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Twins beat Reds 8-6; Delmon Young greets old mentor Ken Griffey Jr.

A two-run homerun in the 10th gave the Twins the win in Fort Myers, Fla.

>FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – Chris Basak hit a two-out, two-run homer in the 10th inning and the Minnesota Twins beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-6.

Randy Ruiz hit a tying, two-run homer in the ninth for the Twins.

Minnesota starter Glen Perkins pitched two innings and gave up a run, two hits and two walks. He struggled in his previous spring training outing.

“I felt a little more together out there,” Perkins said. “I felt like I was in a little more control.”

Like Perkins, Cincinnati’s Jeremy Affeldt is trying to earn a spot as a starter after relieving last season. He allowed a run and one hit in three innings.

“It’s the first time I’ve pitched that long in a year and a half,” Affeldt said. “I used my changeup this time. It was my most effective pitch. That is the one thing I’ll go home smiling about. My fastball isn’t where I want it to be. I didn’t feel comfortable out of the windup until the last inning.”

The exhibition gave Reds star Ken Griffey Jr. and Twins newcomer Delmon Young a chance to catch up.

Griffey was already a star when he joined the Reds in 2000, and Dmitri Young was one of his Cincinnati teammates. Young’s teenage brother, Delmon, used to tag along with Griffey, shagging flies and occasionally take batting practice.

“He looked like a big leaguer,” Griffey recalled, adding, “He was like a grown man at 14. He was not intimidated by the big leagues at all. He knew what was going on.”

Young hit .288 with 13 home runs and 93 RBIs last season for Tampa Bay, then was traded to the Twins.

Griffey, now 38, turned in a solid season in 2007 with 30 homers, 93 RBIs and a .277 average. Young said he saw no reason for his former mentor to call it quits.

“Age is not a thing in this game anymore,” Young said. “If he keeps putting up numbers, he’ll keep on playing. Just look at his resume.”

Young went 1-for-3 in the exhibition. Griffey was 0-for-1 with a walk.

Notes: Twins LHP Francisco Liriano was scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday, with the possibility of pitching in a game later this week. … Reds OF prospect Jay Bruce, who left Sunday’s game when his left quadriceps muscle tightened, will be watched closely.

“One thing that makes us a little wary is that he’s had this injury a couple of times,” manager Dusty Baker said. “You do a lot of running in center field. To have an injury like that re-occur in a player that young makes you a little apprehensive.”

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