Garza's control, victory slip away

The Twins righthander lost to the Tigers, falling to 0-10 at the Metrodome

By La Velle E. Neal III, Star Tribune

Last update: September 15, 2007 - 12:38 AM

Matt Garza might need to check into local hotels, order room service and find a bus to catch to the Metrodome.

He needs to pretend he is on the road, because playing in the Dome has been a disaster, the latest example coming Friday during the Twins' 4-2 loss to Detroit.

Garza fell to 3-6 this season but is 0-10 at home since making his major league debut last season. The Twins fell to three games below .500 and have lost eight of 11 games.

Garza pitched well until the sixth, when he gave up a leadoff single to Curtis Granderson and walked Gary Sheffield on a close pitch.

After retiring Magglio Ordonez on a fly ball, Garza then issued two-out walks to Carlos Guillen and Ivan Rodriguez to force in a run, leading manager Ron Gardenhire to think that Garza lost his composure after the Sheffield at-bat.

"That happens to young pitchers," Gardenhire said. "Once something happens, you kind of have to move past it."

Garza acknowledged that he shouldn't have let the Sheffield at-bat get to him. He also knows that he hasn't won at home yet.

"I'm just trying to get a win and just end the season strong," he said. "I had a good game going for a while and lost it out there."

White struggles, too

Garza isn't the only Twins player to have difficulties at home. Rondell White was 0-for-2 with a walk, making him 1-for-35 (.029) at the Dome in 2007.

He missed 95 games earlier in the season because of a torn calf muscle and has not gotten on track, hitting .149 this year.

It has been a lost year for the 35-year-old White, who is leaning toward retirement after the season. He admitted before the game that he is nervous about his wife, Zanovia, who is supposed to give birth to the couple's first child Monday.

White left the Dome before reporters could reach him.

A brief outburst

Justin Morneau broke out the swing of 2006 in the fourth inning Friday when his two-run homer to right gave the Twins a 2-1 lead.

He had hit one homer over his previous 178 at-bats before he connected off Tigers lefthander Nate Robertson for his 30th homer of the season.

It took a while Morneau hit his 28th homer July 23 at Toronto but he became the first Twins player since Gary Gaetti in 1986 and '87 to hit at least 30 homers in back-to-back seasons.

Etc.

• Class A Beloit defeated West Michigan 5-0 on Friday to even the best-of-five Midwest League championship series at 2-2. Outfielder Joe Benson and third baseman Deibinson Romero homered. The deciding game takes place tonight at Beloit.

• Terry Ryan, the Twins' outgoing general manager, said Friday he plans to work out of a home office once the season ends. New GM Bill Smith will take Ryan's office. Mike Radcliff, the new vice president of player personnel, will work out of his home in Overland Park, Kan., but will make frequent trips to the Twin Cities.

• Righthander Carlos Silva, who lasted only two innings Wednesday at Kansas City because of a pulled groin muscle, will throw in the bullpen today. If he has any discomfort, his next start, scheduled for Tuesday vs. Texas, will be pushed back.

• Gardenhire and outfielder Torii Hunter were ejected in the eighth inning after Hunter argued that he checked his swing instead of going around for strike three. It was Gardenhire's seventh ejection of the season and 35th all-time. "I want to apologize to everybody," Hunter said, "but it's baseball. Sometimes guys get upset."

Staff writer Jim Souhan contributed to this report.

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

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