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 NEW YORK (AP) - Handed a huge lead against a struggling team, Johan Santana simply threw strikes and let 'em hit it. The two-time Cy Young Award winner rarely has it so easy. Santana pitched a four-hitter — with only one strikeout — for his first shutout in nearly two years, and the Minnesota Twins took advantage of four early errors Tuesday night in a 9-0 rout of the New York Mets.
"Johan deserved that, and our offense needed that," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "They were swinging early in the count. Those guys were up there taking their rips against him and that got him deeper and deeper in the game."
Santana (7-6) received a rare burst of run support and was staked to a five-run cushion by the second inning. The left-hander cruised from there, needing only 92 pitches to toss his fourth career shutout and first since Aug. 12, 2005, at Oakland.
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