Twins rookie has blast with first homer
MINNEAPOLIS -- Rookie Oswaldo Arcia's first major-league home run in the fourth inning lifted the Minnesota Twins to a 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins in the first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday.
"It was a bomb," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He had a big smile on his face and there were a lot of hard high-fives in the dugout after that one."
In what is becoming a chilling theme at Target Field this season, the game started in frigid temperatures -- 38 degrees at first pitch. But Twins starter Kevin Correia was the warmest player on the field, pitching seven strong innings for the fourth time this season.
"He's eating up the innings," Gardenhire said. "He's been pitching really well for us. He keeps pounding the strike zone with all his pitches. It's not supposed to look easy, but he is making it look pretty easy right now."
The Twins nearly pulled him too soon.
In the eighth inning, the Marlins chipped into a 4-2 Twins lead when Jared Burton came in to relieve Correia. He gave up a one-out double to leadoff man Juan Pierre and then hit two consecutive batters -- Placido Polanco and Giancarlo Stanton -- to load the bases.
Designated hitter Greg Dobbs next hit a screaming liner back at Burton, who got a glove on the ball, and shortstop Pedro Florimon made a barehanded pickup to get Dobbs. Pierre scored to tighten the score at 4-3.
"We're not getting many breaks," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "I am not going to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves, but Dobbs hits that line drive off the guy's glove, that's potentially a big inning if the ball goes to center and scores two runs we're in business. Those are the breaks that we haven't got."
Closer Glen Perkins came on in the ninth and struck out the side for his sixth save this season.
Marlins starter Jose Fernandez pitched five innings, giving up four runs, six hits and two walks with two strikeouts. He made one big mistake -- the home run to Arcia.
"He pitched good enough to get us a win. We didn't score enough runs," Redmond said. "We've been doing the same thing, day in and day out. Seems like we do the same thing: five hits, two runs; six hits, three runs, maybe. That's not enough to win.
"He pitched well enough. He's going up against a good lineup with veteran hitters; you're going to give up a couple runs. We're just not able to overcome two or three runs."
Second baseman Brian Dozier led off the Twins' first with a triple, his first of three hits. Joe Mauer walked and was forced out at second on Justin Morneau's fielder's choice to short, which allowed Dozier to score the game's first run.
Correia scattered two hits in the first three innings while striking out three.
Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, the Marlins busted out with three two-out hits. Dobbs' bloop single to short left started the rally. He moved to third on Justin Ruggiano's double off the left-field wall. First baseman Joe Mahoney singled home both runners and the Marlins led 2-1.
The Twins responded in the bottom of the inning when Chris Parmelee and Trevor Plouffe singled and scored on a three-run homer by Arcia -- the first in his career. All three batters that inning hit the first pitch they saw off of Fernandez.
"I saw Parmelee get a fastball, and I saw Plouffe get a fastball, too," Arcia said through interpreter Wilkin Ramirez. "So I looked for a change-up because I knew it was going to be something off-speed. I put a good swing on it and was able to put it out."
Arcia was all smiles in the dugout, but he didn't spend much time celebrating. Afterward in the clubhouse with another game to be played, he was already looking ahead.
"It feels good, you know," Arcia said. "But I am trying to get ready for the next game. I am just relaxed and enjoying the moment."
NOTES: Tuesday's afternoon game, the first of a day-night doubleheader, marked the first trip for the Marlins to Target Field. ... Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco originally was scheduled to pitch the first game but was switched to the nightcap with Fernandez starting the early game.
