The Twins started their series against divisional foes Detroit in great style, with a 9-4 win at Comerica Park. Starter Kevin Slowey pitched very well and the bats were able to jump out to the lead and stay there, despite a bad 7th inning by the bullpen that allowed the Tigers back in the game.
Unlike a few times this season where the Twins would give up runs in the very first inning, they themselves struck first. The 9 runs they scored started in the 2nd when Brendan Harris, with the bases loaded, hit a groundout that scored Jason Kubel, then Carlos Gomez and Joe Mauer hit RBI singles. They added a run in the 5th when Michael Cuddyer singled home Justin Morneau. Mike Lamb hit a solo shot in the 6th to make it 5-0. Lamb would later score in the 7th on a Brendan Harris single. Later in the inning Morneau hit a 2 RBI double to effectively put the game away.
Slowey got his 1st win of the season in a start where he pitched 6 shutout innings and held down the fort as the Twins kept padding their lead. However, Dennys Reyes and Jesse Crain allowed 4 runs to the Tigers in the 7th and the Tigers would have tied it if Marcus Thames had not overslid 2nd and then got chased down by Alexi Casilla. He dropped the ball, but Thames thought he was out, so he started back towards his dugout. Casilla then got the ball and tagged him out between third and the Tiger dugout.
It is great that the Twins were able to score so many runs and get ahead early, something they haven’t really been doing lately. However, the most important aspect of the win was Slowey’s outing. After not being that effective so far in the season, he was able to turn in a start that showed poise and shutdown ability. This is something the Twins need to see more of from their starters on a consistent basis.
