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GAME LOG
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- After a month "on assignment" in Utah, the Metrodome felt like home again to Joe Mays.
The Twins right-hander took advantage of those familiar
surroundings, allowing just one run in 5 1/3 innings as Minnesota
beat the Texas Rangers 3-1 Monday night.
"It felt fantastic to get a chance to start again," said Mays
(7-14), recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday. "I think
that this is where I belong, but there were some mechanical things
I had to work on, so I went down and made some adjustments."
Mays, who was sent down on Aug. 21, allowed eight hits, struck
out four and did not walk a batter in earning his first major
league win since July 25.
"Mays threw strikes, put the ball in play, used all his pitches
and gave us just what we wanted from him," Twins manager Tom Kelly
said. "In the major leagues, you've got to get your fastball over
the plate to be successful. He threw strikes and did a really nice
job."
Rick Helling (15-12) allowed six hits and three runs -- two
earned -- walked three and struck out four in seven innings for the
Rangers.
"I really haven't pitched that well here at the Dome," said
Helling, who has lost two straight starts at Minnesota and is 2-3
lifetime in the Metrodome.
Minnesota opened the scoring with two runs in the second inning.
Corey Koskie led off with a single and advanced to third on Torii
Hunter's single to left. Koskie scored on Randy Knorr's passed
ball, and Hunter came home on Jacque Jones' double to right.
Texas got a run back in the third with a trio of two-out singles
by Luis Alicea, Frank Catalanotto and Rafael Palmeiro.
Minnesota made it 3-1 in the fourth. Hunter led off with a walk
and reached third on Jones' single and a flyout. When Jones got
caught leaning off first, Hunter came home while the Rangers were
retiring Jones in a rundown.
"Rick pitched a pretty good game," Rangers manager Johnny
Oates said. "What hurt us was the passed ball and the lack of
execution on the rundown."
Texas threatened in the sixth with a runner on third and one
out, but reliever Bob Wells retired the next two Rangers.
"It looked like (Mays) got the ball up a little bit in the
strike zone in the sixth, and his (pitch) count was getting high,"
Kelly said. "So I took him out. Then Wells came in and did a
really nice job."
Wells pitched into the eighth before giving way to Eddie
Guardado, who got four outs for his ninth save in as many chances.
"We got enough hits to win, but the bottom line was we pitched
really well and held the Rangers to one run," Kelly said.
Alicea went 4-for-4 and is batting .400 in the last 17 games.
Game notes
Monday's game marked the first time fans could use the
Internet to look inside the Metrodome. The team installed three
cameras and users are able to control them to view specific areas
of the stadium. The cameras can be accessed at the team's Web site,
www.twinsbaseball.com. ... The Rangers, who will play eight of
their final 11 games on the road, have a league-worst 27 road wins
this season. ... After sweeping all 12 games against Minnesota last
season, the Rangers have won just three of 10 games against the
Twins this year. ... When Texas was eliminated from playoff
contention Saturday after its 149th game, it marked the earliest
that the Rangers were out of the postseason race since 1992.
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