Kevin Slowey Rebounds, Twins Win

The 9-2 win didn't always look quite so cozy.

It was like watching batting practice.  During those first two or three innings, I wasn't sure that this was going to be the game where Kevin Slowey got his groove back; but he did, and his performance was easily six times better than the movie of the same name about someone named Stella.

After Torii Hunter absolutely demolished Slowey's third consecutive fastball into the nether-regions of the home run porch, Kevin's pitch selection actually changed.  Through the home run, his pitch selection looked like this (courtesy of MLB.com's Gameday):

Fastballs:  16
Slider:  1

Gameday doesn't always label pitches correctly, but it can definitely tell between fastballs, breaking balls and offspeed pitches.  This ratio set up Hunter for success; he of the gimmee-a-fastball-and-I'll-turn-on-it approach.

It's plausible Slowey wasn't feeling confident in his other stuff early on, it's possible he was trying to get through the lineup once without showing too many pitches in order to gain an advantage, and it wouldn't surprise me to learn that all those fasballs were some sort of game plan.  Whatever the case, Hunter and the Angels caught on in the second inning.

After that, it was the K-Slow Show.  Over the next five innings he scattered three hits and a walk, and afforded his offense ample opportunity to come back for the win.

Jason Kubel came up big for the second consecutive game, notching four hits and knocking in another pair of runs.  Delmon Young, Justin Morneau and Brendan Harris also had good nights.  Timely walks strung together with singles and one particularly big double helped put the game away in the fifth and sixth innings, where the Twins scored eight of their nine runs.

The only unfortunate part of the game was Carlos Gomez' stolen base attempt.  Honestly, the man is just too fast.  He dove too late, his velocity carried him over the bag, and instead of getting his fifth swipe he was called out.  Whether or not he was actually out is a point of contention, but it's a moo point.  (It's like a cow's opinion; it doesn't matter.)

It was a great win for the Twins Saturday night.  A few different guys had big nights, but the story of the game is definitely Slowey.

Stars of the Game
#3:  Delmon Young (2-for-3, 3 RBI, BB)
#2:  Jason Kubel (4-for-5, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2B)
#1:  Kevin Slowey (7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 5 K, 1 BB)