Sports

Diamond crafts scoreless start as Twins top Angels

Photo: Twins, MLB.com

May 9, 2012 at 7:04 am

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Scott Diamond pitched a career-best seven scoreless innings in his season debut and Ryan Doumit hit a two-run homer, giving the Minnesota Twins a much-needed jolt in a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.

Diamond(1-0), making his season debut Tuesday, struck out six, the most in any of his eight prior major league starts, and allowed only four hits. He's the first Twins starter to pitch this year without allowing a run. Recalled from Triple-A Rochester this week to help a reeling rotation which sits last in the majors with a 6.45 ERA, the 25-year-old Canadian retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced.

Another new Twin helped spark the offense that backed the sterling effort from Diamond. Short-stop Brian Dozier, called up from Rochester at the same time as Diamond, posted his first multi-hit effort of his career Tuesday night, also notching his first career RBI in his second game with the big club.

Doumit continued his strong showing at the plate of late, driving home two with his fourth home run of the season in the Twins three run first inning.

Angels starter Dan Haren (1-3) didn't even finish the fourth, the shortest of his seven starts this season for Los Angeles.