Twins Player of the Game: May 16, 2012

With the Twins picking up their league leading 11th win last night (wins are like golf scores, right?), the Padres are now just three wins off Minnesota's pace. A win today would bump the Twins above the 30% line for games won in 2012. Who do we have to thank from last night for putting us in such a precarious position?

Jamey Carroll: In terms of high-leverage situations, Carroll averaged out to be the third most "clutchiest" batter last night. He picked up a pair of hits from the nine hole, including a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth. It's worth noting that in his last 12 games Carroll has been much closer to the player the Twins thought they were plucking off the market, posting a .293 batting average and .370 on-base percentage in that time frame.

Brian Dozier: After jacking his second homer of the season last night, the Dozier train is beginning to pick up steam. If you or your significant other (who only knows about baseball because you won't stop talking about it) haven't purchased a Dozier jersey yet, you will soon. Now ten games into his Major League career, his triple slash is a more than respectable .286/.318/.476. Going back to his home run, the three-run shot gave the Twins a 5-1 lead heading into the bottom of the second inning. While it was a lower leverage situation, it's hard to hold that against him.

Ryan Doumit: Doumit heads to the DL after another good night, picking up a pair of hits, a walk, and a run batted in. His injury comes at a terrible time, as Doumit had been Minnesota's hottest hitter this month: .353/.477/.765 in his last 11 games. Doumit was the second most "clutchiest" hitter last night, second only to...

Alexi Casilla: Casilla's average leverage index last night was 1.39 (above 1.00 means higher leverage, below 1.00 means lower leverage), putting down a hit and a pair of walks. His RBI single in the seventh ran the Twins' lead to two runs. Since reaching a .300 batting average on the season back on the 30th of April, Casilla's only 4-for-30 in May. But his performance certainly helped the cause last night.

Jared Burton: As the only pitcher on this list, Burton's contribution was huge last night. Clinging to a 9-7 lead with runners on second and third and two down, Burton relieved Brian Duensing and struck out Ryan Raburn by leading him off with a slider and then throwing six consecutive changeups. That takes guts. Burton comes away with the team's highest Win Probability Added last night: .207. (That's exceptional for recording four outs, for the record.)