Needing a win to keep pace with the White Sox in the divisional race, the Twins could not accomplish that. A late comeback fell short and the team lost to the Mariners 8-7. The loss and the White Sox’s win dropped the Twins into 2nd place.
The offensive leader for the Twins was clearly Jason Kubel who had a pair of homers, a solo shot and a 2 run blast. Mike Lamb was able to drive in 2 with a double, part of a 4 run 8th inning that put the team ahead. However, the team was unable to capitalize further.
Starter Scott Baker had a rough outing. He gave up 6 runs and 9 hits and lasted only 5 1/3 innings. But the story with the pitching was the bullpen’s continued struggles on the road. Matt Guerrier struggled in the 8th and it got so bad that closer Joe Nathan was brought in during the inning. Seattle was able to take advantage and pull ahead for good.
A loss in the series finale and a sweep by one of the worst teams in the league would be devastating to the Twins. When they’re neck-and-neck with the White Sox, every game counts and they cannot afford to drop more games like this one. They can only hope they salvage the series by winning in its finale.
