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MINNEAPOLIS — The Toronto Blue Jays tip-toed through the Metrodome minefield all afternoon in their series finale against the Minnesota Twins yesterday.
They survived an erratic outing from starter Dustin McGowan, who walked five, hit a batter and allowed a Minnesota run on a wild pitch.
They squelched two Minnesota rallies by throwing runners out at the plate.
Most important, the Blue Jays departed with a three-game sweep of the Twins after utility player Joe Inglett knocked in the winning run in the 11th inning to lift the Jays to a 3-2 victory. The win was the fourth in a row for the Blue Jays, 21-22.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher B.J. Ryan celebrates with catcher Gregg Zaun after the Blue Jays defeat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Thursday. (Eric Miller/Reuters)
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And suddenly, on a trip that began so horridly in Cleveland with three consecutive losses against the Indians, the Jays are now 4-3 on the 10-game odyssey.
Toronto will conclude its trip with three interleague games in Philadelphia against the Phillies, beginning tonight.
"When you get on a roll like this just hopefully we can keep on trucking, keep on picking up wins," Inglett said.
There was no other position player left on the bench in the 11th for Toronto manager John Gibbons to turn to in this marathon of 3 hours 40 minutes when he inserted Inglett as a pinch-hitter for Jorge Valendia.
The bases were loaded and Inglett came through, slicing a pitch from Minnesota reliever Jesse Crain into left field that scored Scott Rolen with the winning run from third base.
It was a satisfying moment for Inglett, who has been summoned from Triple-A Syracuse on three occasions this season to fill out the Jays' 25-man roster, most recently on May 10 after Vernon Wells broke his wrist.
And he came to the plate without having tasted success in 10 previous pinch-hitting roles at the major-league level.
"He's a good little player, a good little hitter," Gibbons said of Inglett. "One thing you know he's going to give you a good at-bat every time he's up there. He's proven that."
After the Jays took the lead, B.J. Ryan — the seventh pitcher used by the Jays yesterday — came on to record the save, his seventh of the season.
Shawn Camp, 1-1, who pitched to two batters in the 10th, picked up the victory.
The outcome also took McGowan, 2-3, off the hook, despite taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning.
But McGowan was undone by control problems, walking five through five innings of work, departing the game with the score deadlocked 2-2.
"He struggled," Gibbons said. "It was a little deceiving. He didn't give up any hits there until the fifth inning but it was a lot of work for him."
The Jays got the early jump, scoring twice in the third inning to take a 2-0 lead, the first run cashed by Alex Rios, who ended a demoralizing 0-for-16 slide at the plate when he singled to right to score Brad Wilkerson from second.
McGowan was fortunate in the Minnesota third, coughing up three walks but allowing just a single run as the Twins halved Toronto's lead to 2-1.
The run was scored by Matt Tolbert, who came in from third after a wild pitch from McGowan.
In the fifth inning, McGowan issued a leadoff walk to Adam Everett and that hurt as Everett scored to tie the game from second on a double by Justin Morneau.
The Jays were fortunate that was the only damage as Brendan Harris was thrown out at the plate on the play trying to score from first — Rios to Aaron Hill to catcher Rod Barajas for the tag out.
The Jays dodged another bullet in the seventh with Jason Kubel stationed at first base for Morneau, who lifted a high fly to shallow left field, which sent Toronto shortstop Marco Scutaro tearing out to try to make the catch.
The ball fell in for a single between Scutaro and left fielder Kevin Mench as Kubel rounded the bases and headed for home.
Scutaro pounced on the loose ball and made a nice relay to Barajas in plenty of time for him to put the tag on a sliding Kubel for the third out.
After the game the Jays said they were recalling pitcher David Purcey from Syracuse so the lefty can make a spot start tonight against the Phillies.
To make room on the roster the Jays optioned Valendia back to Triple A.
