The Twins got right back up after they were knocked down last night by the Tigers barrage to clinch the series win, with a 6-1 victory. The team got a big offensive boost from Jason Kubel on his birthday and solid pitching from Glen Perkins, who continues to improve.
Though the Twins had a few offensive highlights, the game belonged to Kubel. In the 2nd, Delmon Young grounded into a double play, but Michael Cuddyer was able to score from third to put the Twins on top 1-0. The game was put away big time the 8th when Kubel launched a grand slam. The team added another run in the 9th with an Alexi Casilla RBI single.
The fact that Perkins pitched 7 2/3 innings of one run ball is important to him for his development, as he continues to make solid starts ever since he was called up. What makes it even more important is that he was able to save the bullpen, which was severely overworked in last night’s loss. This had to be one of Perkins’ goals heading into the start.
It would appear that the Tigers did run out of offensive gas tonight, but that is more due to the great pitching of Perkins then anything else. His consistency helps the sometimes shaky rotation. This victory was a psychological boost to the Twins after the thrashing they got last night. That they were able to bounce back and not let the loss affect them shows their mettle and desire to win.
