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Sunday, May 28 2:05pm ET
Bergman ends drought as Twins triumph | |||||
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GAME LOG
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Last year the Texas Rangers simply owned the Minnesota Twins. This season, the Twins seem to have the Rangers' number. Sean Bergman won his first game in six starts as the Minnesota Twins beat the Texas Rangers 4-3 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep. "I can't explain it," said Bergman. "Don't even ask me to try. It's just baseball. That's the beauty of the game." Minnesota, which outscored Texas 24-10 in the series, is 5-1 against the Rangers this season after losing all 12 games between the team last year. The Twins had not swept Texas since July 1998. "It's another year," Rangers manager Johnny Oates said. "You start 0-0. You start all over. Last year doesn't matter." Bergman (3-3) struck out six and gave up seven hits in seven innings, his longest outing of the year, to win for the first time since a 6-1 victory over New York on April 25. "It was a great feeling," said Bergman, who entered the game with a 9.93 ERA that had him close to being pulled from the Twins' starting rotation. "I never doubted myself, but they easily could have given up on me." LaTroy Hawkins pitched the ninth for his first major league save. He showed little emotion after striking out pinch-hitter Jason McDonald for the final out of the game. "It's just my first save," said Hawkins, who spent most of his first three years with the Twins as a starter. "When I get No. 300 maybe I'll start breakdancing." Corey Koskie, who had three RBIs Saturday night, hit a two-out single in the third inning to drive in two runs as Minnesota took a 4-2 lead. "Two-out hits seem to be a back-breaker for the other team, especially with runners in scoring position" said Koskie. "I felt it was a pretty big hit in that situation." Texas starter Rick Helling (7-2) gave up six hits in seven-plus innings and was charged with all four runs. He lost for the first time in six starts. "Minnesota played us well in this series and swept us," said Helling, whose only other loss this year was a 6-3 decision against Boston. "It's tough to lose three straight to anybody. I know I don't take anybody lightly and neither do the rest of the guys." David Segui hit his seventh homer of the year off Bergman in the fourth to make it 4-3, but Bergman retired 11 of the next 13 he faced. "Except for the pitch to Segui that he hit 500 feet I thought I pitched pretty well," said Bergman. "I feel real good about the results today." Minnesota won the first two games of the series by a combined score of 20-7. Twins manager Tom Kelly, who has been critical of his own managing decisions at times this season, was asked if he preferred closer games. "No," he laughed. "I'd rather sit there and do nothing. "Our best strategy is to keep my out of it." Luis Alicea had a single, double and triple in four at-bats for Texas, which took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Alicea's triple and Chad Curtis's RBI groundout. Minnesota tied it in the bottom of the inning on Jacque Jones' leadoff home run, his seventh homer of the season. The Twins went ahead 2-1 one out later when Matt Lawton singled, stole second and took third on a throwing error by catcher Bill Haselman. Lawton scored on Ron Coomer's groundout. Mike Lamb's RBI single in the second made it 2-2. Game notesAfter allowing just three home runs in his first eight starts, Helling has given up five in his last three. He was trying to become the first Texas pitcher to win six games in a month since Kenny Rogers did it in August 1993. ... Lamb's RBI single in the second snapped an 0-for-13 slump. ... Twins DH Butch Huskey was ejected in the third inning after protesting a called third strike by plate umpire Paul Emmel. ... Jones has four career leadoff homers, two this season. ... Coco and Kelly Miller, twins from Rochester, Minn., who play together on the Georgia women's basketball team, were part of "Twins Day" at the Metrodome. About 500 sets of twins attended the game. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Texas Clubhouse Minnesota Clubhouse RECAPS Toronto 12 Detroit 7
Minnesota 4
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