Three extras from a deflating night for the Twins:

— Paul Molitor got an umpire's call overturned without even having to go to the videotape. Brian Dozier led off the bottom of the first with a line drive that bounced on the chalk just in front of third base, then went foul. But Molitor rushed out and told Tom Hallion that the ball's bounce proved it actually nicked the corner of the bag. "From my vantage point, it was hooking, but the carom told me the dirt was not going to create that type of bounce," Molitor said. "I just went out there and asked him to check. After meeting with the home plate umpire, they brought everybody in and ruled what I think was appropriate. … The bounce was so peculiar, I could only conclude it had hit part of the bag." Replays showed he was right, though the umpires never consulted them; they simply placed Dozier on second base with a double, and Tigers manager Brad Ausmus chose not to challenge the call.

— Jordan Schafer had three hits tonight, and they could not have come at a better time, considering he was 5-for-38 coming in, had sat out the past two games and seemed at risk of losing regular playing time to Shane Robinson. "He had a good spring in terms of showing he had improved on his offensive game, but he got off to a rough start," Molitor said. "I sat him a couple days against a couple lefties. … He got that nice hit in the first inning, he got jammed on the double, but it was a good rebound game for him. Hopefully he can start building a little momentum with his swing."

— Molitor had an interesting choice to make in the eighth inning, with Kurt Suzuki on first base with two outs and the Twins trailing 5-4. Robinson was due up against Joba Chamberlain, and Molitor, with Kennys Vargas and Oswaldo Arcia on his bench, sent up Eduardo Escobar to pinch-hit. The manager explained his reasoning after the game: Had he brought Arcia in, the Tigers would have quickly gone to their lefty specialist Tom Gorzelanny, and Molitor didn't like that lefty-lefty matchup. He decided to use one of the switch-hitters, Vargas or Escobar, but had he gone to Vargas — who is 2-for-28 over the past 10 days — he would have had to burn another bench player to handle left field in the ninth.

The numbers weren't particularly good for anyone. Arcia is 2-for-12 as a pinch-hitter in his career, albeit with a home run. Vargas has never pinch-hit in the majors, and Escobar is 2-for-18. Handed those options, he went with Escobar.

"I was just trying to extend the inning. Those guys [Vargas and Arcia] have the potential to hit home runs, but I was looking to extend the inning," Molitor said. "I was looking for a good at-bat there," and he got one. Escobar took the first two pitches for balls, then swung at a strike. Unfortunately for the Twins, it went directly to third baseman Hernan Perez. "I think he got jammed on a slider and wasn't able to muscle it over the infield," Molitor shrugged.