Though the Twins did beat Detroit last night, they had several chances to pad their lead, but did not take advantage of them. That was not the case today as they took advantage of their chances and shutout the Tigers 7-0. However, it was a defensive play that started it all.
With two Tigers on base and 2 outs in the 3rd, shortstop Nick Punto made a mind boggling grab of a ball behind 2nd base. Then from the ground he tried to flick it, which turned into it rolling, to Alexi Casilla, covering 2nd, who had to stretch out to scoop it up while keeping his foot on the bag. That play was the spark the Twins needed. They scored 5 runs in the bottom half of the inning, all of them with 2 outs. Joe Mauer started it with a 2 run single. The inning might have ended right after that, but Justin Morneau reached on an error. The Twins then rattled off 4 straight singles to score 3 runs and make it 5-0. They would tack on 2 more to make it 7 total.
Nick Blackburn was great. He threw 7 shutout innings, limiting the Tigers to just 3 hits, while fanning 4. He was able to throw his pitches effectively and keep the Tiger hitters off balance. The bullpen nailed down the win by finishing off the shutout.
Such a complete win over a divisional opponent is an immense confidence booster, especially given the Twins are in a stretch of tough games. Now they host Cleveland for 3 games, then embark on a road trip before the All Star Break that includes 3 in Boston and 4 in Detroit. This win will give them that much more of a boost heading into those games.
