Correia, Twins’ Bats Overpower Blue Jays 4-0

TORONTO -- Kevin Correia felt he'd been burned by bad fortune too many times this season. His luck changed on a pivotal play against the Blue Jays.

Brian Dozier hit a two-run home run, Correia won for the first time in four starts and the Minnesota Twins beat Toronto 4-0 on Tuesday night.

Correia preserved a 2-0 Twins lead with a no-look, backhanded stop on a bases-loaded grounder by Jose Reyes in the second.

"That was huge," Correia said. "That would probably have been two runs if I don't make that play."

Newly signed slugger Kendrys Morales had two hits and scored a run as the Twins avoided falling a season-worst five games below .500.

The Blue Jays were shut out for the third time in four games.

For the second straight game, the Twins took a 2-0 lead before making an out. Danny Santana drew a leadoff walk and Dozier followed with his team-leading 14th home run.

Santana and Dozier hit back-to-back homers in the first inning Monday.

Correia (3-7) allowed six hits, walked one and struck out one in six innings. It was his first scoreless outing since Aug. 27, 2013, with seven innings against Kansas City.

The Twins doubled their lead and chased Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ (5-3) in the fourth. Morales singled, Oswaldo Arcia walked and Eduardo Nunez singled, but Happ struck out Kurt Suzuki and Eduardo Escobar. Santana followed with an infield single to third, and a second run scored on Juan Francisco's errant throw to first.

Chad Jenkins came on and got Dozier to ground out.

Correia came in 1-4 in his past six starts, and 1/3 with a 7.04 ERA in four career starts against Toronto, but settled down after allowing four hits in the first two innings. The right-hander got Melky Cabrera to ground out to end the second, leaving the bases loaded, starting a stretch of 12 consecutive outs.

Cabrera and Jose Bautista hit back-to-back singles in the first, but Correia got Edwin Encarnacion to fly out, then got Adam Lind to ground out.

Toronto used two singles and a walk to load the bases with one out in the second, but Correia snared Reyes' grounder, throwing home for the second out, before retiring Cabrera to keep the Blue Jays scoreless.

"Outstanding, wasn't it?" catcher Kurt Suzuki said of the backhanded snag. "That was pretty cool. That was a big play for us. Big play."

Correia left after Dioner Navarro's leadoff single in the seventh. After Brian Duensing got two outs, Reyes singled to put runners at first and second, but Duensing escaped when Cabrera lined out to third.

Jared Burton pitched the eighth and Glen Perkins finished.

Happ (5-3) lost for the second time in three starts, allowing four runs, three earned, and six hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out three.

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