Mariners continue road series against Twins on KPUG

He hit the first pitch of the inning from Pat Neshek (3-2) just inside the left-field foul pole for his 11th home run of the year.

“When you barrel it up, you don’t feel it, no matter how bad your hand hurts”, he said. “A 95 miles per hour fastball underneath Torii Hunter”™s chin went for a wild pitch that allowed pinch runner Shane Robinson to scoot to third. Both eventually came around to score as Jepsen, seeing his first action in a Twins uniform since being acquired on Friday, took the loss, charged with two runs on two walks in one-third of an inning. Morrison hasn’t started since injuring his thumb but came off the bench for the second straight game.

“I’m just trying to get something I can drive – something middle in”, Cruz said. He threw first-pitch strikes to 26 of 30 batters.

Morrison drove the first pitch he saw from Minnesota reliever Brian Duensing to the gap in deep right-center for a run-scoring double, breaking a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the 11th inning and leading Seattle to a 4-1 win over the Twins at Target Field.

4-5 The Twins’ extra-inning record in 2015. After Nelson Cruz homered in the top of the ninth to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead, Iwakuma would trot out to try for the complete game and subsequently allow a solo home run to Brian Dozier. Teixeira had his second straight two-homer game and leads the Yankees with 28 homers and 73 RBIs. Despite a nagging ankle injury that has forced him into the DH role much of the time, he already has hit four home runs and has an OPS of.

Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager (15) hugs first baseman Logan Morrison, right, after they …

The Seattle Mariners can’t seem to get any traction this season. Before that, Iwakuma had gone 41.2 innings over six starts without allowing a run at Target Field.

“That’s the only way you’re going to learn”, Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said of his 25-year-old rookie closer. “He just left one pitch up”.

It remains to be seen if the Minnesota Twins can hold off a field of strong contenders, including the Blue Jays, for a wild card berth in the 2015 playoffs.

From there, Iwakuma retired the next 16 batters in a row until Dozier got him in the ninth.

Cruz’s 20th home run on the road this season was a two-run shot in the ninth.

The ninth-inning failures overshadowed a solid start from Mike Montgomery, who was in line for a much-needed win. McClendon said Cano will be back at 2B next week sometime during the series at Colorado. He’s been out since July 8. Twins RHP Ryan Pressly will be transferred to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Duffey on the 40-man roster. Hernandez allowed seven runs in 6 2-3 innings in his last outing. The Rockies counter with RHP Eddie Butler (3-7, 4.82). Ketel Marte led off the inning with a stroll and superior to second on a wild pitch.

With the loss, Minnesota falls to 54-50 on the season – splitting the four-game series with the Mariners. Minnesota considered top prospect Jose Berrios and LHP Taylor Rogers but wanted a right-hander against the Blue Jays and believed Duffey was better prepared than Berrios.

WIth Hisashi Iwakuma still in the game for Seattle, the lead appeared safe. Nuno’s start is considered a spot start for now, according to McClendon.