MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sonny Gray compiled a season-high 10 strikeouts over seven sharp innings, carrying the Minnesota Twins past the Detroit Tigers 2-0 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory.
Gray (2-1) allowed four hits and one walk in by far his best of six starts with his new team. The Twins, who are 23-8 since April 21, have won each of the last four games with Gray on the mound after he returned from a strained hamstring.
Gio Urshela had three hits and an RBI, and Carlos Correa hit a run-scoring double for the Twins against Tigers rookie Beau Brieske (0-4), who remains winless in six career starts. Detroit dropped to 3-15 in its last 18 games against Minnesota at Target Field.
Max Kepler scored from first on Urshela’s two-out single in the second inning, when third base coach Tommy Watkins opportunistically watched shortstop Javier Báez direct left fielder Willi Castro to send his relay throw to second base without looking at Kepler as he rounded third.
That’s all Gray needed. He turned the game over to Tyler Duffey in the eighth, and Jhoan Duran worked the ninth for his fourth save.
CREDIT, DUE
The Twins have surged out in front of the AL Central this season on the strength of their starting pitching depth, an improvement jump-started by the acquisition of Gray from Cincinnati in a trade right after the lockout was lifted in March.
Their defense has been markedly better, too, though the glove work by center fielder Byron Buxton is nothing new. Buxton made a vintage leaping catch as he fully extended following a long sprint to grab a line drive as he landed at the warning track to take an extra-base hit away from Jeimer Candelario in the fourth inning.
Gray raised both arms to make a touchdown-like signal to celebrate Buxton’s snag.
FILLING IN
Brieske needed 90 pitches to finish four innings, with six hits and one walk allowed. The Tigers have five starting pitchers on the injured list — Tyler Alexander, Matt Manning, Casey Mize, Michael Pineda and Eduardo Rodriguez — and another one, Spencer Turnbull, who’s been out since last year.
Tarik Skubal is scheduled to start Thursday against Cleveland. He’s the only member of the original rotation from the opening day roster who has yet to land on the injured list.
LOWER LEVERAGE
The Tigers have bumped right-hander Michael Fulmer back in the bullpen pecking order while he works through some struggles.
“I told him I’m not going to lose faith in him,” manager A.J. Hinch said before the game.
Fulmer struck out the side in the seventh. In his five previous appearances, he gave up eight hits, six runs and six walks over five innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: Manning (shoulder inflammation) was pulled with two outs in the second inning from his rehab start with Triple-A Toledo after 43 pitches. He gave up two hits and two walks. ... Alexander (sprained elbow) is scheduled to throw live batting practice Thursday. He last pitched April 29.
UP NEXT
Tigers: Rony García (0-0, 2.57 ERA) is scheduled to be the team’s 12th starting pitcher this season, to be followed Wednesday afternoon by several fellow relievers. García entered the picture when the Tigers decided to give Skubal an extra day to rest a bruised shin. With steady rain in the forecast, though, the bullpen game might not be necessary.
Twins: RHP Dylan Bundy (3-2, 5.14 ERA) is on track to make his seventh start of the season in his careful return from COVID-19. Bundy threw 54 pitches over three scoreless innings on May 17, his first outing after a 13-day layoff.
