MINNESOTA 6, DETROIT 4 IN MINNESOTA
Date: Sunday, September 21.
Batting stars: Cristian Guzman was 2-for-3 with a triple, a stolen base (his eighteenth), a walk, two runs, and two RBIs. Shannon Stewart was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk. Dustan Mohr was 2-for-4 with two runs.
Pitching star: Brad Radke pitched seven innings, giving up one run on six hits and no walks and striking out six.
Opposition stars: Dmitri Young was 2-for-4 with a double. Alex Sanchez was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Craig Monroe was 2-for-4.
The game: The Tigers scored one in the top of the third when Brandon Inge doubled, was bunted to third, and scored on a sacrifice fly. The Twins bounced back with four in the bottom of the third. Mohr singled and scored on Guzman's triple. Stewart followed with an RBI single and went to third on an error. Denny Hocking then had an RBI single. The next two batters went out, but Jacque Jones singled and Torii Hunter hit a run-scoring double, putting the Twins up 4-1.
The Twins added two in the sixth Mohr singled, went to third on a pickoff error, and scored on Guzman's single. Stewart then doubled and Hocking hit a sacrifice fly, making it 6-1. They needed those runs, because the Tigers rallied in the eighth. Ramon Santiago and Sanchez singled. A wild pitch moved them to second and third. With two out, Young drove in one and another wild pitch brought home another, cutting the lead to 6-3.
Detroit scored again in the ninth. Danny Klassen singled, went to second on yet another wild pitch, and scored on Sanchez' single. They tying run was up to bat with two out, but Warren Morris grounded out to end the game.
WP: Radke (14-10). LP: Nate Cornejo (6-17). S: Eddie Guardado (39).
Notes: Hocking was at second base in place of Luis Rivas. Stewart was in left, Jones in right, and Matthew LeCroy at DH. The Twins made no in-game lineup substitutions.
A. J. Pierzynski was 1-for-3 and was batting .311. Stewart was batting .308. Jones was 1-for-4 and was batting .306. Doug Mientkiewicz was 1-for-4 and was batting .302.
In his last four starts, Radke had given up six earned runs in thirty innings. He had not given up a walk in those innings.
Cornejo pitched 5.2 innings, allowing six runs on twelve hits and a walk and striking out two.
This was Danny Klassen's last year in the majors. He played in parts of five seasons, totaling eighty-five major league games. He batted .226/.289/.341 in 287 plate appearances. A middle infielder, he played in AAA through 2008.
Of the three wild pitches, two were thrown by J. C. Romero and one by Guardado.
It was the Twins' ninth straight win. The Royals beat the White Sox, so the Twins increased their lead. The magic number was down to two.
Record: The Twins were 87-69, in first place in the American League Central, 5.5 games ahead of both Chicago and Kansas City.