Twins 8, Dodgers 2

Joe Mauer drove in five runs with four hits; Carlos Silva went eight strong innings for another quality start; and the Twins coasted past the Dodgers for their 15th victory in 17 games.

By Joe Christensen, Star Tribune

Last update: June 27, 2006 - 12:15 AM

The Twins continued their nice, easy stroll through interleague play Monday, as Joe Mauer showed the Los Angeles Dodgers how a 23-year-old catcher has maintained his hold on the major league batting lead.

Mauer drove in a career-high five runs with four hits and raised his average to .377, supporting a strong pitching effort from Carlos Silva in an 8-2 victory at the Metrodome.

"That guy is unbelievable," Silva said of his battery mate after the Twins' fifth consecutive victory and 15th in 17 games. "It's amazing because if you see Joe Mauer, it looks like he doesn't care. Like, 'That's OK, I had four hits, five hits today. That's something normal.'

"We make fun of him sometimes, when he gets two or three hits. Like, 'Oh my god, he's struggling.' "

Yes, Mauer keeps hitting, and Silva keeps smiling. For the Twins, those are two very good signs.

They are 11-2 in interleague play, maintaining a trend of American League dominance.

So far this season, the AL is 109-65 in interleague play, good for a .626 winning percentage. No wonder the Twins can't gain ground in the AL Central.

They figured they were still in for a tough assignment against the first-place Dodgers, who came in leading the NL in scoring with 5.4 runs per game.

But after Silva (4-8) held the Dodgers to two runs on six hits in eight innings, the Twins like their chances to sweep with Francisco Liriano and Johan Santana pitching the next two days.

When those two start, they are 18-5. They are 4-9 in Silva's starts, but he has turned in three consecutive strong outings, suggesting last month's demotion to the bullpen worked.

"He's confident," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "You can see the smile on his face, running around the clubhouse now. ... He feels pretty good about himself, and that's half the battle."

Mauer helped keep his pitcher happy with a run-scoring single in the first inning and a two-run triple in the second off Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley (0-1).

When Los Angeles switched to lefthander Hong-Chih Kuo in the sixth, Mauer delivered another RBI single to make it 5-2.

Righthander Danys Baez came on for the eighth, and Mauer blistered a run-scoring double, giving him his seventh career four-hit game and third this season.

Not bad for a guy who hasn't cracked the top five among AL catchers in All-Star voting.

"I think if somebody watching that game said Joe Mauer didn't belong in the All-Star Game, then there must be another level they're going to put him in," Gardenhire said. "Some other All-Star Game, because right now he's performing at a level that's pretty doggone good."

Asked if he's thinking about his All-Star chances, Mauer said: "Not really. Just thinking about winning ballgames. I know it's coming up pretty soon, and it would be an honor to go and represent Minnesota, but I haven't really thought about it too much."

Recent Twins stories

Twins need to find way to advance, Smith says - June 27, 2006

Twins need to find way to advance, Smith says - General manager Bill Smith knows the Twins have to find a way to get beyond the first round of the postseason, where they have appeared often and usually lost. More