With his second consecutive quality start in Sunday's 4-3 win over Toronto, Minnesota Twins pitcher Scott Diamond has now tossed 14 straight scoreless innings to kick off his 2012 campaign.
The 6-foot-3 lefthander went seven strong innings without issuing a single walk, scattering five hits and striking out four against a potent Toronto lineup. The 25-year-old Diamond now owns a sparkling 10-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the year, and appears to have solidified his role in the rotation for the foreseeable future with this latest start.
Rookie shortstop Brian Dozier broke the scoreless tie with a solo home run in the third inning, the first of his career. The Twins then proceeded to load the bases against Toronto starter Ricky Romero in the fifth, and plated three more runs on a walk and two-run single by Ryan Doumit.
To keep things interesting, the Blue Jays tallied their only three runs of the afternoon in a wild eighth inning, as Twins reliever Jared Burton did everything in his power to throw Diamond's stellar outing away. Closer Matt Capps, though, came in to lock the door in the ninth, and needed just 14 pitches to record his seventh save of the season.
Next up for the 10-24 Twins is a brief two-game homestand starting Monday against Cleveland.
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