Pitcher Sam Deduno had another poor start for the Minnesota Twins Saturday afternoon, allowing seven runs in the third inning and retiring only seven Tigers batters as Minnesota lost 12-9 to Detroit at Comerica Park, the Star Tribune reports.
Deduno (2-5) lasted just 2-2/3 innings for Minnesota, and has struggled of late. Deduno is 1-2 with a 10.13 ERA in his last four starts, the Associated Press reports.
The Tigers pounded out 19 hits on the day — 10 of them were for extra bases. They followed up their seven-run third inning with five more runs over the next four innings against Minnesota’s bullpen, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
The Detroit bullpen didn’t perform very well either, allowing Minnesota to score eight runs over the last three innings to make a game of it.
RECAP: #MNTwins' rally falls short as Tigers take Game 2. http://t.co/SJmGgEEjYM pic.twitter.com/LHItkJlUop
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 15, 2014
Joe Mauer struggled at the plate, going 0-for-5 on the day. The Twins had already scored three runs in the eighth when Mauer came up to bat with the bases loaded. But he hit a routine ground ball to end the inning and the rally, according to the Star Tribune.
The Twins (32-34), who had won three straight including a shutout of the Tigers Friday night, failed to reach .500 for the first time since May 24 and are four games behind Detroit (35-29) in the American League Central.
Minnesota third baseman Trevor Plouffe left the game in the third inning with a strained left oblique muscle, an injury that usually requires a week or two to heal, the Star Tribune reports. He apparently injured himself on a diving attempt at a ground ball. Plouffe stayed in the game for one more batter, but was taken out and replaced by Eduardo Nunez.
Nunez left the game in the eighth after apparently injuring himself trying to reach first on an infield hit. Brian Dozier took his spot in the batting order, and hit a two-run homer in the ninth to close out the Twins’ scoring.
