Twins beat Tigers, cut lead to 1 game
September 29, 2009
DETROIT (AP)—The AL Central race got even wilder.
Orlando Cabrera(notes) hit a go-ahead single in the 10th inning after a pair ofwild pitches and the Minnesota Twins closed within one game of first-placeDetroit, beating the Tigers 3-2 Tuesday in the opener of a day-nightdoubleheader.
Series at a Glance Minnesota 0 Detroit 0 Mon, Sep 28 – Ppd. Minnesota 3 Detroit 2 Tue, Sep 29 – Final 10th Minnesota at Detroit Tue, Sep 29 – 7:05 pm ET Minnesota at Detroit Wed, Sep 30 – 7:05 pm ET 
Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Ma… AP – Sep 29, 1:36 pm EDT Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Ma… AP – Sep 29, 1:36 pm EDT
Detroit Tigers' Gerald Lai… AP – Sep 29, 1:02 pm EDT
Minnesota Twins pitcher Nick B… AP – Sep 29, 12:54 pm EDT
Detroit Tigers pitcher Rick Po… AP – Sep 29, 12:54 pm EDT YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 4; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090929/capt.fc823e2179fb4b909a9c8dd8949fa0e3.twins_tigers_baseball_mips104.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=325&hc=361&q=70&sig=suohbKV_VonjtAbn.eKz2Q--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090929/capt.408bbb4449f84e3488cac20139baddda.twins_tigers_baseball_mips103.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=341&hc=379&q=70&sig=rr4efA8PPEmGyafOZLhtjw--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090929/capt.899227f6475d448db5e6e97219bb4933.twins_tigers_baseball_mips102.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=336&hc=373&q=70&sig=KGCB_vyQ39VyQVI7DTRnrg--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090929/capt.14c571e706764298ad9d4a4c9ff0eac2.twins_tigers_baseball_mips101.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=345&hc=383&q=70&sig=kXtB5gfMW3ibHDcLpsgHzg--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 5 Min-Det Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();
The Twins trailed Detroit by seven games only two weeks ago. But Minnesotawould pull even with a sweep—Tigers ace Justin Verlander(notes) was set to pitchagainst Brian Duensing(notes) in the nightcap.
Minnesota clinched the season series 10-5 against Detroit, meaning adivision tiebreaker would be at the Metrodome. Because Brett Favre and theVikings host Green Bay on Monday night at the stadium, a baseball playoff wouldlikely be pushed back until Tuesday.
A rainout Monday night delayed the start of this four-game series and forceda doubleheader. Each team has six games left.
It was tight throughout at Comerica Park. Scrapping for a run, the teamscombined for five sacrifice bunts and used three pinch-runners.
The Twins missed a chance to take the lead in the ninth when Nick Punto(notes)popped up a suicide-squeeze bunt, resulting in a double play. Speedy Minnesotaright fielder Denard Span(notes) made a fine running catch on Ramon Santiago’s(notes) deepdrive toward the line with a runners on second and two outs in the bottom half,leaving it tied at 1-all.
Span led off the 10th with a single. He advanced on consecutive wild pitchesby Brandon Lyon(notes) (6-5), who had thrown just one wild pitch all season.
Cabrera followed with a single and Delmon Young(notes) added a bases-loadedsacrifice fly for a 3-1 lead.
Curtis Granderson(notes) hit a leadoff homer against Joe Nathan(notes) in the Tigers 10th.Nathan retired the next three batters for his 45th save—he is 30-for-30 incareer save tries against Detroit.
Jon Rauch(notes) (4-1) walked Carlos Guillen(notes) to start the bottom of the ninth, andGerald Laird(notes) bunted pinch-runner Wilkin Ramirez(notes) to second. Brandon Inge(notes) hit ashallow flyout and Span ran down Santiago’s liner on the warning track.
Both starters finished with no-decisions. Tigers rookie Rick Porcello(notes)allowed one run in 6 1-3 innings, while Nick Blackburn(notes) gave up one run in seveninnings.
The Tigers stranded seven runners in the first four innings, getting theironly run on Santiago’s single in the second off first baseman Michael Cuddyer’s(notes)glove.
Minnesota tied the game in the fifth when Matt Tolbert(notes) led off with adouble, took third on one of the Twins’ four sacrifice bunts and scored onSpan’s sacrifice fly.
By that point, Blackburn had settled down, retiring the Tigers in order inthe fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
Minnesota had another chance as Porcello tired in the seventh. Jose Morales(notes)led off with a single under second baseman Placido Polanco’s(notes) glove and Tolbertbunted him to second.
The 20-year Porcello left to a standing ovation after walking Punto on his111th pitch—seven more than his previous career high. Zach Miner(notes) got Span topop out to shallow right, then struck out Cabrera to end the inning with JoeMauer(notes) on deck.
NOTES: The announced attendance for the first game was 35,243, whichreflected the tickets sold for Monday night. Tuesday’s actual crowd appeared tobe closer to 25,000. … The teams played through drizzle during the earlyinnings, but there was no rain close to that which caused Monday’s postponement.… No major league team has remained in first place from May 10—or sooner—until losing the division title in the last week of a season, according toSTATS.