Dolphins remains to be seen. The Dolphins also have to make

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MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins arent picky about how they get on base this season. . And if the most-walked team in the majors can get more starting pitching performances as they did Saturday, the Twins likely wont mind their status as a middle-of-the-pack team when it comes to batting average. Phil Hughes struck out six in seven innings, Josmil Pinto hit his fifth homer of the season and the Twins scored two runs in the fifth without a hit in their 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. Minnesota looked to be in for a long afternoon after Detroit took an early 2-0 lead and Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez handled the Twins early. But Sanchez left in the third with a blister on his middle finger on his throwing hand, forcing newly recalled Jose Ortega (0-1) into action. Ortega, who had just arrived from Triple-A Toledo, and Phil Coke then combined to walk six Twins -- five in the fifth. A throwing error by catcher Bryan Holaday and a bases-loaded walk by Coke allowed Minnesota, hitless at that point, to tie the game. Minnesota entered the game with a majors-leading 113 walks this season, and added eight more on Saturday. "As weve talked about many times now, were taking our walks and getting people on, and you score runs like that," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Thats a good way to go about your business." Especially with Hughes rolling. Hughes (2-1) didnt walk a batter, retired 16 straight at one point and has won two straight -- a welcome sight for a Twins rotation that had produced only six quality starts this season. Although he acknowledged the need for more innings from his starters, Gardenhire preached patience with his rotation earlier in the day, saying the team believes its starting pitchers will do well. For one afternoon, at least, Hughes gave his manager a glimpse of that. "Anytime your starter doesnt give you innings, its up to the next guy to kind of bounce back and hopefully save the bullpen a little bit," Hughes said a day after the Twins bullpen threw six-plus innings in Friday nights loss. Trevor Plouffes two-run single off Coke scored Eduardo Escobar and Brian Dozier put the Twins ahead for good in the fifth, and Pintos homer off Al Albuquerque in the eighth provided an insurance run. "It was a tough spot for the entire bullpen," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "We were a little bit strapped going into today as it was. Sanchezs injury straps us even more." Detroit took a first-inning lead after Sam Fuld couldnt hang onto Miguel Cabreras fly to deep right, allowing Torii Hunter to score from first. Cabrera went to third on Fulds bad throw and scored on Victor Martinezs sacrifice fly. That was all the Tigers could muster against Hughes, though. The veteran right-hander made efficient work of Detroits lineup the next six innings. Jared Burton pitched a scoreless eighth and Glen Perkins pitched the ninth for his sixth save in seven chances. "After the first I was coming apart a little bit, and not really staying within myself, overthrowing a little bit and coming out of my mechanics," Hughes said. "But I was able to settle down pretty quick and get on a little bit of a roll, which was nice." Martinez led off the ninth with a homer. Sanchez threw 53 pitches without allowing a hit and was in the middle of Doziers at-bat when Holaday, head trainer Kevin Rand and pitching coach Jeff Jones went to the mound. Shortly after being joined by Ausmus, Rand and Sanchez walked off the field. "It looked nasty, it really did," Ausmus said. "As soon as I went out there and saw it I was caught between throwing up and pulling him out of the game. It looked gross." Notes: Trevor Plouffe took a pitch off the arm in the fourth and later came out of the game. Gardenhire said he would be day to day. ... The Tigers optioned RHP Justin Miller -- who pitched two-thirds innings on Friday night and allowed a run and two hits -- to Toledo to make room for Ortega. "It had nothing to do with how Justin pitched last night. He had pitched well the previous two outings, it was just we needed help for the bullpen," Ausmus said. ... Ausmus says he plans to put C Alex Avila (shin) back into the lineup Sunday. Avila was hurt sliding into home plate on Friday. Ausmus reiterated RHP Rick Porcello (elbow) should make his next scheduled start Wednesday. Porcello was hurt after a line drive deflected off his glove and hit his throwing elbow. ... A day after his relievers threw 6 2-3 innings, Ron Gardenhire put starter Mike Pelfrey in the bullpen as "an emergency-type guy." Asked about tweaking his starting rotation, Gardenhire said, "Youve got to give them a little bit of time here. These guys are here for a reason, we think theyre going to be good and hopefully theyll get rolling and we dont have to have this conversation." . The Tigers and Twins wrap up their three-game series on Sunday when Justin Verlander (3-1) takes the mound for Detroit. Minnesota righty Kyle Gibson (3-1) will make his start against the Tigers for the first time. . This is Lowry’s third time winning the award in his career. He won the award last season and as a member of the Houston Rockets in 2011. .com) - Novak Djokovic easily took care of Andy Murray to reach the final at the $2. . -- Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana agreed Tuesday to a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles as he tries to come back from the second major operation on his left shoulder.Pending free agency and a racially charged bullying scandal could add up to a completely overhauled Miami Dolphins offensive line -- and some players looking for a job. Several Miami linemen are at the centre of the NFL-ordered report detailing harassment in the Dolphins locker room, including Richie Incognito, Jonathan Martin, John Jerry and Mike Pouncey. The report released last Friday said Jerry and Pouncey followed Incognitos lead in harassing Martin about not being black enough, threatening to rape his sister and calling him a long list of slurs. Incognito and Jerry, the teams starting guards, are free agents. Pouncey and Martin, the starting centre and left tackle, are under contract although their future with the team is unclear. Even Miami offensive line coach Jim Turners future may be in doubt after the report said he took part in some of the bullying. Whether Turner or any of the three starters embroiled in the scandal will face punishment from the NFL remains unclear. Spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press in an email Monday the league will comment on the report "at the appropriate time." Steve Beuerlein, a former NFL Pro Bowl quarterback and TV analyst for CBS, said if the Dolphins have to make wholesale changes to the offensive line it would be "a huge adjustment." "How quickly they develop would depend on what type of guys they go after and how much money theyre willing to spend," Beuerlein said. "To have a good offensive line in todays NFL, you need two standout linemen and then you have to have three smart versatile guys that can mmove from position to position. . "If they do that they can adjust pretty quick. But theyll have to find the right type of guys." Beuerlein knows about playing behind poor offensive lines. He was sacked a league-high 62 times in 2000 while playing for the Carolina Panthers, prompting the organization to invest millions and spend top draft picks on that position in the years that followed. Dolphins spokesman Harvey Green said new general manager Dennis Hickey was unavailable for comment, but is expected to address the media Thursday at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. The Dolphins have already said they arent likely to re-sign Incognito following the public relations nightmare. Meanwhile, Martins agent, Kenneth Zuckerman, said his client "definitely" plans to play football again and "he will play for any team." Whether that will be with the Dolphins remains to be seen. The Dolphins also have to make decisions on two other offensive linemen not named in the report -- starting right tackle Ryan Clabo and Bryant McKinnie, who replaced Martin at left tackle after Martin left the Dolphins last October for emotional reasons. Both Claybo and McKinnie are also free agents. Miamis offensive line collectively ranked last in the league a year ago, allowing an NFL-high 58 sacks. They allowed the quarterback to be knocked down 100 times last season. The Dolphins were 27th in the league in total offence in 2013 and 26th in rushing, averaging 90 yards per game on the ground. Miami finished the season 8-8 and did not qualify for the playoffs. ' ' '

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