Slump busted
MINNEAPOLIS — Andrew McCutchen hit a home run and turned an RBI single into race around the bases while Minnesota made two errors in a five-run sixth inning, helping Francisco Liriano and the Pittaburgh Pirates beat the Twins 10-4 Wednesday for a two-game sweep.
Jung Ho Kang homered for the second straight day for the Pirates, after going deep for the go-ahead run in the ninth the night before. McCutchen's two-run, two-strike, two-out drive off Ervin Santana (2-1) in the fifth inning tied the game at 3, and the Twins unraveled in the sixth.
One run scored on a wild pitch. Then Santana walked two straight batters. Starling Marte hit a sacrifice fly, and McCutchen hit a sharp single that bounced in front of left fielder Eddie Rosario. The ball skipped past him to the warning track, allowing another run to score and McCutchen to reach third.
The slow-rolling relay throw scooted underneath Eduardo Nunez's glove for another error that allowed McCutchen to score — but not before he collided with Nunez, contact that was hard enough to knock them both to the ground and cue the blooper-tape soundtrack.
Liriano (7-6) improved to 3-0 in his last six starts despite allowing 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings. He was charged with three runs, two earned, and struck out four in his fourth career appearance against the Twins, his team from 2005-12.
After losing five of their first six games out of the All-Star break, the Pirates have won five of their last six games to tighten their grip on the NL's first wild-card spot.
The Twins, who started the day with a two-game lead for the second AL wild card, lost their fourth straight game and fell to 3-8 after the All-Star break.
Liriano was 5-2 with a 2.10 ERA and 84 strikeouts over 73 innings in his previous 11 turns. Santana pitched 15 2-3 scoreless innings in winning his last two starts. Kang, keeping up his solid fill-in work on the left side of the infield with starters Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer on the disabled list until perhaps September, homered with one out in the second. From there, the hitters had the upper hand on this picturesque sunny afternoon.
The defense wasn't pretty, though, for either team. Marte's bobble in left field of an RBI single by Aaron Hicks allowed Hicks to reach second for position to score on Miguel Sano's single in the third.Rosario lost a fly ball by Aramis Ramirez in the fifth inning that he awkwardly let land for a double. Santana, who was charged with eight runs, six of them earned, committed an error, too. He struck out three with eight hits and four walks in 5 2-3 innings.
