Peralta went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and four RBI, as the Detroit Tigers pounded Minnesota, 8-2, beating the Twins for the 11th straight time.

Ryan Raburn went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored while Carlos Guillen drove in two for the Tigers, who won the opener on Thursday and have been victorious in four of their last five games.

Max Scherzer (11-5) benefited from the run support and pitched a good game as well, giving up just one run on four hits with a walk over seven innings in the second of a four-game set between these AL Central rivals.

"We're just playing good baseball right now," said Scherzer. "You really don't get caught up in the numbers cause you know they are a good team over there and they can beat you. You just go out and play the game the way you know how and things will work out."

Danny Valencia and Jim Thome each drove in a run for the Twins, who have dropped four of six. Brian Duensing (7-8) dropped his first decision in five starts as he was torched for seven runs on nine hits over just 4 2/3 innings.

"He made it real tough out there for us tonight," said Minnesota outfielder Jason Kubel, who went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks. "Even towards the end he was strong. He's got a really good changeup and he just threw a good game."

Kubel was back in the lineup after the club activated him from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday. He had been on the DL since the end of May with a sprained right foot.

With the win and Cleveland's loss to Chicago on Friday, Detroit increased its lead to 1 1/2 games for the top spot in the division. Minnesota has fallen to seven games back.

A large part of the reason the Tigers are sitting in first place is that they have defeated the Twins in all seven games between the squads this year. The 11-game winning streak is the longest Detroit has over the Minnesota franchise.

Detroit led this game from start to finish as Raburn hit a one-out homer in the first and Peralta did the same in the second for a 2-0 lead.

The Twins got one back in the bottom of the second on a Valencia groundout, but Detroit got two back in the third as Peralta's bases-loaded single scored Austin Jackson and Magglio Ordonez for a 4-1 lead.

An RBI double from Peralta and two-run single by Guillen in the fifth made it 7-1 contest.

The sixth saw the Tigers make it an 8-1 game as Victor Martinez's single to center scored Raburn.

Thome's RBI single in the ninth off of Lester Oliveros accounted for the final score.

Game Notes

Scherzer came into the game having lost three times in four decisions over his previous five starts. He is 1-1 in five starts against the Twins...Duensing had a three-game winning streak over his previous four starts. He is now 1-3 in 15 appearances against Detroit.