Swarzak pitches seven innings as Twins beat Cubs 2-0

Swarzak leads Twins over Cubs, 2-0

CHICAGO — Rookie Anthony Swarzak scattered four hits over seven innings, Jason Kubel homered and the Minnesota Twins hung on to beat Chicago 2-0 Saturday after the Cubs threatened in the ninth.

What looked like a relatively easy win for the Twins took a tense turn when closer Joe Nathan walked Milton Bradley leading off. Derrek Lee then lined a single off third baseman Joe Crede’s glove and pinch hitter Andres Blanco laid down a sacrifice bunt, putting runners on second and third. Nathan then got out of it, striking out Kosuke Fukudome and retiring Ryan Theriot on a fly to right to end the game and send the Cubs to their fourth straight loss.

Minnesota got its runs in the early going against the returning Rich Harden after a 32-minute rain delay at the start. Kubel led off the second with his 11th homer and Joe Maurer singled in a run, delighting the Twins fans.

The two-time defending NL Central champions simply couldn’t get anything going against Swarzak (2-2), who earned his first win since beating Milwaukee in his debut last month.

The 23-year-old right-hander struck out six and walked just one batter after lasting just 3 2-3 innings in his previous start against Oakland.

Matt Guerrier retired the side in the eighth. Nathan worked a tense ninth for his 15th save in 17 chances.

Harden (4-3) was a tough-luck loser after missing about three weeks with a mid-back strain. He allowed just two runs and five hits over six innings, striking out nine and walking two after being activated from the disabled list earlier in the day.

Kubel turned on a 1-1 fastball, driving it to the street beyond the right-field seats in the second, and Mauer made it 2-0 when he drove in Nick Punto with a two-out single to right in the third. Twins fans chanted “MVP! MVP!” just as they did Friday, and it’s hard to argue.

The reigning AL batting champion, Mauer is batting .408 after missing April with a back injury.

While Mauer got showered again with cheers, Cubs fans continued to let Bradley hear it, too. They booed him loudly after a flub-filled Friday when he stepped to the plate in the first inning, and his misery mounted when center fielder Carlos Gomez dove to catch his line drive. Bradley wound up going 1-for-3 with no noticeable blunders after a day of misadventures.

His mishaps in Friday’s 7-4 loss included getting tagged out trying to advance from second on a grounder to the left side, losing a ball in the sun and, worst of all, tossing one into the right-field seats after catching what he thought was the third out. Yet, he was back in the lineup and manager Lou Piniella insisted he didn’t consider sitting him.

“What for?” Piniella asked.