Sep 16, 2007, 21:53 GMT
Minneapolis, MN - Jair Jurrjens carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Todd Jones escaped a bases-loaded ninth-inning jam to record his 300th career save, as the Detroit Tigers kept pace in the AL wild card race with a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins that capped a sweep in their three-game series at the Metrodome.
'I need to get one more so I'm not like Mr. 3000,' Jones said. 'Somebody might come back 15 years later and say, 'we miscounted some.''
The Tigers jumped to 4 1/2 games back of the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central, and will head to Jacobs Field on Monday for the opener of a three- game series. The Tribe dropped a 4-3 decision to Kansas City on Sunday.
Curtis Granderson homered for the Tigers, who remained 2 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees in the wild card chase. The Yankees defeated the Red Sox, 4-3, on Sunday.
Magglio Ordonez went 2-for-4, as did Timo Perez, who also scored a run in the win. Jurrjens (3-1) allowed one run on two hits with a walk and six strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings for Detroit.
Nick Punto ended 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored a run for the Twins, who lost their fourth straight. Luis Rodriguez finished 2-for-4 and scored a run. Scott Baker gave up four runs - three earned - on eight hits with three strikeouts over seven innings for Minnesota.
Trailing 6-3, the Twins mounted a ninth-inning rally off Jones, who surrendered a lead-off triple to Rodriguez before an RBI single to Punto. Jones induced a Jason Tyner lineout and struck out Jason Kubel looking, but Punto advanced to second on defensive indifference and Torii Hunter singled. Justin Morneau's walk loaded the bases for Michael Cuddyer, who grounded into the game-ending forceout for Jones' 37th save in 42 chances this season.
Detroit scored right away in the first when Granderson blasted the game's fifth pitch over the wall in right-center field.
The Tigers scored two more runs in the second. Perez singled and scored on Ramon Santiago's single after a throwing error by Baker. Brandon Inge then converted a suicide squeeze play to get Santiago home.
Detroit put up another run in the third, as Gary Sheffield lined a leadoff double, advanced to third on Ordonez's single, and raced home when Carlos Guillen grounded into a double play.
Minnesota got on the board with a run in the sixth. Punto doubled and scored on Tyner's triple, prompting Tim Byrdak to replace Jurrjens on the mound. The reliever alleviated the rally by inducing a Kubel popout and a Hunter flyout.
The Twins started to rally in the seventh, courtesy of an error. Cuddyer made it all the way to third when Byrdak underthrew a routine play at first. Brian Buscher then drove him home on a sacrifice fly.
The Tigers scored a pair of insurance runs in the eighth off reliever Pat Neshek, who walked Sheffield to lead off the frame. Guillen lined a double and reached third as Sheffield scored. Guillen followed right behind on an Ivan Rodriguez sacrifice fly.
Byrdak left after walking Tyner, who led off the eighth. Fernando Rodney came on the hill and struck out Kubel swinging before losing control. He walked Morneau and Cuddyer, prompting Joel Zumaya to come on in relief. Zumaya walked Buscher, but struck out pinch-hitter Joe Mauer to escape the jam.
'This is the way we want to finish here. We want to put up a little better fight for the playoffs. It's tough but at the same time, we still have 13 games left and we can't forget about those.'
Game Notes
Minnesota got swept for the eighth time this season...Detroit has won 10 of the 15 overall meetings between these AL Central foes in 2007. The Tigers have won seven straight over the Twins, including a three-game sweep of them the last time they faced them in Minnesota from July 17-19.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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