Minnesota's longest losing streak of the year is over, and how. Joe Mauer found Michael Cuddyer in the end zone for a pair of first-half touchdowns, and Jose Morales kicked two late field goals to seal the victory for the Twins.
Or something like that.
Frankly, it's difficult to even keep track of everything that happened in this one. Minnesota scratched out a run in the first, then jumped all over Sox starter Bartolo Colon in the second, torching the righthander for seven runs - including back-to-back home runs from Michael Cuddyer and Joe Crede.
So it was 8-0 before the game even really started, and it just got more astonishing from there. The Twins got single runs in the third and fourth, put up six runs in the sixth - highlighted by a Joe Mauer grand slam - and then, for good measure, scored four more in the seventh, including Matt Tolbert's first major league home run, a three-run shot.
Every Twins starter reached safely at least once, except of course Nick Punto, who was 0-5 with three strikeouts. Only Punto could strike out thrice and go 0-fer in a game his team won 20-1. (Punto did score twice, getting on base via an error and a fielder's choice.)
Take a look at a couple of these lines:
Mauer: 3-4, 2 2B, HR, career-high 6 RBI, 2R
Cuddyer: 4-6, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 4 R
Tolbert: 3-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
Morales: 3-4, 2 BB, 3 R
Jason Kubel: 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 R
I haven't even mentioned Nick Blackburn yet, an undeserved omission. The Twins starter might have stopped the losing streak even without a 20-run cushion. Blackburn scattered just four hits over seven shutout innings, walking three and striking out two along the way.
The losing streak is over, as well as Minnesota's streaks of hitting only solo home runs and continually failing with runners in scoring position. Now, they just need to, you know, even things out a little bit - maybe score seven in every game instead of 20 in one.