MINNEAPOLIS -- Brian Dozier doesnt like talking about his power-hitting abilities. Terry Bradshaw Authentic Jersey . When told his manager referred to him as Minnesotas "igniter" over the past couple of games -- during which he homered on consecutive nights -- the Twins second baseman looked embarrassed. "The igniter? Oh goodness," Dozier said Saturday night after hitting a three-run homer that proved to be the game-winning hit in Minnesotas 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Then he was told "The Ignitor" was the nickname for Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, the former Twins player and current coach. "Thats pretty cool. . Ill take it," Dozier said with a laugh. So will the Twins. Doziers homer in the fifth inning put Minnesota ahead for good, Samuel Deduno tossed six sharp innings for his first win as the Twins moved a game over .500 -- a rarity in these parts over the past three years. With Minnesota trailing 2-1, Dozier followed consecutive singles by Aaron Hicks and Eduardo Escobar by sending a curveball from Roenis Elias (3-3) into the seats in left field. It was Doziers 11th homer of the season. "Hes our igniter," Gardenhire said. "If we can get the bottom of the order to get on base, and roll it over, hes going to come up with more and more RBI opportunities and thats kind of what were looking for, and tonight he delivered." Dozier had a solo homer on Friday night; Saturday night marked the fifth time in his career he homered in consecutive games. His 20 home runs at Target Field ties him for fourth all-time with former Twins slugger Justin Morneau. He leads the A.L. with 40 runs scored. "My job is to get on base, whether its my hits or anything, on base is my biggest stat," said Dozier, who extended his current hitting streak to a season-high eight games. Michael Saunders had a homer and two RBIs for Seattle. Deduno (1-2) struck out four, allowed two hits and retired 18 of the 23 batters he faced. Both of Seattles runs off Deduno came in the third inning after James Jones triple scored Brad Miller. Jones scored on Saunders sacrifice fly to give the Mariners a one-run lead. But Deduno was otherwise solid, working efficiently through Seattles lineup over the next three innings while Elias struggled with his control. Elias allowed six hits and one walk in seven innings, but he also hit a batter, and had a wild pitch and a balk in the second inning. Elias teammates and manager sounded pleased with his performance, even saying his curveball that Dozier homered on was a good pitch. "I went back right after that inning to check where it was and I thought it was a really good pitch," catcher Mike Zunino said. "(Dozier) just dropped the head on it and was able to elevate it." Seattle pulled to 4-3 in the eighth when Saunders hit a solo homer off Jared Burton. Corey Hart doubled two batters later, but Burton got Kyle Seager swinging to end the threat. Glen Perkins worked the ninth for his 12th save in 14 chances. The Mariners have lost four straight. "Well figure it out. Its a little tough right now," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "One thing I pointed out right from the start, winning games at this level is tough. One thing here and one thing there will cause you to lose. Well figure this offence out and well be OK." NOTES: The Twins havent been above .500 since April 27. ... McClendon decided to skip RHP Brandon Maurers turn in the rotation for Seattles upcoming two-game series at Texas. Maurer (1-2) has a 6.00 ERA. . LHP James Paxton (strained back) threw a two-inning simulated game Saturday, and Tijuan Walker (shoulder) threw a bullpen session. Both players may throw more simulated games in Texas. ... Twins bench coach Terry Steinbach missed the game to attend his sons college graduation in Duluth. ... Jones has recorded a hit in all nine of his starts. He drove in his first career run. ... Minnesota goes for the series sweep on Sunday when RHP Ricky Nolasco (2-3) faces Mariners RHP Felix Hernandez (4-1) who is 6-5 in 15 career starts versus the Twins. Shaun Suisham Authentic Jersey . Lee doubled and scored in his debut, Buerhle struck out a season-best eight over 7 2-3 innings and Miami beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-0 Thursday to split the four-game series. Pink Ben Roethlisberger Elite Jersey . In the eyes of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, the two-time defending NBA champions pretty much botched the whole thing.SUNRISE, Fla. -- Robert Luongos return to Florida couldnt have been better. Luongo made 25 saves, while Dmitry Kulikov and Jesse Winchester each scored power-play goals to lead the Panthers over the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 on Friday night. Luongo, acquired in a trade with Vancouver on Tuesday, was in net for the first time for Florida since April 18, 2006. Luongo previously played for Florida from 2000-2006. "Kudos to all the guys in front of me tonight. It was really a team effort," Luongo said. "Shutouts are always nice, but at the end of the day its about the wins. We did a good job." Luongo received a warm reception from the fans, with chants of "Louuuuu" resonating from the stands after every save. "It was nice. It was a great reception right off the start of the game," Luongo said. It was the fourth shutout of the season for Luongo. His last was on Dec. 13, a 4-0 win for Vancouver over Edmonton in which he made 19 saves. It was the first regular-season shutout for the Panthers since a 2-0 win over Carolina on March 11, 2012 in which Jose Theodore had 34 saves. Michal Neuvirth stopped 42 shots in his first start for Buffalo since being acquired from Washington last Wednesday. It was a great performance by Neuvirth, seeing his first action since before the Olympic break. "This was my first time with a new team; for sure I was nervous," Neuvirth said. "Ive been practicing hard, but a game is a different story." The Panthers won for just the second time in seven games. The Sabres lost their second in six games. Florida went ahead 2-0 on its second power-play goal. Kulikov took a slap shot from above the right circle that beat Neuvirth on the stick side at 4:04 of the second period. Neuvirth never saw it coming as he was screened on the play. "I?just saw a bunch of bodies in front of the net," Kulikov said. "I was screaming for the puck because I was wide open." The Panthers scored two power-play goals for the third time this seasonn.Jason Worilds Authentic Jersey. The last time was Dec. 3 against Ottawa. The Panthers grabbed a 1-0 lead when Winchester took a pass from Scottie Upshall in the low slot and flipped it over Neuvirths glove midway in the first period. The goal came with just 5 seconds left in a power play that lasted 6:30, including a 5-on-3 for 25 seconds. The Panthers have been woeful on the power play, entering the game 30th in the league. That extended penalty was due to a delay of game on Matt DAgostini. About 30 seconds later, Buffalos Marcus Foligno drew a five-minute major and a game misconduct when he drove Brandon Pirri into the boards. Pirri left briefly, but returned later in the period. "I dont think it was worthy of getting kicked out of the game," Foligno said. "That put our team in a tough position and I think it was a tough call to make." The Sabres were outshot 30-13 through the first two periods, and 44-25 in the game. They may have been sluggish after playing their second game in as many nights, beating Tampa Bay 3-1 on Thursday. That victory was costly as the Sabres lost forwards Zemgus Girgensons and Chris Stewart with lower body injuries. "Back-to-back games this late in the season, its tough for anybody," Sabres coach Ted Nolan said. "For two nights in a row, it was really tough." It didnt get any better on Friday, as defenceman Alexander Sulzer suffered a lower body injury and will be out one to two weeks, according to Nolan. The Panthers were awarded a penalty shot in the second period when Drew Stafford tripped Sean Bergenheim skating in on Neuvirth. But Neuvirth easily stopped Bergenheims shot with his stick. NOTES: Buffalo recalled Luke Adam and Nicolas Deslauriers from AHL Rochester due to injuries. Both played in Fridays game, with Deslauriers making his NHL debut. ... Florida C Vincent Trocheck made his NHL debut after being called up from AHL San Antonio on Wednesday. ... Upshall has six points in his last seven games. ' ' '
