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MINNEAPOLIS -- Needing a triple to complete the cycle, Detroit Tigers catcher James McCann said he couldn't help but harken back to last September, when he hit one of his six career three-base hits to right-center at Target Field. McCann couldn't muster that magic again, settling instead for his first career four-hit day in leading the Tigers to an 8-5 win over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, completing the three-game series sweep.
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"I don't know what it is, but there's definitely some memories at this ballpark that I've made personally," McCann said. "I'd be lying if I didn't say that (the triple) crossed my mind, but at the end of the day, early on, in my at-bats early, I was just trying to hit it hard. I made a point just to stick with the same approach. If (the cycle) happened, it happened. If not, then it is what it is."
McCann's four-hit afternoon capped a red-hot last month for the backstop, who entered the day hitting just .212 on the season. In 21 games since July 25, McCann is hitting .313 with five homers and 19 RBIs.
"Like I've said all along, it's been a process. Just trusting the process," McCann said. "Something I really worked on this offseason was staying through the ball a little bit more and developing that power the other way. I'm just watching J.D. (Martinez) and Miggy (Miguel Cabrera) and guys like that with that kind of power, and early in the season after the injury, I wasn't allowing myself to use my hands.
"I wasn't allowing myself, my body as I trained it, to work. The adjustments I've made have all been to allow that to happen."
Victor Martinez had three hits and knocked in two runs and Daniel Norris (2-2) pitched 6 1/3 solid innings as Detroit ran its overall winning streak to four games. The Tigers improved to 10-2 against Minnesota this season.
"It's not that simple in baseball," said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus. "To come into any town and sweep them, it's tough to do. It's just the nature of the game. But our bats started to get hot and the pitching held up."
Closer Francisco Rodriguez worked the ninth for his 35th save.
Robbie Grossman had two hits and two RBIs for the Twins and Max Kepler added a two-run double in the eighth inning as Minnesota attempted to mount a late rally.
Twins rookie Jose Berrios (2-4) took the loss, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits and five walks with three strikeouts in five innings. He was optioned to Triple-A Rochester following the game after his ERA jumped to 9.24 through nine games in the majors. He has allowed at least four runs in each of his last four starts, including six in two of those games.
"When it gets to a point where you're not doing him any favors right now and you still have to try to protect your team," said Twins manager Paul Molitor. "I think for him right now between backing off the pressure, trying to implement some of the things he's working on in a less-stressful environment. I love getting guys experience, especially when we are where we are, but there becomes a point where it doesn't seem like the right thing."
Minnesota has lost its last seven games and has been swept in back-to-back series by a pair of Central Division rivals. Kansas City took four from the Twins at Kauffman Stadium last weekend.
Detroit posted three-run frames in the second and third, getting an RBI fielder's choice grounder from Andrew Romine and a two-run double from Ian Kinsler to take a 3-0 lead in the second.
McCann's blast, his 11th of the season, pushed the lead to six runs in the third and Martinez extended the lead to 8-0 in the sixth.
The Twins chipped away with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings on Grossman's first RBI single and a run-scoring hit from Eduardo Escobar.
"We came and battled. We made it a game in the end," Grossman said. "It shows you a lot about the guys in this locker room, and we have to go up to Toronto and turn this thing around."
Grossman plated Jorge Polanco to start the eighth before Kepler's drive to the right-center field gap scored a pair of runs to cap the inning.
After scoring three runs against the Detroit bullpen following Norris' exit, Rodriguez struck out a pair in a spotless ninth to close out the game.
NOTES: Tigers CF Cameron Maybin was not in the starting lineup on Thursday. Manager Brad Ausmus said it was a routine day of rest. ... Twins 1B Joe Mauer missed his second consecutive game because of a sore quad initially injured last week while running the bases against the Atlanta Braves. Mauer is considered day-to-day and could return as soon as Friday. ... The Tigers return to Detroit on Friday to begin a six-game homestand with the first of three games against the Los Angeles Angels at Comerica Park. ... Minnesota begins a six-game road trip on Friday with the first of three games against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
