Hughes allows just one run in 8 innings; Twins beat Sox 6-1

Phil Hughes allowed just 6 hits and one run in 8 innings of work as the Twins beat the White Sox 6-1 Wednesday afternoon at Target Field, taking the series two games to one.

Twins Option Tonkin The Minnesota Twins announced today that they optioned right-handed pitcher Michael Tonkin to Triple-A Rochester.  The Twins will announce a corresponding move prior to Friday’s game in Milwaukee.

Tonkin, 25, has made 16 appearances in three stints with the Twins this season, posting a 5.73 ERA (11.0 IP, 7 ER) with five walks and 10 strikeouts.

TWINS NOTES:

1. THE TWINS have won three consecutive series against the White Sox and 14 series overall on the year…Minnesota has gone 9-4 against the Sox, including going 6-1 at Target Field…they have outscored the Sox 78-35 this season, 52-17 at Target Field…the Twins finished 5-3 on their homestand, and have now gone 25-15 at home this season…they are 15-9 in series finales and 6-4 in rubber games…seven of the nine Twins starters had a hit, while eight of the nine reached base.

2. PHIL HUGHES recorded his second straight win after tying a season-high by going 8.0 innings and giving up one run on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts…the only run he allowed came on an Adam LaRoche home run…in fact, in between the Anthony Rizzo’s home run in the fourth inning June 19 and the LaRoche home run today he gave up in the second inning, he retired 18 straight batters, the most consecutive hitters retired by a Twin this season…Hughes, who was celebrating his 29th birthday today, has a 2.43 ERA (29.2 IP, 8 ER) with four quality starts over his last four starts…he went 8.0-or-more innings, giving up no more than one earned run for the eighth time in his career…Hughes has gone 8.0 innings in consecutive starts for the first time since July 1-7, 2012 when he also went 8.0 innings in starts against the Indians and White Sox.

3. BRIAN DOZIER (2-for-4) hit his 100th career double in the fourth inning…with 23 doubles through 71 games, Dozier is on pace for 52 this season; Justin Morneau’s 47 doubles in 2008 are the most any Twin has hit in a single season…he later scored his 56th run of the season that inning, which is second among all MLB players…he is on pace for 127 runs this season…Dozier and Todd Frazier are the only players in baseball this year with 20-or-more doubles and 50-or-more runs scored.

4. TORII HUNTER (1-for-4) doubled home the Twins first run of the game…he has hit in 11 straight games against the White Sox, batting .333 (16-for-48) against them this season…Hunter has exactly one hit in each of the last six game, marking his fourth streak of hitting in six-plus games this year, with his season-high coming from May 20-June 2 when he hit in 10 straight.

5. SHANE ROBINSON (2-for-3) has multiple hit games in three of his last four starts, batting .462 (6-for-13) in that stretch…Robinson had just one hit in his previous 20 at-bats at Target Field…he drove in his first run at home since May 7 against Oakland, a span of 10 games.

6. EDUARDO NUNEZ (1-for-4) hit a go-ahead double in the fourth inning…Nunez has a hit in 10 of his last 12 starts, batting .326 (14-for-43) with eight extra-base hits and five RBI.

7. KURT SUZUKI (2-for-3) has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, batting .303 (10-for-33) in that span…he has an RBI in four straight games