Twins 8, White Sox 6
I LOVE SEPTEMBER BASEBALL. Nick Punto? Nick friggin' PUNTO? Are you kidding me? This is AWESOME!
Just when it seemed the White Sox were about to make their comeback, already closing a 5-0 lead to 5-4, the Twins offense found a way to load the bases. With two out, with the reality of scoring zero runs staring Minnesota in the face as the Tigers bombarded the Indians, and with Chicago refusing to go quietly...it could have been a very bad inning for confidence's sake. And who wants the game on the line with Nick Punto at the dish?
Nick Punto. That's who.
With the count full, two outs and the bases loaded, Punto laced a hard line drive into the heart of center field. It landed mere feet in front of Alex Rios, scoring two and giving the Twins a little bit of breathing room. It was glorious.
Brian Duensing's night went well early before falling apart a bit at the end, but for the most part he did his job. Jermaine Dye had a big game, rallying his team twice with sterotypical daggers for home runs, of which he blasted two.
But it wasn't enough.
It was another spectacular win, as far as Twins fans are concerned. I'm not sure how Chicago fans are feeling today. Unfortunately the Tigers are surging at the same moment in time as our Twins, and their absolute destruction of the Indians keeps them a firm 2.5 games ahead of Minnesota. They play today while the Twins are idle for the final time in regulation this season, so here's hoping Cleveland can snatch one back.
I have to say, the title of this article is absolutely ridiculous. The only way Detroit can send a message to the Twins at this point in the season is to beat them, head-to-head. And it looks like that's exactly what it will take, for either of these teams.
Stars
#3: Michael Cuddyer: He continues to provide for this team, adding two hits and an RBI.
#2: Brendan Harris: A pair of doubles and an RBI, a great day for a guy who probably doesn't play enough.
#1: Nick Punto: 3 RBI and a double--it was a big day for the tiniest Punto of them all.