MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Michael Perez had three hits and three RBIs, helping Trevor Cahill and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Minnesota Twins 6-2 on Saturday.
Cahill (1-2) permitted one run and two hits in six innings. The right-hander retired the Twins in order in five of his innings.
It was Cahill’s longest outing since he also worked six innings for the Angels at Baltimore on May 10, 2019. It also was his first win for the Pirates after two rough starts that left him with a 9.69 ERA going into the game.
Minnesota lost for the 10th time in 12 games. Michael Pineda (1-1) allowed five runs, four earned, and six hits in 4 1/3 innings. Jake Cave had two of the Twins’ three hits.
Minnesota continues to sputter at the plate. In the last five games, the Twins have been shut out twice and held to two runs twice.
”There have been some inconsistencies, and there are some days where a group of guys are swinging it well,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. ”And we haven’t linked it up. We haven’t found a way to put it all together with really good at-bats on a daily basis.”
The Pirates jumped on Pineda for three runs in the second. With one out, Erik Gonzalez singled and advanced to third when Gregory Polanco dumped a shift-beating pop fly into short left for a double.
Todd Frazier drove in a run on a fielder’s choice grounder that Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco threw away for an error. Perez then made it 3-0 with a two-run double.
The damage could have been worse, but Byron Buxton made a diving catch in left-center to rob Kevin Newman of a hit.
The Twins got one back in the bottom of the second on Cave’s RBI double, but they left the bases loaded.
Perez and Newman hit back-to-back homers to start the fifth, and that was more than enough for Cahill and Pittsburgh’s bullpen.
The Twins managed to put together a threat in the eighth after Cave doubled and moved to third when left fielder Phillip Evans dropped Luis Arraez’s fly ball.
Kyle Crick came in to face Josh Donaldson, with Nelson Cruz on deck. He retired Donaldson on a fly ball that scored Cave from third. Then he struck out Cruz to end the threat.
The Twins reinstated LHP Caleb Thielbar from the COVID-19 injured list and RHP Luke Farrell was returned to the team’s alternate training site. Thielbar last pitched on April 16.
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