The Twins had never faced Reds rookie starter Anthony DeSclafani before, but they clearly did a good job with their advanced reconnaissance. Minnesota scattered 15 hits in the game, including 11 off of DeSclafani, before holding on for a messy 8-5 victory Tuesday that evened the three-game series ahead of Wednesday’s matinee finale at Great American Ball Park.
While throwing a career-high 122 pitches, DeSclafani was charged with six earned runs over 6 2/3 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts. Torii Hunter homered in the first inning to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. One run crossed in the top of the second inning and another followed in the fifth before separation came in a four-run Minnesota seventh. The big hit was Kurt Suzuki’s two-run single against Burke Badenhop, who replaced DeSclafani.
Although he gave up solo home runs to Eugenio Suarez and Marlon Byrd, it was a mostly smooth night for Twins starter Phil Hughes until trouble in the bottom of the seventh. Byrd began the seventh with a homer to left field, and Tucker Barnhart walked before two-out issues struck. The Twins committed two errors in the four-run inning, and a wild pitch by reliever Blaine Boyer also scored a run to make it a two-run game.
Hughes finished with two of his four runs allowed over 6 2/3 innings being earned with seven hits, one walk and four strikeouts. After Glen Perkins recorded his 25th save, the loss cost the 35-41 Reds a winning June as they finished the month with a 13-14 record. The Twins (41-36) finished a struggling month on a high note but were 11-17.
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