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Booooof-birds out in full force as Twins win

Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune

Twins catcher Joe Mauer stood at third base after his two-out triple in the first inning off Chicago’s Gavid Floyd. Mauer extended his hitting streak to 11 games with the triple, finishing 1-for-3 with a walk.

Boof Bonser earned his first home victory since June, pitching seven strong innings vs. Chicago.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: April 30, 2008 - 10:11 AM

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Chicago

I like it when the Twins win, I really do. BUT I LOVE IT WHEN THEY BEAT CHICAGO!

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TWINS 3, CHICAGO WHITE SOX 1

Up next: vs. White Sox • 12:10 p.m. today • No TV • 1500-AM

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Boof Bonser must have done something right Tuesday.

That sound was back at the Metrodome.

Boooooooof!

Bonser was winless in his previous 11 starts at home, a span stretching back to June 10, but he delivered seven strong innings, as the Twins defeated the Chicago White Sox 3-1.

The Twins scored all three runs in the fourth inning, when Jason Kubel hit a two-run homer off Gavin Floyd, and climbed within 2 1/2 games of first-place Chicago in the American League Central.

"We've been struggling lately," Kubel said, "so to get a big win against the team on top is huge for us right now."

The White Sox came in leading the American League in scoring at 5.2 runs per game, but Bonser kept them scoreless until Joe Crede homered with two outs in the seventh inning.

Floyd (2-1) held the Twins to three runs on five hits in six innings. Bonser (2-4) simply outpitched him, holding Chicago to one run on six hits, with one walk and a season-high eight strikeouts.

It had been a while since Twins fans could cheer his name.

Since that June 10 victory over Washington, Bonser was 4-14, including 0-6 in 11 starts at the Metrodome.

None of that seemed to faze Bonser, as he threw first-pitch strikes to 18 of the 27 batters he faced Tuesday, including seven of the first eight. He said he had his best curveball of the season.

"Last year I had it going good," he said. "But my first four or five games, I have not had it like I did tonight."

Bonser actually has five quality starts in six tries this season -- going at least six innings and giving up three or fewer earned runs -- but the Twins have combined to score only 10 runs in those six games.

This time, the Twins stranded a runner in scoring position in each of the first three innings before Michael Cuddyer's double and Kubel's fourth homer of the season made it 2-0.

Mike Lamb added a sacrifice fly that inning to score Delmon Young, who had stolen second base and reached third on an error by catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

The Twins hadn't had a victory from a starting pitcher since Nick Blackburn beat Cleveland on April 19. Their starters went 0-3 with an 8.27 ERA over their next seven games.

To seal this one, the Twins needed a defensive gem in the eighth.

Nick Swisher led off the inning with a single off Twins reliever Pat Neshek, and with one out, lefthander Dennys Reyes came in to face Jim Thome, who hit a 1-1 pitch to the left-center field wall.

Young caught the ball just before colliding with the wall, and two strong throws by Young and second baseman Brendan Harris beat Swisher to first base -- double play.

Joe Nathan was warming up in the bullpen, and if the Twins would have recorded one or no outs on the play, Gardenhire said he would have turned to his closer for a rare eighth-inning save opportunity.

"Yeah, we had it set up that way," Gardenhire said.

That's how important this game was for the Twins. And that's why an announced crowd of 20,891 was so thrilled with Booooooof!

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