Twins beat Cubs for third straight win

THE TWINS won their third straight game tonight beating the Cubs 7-2 at Target Field. For Minnesota it is their longest winning streak since winning five straight May 23-27…the Twins improve to 6-4 in Interleague play this season, going 4-2 at Target Field…the Twins are now 23-12 at home in 2015, 10-13 in series openers, 21-21 vs. right-handed starters and 26-9 when scoring first…the Twins did not commit an error for the seventh straight game, their longest errorless streak since July 6-18, 2014, when they went nine straight.

1. PHIL HUGHES earned his fifth win of the season in the Twins 7-2 win over the Cubs tonight…he allowed one run on two hits with four strikeouts and no walks in 8.0 innings, tying his season-high for innings (also April 24 at SEA)…the two hits allowed were the fewest of his career in a start of at least 8.0 innings…he retired 24 of the 26 batters he faced, including 15 straight from the fourth until he exited after 8.0…it marked the fewest hits allowed in an outing this year, and fewest in a start of at least 3.0 innings since allowing two hits in 7.2 innings on August 19, 2011 at MIN…the only earned run came off a lead-off homer by Anthony Rizzo in the fourth, marking Hughes’ 16th home run allowed this season…he has allowed a home run in 11 of his 14 starts this year.

2. TREVOR PLOUFFE (2-for-4) recorded the first RBI of the game with a bases loaded fielder’s choice in the first inning…it was his eighth RBI in five plate appearances with the bases loaded this season…he then doubled in another run in the third inning and two more in the fifth inning for his fourth three-plus RBI game of the season…Plouffe has 27 extra-base hits this season, including 16 doubles…the four RBI tied his career-high in an Interleague game (also four RBI June 9, 2012 vs. CHC).

3. EDUARDO ESCOBAR (2-for-4) doubled in the second inning and singled in a run in the sixth inning…he has started 37 games at Target Field this season, batting .343 (46-for-134) with 15 extra-base hits, 22 RBI and 20 runs.

4. BRIAN DOZIER (2-for-4) hit his 22nd double of the season, and his 38th extra-base hit…he leads the AL in XBH and was tied for third in the MLB coming into today…he scored two runs tonight and now has 54 on the season, coming into today he was second in MLB behind Josh Donaldson (55)…Dozier is on pace for 129 runs scored this season, which would be second most in a single-season in Twins history (Knoblach – 140 in 1996).

5. EDDIE ROSARIO (2-for-4) collected his eighth multi-hit game of the season tonight…he hit his second career triple in the third inning, both of which have come in the last three games.