MINNEAPOLIS – After his team gave up a club-record 25 hits to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire didn't have many answers about his struggling club.
"If you've got any questions about this one, you might have to find other people to answer them because I don't know if I've got a lot of answers other than we got murdered," Gardenhire said.
Matt Kemp had four hits, including his NL-leading 22nd home run, and Los Angeles had a little fun after a tough day by routing Minnesota 15-0 on Monday night.
Chad Billingsley cruised through six innings, combining with three relievers on Los Angeles' seventh shutout of the season. Ex-Twin Casey Blake had a home run among his three hits for the Dodgers, who filed for bankruptcy protection earlier in the day.
Minnesota starter Nick Blackburn (6-6) lasted 4 1-3 innings, allowing eight runs — seven earned — and 13 hits as the Twins dropped their sixth straight game after an encouraging start to June.
"Everything we threw up there, pretty much from the beginning, found holes and were hits," Gardenhire said. "We missed some plays early in the game that cost us a little bit. But more than anything, (25) hits. That's a lot of hitting going on. And not a lot of swings on our side were very good."
The 25 hits allowed by the Twins set a club record for a nine-inning game.
Billingsley (7-6) allowed four hits and struck out four to win his second straight interleague start, backed by an offense that set season highs for runs and hits. For the first time in Los Angeles Dodgers history, every starter in the lineup had at least one hit, an RBI and a run scored.
"I wish we could have more days like that," Kemp said.
Every starter had a hit before the end of the fifth inning and the Dodgers scored in four of the first five frames against Blackburn. Ex-Twins minor leaguer Trent Oeltjen went 4 for 4, including his first home run of the season, while falling a double short of the cycle. Tony Gwynn Jr. also had four hits.
"I knew going in that they would be aggressive," Blackburn said. "It's not like they were hitting all the same pitches, either."
Minnesota opened June by winning 15 of its first 18 games and Blackburn was a big part of the success. The right-hander had given up just six earned runs in 26 1-3 innings this month.
"It's frustrating," Blackburn said. "We've all been throwing pretty well lately, and for that to happen ... it's one of those games that's going to happen from time to time. All I can do is come back tomorrow and start working on getting better, to get back to where we were a week ago."
The defense didn't help Blackburn on Monday night, though.
Twins shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka committed his sixth error in only 17 games, misplaying a grounder by Andre Ethier in the first. Kemp followed with an RBI double high off the right-field wall.
Nishioka also had a ball bounce off his chest in the fourth that originally was ruled an error, but later changed to a hit for Ethier.
Minnesota didn't have a runner reach second until the sixth when Joe Mauer doubled to left, but Alexi Casilla was thrown out at home to end the inning.
"This game definitely was the bottom," Twins third baseman Danny Valencia said. "That was embarrassing. We didn't hit, we didn't pitch, we played a little shoddy defense. Culmination of all those things lead to that kind of score. It was bad."
NOTES: Twins CF Denard Span (concussion) has progressed to agility drills and running outside, but he's still not taking batting practice, only hitting in the cages inside. Span must pass a series of tests required by Major League Baseball before he can return. ... Dodgers RHP Matt Guerrier caught up with some of his friends and former teammates in the Twins bullpen before the game. "Probably more weird just going out and pitching against the guys," Guerrier said, "but it's just fun to be back." ... Twins RHP Kevin Slowey (abdominal muscle strain) is scheduled for 50 pitches, between three and four innings, on Wednesday for Class-A Fort Myers. ... Twins LF Delmon Young had an MRI on his severely sprained right ankle. He was walking gingerly before the game, but head athletic trainer Rick McWane said Young's foot has improved over the last day.
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