Twins: Bouncing back to beat Jays doesn't hurt a bit

Jason Bartlett was wincing in pain after the first inning, but helped the Twins storm back by using a little reverse psychology.

By Joe Christensen, Star Tribune

Last update: June 30, 2007 - 12:30 PM

As shortstop for a team filled with bruised egos and banged-up body parts, Jason Bartlett recently came up with a theory about pain: Maybe it helps.

"Sometimes," he said, "you do better when you're hurt."

Bartlett was explaining this Thursday, after the Twins overcame an early four-run deficit to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-5 at the Metrodome.

With Justin Morneau back in the lineup after missing five games because of a bruised right lung, Torii Hunter hit two home runs, including a two-run shot off Jason Frasor that gave the Twins a 7-5 lead in the fifth.

Bartlett had a defining day, too. After getting drilled on the left funny bone by an A.J. Burnett fastball in the first inning, he felt his arm go numb and then get stiff.

But he homered his next time to the plate and continued sparking the Twins with two more stolen bases, as they rallied to gain a split of the four-game series.

"When I foul a ball off my foot, it makes me more calm up there," Bartlett said. "So, maybe getting hit in the elbow helps some. Maybe it made me shorten my swing."

Bartlett was speaking about his own mind-set, but his theory helped explain some things about his teammates as the rickety bunch left for a 10-day, 11-game road trip against the Tigers, Yankees and White Sox.

It seemed appropriate, as this one had started with Frank Thomas hitting his 500th career home run. That swing by the Big Hurt put Twins starter Carlos Silva in a big hole.

Trailing 4-0 in the first inning, the Twins were in trouble, with Silva threatening to tax the exhausted relief corps even more.

But Silva (6-8) quickly righted himself and wound up holding the Blue Jays to five runs over seven innings.

"Before, I was one of those pitchers, where when I gave up runs early, I got myself mad, and got myself out of the game," Silva said. "So today was a very important day for me."

Why has Silva, who is 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA in his past four starts, changed that thinking?

"Because you have to be a man," he said. "You have to think it's not only about yourself. If you act like a little kid, you're going to hurt your team. I'm going to be out of there, and we're going to kill the bullpen."

With Silva slowing Toronto's offense, the Twins began creeping back.

Bartlett's homer made it 5-2 in the third. Hunter, who now has 17 homers and a team-high 62 RBI, connected off Burnett to make it 5-3 in the fourth.

The Twins scored four more in the fifth, as Bartlett lined a single and stole a base.

He is 15-for-15 in stolen base attempts this season, and he has a nine-game hitting streak that has seen him lift his average from .242 to .258.

A neck injury has bothered Bartlett all season, and he plans to have a cortisone shot during the All-Star break. But this latest streak proves he's learning to manage the pain.

"I don't know what happened," Bartlett said. "I just told myself, 'Time to get going.' "

Joe Christensen • jchristensen@startribune.com

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