Dozier Homers, Twins Top Marlins 6-4 In 11 Innings
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brian Dozier's two-out, two-run home run in the 11th inning gave Minnesota a 6-4 victory Tuesday night over the Miami Marlins, the third game-ending homer in Dozier's career and just the second win for the Twins in their last eight games.
Dustin McGowan (0-2) walked Joe Mauer and gave up the drive to Dozier to take the loss for the Marlins, who led 4-3 until Robbie Grossman's home run off David Phelps in the eighth.
Buddy Boshers (1-0), the eighth Twins pitcher of the game, struck out two batters in the 11th for his first major league victory. The Twins bullpen, which began the game with the second-highest opponent batting average (.279) in the majors, logged 6 2/3 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and three hits allowed.
Eduardo Nunez homered twice off Marlins starter Adam Conley, and Grossman doubled and scored in a two-run first inning.
Fernando Abad struck out the side in the 10th inning, finishing the frame with an animated fanning of Giancarlo Stanton with Ichiro Suzuki on second base following his single and steal. Left-handers are 3 for 27 this season against Abad, who lowered his ERA to 0.87 in 26 appearances.
Sparked by a single from the ageless Suzuki, the first batter of the game, the Marlins scored in all but one of five innings against Twins starter Pat Dean. Adeiny Hechavarria tripled to start the third and came home on a wild pitch. Martin Prado hit the first of his two doubles in the fifth inning, before Christian Yelich's RBI single.
Nunez, who led off for Minnesota in a game last week with an inside-the-park home run, crushed the second pitch from Conley into the third deck above left field. That was just a few rows short of the landing spot of one of Stanton's drives at the All-Star home run derby here two summers ago.
Then with two outs in the fifth, Nunez hit one into the bullpen behind right-center that barely eluded the outstretched glove of Marcell Ozuna to pull the Twins within 4-3. The 28-year-old has shed his utility-man label this season, taking over as the regular shortstop while fast becoming this lost-cause team's worthy All-Star Game representative.
In his last 13 games, Nunez is batting .407 (24 for 59). His nine home runs are third on the team, accounting for one-third of his career total.
MARINER MEMORIES
The 42-year-old Suzuki, who moved within 32 hits of 3,000 for his major league career, was in his fourth season in 2004 when Twins manager Paul Molitor was hired as Seattle's hitting coach. The post lasted only one year, as he was fired after the team's 63-99 finish, but Suzuki set the all-time season record with 262 hits. "It was one of the few highlights of being a Mariner," said Molitor, who is 10th on the all-time hits list. Suzuki, who came from Japan at age 27, is 31st.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Miami: Stanton was the cleanup hitter again after batting fifth last weekend and getting a rest Sunday. "More a feeling, than anything," said manager Don Mattingly, indicating he'd move Stanton and Ozuna back and forth in the two spots moving forward. Stanton went 0 for 5 and is 1 for 19 in five June games, dropping the three-time All-Star's batting average to .197.
Minnesota: RHP Kyle Gibson, whose DL stay for a strained shoulder was delayed last week by a stiff back, has been cleared to start Saturday against Boston. Gibson last pitched April 22.
UP NEXT
Miami: LHP Wei-Yin Chin (3-2, 4.25 ERA) will take the mound Wednesday in the middle game of the series. He has a 2.96 ERA in four road starts this season.
Minnesota: RHP Ricky Nolasco (2-4, 4.93 ERA) will face the Marlins, the team he debuted with and pitched for for nearly eight seasons.
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