Twins: Another one-and-done

Matt Garza was outstanding, but for the second meeting in a row, a single run -- this one unearned -- was all the Tigers needed to knock down the Twins.

By Joe Christensen, Star Tribune

Last update: July 18, 2007 - 12:11 AM

Matt Garza was unfazed by the home crowd, unfazed by his lack of velocity, unfazed by the highest-scoring team in baseball.

Those things were nice, yes. The kid still has a 0.00 ERA.

Great. Just dandy.

The Twins were happy to see Garza thriving, but all they could do was grit their teeth Tuesday night, after wasting his performance at the Metrodome in another 1-0 loss to the Tigers.

Like a bad sequel, this one played out almost exactly like these teams' previous meeting -- July 1 in Detroit, when the Tigers' Jeremy Bonderman outdueled Scott Baker and Marcus Thames hit an eighth-inning homer for the only run of the game.

At least that time, the Tigers scored an earned run.

This time, Detroit capitalized on an error by shortstop Jason Bartlett to score an unearned run in the sixth inning. Magglio Ordonez delivered a seeing-eye, two-out single through the left side of the infield, scoring Brandon Inge ahead of the two-hop throw from left fielder Jason Tyner.

The Twins wasted some chances and fell seven games behind Detroit in the AL Central. Turn those two 1-0 losses into victories, and that deficit would be three games.

Little wonder the Twins weren't celebrating the arrival of Baker and Garza as pennant race-ready pitchers. "We can't really rest on moral victories in the second half," right fielder Michael Cuddyer said. "We've got to go out and get the concrete win."

Robertson (6-6) and Garza (1-1) each gave up three hits over seven innings, so scoring chances were scarce.

The Twins lamented Bartlett's 16th error of the season, which came on a hard grounder from Inge to open the sixth. It opened a door that Garza couldn't quite close.

They also had their best chance to score that inning, but with runners on first and second, Joe Mauer took a called third strike, and Cuddyer whiffed at a slider, ending the threat.

In the eighth, after Lew Ford led off with a walk against Macay McBride, Nick Punto missed two chances to bunt Ford over before flying out, and Luis Castillo grounded into a double play. Todd Jones earned his 24th save for Detroit with a quick ninth inning.

"I've got to get that guy over there," Punto said. "That's just fundamentals, and that's what we do so well."

As the Twins reeled from their fundamental collapse, they had a hard time seeing the big picture. Garza has pitched 15 innings since being promoted from Class AAA Rochester and has yet to give up an earned run.

He said he felt terrible after the first inning. His fastball didn't have its usual life, so he was forced to change speeds and pitch.

"That's what I was sent down to Rochester to do, work on establishing my fastball and be able to change speeds when I need," he said. "It's proven to be a good choice on their part."

Garza gets it. The Twins at least have that consolation.

"If we can pitch like that, we'll have some fun in the second half," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said, knowing 1-0 losses are no fun at all.

Joe Christensen • jchristensen@startribune.com

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