Vincent Padilla sloows 7 hits in 3rd career shutout to lead Rangers to 10-0 rout of Twins
Associated Press | Apr 27, 08 4:07 PM CDT in
Sports
Vicente Padilla threw a seven-hitter for his third career shutout, Milton Bradley had a three-run homer and the Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins 10-0 on Sunday.
Padilla (3-2) struck out two, walked two and didn't allow a runner past second in his first shutout for Texas.
The Rangers (9-17) have already set a club record for losses in April, but they won two out of three from the Twins to take some of the pressure off manager Ron Washington, whose job is considered to be on shaky ground.
Jason Botts and Josh Hamilton also homered, and Hamilton and Michael Young each had three hits for the Rangers, who had lost eight of nine.
The Rangers turned three double plays and were error-free after committing an AL-high 27 miscues in their first 25 games, with seven multi-error games in that span.
Texas committed three errors leading to five unearned runs in the Twins' 12-6 victory on Saturday night.
Brendan Harris had two hits for the Twins, who've lost four five and began the day 13th in the AL in runs. Minnesota was shut out for the fourth time this season.
Bradley's three-run shot in the first off Livan Hernandez (3-1) gave the Rangers' offense a jump start.
Texas bumped its lead to 6-0 in the second on RBI singles by Ian Kinsler and Young, and Hamilton's sacrifice fly. Botts' solo shot in the third made it 7-0, and when the Rangers put two more runners on later in the third, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire removed Hernandez and brought in Brian Bass.
Hernandez, who'd lasted at least six innings in each of his first five starts this season, gave up seven runs and nine hits in 2 2-3 innings.
Notes:@ Kinsler has reached base in all 26 games this season, the longest current streak in the AL. ... RHP Sidney Ponson, who gave up one earned run in 5 1-3 innings in his first start for Texas on Saturday night, has apparently earned another start. Washington has Ponson penciled in to start Thursday against Kansas City. Ponson made his first big league start in almost a year. ... The Twins had won five of their previous six meetings with the Rangers. ... The temperature was an unseasonable 60 degrees at the start after a cold front moved through the area. ... Texas was without 3B Hank Blalock for the second straight game due to a strained left hamstring. Blalock reported that some of the soreness has subsided. He'll have an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury.
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