Continued: Another look, another turnaround victory for Twins

Print this story

E-mail this story

Save to del.icio.us

Share on Facebook

Share on Digg

TWINS 9, CLEVELAND 6 Up next: 1:10 p.m. today vs. Cleveland • Metrodome • TV: Ch. 29, FSN outstate (1500-AM)

More from Sports

Hitters often race to the video room after at-bats to nitpick about their swings. OK, they also check to see if the pitch they were called out on was really a strike.

Quiet as it has been kept, pitchers also have been known to check video between innings. Their mechanics are just as important as a hitter's. OK, they also check to see if that pitch was really a ball.

Righthander Kevin Slowey retreated to the narrow chamber behind the Twins dugout Saturday after he turned a two-run lead into a three-run deficit in the second inning. That's where replays revealed the flaw that turned his night around.

"I tend to overthrow a little bit and jump toward the plate," Slowey said. "I looked at the video and, sure enough, I was jumping toward that plate. I've got to make that adjustment."

He slowed down his delivery as the Twins turned up the power, turned on the speed and beat the Indians 9-6 in front of an announced crowd of 31,887 at the Metrodome.

Joe Nathan earned his 24th save and the Twins scored five runs in the sixth inning in staying one game behind the White Sox in the AL Central. The Twins are 15-2 over their past 17 games and have won seven series in a row.

The Twins' 23rd come-from-behind victory wouldn't have happened unless Slowey held the game at 5-2 after the top of the second inning.

Andy Marte drove in a run with a single to make it 2-2 -- for his first RBI of the season despite being on the Indians roster all year. Grady Sizemore then clubbed a three-run homer. It was 5-2, and Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson went to the mound to tell Slowey that poor mechanics caused him to leave too many pitches up in the zone.

Slowey (6-6) sensed it, but he needed the video reinforcement after the inning. He walked out from the video chamber and looked at his teammates. No one seemed worried.

"They didn't come in and hang their heads after I gave up the five-spot," Slowey said.

Why should they? Deficits no longer matter with this red-hot team. Especially against free-falling teams such as the Indians.

"We have been playing good enough to know we can get back in this thing if we just stay after it and get some pitching," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

So Slowey retired 13 batters in a row, notching five of his six strikeouts during the run. And the offense chipped away.

Denard Span's RBI single in the fourth made it 5-3. Joe Mauer's solo homer in the fifth made it 5-4.

The Twins broke the game open after Thomas Mastny relieved Cleveland starter Aaron Laffey to start the sixth. The highlight of the inning was Alexi Casilla's two-run double that gave the Twins a 6-5 lead.

The speedy Span and Carlos Gomez were on base at the time, and Span, who had to make sure the ball wasn't caught before taking off, had to hold off the hard-charging Gomez.

"He wasn't going to hunt me down," Span said. "I've got more pride than that."

Slowey was rewarded for checking the video -- and making adjustments.

"If you can just give our guys a chance, just a chance," Slowey said. "It's all they need to get the job done."

Recent Sports stories

'Outlaws' shut down running game - July 6, 2008

'Outlaws' shut down running game - With the rout of Seattle, the Vikings defense may have been overlooked. But it was the defensive line that stopped the Seahawks cold, holding them to a mere four yards rushing. More