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Twins end Bedard's streak, complete sweep of Orioles

Aug 26, 2007 - 10:25 PM By Rich Dubroff PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BALTIMORE (Ticker) - Jason Bartlett tripled twice and Torii Hunter added two key hits and a great catch to lead the Minnesota Twins to an 11-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.

The win enabled the Twins to sweep the four-game series this weekend and extended their winning streak to five games. It's their longest streak since they won five straight from May 27-June 1.

"This was a pretty good series for us all the way around," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Minnesota (67-63) won all seven games this season against Baltimore (58-71), which has lost six straight to fall 13 games below .500 for the first time this season.

During the six-game losing streak, the Orioles have been outscored, 70-20, including the humiliating 30-3 loss to Texas on Wednesday.

Manager Dave Trembley's contract extension was announced hours before the horrible loss and his take on the team's recent play was all encompassing.

"Didn't pitch good enough. Didn't hit well enough. Didn't play well enough. Didn't coach well enough. Didn't manage well enough. We put ourselves in a position to get exactly what's happened," Trembley said.

"We were swinging the bats pretty well before we got in here. We just played good games," Hunter said. "It was our turn."

The excellent play comes at a good time for Minnesota, which begins a crucial three-game series with American League Central-leading Cleveland on Tuesday. The Twins trail the Indians by 5 1/2 games.

"It's probably the best we've played - hitting the ball well, excecuted well," Hunter said. "You've got to be happy with what we've been doing the last five or six days."

The Twins feasted on a rare off-day for Erik Bedard (13-5). The lefthander lost for the first time since June 10. He had won nine straight decisions and hadn't lost in 13 starts.

Bedard remained winless in five career decisions against the Twins, including a loss on Opening Day.

The loss came on a day when Bedard set an Orioles record for most strikeouts in a season with 219, eclipsing Mike Mussina's 1997 mark in 1997.

Bedard allowed six runs and six hits in six innings. He walked five and struck out three, including Bartlett - the game's second batter - to set the strikeout mark.

"They're a good hitting team," Bedard said. "They go with the pitch."

Scott Baker (7-6) won for the first time in his last four starts for Minnesota. He pitched six innings, allowing three runs and seven hits while waking one one. Carmen Cali, Juan Rincon and and Jorge DePaula each pitched a scoreless inning.

The Twins scored two runs off Bedard in the first. Alexi Casilla led off with a walk and advanced to third on Hunter's one-out single.

When Hunter tried to steal second, Orioles catcher Paul Bako threw the ball into center field, and Casilla scored on the error. Hunter, who advanced to third on the error, scored on Justin Morneau's sacrifice fly.

Minnesota padded the lead to 4-0 in the second. With one out, Jason Tyner and Nick Punto singled. Casilla hit into a fielder's choice and Bartlett tripled to right to score Tyner and Casilla.

The Twins added two more runs in the sixth. Bedard walked Michael Cuddyer and Mike Redmond to start the inning and Rondell White reached on an infield single to load the bases. Tyner then bounced into a fielder's choice to score Cuddyer, and Redmond scored on Punto's sacrifice fly.

"I just tried to battle, tried to throw strikes, tried to get them out. It didn't happen," Bedard said.

In the seventh, Bartlett led off with his second triple, this one off Paul Shuey. Hunter doubled to score Bartlett and came home on Redmond's single.

White capped the scoring with a two-run homer in the ninth inning.

Hunter was 7-for-18 in the series with seven RBIs and five runs scored. Bartlett was 9-for-18 with five RBIs.

"Our guys beat the ball around all over," Gardenhire said. "Barty has had a great series. Torii has had a great series here. Everybody got involved today."

Kevin Millar's streak of reaching base ended at 52 games, tying for the seventh-longest in the past 50 years. In the fifth, it looked as if he would extend it when he sent a long fly ball to center, but Hunter jumped and snatch the ball just as it was about to sail over the fence.

"A foot and a half, I had a homer," Millar said. "It was a great run while it lasted. Good things come to an end."

Freddie Bynum had a season-high three hits for Baltimore.