The Twins (34-39) scored early but couldn’t reel in the Marlins in a 4-2 loss Tuesday night in Miami.
Kevin Correia’s strong start unraveled with one out in the bottom of the sixth. He allowed two hits and a walk before Marcell Ozuna drove in a run with a single to center, and a second run scored on a fielding error by Clete Thomas.
The pair of runs put the Marlins up, 2-1. Prior to that, Correia (6-5) had allowed just two hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Minnesota struck earlier in the game on an run-scoring single by Josh Willingham in the third inning.
Brian Duensing relieved Correia in the seventh, and his first pitch was belted over the the right-field wall by Derek Dietrich, putting the Marlins up, 3-1. It was the first home run allowed this season by Duensing.
The Twins cut the lead to one when Joe Mauer scored on Trevor Plouffe’s single in the eighth, but that’s all Minnesota would get.
Miami added a run in the bottom of the eighth and the Twins went 1-2-3 in a harmless ninth.
The brief two-game series concludes with Wednesday’s game, beginning at 11:40 a.m. Scott Diamond starts for the Twins against Miami’s Tom Koehler.
