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Six runs down? Twins score 7 to win
Boof Bonser gave up six runs in the first inning and things looked bleak for the Twins. But he settled down and that, combined with clutch hitting and and four-run rally in the seventh, put them 1 1/2 games ahead in the AL Central.
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Up next: at Chicago White Sox • 7:11 p.m. Tuesday • TV: Ch. 29 (1500-AM)
HEROES OF THE HOMESTAND
The Twins' comeback victory Sunday capped a 5-0 homestand against division rivals Chicago and Detroit. Who deserves the credit? Well, several people:
Joe Nathan: He was 4-for-4 in save opportunities over the week, making him 11-for-11 for the season. He also improved to 23-for-23 in his career against the Tigers.
Joe Mauer: Catching all five games, his two-out, two-run single Sunday capped an 8-for-17 homestand, with a triple, two doubles, four walks and four RBI.
Brian Bass: Perhaps the most eye-opening performance of the homestand; he earned the win Saturday with four shutout innings in relief of the injured Scott Baker.
Scott Ullger: With Ron Gardenhire away following his brother's death, the third base coach went 3-0 vs. Detroit, seemingly pushing all the right buttons in the process.
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The Detroit Tigers were circling the bases. Twins righthander Boof Bonser was on his way to a 45-pitch first inning. Bobby Korecky was warming up in the bullpen.
The Twins went from being six runs down at that point to Michael Cuddyer high-fiving teammates so hard when the game ended that he had to slide his recently dislocated right index finger behind his middle finger to avoid reinjuring it.
Bonser amazingly righted himself. The offense chipped away at the lead, and the Twins eventually pulled off an adrenaline-pumping 7-6 victory over the Tigers that completed a three-game sweep of the series and capped a 5-0 homestand that has them sitting 1 1/2 games in front in the AL Central.
"I was geared up [at the end]," infielder Matt Tolbert said. "I would have thrown the ball 98, 99 miles an hour if they had hit it to me."
No Twins player discounted what a victory like the one Sunday can do for a team. Overcoming the six-run deficit tied for the second-largest comeback in team history. Done 12 times previously, this was the first since July 15, 2002, against the Angels.
"We're going to be good no matter what," said Bonser, who retired 17 of the final 19 batters he faced. "It doesn't matter how young we are. We're ready to play. We're going to beat guys. We proved it today. I think that was one of the biggest games we have played."
Tigers lefthander Kenny Rogers retired the first 11 batters he faced, but the Twins got an RBI single from Justin Morneau in the fourth and a two-run double from Nick Punto in the fifth.
"I never felt like that game was over," Punto said. "No one else did either, that was obvious."
Then came the Twins' four-run seventh, a rally that began with two out and nobody on.
Matt Tolbert doubled before Punto reached on a fielding error by third baseman Carlos Guillen. Tolbert scored on a 25-foot-high infield chopper by Carlos Gomez. Punto scored on Brendan Harris' ground rule double, making it 6-5. Lefthander Bobby Seay was brought in to face Joe Mauer. But Mauer, on a 1-2 pitch, bounced a seeing-eye single to center that scored the tying and go-ahead runs.
Joe Nathan earned his 11th save in the ninth, striking out Miguel Cabrera with Curtis Granderson on second to end the game and send an announced crowd of 29,821 home happy. Matt Guerrier (2-1) won in relief of Bonser.
Bonser looked cooked when Granderson led off the game with a homer and the next four Tigers hitters reached base before the first out was made. Bonser ended the inning with two strikeouts -- then was told to quit rushing and overthrowing.
"You'll get six innings in if you do that," pitching coach Rick Anderson told him.
Bonser needed only five pitches to get through the second inning, and a total of 54 pitches from the second through the sixth.
"I got you six," Bonser told Anderson when he came out of the game.
Bonser avoided the early hook, his offense got him off the hook, and the Twins headed into today's off day with their confidence soaring.
"I just wish we didn't have all these days off," Mauer said. "I want to get back out there."
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