Twins try to solve Tigers

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Minnesota Twins were finally able to plate a few runs against the Detroit Tigers, but it still wasn't enough to get a victory.

The Twins again try to beat the Tigers for the first time this season on Tuesday night in the middle contest of a three-game series.

Minnesota was outscored 22-1 in getting swept out of Detroit from April 6-9 and then lost last night's opener at home 5-4. The Tigers scored four times in the top of the first inning and never looked back.

Jose Iglesias went 3-for-5 for Detroit, finishing a double shy of the cycle while lifting his season average to .397. Yoenis Cespedes hit a three-run homer in the first and is hitting a solid .303 with 16 RBI on the young season.

David Price allowed three runs on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings to get the win, Detroit's third in a row that came in the opener of a 10-game road trip.

"We probably got away with one tonight, quite frankly. We made some mistakes, but ultimately we were able to get the win," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.

Minnesota, meanwhile, lost the first contest of a season-long 11-game homestand as Tommy Milone yielded five runs on eight hits in four-plus innings to suffer the defeat.

Brian Dozier had an RBI and scored a run, while Danny Santana, Kurt Suzuki and Trevor Plouffe each knocked in a run for the Twins.

"It wasn't a good start to the game for us. The Tigers came up and put up a four-spot right out of the chute," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We kept pecking away and were able to contain them after the second inning."

Minnesota had won three of four coming in.

Anibal Sanchez looks to secure his second victory of the season over the Twins tonight. He beat them on April 8 with 6 2/3 scoreless innings of work, improving to 3-2 with a 2.30 earned run average in 11 games (10 starts) of this matchup.

Sanchez then struggled over a personal two-game slide, allowing 14 runs and 17 hits over 9 2/3 innings before a solid no-decision versus the New York Yankees on Thursday. He yielded only one run on one hit and four walks in 6 1/3 innings, striking out eight.

The right-hander is pitching to a 5.96 ERA this season.

Twins righty Mike Pelfrey looks to extend his solid start to the season and build off his first victory since 2013.

Pelfrey was inserted into the rotation after Ervin Santana's 80-game PED suspension and has gone 1-0 with a 2.65 ERA in three starts. He picked up that victory, his first since Aug. 20, 2013, with a 3-0 decision over Kansas City on Wednesday, scattering five hits and two walks over seven innings.

"I tried to keep them off the base paths ... because these guys are good," Pelfrey said of the Royals.

Pelfrey is 2-3 with a 4.54 ERA in six lifetime starts against Detroit.