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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) – While the Minnesota Twins were just hoping not
to get hit by anything thrown by New York fans, the Yankees
struggled to get hits against one of their former pitching
prospects.
|  | | Eric Milton improved to 4-2 with the third shutout of his young career. |
Eric Milton threw a four-hitter in his first shutout of the
season, and Cristian Guzman hit a home run to lead the Twins to a
2-0 victory in front of a well-behaved Yankee Stadium crowd on
Tuesday night.
"Eric pitched a terrific game – an understatement," Twins
manager Tom Kelly said. "I can't say enough about the young man.
Eric kept it under control."
Milton (4-2) struck out seven and walked two in his third
shutout, his first since no-hitting Anaheim on Sept. 11, 1999.
The left-hander, acquired by Minnesota along with Guzman, Brian
Buchanan and Daniel Mota from New York for Chuck Knoblauch in
February 1998, snapped a personal two-game losing streak with the
sixth complete game of his career.
"It was really nothing special to me," Milton said. "It was
just another team win. I didn't have my overpowering stuff and my
breaking stuff wasn't that good. But in the eighth and ninth
innings, I got the adrenaline going."
The normal number of security personnel was around the stadium,
and Kevin Hallinan, executive director of security for the
commissioner's office, was in attendance.
After fans sitting in the Metrodome's left-field stands pelted
Knoblauch with quarters, golf balls, hot dogs and plastic beer cups
during New York's series in Minnesota last week, Hallinan and the
teams reviewed a security plan before the game to prevent any
possible retribution by Yankees fans.
But there were no reported incidents as the Yankees' four-game
winning streak was stopped as they were shut out for the time this
season.
"We just tried to come in and stay focused on playing
baseball," Milton said.
"I didn't expect any kind of retaliation from the other day,"
Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "I can't say I'm proud of the New
York fans because I expected it."
Orlando Hernandez (0-4), who has lost six straight
regular-season decisions – the longest losing streak of his career – pitched six innings and allowed two runs, eight hits, struck out
four and walked three.
"The main thing is that I'm healthy and I want to do better
than I'm doing now," Hernandez said through an interpreter. "I'm
sure the hitters want to score more runs, but sometimes you have to
give the other pitcher credit."
Torre was far from encouraged by Hernandez's performance.
"I thought he was a little tentative," Torre said. "It just
didn't look like he was comfortable tonight. I am concerned because
this wasn't the El Duque we've seen the last couple of years."
The Yankees were shut out for the first time since Cleveland's Bartolo Colon blanked them last Sept. 18, and fell to 6-14 against teams over .500. They are 13-0 otherwise.
The Twins, who won their second straight, went ahead 1-0 in the
third on Guzman's leadoff homer. He hit a 2-0 pitch into the
right-field bleachers.
"It's a big game every time we play the Yankees," Guzman said.
Two fine defensive plays prevented the Twins from scoring any
more in the inning. After Luis Rivas hit a double to right-center
field, Matt Lawton hit a sharp smash to second base.
Alfonso Soriano took a few quick steps to his left, stabbed at
the ball with his glove and threw out Lawton. One out later, Doug
Mientkiewicz hit a long fly to center that Bernie Williams caught
just in front of the wall after tracking it down with a long run.
Minnesota added another run in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk
to Mientkiewicz. Guzman hit a one-out bloop single, stole second
and went to third on Jorge Posada's throwing error.
Rivas walked and stole second and, one out later, Corey Koskie
drew a walk after falling behind 0-2. Mientkiewicz followed by
taking a 3-2 pitch that was high and away, scoring Guzman. But
Hernandez got Torii Hunter to fly out to escape additional damage.
Game notes
Mientkiewicz went 1-for-2 to improve his AL-leading batting
average to .406. He came in second in the AL to Boston's Manny
Ramirez, who went 1-for-3 against Seattle and is hitting .403. ...
The Twins' 22-8 start is their best since opening the 1979 season
22-8. ... The Yankees failed to steal a base for the first time in
18 games. It was the longest streak in the AL since the 1976
Oakland Athletics also stole a base in 17 straight. ... With Milton
starting for Minnesota, Michael Coleman was the DH for New York
instead of David Justice and went 0-for-3.
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OTHER GAMES
Baseball Scoreboard
Minnesota Clubhouse
NY Yankees Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 12
Seattle 4
Cleveland 8
Kansas City 4
Detroit 5
Texas 4
Minnesota 2
NY Yankees 0
Oakland 8
Toronto 5
Tampa Bay 4
Baltimore 3
Chi. White Sox 2
Anaheim 0
Philadelphia 3
Houston 2
Milwaukee 4
Chicago Cubs 1
St. Louis 8
Pittsburgh 2
Colorado 12
NY Mets 4
Arizona 4
Cincinnati 3
San Diego 7
Atlanta 1
Florida 7
Los Angeles 6
San Francisco 9
Montreal 1
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Eric Milton talks with ESPN's Melissa Stark after his 4-hit shutout against the Yankees.
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