eed a little relief. Long starts are right up there with off days

MINNEAPOLIS -- Brian Doziers milestone home run led to his first career curtain call and a satisfying win for the Minnesota Twins.Dozier hit his 25th homer of the season and the 100th of his career, leading Tyler Duffey and the Twins over the Kansas City Royals 5-3 Saturday night and ending a four-game losing streak.After slumping badly to start the season, Dozier has been one of the top hitters in the majors for almost two months. Hes hit 17 homers since June 25, most in the majors over that span, and hes even baffled a Hall of Fame hitter with his surge.Im not sure what it feels like to be in the groove that hes in, said Twins manager Paul Molitor, who got 3,319 hits in big league career.I know back there in May he talked about having a couple days where he worked on some things, some things started to click, and its been an extended period now where hes been one of the better offensive players in the league, he said.Dozier doubled to lead off the first inning and scored on the first of Robbie Grossmans three hits. In the sixth inning he followed Eddie Rosarios two-run shot with a towering drive deep into the second deck in left.Teammate Eduardo Escobar pushed Dozier out of the dugout to acknowledge the crowd after he circled the bases.Just dont ask him to explain his turnaround.If I had a clear-cut answer Id tell you, Dozier said. You make adjustments, you start seeing the ball, you stay behind the ball . everything feels very comfortable.For the second time this season, the Twins homered three times off Royals starter Dillon Gee (4-6), who gave up five earned runs on 11 hits and one walk in 5 1/3 innings.The first five innings ... we were battling pretty good and the curveball was good, Gee said. We were able to battle our way through five, and in the sixth it just fell apart.Duffey (8-8) won for the third time in three starts this month. He allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings, striking out six.His outing was especially timely given the recent troubles of Minnesotas starting staff. In the previous three games, Twins starters lasted a combined 10 innings.The more that the short outings get compounded, the more that it taxes your team collectively, Molitor said. You need a little relief. Long starts are right up there with off days.Ryan Pressly pitched a scoreless eighth and Brandon Kintzler allowed an unearned run in the ninth but held on for his 11th save in 12 chances.Cheslor Cuthbert hit his 10th home run of the season in the third inning to tie it at 1. But Grossman hit a leadoff home run in the fifth to put the Twins on top for good.CUTHBERT CRUSHINGCuthbert took over third base for the injured Mike Moustakas in late May, and the rookie has been on a tear since the All-Star break. After going 1 for 4 on Saturday hes hitting .336 since July 15. He also had four straight multihit games earlier this week and hasnt gone hitless in consecutive games since June 15-16.BULLPEN SHUFFLEThe Twins switched lefties in their bullpen on Saturday, calling up Ryan ORourke from Triple-A Rochester and designating Andrew Albers for assignment. ORourke had a 4.91 ERA in eight appearances with the Twins earlier this season. Albers made one appearance for the Twins this season, giving up five runs in six innings of relief in the second game of a doubleheader against Houston on Thursday.UP NEXTLHP Hector Santiago will try to earn his first victory for the Twins on Sunday. Santiago (10-6), acquired from the Angels in a four-player trade on Aug. 1, has allowed eight earned runs in 10 1/3 innings in his first two starts for Minnesota, both losses. Hell face RHP Edinson Volquez (8-10), who is 0-2 with three no-decisions since July 9. Mitch Garver Jersey .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. Kyle Gibson Twins Jersey .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. http://www.twinssale.com/twins-jason-castro-jersey/ . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. Willians Astudillo Twins Jersey . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. Jake Odorizzi Twins Jersey . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. CLEVELAND -- Add cornerback Joe Haden to the Browns lengthy bumped-and-bruised list.The two-time Pro Bowler has a groin issue and is listed as questionable for Sundays game at Miami. Haden did not take part in the teams walk-through on Friday and coach Hue Jackson said its too early to say if Haden will be able to play against the Dolphins.Well see how bad it is, Jackson said.Haden, who was limited to just five games last season by injuries, had two interceptions in last weeks 25-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Haden played every snap and also returned a punt 13 yards.If Haden cant go, veteran Tramon Williams would likely take his spot opposite Jamar Taylor.Also, kicker Patrick Murray is on the injury report with a knee issue. Jackson said Murray, who missed a 52-yard field goal and had an extra point blocked, was injured during Fridays workout and is also questionable. Murray missed all last season with a torn knee ligament.The injuries to Haden and Murray are the latest for the beaten-up Browns, who have already lost five starters, including two quarterbacks, in the first three weeks.On Friday, the team clarified McCowns injury, saying he broke his left collarbone. Earlier in the week, Jackson was vague about details on McCown, who broke his right collarbone last season and missed the final eight games.The 37-year-old McCown only started last week because the Browns lost Robert Griffin III in the opener with a broken bone in his left shoulder.dddddddddddd Hes going to miss at least seven games, and possibly more if he needs surgery.With McCown and RG3 out, rookie Cody Kessler will start this week, the 26th quarterback to start for Cleveland since 1999.Earlier this week, Browns rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman broke his hand in practice and will miss at least one month. On Sunday, starting center Cam Erving was hospitalized with a bruised lung and rookie defensive lineman Carl Nassib broke his left hand against the Ravens.Despite the rocky start, Jackson is staying upbeat.Im not blinking, he said. Im never going to do that. This football team and this organization depend on me to have a positive outlook about it all, and I do because I have seen this before. When you are changing things and you are trying to come from where weve been, these are the things that you have to go through. That saying, `Without struggle, there would be no progress. We are struggling, but we are going to get some progress here pretty soon. I promise you that.---Online: AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL coverage on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '