Twins blanked for second game in Detroit

DETROIT -- Paul Molitor is still waiting for his first win as Minnesota's manager.

His team's first run, too.

"We believe in these guys, but you come out the first couple days and get 18 zeros and I'm sure it's a bit frustrating," Molitor said. "You hope the guys with some experience are smart enough to realize it's just a small sample size of the season."

Anibal Sanchez helped the Detroit Tigers blank Minnesota for the second straight game, Jose Iglesias had four hits and Alex Avila scored four runs in Wednesday's 11-0 rout of the Twins.

Detroit had beaten Minnesota 4-0 on opening day behind star left-hander David Price, and Sanchez was impressive as well.

"It's never fun facing those two guys," Twins right-hander Ricky Nolasco said. "Obviously they're a really good team and they've stuck it to us the first two games."

Nolasco (0-1) gave up six runs and six hits in three-plus innings, walked four and struck out two.

Ian Kinsler drove in four runs for Detroit. Avila and Iglesias, hitting eighth and ninth in the order, reached base every time they came up -- Avila had three walks and a single.

"I'm not trying to walk, but at the same time, I'm trying to swing at strikes," Avila said. "A walk is just the result of sometimes not chasing and not swinging at balls."

Sanchez (1-0) allowed three hits and two walks in 6 2-3 innings while striking out six.

Avila drew leadoff walks in the third and fourth, and the Tigers went on to big innings both times. Kinsler opened the scoring with a two-run single in the third, and Miguel Cabrera's RBI double made it 3-0.

Anthony Gose added a two-run triple in the fourth, and Kinsler followed with an RBI double that skipped past center fielder Jordan Schafer for an error. Kinsler came home on a wild pitch for a 7-0 lead.

"Leadoff walks are always going to hurt you a little bit," said Molitor, who took over as Minnesota's manager after last season. "They were able to put together some innings and we weren't able to contain them after that. Iglesias got off to a good start, he got some hits, and Gose had a couple big hits, but it starts with both leadoff walks."

This is easily the longest shutout streak for the Tigers to start a season since at least 1912. They opened with 12 scoreless innings in 1914, 1947 and 2004, according to STATS.

The Twins have never gone this long without scoring their first run since moving to Minnesota, although the original Washington Senators were blanked for 19 innings at the start of 1940.

On the positive side, Minnesota has been remarkably healthy at the start of the season, and the pitching staff shouldn't be too fatigued even after Wednesday's game. The Twins only used four relievers.

Up next, Detroit righty Shane Greene starts Thursday against Minnesota righty Kyle Gibson.