Twins hope to recover in rare trip to Atlanta
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Playing at home did no favors for the Minnesota Twins, so they'll try to find their way back to the win column on the road when they open a nine-game journey Monday against the Atlanta Braves.
The Twins will play three straight at Turner Field and have lost five in a row, including Sunday's 5-1 setback to the Boston Red Sox in the finale of a three-game set from Target Field.
Pedro Hernandez tried to help the Twins salvage the series finale versus Boston, but he was banged around for three runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings to suffer the loss.
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"It's frustrating," Hernandez said. "I've faced this team three times and they've beat me three times."
Trevor Plouffe had two of Minnesota's five hits, as the club finished its nine-game homestand with a 2-7 mark. Joe Mauer went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts to end his 15-game hitting streak.
Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit were both held out of the lineup on Sunday and should be ready to go against the Braves.
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Kevin Correia draws the start for the Twins Monday and he has lost two of three trips to the mound since a personal three-start winning streak. Correia gave up a season high-tying four runs and nine hits in seven innings of a 4-2 loss against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, but still has a record above .500 at 4-3 in eight starts with a 3.35 earned run average.
Correia, who is on the first American League team in his career, has faced the Braves plenty of times and is 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA in 11 games (7 starts). The right-hander had spent time with San Francisco, San Diego and Pittsburgh.
The NL East-leading Braves are coming off a three-game weekend sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers and capped the series with Sunday's 5-2 win.
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Jordan Schafer had two RBI, while Gerald Laird, Ramiro Pena and Chris Johnson each drove in a run for the Braves, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit and put the game away with a four-run eighth inning.
"We fought back there," said Schafer. "We put some good at-bats together and we were able to squeak one out there."
The Braves have won four of six and possess a 2 1/2-game lead on the Washington Nationals in the division.
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Mike Minor started for Atlanta and did not factor in the outcome, striking out nine and allowing two runs in six innings. Luis Avilan tossed a scoreless eighth for the win and Craig Kimbrel walked one and fanned three batters in the ninth for his 14th save.
Atlanta looks to build on its 12-5 home record with Julio Teheran on the mound and he is 2-1 with a 4.57 ERA in seven starts. Teheran is coming off his first loss of the season, a 2-0 setback at Arizona last Tuesday, and gave up both runs in six innings. He was 2-0 with a 4.84 ERA in his first six starts -- all Atlanta victories.
Teheran, a right-hander, will face Minnesota for the first time.
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The Braves and Twins are meeting for the first time since Atlanta won two of three in the Twin Cities back in 2010. The last time the Twins played a regular season game or a playoff game in Atlanta was during the 1991 World Series. Minnesota won the series in seven games.