Twins work overtime to defeat M’s

SEATTLE – Luis Rodriguez’s tiebreaking RBI single and Joe Mauer’s two-run double in the 14th inning gave the Minnesota Twins a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night to avoid a three-game sweep.

Lew Ford opened the 14th with a walk off Jeff Nelson (1-2). Jason Bartlett attempted to sacrifice him to second but first baseman Richie Sexson caught the bunt for an out. Nelson then hit Shannon Stewart with a pitch before Nelson was replaced by Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Seattle’s eighth pitcher.

Hasegawa then served up Rodriguez’s go-ahead single to left, and Mauer followed with his double to center to add two insurance runs. Jacque Jones drove in the fourth run of the 14th with a fielder’s choice.

Closer Joe Nathan (5-3) pitched two innings and Juan Rincon, Minnesota’s sixth pitcher, worked the bottom of the 14th.

The Twins snapped a three-game losing streak.

In the ninth, the Twins tied the score at 3 with an unearned run off Mariners ace closer Eddie Guardado, who blew a save for the first time since April 9 after posting a club-record 27 in a row.

With two out, pinch-hitter Michael Cuddyer hit an infield single to second baseman Willie Bloomquist, who threw the ball into the first-base seats for an error, allowing Cuddyer to go to second.

Pinch-hitter Ford singled to left to score pinch-runner Nick Punto to tie the score, with Punto sliding into home plate ahead of a throw by left fielder Chris Snelling. The run was unearned because of Bloomquist’s throwing error.

Sexson tied the score at 1 in the fourth with his 28th homer, a 436-foot shot into the Mariners’ bullpen in left field. It was Sexson’s 11th homer in 26 games.

The Mariners went ahead 3-1 in the sixth on Raul Ibanez’s RBI single and Jeremy Reed’s double-play grounder with the bases loaded, but they didn’t score in the final eight innings.

In the top of the fourth, Justin Morneau gave the Twins a 1-0 lead with an RBI single. Mauer had a run-scoring single in the eighth for his third hit of the game.

For Seattle, starter Joel Pineiro allowed two runs on seven hits, with no walks and four strikeouts.

Minnesota’s Brad Radke pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks, with four strikeouts.