Twins 11, Tigers 4: Luke Hughes Auditioning for 2012

Luke Hughes hit a pair of home runs today. That gives him three in the last two games, not to mention eight runs driven in. He wasn't certainly the only offensive force today, since Jason Kubel's two-run shot in the first put the Twins up for the first time. Justin Morneau's RBI single in the third put them up again.

But Hughes blasted a pair of multi-run homers this afternoon. If one thing has become clear this weekend, it's that if you leave a pitch down the middle or inside, Hughes will take pleasure in putting that ball in the left field seats. This, friends, is an Aussie who knows how to pull.

via www.brooksbaseball.net

via www.brooksbaseball.net

Considering that the Twins apparently preferred to option Matt Tolbert over Hughes when they recalled Rene Rivera, this would appear to be a solid reflection of the new infield pecking order. Hughes certainly doesn't look like a guy you'd like to rely on everyday, but his defensive versatility and ability to put the ball over the fence are assets the Twins could use on the cheap next season.

The bottom line is that the Twins won. Which made today a good day to watch baseball. Every time the Twins lose from here on out, I'm adopting the Klingon philosophy of Today is a good day to die. Philosophically, of course.

Brian Duensing was fine. He allowed four runs (three earned) off seven hits and three walks over six innings, which is too many base runners but it doesn't really matter when your offense hits three multi-run bombs. Alex Burnett, Glen Perkins and Jose Mijares each contributed an inning without allowing a run.

Notes

• Ben Revere stole his 25th base of the season today. If he reaches 30, and he's likely to, he'll be the first Twin to do so since Carlos Gomez snagged 33 bases in 2008.
• Revere, Trevor Plouffe, Morneau, Danny Valencia, French Resistance Fighter Rene Tosoni and Hughes all reached base more than once.
• In a no-pressure situation, Mijares threw strikes. Only three of his fifteen pitches were balls, which makes two appearances in a row where he's been able to consistently hit the zone. Only 59% of his pitches have been strikes this season, so hopefully this is a sign of things to come. It'd mean a lot going into next season to see Mijares pitch well. It could mean a lot of Mijares' job security, too.

Studs

Revere, Plouffe, Morneau, Hughes, Tosoni, Kubel, Hughes, Burnett, Perkins and Mijares

Duds

We won..no duds today