Perkins again struggles with lead

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune

Last update: September 8, 2008 - 8:21 AM

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For the second consecutive outing, Twins lefthander Glen Perkins found trouble when pitching with a lead.

On Tuesday at Toronto, the Twins gave Perkins a 5-1 lead, but he gave up three runs in the fifth inning and was removed from the game after allowing 10 hits and a walk over five innings.

On Sunday at the Metrodome, Detroit grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second when rookie Dusty Ryan hit Perkins' first pitch over the baggie for a two-run homer. It was Ryan's first major league hit.

The Twins rallied to take a 4-2 lead with a run in the second, two in the third and one in the fifth.

But Perkins got the ball up and gave the lead back in the sixth -- and was hit hard while doing so.

Miguel Cabrera hit an opposite-field homer. Gary Sheffield doubled and scored on Marcus Thames' single. Thames was thrown out trying to advance to second -- which was good because Edgar Renteria followed with a double.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire replaced Perkins after the lefthander walked Ryan.

"It's important when we score runs to go back out there and put up zeroes," Perkins said after the Twins lost 7-5. "I gave three right back. It is frustrating for me and the team as well."

Gardenhire said it can be draining for a team to score runs and have the opponent answer in the next inning.

"We've got Cabrera leading off the one inning, he throws a cookie and it's there in the seats," Gardenhire said. "That's where we've got to do a better job. Make good pitches early and get the leadoff guy off the bases. That's what we need to have happen."

Perkins, 12-4 with a 4.11 ERA, had pitched at least six innings in 11 consecutive starts before his past two outings.

Familiar setting

Lefthander Eddie Guardado gave up two hits in the eighth but got Placido Polanco to pop out and struck out Magglio Ordonez to get out of the inning. It was Guardado's first appearance in the Metrodome with the Twins since Sept. 24, 2003.

Guardado is the all-time leader in games pitched at the Dome with 331.

O-eee-O

Ordonez was 6-for-12 in the series with two homers. His homer on Sunday -- off Boof Bonser in the seventh -- was his sixth against the Twins this season and 34th of his career. Ordonez is batting .435 during a 12-game hitting streak.

Attendance check

With an announced crowd of 31,236 in attendance on Sunday, the Twins have now drawn 2,012,217 this season. It's the fourth consecutive season in which they have drawn at least 2 million fans. They are on pace to draw 2,263,744, which would be slightly down from last year's attendance of 2,296,347.

Etc.

• Gardenhire can't afford to take Justin Morneau out of the lineup, but he plans to start Brian Buscher at first base one time during the next road trip while using Morneau as the designated hitter.

• The Twins lost consecutive home games for the first time since May 30-31 vs. the Yankees.

• Cabrera's solo homer in the sixth was the 1,000th hit of his career.

• Joe Mauer is batting .432 over his past nine games.

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