Bright spots are barely sufficient

The Twins welcomed the early sparks, but they still needed to scratch a run across in the ninth to end a five-game losing streak.

By La Velle E. Neal III, Star Tribune

Last update: July 29, 2007 - 11:17 PM

CLEVELAND Shaking hands after a victory for the first time in nearly a week never took so much.

Johan Santana had his most dominant start of the season, but it almost wasn't enough.

Jason Tyner tried to be the leprechaun in cleats with his first homer in more than 1,200 career at-bats, but that nearly wasn't enough.

And the bench was shaken up when third base coach Scott Ullger was struck in the jaw with a wicked line drive while sitting in the dugout.

None of it ended up bittersweet for the Twins, who pulled off a 3-2 victory at Jacobs Field and ended a season-high five-game losing streak. Ullger even returned to the bench, with an ice pack on his jaw, to watch the final outs of the game.

"I took one for the team, I guess," said Ullger, who is expected to be fine after getting hit by a line drive off the bat of former Twin Casey Blake in the eighth.

Torii Hunter led off the ninth with a double off Cleveland closer Joe Borowski and later dashed home and beat the throw on a grounder to second by new Twins third baseman Brian Buscher.

"A much-needed win for our team," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Hopefully we'll come back tomorrow and play with the same intensity."

Gardenhire wanted to see his team respond after getting outscored 30-5 over the past three games. Santana hasn't given up on the season despite the Twins being eight games back in the AL Central. So the Twins ace set the tone with 5 2/3 no-hit innings before Grady Sizemore's double in the sixth.

Santana hit 96 miles per hour on the stadium radar several times while fearlessly challenging Indians hitters, striking out 10 of 13 at one point. He held Cleveland to two runs and four hits over seven innings, with 12 strikeouts.

He wanted to send a message to his teammates that he's not ready to concede the season.

"We're not playing good baseball and that is reality," Santana said. "It affects pitching, hitting and defense. We're not doing anything the way it's supposed to be. I'm going to keep doing what I have to do and come back, and these guys [hopefully] realize that we have to play better baseball."

Cleveland righthander Jake Westbrook entered the game with a 6.20 ERA but clamped down on the Twins until Tyner got hold of a fastball in the third and hit it 352 feet and just over the right field wall it would have been off the baggie at the Metrodome for his first career major league homer in 1,221 career at-bats, ending the longest homerless streak by an active player in the majors.

The bench erupted while watching the first bit of good news all week fly over the fence. Gardenhire, a former Texas Longhorns player, groaned because he has to make good on a bet and wear a Texas A&M shirt Tyner's school.

"Wearing an Aggie shirt is not the greatest thing I'll do in my life," Gardenhire said.

But it gave the Twins a lift. Justin Morneau hit an RBI single later in the inning as the Twins took a 2-0 lead. They absorbed a two-run homer by Travis Hafner off Santana in the seventh. Ullger absorbed the liner off his jaw in the eighth. And they got a run home in the ninth to win.

Whatever it takes. Music played in the clubhouse after a game for the first time during the six-game road trip.

"This is a huge game for us," Tyner said. "We're running out of time and we definitely need this game."

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