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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Toronto manager Jim Fregosi isn't surprised
by his team's ability to bash the ball.
That's why he was more pleased with Chris Carpenter's emergency
relief stint than the Blue Jays' season-high 20 hits.
Chris Carpenter pitched 5 1/3 innings in relief of injured Frank
Castillo and Alex Gonzalez homered and drove in a career-high five
runs as the Blue Jays routed the Minnesota Twins 13-3 Sunday.
"(Chris) did a heckuva job," Fregosi said. "He has struggled
for a major part of the season but he looked relaxed today."
Carpenter (9-10), bumped from the rotation because of his
ineffectiveness, allowed just two runs and five hits after Castillo
left with tightness in his forearm in the second inning.
"There has never been anything specifically wrong with him,"
said Toronto pitching coach Dave Stewart. "It was simply a matter
of mechanics. And he is more relaxed on the mound now."
Carpenter, who earned a victory with 4 1/3 innings of shutout
relief at Kansas City Aug. 10, agreed with that assessment.
"I felt better than I did the last time out," he said. "It's
coming around for me."
Castillo, who had won eight straight decisions, retired the
first five batters before being replaced.
"I didn't get very loose in the bullpen before the game,"
Castillo said. "But I thought I could work it out. When it was
obvious, I couldn't, I told Jim it was better to get out now and
not risk messing things up down the road."
Carlos Delgado hit his 34th homer and Brad Fullmer also went
deep as Toronto raised its league leading home run total to 195.
Tony Batista had four hits, and Dave Martinez, Darrin Fletcher
and Jose Cruz added three apiece as the Blue Jays salvaged the
finale of a three-game series. Every starter in the lineup except
Mickey Morandini had at least one hit.
"We hit right-handed pitching well," Fregosi said. "We need
to keep doing that but we really need to start pitching better."
Toronto wasted no time getting to Brad Radke (8-13), who gave up seven runs and 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings -- his shortest outing of
the year.
Gonzalez singled in the first and moved to third on Martinez's
single. Delgado, who is tied with New York's Bernie Williams for
second in the AL in RBIs with 106, hit an RBI groundout.
Jose Cruz hit an RBI double in the second inning and scored on
Gonzalez's three-run homer, his 10th, making it 5-0.
Batista hit an RBI double in the third to knock out Radke and
scored on a groundout by Morandini.
Delgado homered leading off the sixth against Jason Ryan.
Fullmer hit his 25th home run, a two-run shot to right, in the
eighth off reliever Eddie Guardado.
"Brad needs to keep the ball down to be effective," Minnesota
manager Tom Kelly said. "He had a bad day. He missed with his
location. It's a shame. We had a good weekend going but today
wasn't meant to be."
Torii Hunter homered and drove in all three runs for Minnesota.
Game notes
The Blue Jays have had 10 hits or more in 11 of their last
12 games. ... Minnesota leads the season series, 4-2 with a
three-game series set for Toronto, Aug. 18-20. Toronto has won 10
of the last 11 season series from the Twins. ... Fullmer tied the
Toronto record for homers a designated hitter set by Jose Canseco
in 1998. ... Minnesota catcher A.J. Pierzynski, called from Salt
Lake City to replace Chad Moeller, who had surgery on a torn
meniscus earlier in the day, arrived and played the final three
innings.
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Baseball Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
Minnesota Clubhouse
RECAPS
Tampa Bay 5
Chi. White Sox 3
Kansas City 10
Baltimore 5
Toronto 13
Minnesota 3
Detroit 5
Oakland 3
Cleveland 10
Seattle 4
NY Yankees 4
Anaheim 1
Boston 4
Texas 2
Los Angeles 7
Atlanta 2
NY Mets 2
San Francisco 0
Colorado 5
Montreal 3
Houston 14
Philadelphia 7
Arizona 7
Pittsburgh 6
St. Louis 6
Milwaukee 4
San Diego 7
Florida 3
Cincinnati 3
Chicago Cubs 0
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