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Continued: Important series lost; numbers look ominous

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DETROIT 8, TWINS 7

Up next: 7:10 p.m. Tuesday vs. Kansas City • Metrodome • TV: FSN (1500-AM)

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Twins-Detroit game recap

Link: Saturday's baseball boxscores

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DETROIT - For a fleeting moment Sunday, the American League Central race was fun again for the Twins, its challenges seeming less insurmountable.

After overcoming Justin Verlander on Saturday, the Twins jumped to a three-run lead against Tigers newcomer Jarrod Washburn.

Michael Cuddyer drilled a 428-foot homer, and Delmon Young hit Washburn's next pitch even further, into the center-field camera well, an estimated 438 feet from home plate.

"Corey Koskie hit one that far, to almost that exact same spot, but I didn't think I was ever going to see it again," Cuddyer said. "I told [Young], 'Everybody knows you're stronger and younger than me. You didn't have to prove it.'"

The Twins had their hottest pitcher on the mound, figuring Scott Baker would take care of the rest, but the Tigers pummeled Baker for six quick runs en route to an 8-7 victory at Comerica Park.

It was billed as a series the Twins "definitely had to win" by first baseman Justin Morneau, and the Twins racked up 26 runs and 44 hits ... and still dropped two of three, falling 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Tigers.

"We're not making it any easier on ourselves, I know that," Baker said.

The Twins will play seven of their final 16 games against the Tigers, but their next meeting isn't until Sept. 18. If Detroit plays .500 to finish the season, the Twins would have to go 32-19 to overcome that lead and hope second-place Chicago falters as well.

"We've got a bunch of games left; it's not September yet," Baker said. "They're not must-win games yet, but they're pretty close."

Baker had gone 7-1 since June 1, but he let a 3-0 lead vanish in the fourth inning. In a five-pitch span, the Tigers rifled four hits, including Marcus Thames' 435-foot homer.

An inning later, Miguel Cabrera smashed a two-run homer to left, punctuating the moment with a bat flip, stutter-step and clap.

"It just looked like [Baker] hit a wall, kind of lost his command," said catcher Mike Redmond.

The Twins came back to make it 6-6 in the seventh, and squandered a chance for the lead in the eighth, when Nick Punto missed two sacrifice bunt attempts against Brandon Lyon (5-4).

"His second attempt was a running bunt, looked like he tried to drag it or something," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Just stay there and bunt the stinking ball. He knows that."

Gardenhire took partial blame for letting the Tigers take the lead in the eighth. When Gerald Laird lined a leadoff double down the third-base line, the Twins didn't have newly inserted third baseman Brendan Harris guarding the line.

"[Harris] said no one told him to play the line, but we always play the line," Gardenhire said. "We're doing the lineup, we had 18,000 changes, but we always play step-and-dive in a tie ballgame in the eighth.

"You know what, I'll be accountable. I'm the manager, I should have walked up there, while I was doing the other stuff, and said, 'Hey, 'Step and a dive.' But how long do you gotta be here to know that we play the line? I'm just disappointed."

Detroit scored two runs off Matt Guerrier (5-1) that inning, and though Cuddyer hit his second homer of the game in the ninth, Fernando Rodney retired Young for his 23rd save.

"We scored a lot of runs in this series," Gardenhire said. "To lose two out of three -- not good enough."

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