Milone, home runs help Twins win their sixth in a row

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Tommy Milone seems to be in top form just in time for the season to start. Twins manager Paul Molitor hopes closer Glen Perkins is, too.

Milone easily shut down a makeshift Red Sox lineup Tuesday, allowing two runs over six innings and pitching the Twins to a rain-shortened 6-2 victory over Boston at Hammond Stadium.

"He just doesn't misfire very often. You see a lot of balls that are just right there," exactly where he wants them, Molitor said. "He's going to give you a chance to win most games."

Perkins needed only nine pitches to record three outs, even after walking the leadoff hitter. That appears to be a good sign, Molitor said, though he didn't sounded completely certain.

"We have to just trust that he's doing what he feels he needs to do. We'll see what happens when he gets into the season," Molitor said. "Obviously he's been more finesse than power in camp, but we'll see what we've got pretty soon."

The Twins got all the offense they needed from home runs, with Brian Dozier smacking Joe Kelly's first pitch onto the left field berm. Miguel Sano, who also collected a pair of RBI singles, followed moments later by blasting a pitch far beyond the boardwalk above the fence in left-center, his second homer of the spring. Three innings later, Kurt Suzuki belted his fourth homer.

The game was called when a violent thunderstorm struck in the bottom of the seventh.