The Twins used power and pitching to beat the Pirates, 2-1 in Pittsburgh Wednesday night. Josh Willingham’s 14th homer of the year broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth inning and the Twins were carried on the mound by Francisco Liriano’s fourth straight solid start.
Willingham is now tied with Trevor Plouffe for the team lead in homers. Plouffe got the Twins on the board with an RBI single, scoring Willingham in the first inning.
With Matt Capps sidelined with shoulder soreness, Glen Perkins pitched the ninth for his first save of the season. He pitched around a leadoff walk by striking out two of the next three hitters.
