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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. Asics Pas Cher France . -- Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer, Colby Rasmus drove in two runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers 9-4 on Saturday. Acheter Asics Pas Cher . Darren Collison and Blake Griffin scored 23 points apiece and the Clippers beat the Suns 112-108 Wednesday night, their fourth win in a row and 17th in the last 19 games. http://www.franceasics.fr/. On July 27 cyclings best-known race will host "La Course by Le Tour de France" -- a one-day womens competition staged hours before Tour riders race on the same circuit to finish the three-week event on Paris Champs-Elysees. Asics Magasin France . That was OK with him. He was just happy his team came away with two points. Letestu redirected Jack Johnsons shot from the point with 2:38 left, lifting the Blue Jackets past the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Monday night. Vente Asics Pas Cher . -- Michael Frazier II scored 21 points, Dorian Finney-Smith added 11 and No.MILWAUKEE -- Matt Garza was fuming after his previous start, the shortest of his career when he recorded just one out and allowed five runs. What a difference five days make. Garza allowed two hits in eight innings, and Ryan Braun hit one of three homers for the Milwaukee Brewers in a 9-1 victory over the New York Mets on Thursday night. "His last start probably upset him enough that he had a lot to prove tonight, and he threw the ball well," Mets manager Terry Collins said. Jonathan Lucroy and Khris Davis also connected for the Brewers, who took a 6-0 lead after three innings against Dillon Gee (4-3) to win their fourth consecutive game. Garza (7-7) gave up five runs in one-third of an inning Saturday at Washington. It was a different story against the Mets. The right-hander yielded a third-inning single to Wilmer Flores, recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier Thursday, and a seventh-inning homer to Lucas Duda. Garza struck out four and walked one. Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said Garza had been throwing the ball well before the game against the Nationals. "I dont know how many outings, five, six in a row until that last one," Roenicke said. "And I didnt think he threw the ball that bad the last one. "I think he still had a lot of confidence. He was attacking the zone with the fastball. When hes good thats what he does so well. He looked very confident coming into it." Garza downplayed the comeback this time, instead focusing on keeping the Brewers winning streak going. "The bigger thing was I kept this thing rolling," he said. "Our guys are swinging the bats well. I got an early cushion so it was easier to keep attacking. It was one of those nights where everything clicked on offence and it made my job a lot easier on the mound." The Mets sent 31 batters to the pplate, four over the minimum.dddddddddddd. Milwaukee limped into the All-Star break, losing 11 of 13 games. They have won five of seven since then to open a three-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Central. During their slump, the Brewers had a power outage, hitting only seven homers in 13 games. Since the break, they have 12 in seven games. Lucroy hit his 12th and Davis added his 17th homer, both solo shots. Braun had a two-run shot, deep to left field. It was his 14th long ball and extended his hitting streak to 12 games. "Hitting is contagious," Davis said. "Once we start popping them out of the yard it feels like everybody is going to start." Dudas homer was his career-high 16th. Gee lasted only five innings for the second consecutive start and allowed six runs, the most he has given up all season. The right-hander allowed six hits and two walks and struck out six. It was the most runs given up by Gee since he was allowed seven in an 8-3 loss at Philadelphia on April 9, 2013, a span of 40 starts. "It seemed like everything they swung at, they hit hard," Gee said. "I am confident I can get it turned around." He was replaced to open the sixth by Daisuke Matsuzaka, whose first pitch was hit by Davis over the fence. NOTES: The Mets optioned OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis to Las Vegas. ... Mets SS Ruben Tejada was given the day off as a precaution after he was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Seattles Taijuan Walker. RF Curtis Granderson returned to the New York lineup after missing two games with a stomach virus. He went 0 for 4. ... The Brewers are playing Michael Jackson songs when Carlos Gomez strides to the plate, and the quirky outfielder is raising his right leg and imitating a leg kick done by the King of Pop before entering the batters box. ' ' '