Inland Waterways » helped by the hustle

MINNEAPOLIS -- Phil Hughes didnt come to Minnesota to be a saviour. He just wanted to throw strikes and help his new team win some games. On Sunday, he gave the Twins more proof they made a wise investment. Hughes won his third start in a row, Trevor Plouffe and Kurt Suzuki hit two-run doubles and the Twins beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-2. "It starts with the starting pitcher and he gave us a great opportunity against a very potent lineup," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, who was especially pleased with Hughes control. "You put guys on base, you miss a play and youll wind up killing yourself against those guys." Brought in as a free agent to help cure some of the Twins starting pitching woes, Hughes (3-1) again pitched like the ace the team hoped hed be. Hughes gave up two runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings, walking none and striking out three. He became the first Twins pitcher to win three consecutive starts since Sam Deduno won three straight in July 2013. "I said in the off-season when they signed him I thought he was a really good sign," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He gives you a lot of confidence. (He can) go up and go away and let those guys who can really run the ball down run it down. He was effective. Hes added the cutter and a lot more." Hughes, who left the Yankees in the off-season to join the Twins, gave up four earned runs in each of his first three starts this season. He has given up a total of six earned runs and just one walk in 19 1-3 innings over his last three outings. The focus was on control the weekend after Twins pitchers issued 22 walks -- including 12 by their starters -- as the Dodgers swept three games at Target Field earlier in the week. Against the Orioles, the Twins walked just two batters in three games and took two of three in the series. "I always take pride in throwing strikes, making guys earn their way on base and not giving any free passes," Hughes said. "If were going to make mistakes in the zone and were going to get beat on aggressive pitches, so be it. But we dont want to let them on for free." After giving up a single to Nick Markakis to start the game, Hughes retired the next 14 batters. Nelson Cruz broke up Hughes shutout bid with two outs in the sixth, hitting a two-run shot for his ninth homer of the season. Glen Perkins pitched a scoreless ninth for his seventh save in eight chances this year. The Twins played most of the day without first baseman Joe Mauer, who left in the top of the third inning with lower-back spasms. Gardenhire said that Mauer underwent treatment throughout the game and said he thinks he could play on Monday. The Twins scored twice in the third, helped by the hustle of the Twins most slump-ridden hitter. Eduardo Escobar led off with a single off Miguel Gonzalez (1-3) and Pedro Florimon, who entered the game hitting .121, followed with a routine ground ball to second base. Running hard down the line, Florimon barely beat shortstop J.J. Hardys double-play relay to first base. Brian Dozier then singled and one out later, Plouffe lined a double into the left-field corner that scored both runners. Gonzalez walked the bases full with two outs, then walked Kurt Suzuki to force home a run. Reliever Troy Patton bailed him out of the jam by retiring Sam Fuld. The Twins tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh against reliever Ryan Webb. Chris Colabello hit a one-out double, Jason Kubel walked and Suzuki hit a double to left that scored both runners. Kubel slid home just ahead of catcher Matt Wieters tag, a call that was confirmed via an instant-replay challenge. NOTES: Plouffe leads the majors with 14 doubles. ... Minnesota wrapped up an eight-game homestand with a 3-5 record. RHP Kyle Gibson (3-2, 4.34) is scheduled to start on Monday when the Twins begin a four-game series at Cleveland. 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The Mavericks took a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference first round series with a dramatic 109-108 home win Saturday. The venerable Vince Carter nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Mavs the lead in a series they could easily be up 3-0 if not for a major drought at the conclusion of Game 1. Catching an inbound pass from Jose Calderon on the left sideline, Carter pump- faked Manu Ginobili in the corner and let the shot fly as he fell out of bounds. After it went in, Carter stomped on the court and was mobbed by teammates. Dirk Nowitzki put him in a headlock. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban rushed to give him a hug. However, Dallas is already focusing on Game 4. "I think its behind us now," Carter said following Sundays practice. "It was just a great opportunity. I mean, it was just great to come in and everybody was like, Hey, man, it still was a great shot. But once practice started we kind of put that past us and we prepped ourselves for tomorrow, because this is just as big as Game 3." Carter finished with 11 points on Saturday. Monta Ellis led the Mavericks with 29 points, followed by 18 from Nowitzki. Calderon chipped in 16 and Samuel Dalembert gave Dallas a lift with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. Tim Duncans 22 led the way for the Spurs. Tony Parker netted 19 and Kawhi Leeonard finished with 17.dddddddddddd Tiago Splitter registered a double-double with 14 points and 13 boards, while Ginobili managed 12. As focused as the Mavericks are for Game 4, the Spurs were as pragmatic about what happened at the end of Game 3. "Vince made a shot. Manu guarded him, he did it well and Vince made a shot," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "Give him credit. There was no breakdown or anything like that. Manu was right there and he did everything he could. Vince knocked it down." Ellis, who had 12 points in the fourth quarter, hit a 3-pointer to give Dallas a lead with 6 1/2 minutes left, then a jumper the next time down the court. Later, another jumper cut San Antonios lead to one. Ellis three-point play after he was fouled on a baseline shot tied the score at 102-102 with 70 seconds remaining. Boris Diaw knocked down a baseline jumper for the Spurs but Ellis came through for the Mavericks again, tying the game with 24.9 ticks remaining on a one- handed runner. Ginobili drove around Shawn Marion at the other end and made his go-ahead bank shot over Dalembert. Then, Carter made his 3-pointer to give Dallas the win. The Spurs had won 10 in a row over the Mavs prior to the Game 2 loss. Now, theyre staring at a very difficult situation, should they lose Game 4 on Monday night. San Antonio could be the sixth No. 1 seed to lose to an eighth seed in the first round. The Spurs fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in this situation three years ago. Game 5 will be Wednesday night in San Antonio. 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