Twins Take Advantage of Wild Pitching to Beat Tigers

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Phil Hughes threw seven strong innings and Josmil Pinto hit his fifth homer of the season and the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 5-3 on Saturday.
Hughes (2-1) had six strikeouts with no walks. He retired 16 straight at one point and has won two straight — a welcome sight for a Twins rotation that had produced only six quality starts this season.

Detroit led 2-0 before starter Anibal Sanchez left in the third with a blister on his middle finger on his throwing hand, forcing newly recalled Jose Ortega (0-1) into action.

Ortega, who had just arrived from Triple-A Toledo, and Phil Coke then combined to walk six Twins batters — five in the fifth.

A throwing error by catcher Bryan Holaday and a bases-loaded walk by Coke allowed Minnesota to tie the game in the fifth without a hit.

Trevor Plouffe's two-RBI single off Coke to score Eduardo Escobar and Brian Dozier put the Twins ahead for good, and Pinto's homer off Al Albuquerque in the eighth provided an insurance run.