Twins swept; Perkins bombed, goes on disabled list

NEW YORK - What's more painful than three consecutive walk-off defeats? Discovering a young starting pitcher has just walked off the mound because of an arm injury.

Glen Perkins had a two-run lead and couldn't escape the first inning Monday night. He recorded only two outs and gave up six runs before deciding he should tell the team he had an elbow issue.

So after their 7-6 loss, which gave the Yankees a four-game sweep, the Twins placed Perkins on the 15-day disabled list because of left elbow inflammation.

Just when it seemed their first visit to the new Yankee Stadium couldn't get any worse, the Twins lost a pitcher who posted a 1.50 ERA in his first three starts.

Perkins, 26, will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam today in Minnesota.

"Right now it's precautionary," Perkins said. "It kind of just stiffened up on me a little bit, and I wasn't able to finish my pitches how I wanted to. I looked at the video, and there wasn't the movement and the extension of my pitches, and I think it was time that I told them how it felt."

Perkins (1-3) was examined in the clubhouse by Dr. John Steubs, a Twins orthopedist.

"When I straighten my arm out, it kind of tingles down into my fingers," Perkins said. "I did strength tests, passed those, and [Steubs] seemed to think it was more with the nerve. So I think we'll get the whole thing looked at and go on from there."

To fill Perkins' roster spot, the Twins promoted lefthanded reliever Sean Henn, who posted a 1.13 ERA at Class AAA Rochester. Manager Ron Gardenhire said the team will wait to decide which pitcher takes Perkins' next turn in the rotation, on Saturday against Milwaukee.

R.A. Dickey is one candidate. He allowed three hits in 4 1/3 scoreless innings Monday but suffered a cracked fingernail.

"That's why he threw more fastballs than knuckleballs that last inning," Gardenhire said. "But he told me he'd sand it down, super glue it, and he'd be ready to go four innings [tonight in Chicago]. So I think he did pretty good."

Another candidate for Saturday's start is righthander Anthony Swarzak, who is 3-4 with a 2.25 ERA for Rochester.

Either way, the Twins will just be glad that game isn't in Yankeeland, where they are 3-23 in regular-season games since Gardenhire took over in 2002.

This time, the Twins clawed back against Yankees starter Andy Pettitte (4-1), who allowed four runs on 12 hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Justin Morneau went 4-for-5, Joe Mauer extended his hitting streak to 11 games, and Michael Cuddyer and Denard Span each homered.

Clinging to a 7-5 lead, the Yankees gave closer Mariano Rivera a rest after he had pitched three innings over the two previous days.

Lefthander Phil Coke struck out Morneau to end the eighth inning with Mauer on first. Then, after the Twins scored one run in the ninth, Coke got pinch hitter Mike Redmond to ground out with Carlos Gomez on first base for his first career save.

"I was proud of the guys," Gardenhire said. "They battled all the way back and had a chance there at the end, and that says a lot when you get down that quick in the ballgame. It's sad because we came out with a lot of energy and scored two quick runs, and then boom, they score the touchdown on us."

Gardenhire said he didn't learn of Perkins' injury until the ninth inning. After pitching eight innings in each of his first three starts, Perkins has posted a 9.39 ERA in his past five.

"All of our arms, even in spring training, you don't ever have a time where you feel 100 percent, so I really can't pinpoint a time where it started hurting," Perkins said. "It came to a point tonight where I felt like it wasn't the best thing for me, it wasn't the best thing for the team. I think the best thing for all of us is for me to get it looked at. So that's why I brought it to their attention."