Twins 5, Yankees 1

Scott Baker looked like a veteran, matching Mike Mussina and coolly dispatching the vaunted Yankees lineup.

By La Velle E. Neal, Star Tribune

Last update: April 15, 2006 - 12:25 AM

A week ago, the Twins couldn't put a good game together. Now, the only thing that's slowing them down is faulty jocks -- and that was just a speed bump on the way to a 5-1 victory over the New York Yankees for their fourth consecutive victory.

Twins righthander Scott Baker had to walk off the mound with a 3-2 count to Jorge Posada because his jock broke and his protective cup was sliding down his pants.

"Pretty comical," Baker said.

That was it for slapstick. The rest was a pretty good show in front of an announced crowd of 30,622.

Baker, who changed speeds all night, held the Yankees to one run on three hits over seven innings. He walked one, struck out four and held a one-run lead for four innings before the Twins provided some cushion for the 24-year old.

Right fielder Lew Ford returned after a week away because of a sore left hamstring and was around the action all night. He went 2-for-3 with a run scored and threw out Posada in the fifth when he tried to score on a fly ball to right.

Shortstop Juan Castro was 2-for-4. He knocked Yankees righthander Mike Mussina out of the game after an nine-pitch at-bat in the seventh ended with a RBI single to left. He also helped turn a crucial double play in the eighth after New York's first two batters that inning reached base.

Notice the names Torii Hunter, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau missing from the list of superlatives. It's not always about big players doing their thing, it's also about any player doing something. And the Twins' winning streak that has brought them to 5-5 after a terrible first week has been built on contributions from different players.

"That's good, man," Hunter said. "We need that. Some pitchers may think that Castro and Ford can't do it. But they went after those guys and they helped us win today."

The Twins have four come-from-behind wins this week. Their latest began in the third inning when Robinson Cano scored on a groundout. "But we battled back," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire.

Ford led off with a solid single to left in the bottom of the inning and later scored on. Castro followed with a perfect hit-and-run single to right that allowed Ford to advance to third. Ford scored on Stewart's single, Castro and Stewart advanced a base on a wild pitch by Mussina, and Castro scored.

Ford came through in the field in the fifth. With Posada on third, Bernie Williams lifted a fly ball. Ford ran into the catch, giving him momentum to throw home as Posada tagged up. The throw bounced to catcher Mauer in time. His tag, according to replays, was late. But home plate umpire Ed Montague called Posada out as Posada and Yankees manager Joe Torre protested.

"They're a battling ballclub," Torre said. "They've always been that way with us. We had a run of good luck against us, beating them some ballgames. But they play for Gardy, and I give them a lot of credit."