(Sports Network) – Jeremy Guthrie picked up his first victory in nearly two months thanks to a two-run homer by Luke Scott in the sixth inning, as Baltimore edged Minnesota, 3-2, in the second test of a four-game set.
Guthrie (4-10), winless in nine starts since beating Oakland on May 25, yielded two runs on six hits in seven effective innings to pick up the win, the Orioles’ second in eight games since the All-Star break.
Anthony Slama (0-1) gave up the go-ahead home run to take the loss behind Brian Duensing, who went five innings in his first start of the year and allowed just one run on four hits while walking none.
Joe Mauer went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run for the Twins, who had won two straight and five of seven coming in.
Minnesota shut out its previous two opponents but gave up a run in the first inning Friday, as Adam Jones’ two-out, RBI single gave the Orioles an early lead that held up until the sixth.
Guthrie faced the minimum from the third through the fifth frame, then retired the first two hitters in the sixth before Alexi Casilla singled to left. Mauer then sent one into the seats in right-center for his fifth home run this season. The reigning AL MVP belted a career-high 28 round-trippers last year.
The Twins’ lead was short-lived, with Miguel Tejada leading off the bottom frame with a single off Slama, who was making his second career appearance since being called up from Triple-A Rochester. Two batters later, Scott gave the rookie reliever a rude welcome with a no-doubter to right for a 3-2 edge.
Denard Span led off the away eighth with a single and was moved into scoring position with a bunt. However, Will Ohman got Mauer to bounce out to short, and David Hernandez got Michael Cuddyer to fly out to the deepest part of the park in center.
Alfredo Simon worked around Delmon Young’s one-out single in the ninth to close out the victory and notch his 14th save of the season.
Duensing, who made nine starts last season, had appeared in 39 games out of the bullpen this year and pitched to an impressive 1.67 earned run average. He started in place of an ineffective Nick Blackburn…Twins second baseman Orlando Hudson left in the third inning with a right oblique strain…Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts, sidelined since suffering an abdominal strain four games into the season, went 0-for-4 out of the leadoff spot in his return. To make room for Roberts, Baltimore designated infielder Scott Moore for assignment…O’s infielder Ty Wigginton was suspended by Major League Baseball for three games for his on-field argument and subsequent volatile reaction with an umpire in the opener of this series. He appealed and went 1- for-4 in the win…Tejada had two hits and two runs scored for Baltimore.