Twins: Victory belongs to heavier hitters

Eleven mostly benign singles screamed for the need for more pop in the batting order.

By La Velle E. Neal III, Star Tribune

Last update: June 30, 2007 - 12:58 PM

By the time the Twins clubhouse was opened to reporters following their 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays, only a few players remained.

It made one wonder if a bunch of Twins had decided to sneak over to Toronto's team hotel and kidnap Matt Stairs.

It's no secret the Twins are looking to add some punch to their lineup. Names such as Tampa Bay's Ty Wigginton, Boston's Mike Lowell, Milwaukee's Kevin Mench, Washington's Dmitri Young and others have been kicked around the Metrodome.

It was learned Wednesday that the club was even interested in acquiring former Twins outfielder Jacque Jones from the Cubs.

The Twins' effort later Wednesday underscored the need for another hitter.

All the Twins' offense could do was offer up 11 singles, including two bunt hits, against a Blue Jays staff that was led by righthander Josh Towers and his 5.75 ERA.

The Twins were 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position, but they still left 10 men on base. It was a game that seemed to be waiting for a big hit to trigger one of those crooked-number innings, but it never happened.

Now the Twins must beat Blue Jays righthander A.J. Burnett today or risk losing the four-game series.

"You looked at the scoreboard and they had four errors and we had no errors and we had more hits at the time," Twins catcher Joe Mauer said. "It was like, 'How are you still behind?' "

Twins righthander Boof Bonser gave up five runs over six innings. After going 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA in May, he is 1-3, 6.91 in June. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire noted that Bonser couldn't spot his fastball and fell behind batters, and his slow pace knocked the rest of the team off rhythm.

But there was enough of a rhythm to get 11 hits.

"We had chances to score more runs," Gardenhire said. "It could have been a five- or six-run ballgame. It turns out they made the plays and the pitches when they had to."

Nick Punto came through in the second inning with a RBI single to score Jason Kubel. Punto raced to third on a wild pickoff throw by Towers and scored on a passed ball to make it 2-0.

Torii Hunter's RBI single in the third made it 3-0. A chance at a big inning slipped by when Michael Cuddyer was thrown out at home trying to score on Kubel's single.

"Guy comes up and throws a pellet to home plate right on the nose," Gardenhire said of Toronto center fielder Vernon Wells.

Bonser held the Blue Jays to two hits and one walk through four innings, but his night took a hard right turn as six of the next 12 Blue Jays he faced reached base. Toronto scored twice in the fifth and Gregg Zaun added a two-run homer in the sixth.

The Twins have forgotten what a home run is. They've hit three over their past nine games, none during this homestand.

"We hit some balls hard," Mauer said. "They just didn't find the right places."

La Velle E. Neal III • lneal@startribune.com

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