Twins Fall Apart and Let One Get Away

As Minnesota led Pittsburgh, 8-1, in the second inning Sunday, Twin Manager Tom Kelly stewed and Pirate Manager Lloyd McClendon smiled.

“You sit there, and you know you’re going to get beat,” Kelly said. “Walks, throws were lousy to first, no hitting. I don’t know if there’s anything the manager can do about it.”

The premonition was correct.

Brian Giles singled to open a seven-run eighth inning and capped the rally with a two-run triple, leading Pittsburgh to an 11-8 victory.

“We were upbeat in the dugout from the second inning on,” McClendon said. “Somehow, we knew something was going to happen.”

Minnesota wasted a chance to move back into first in the American League Central as four relievers gave up five hits and four walks in the eighth.

“This kind of game comes up through the course of the year,” Kelly said. “You get a nice lead, and then the hitters go in the tank, you lose your focus on hitting, they just throw up zeros, and the other team crawls back, crawls back.

“You just have to hope the pitchers can get ‘em out, and they didn’t do that.”

Giles, with eight hits in his last 17 at-bats, singled to start the inning as Juan Rincon, trying to hold an 8-4 lead, loaded the bases on two singles and a walk.

Pinch-hitter John Vander Wal hit a run-scoring grounder off Bob Wells, who walked Andy Barrett, reloading the bases.

With two outs, Travis Miller (0-2) walked Keith Osik, pulling the Pirates to 8-6.

Abraham Nunez, who had been hitless in his previous 15 at-bats, delivered a two-run single that tied it off Jack Cressend, Jason Kendall beat out a grounder to shortstop Cristian Guzman as the go-ahead run scored and Giles followed with a triple down the right-field line.

Pittsburgh (19-41), still off to its worst start since 1954, stopped its four-game losing streak and won for only the second time in 11 games.

“We’ve been through some tough times this year, but this win can help bring us closer together,” Nunez said. “We just needed to keep fighting.”

Rookie David Williams, in his second career appearance, followed Jason Schmidt with 4 1/3 perfect innings, Scott Sauerbeck (1-2) pitched a scoreless seventh and Mike Williams threw two scoreless innings for his 11th save.