Twins beat Tigers, stay alive, get angry

DETROIT — Delmon Young's right leg was throbbing Thursday afternoon, and he was furious.

After getting hit by Jeremy Bonderman's fastball, Young rolled on the ground, sprung to his feet and began pointing at the dugout.

Not the Tigers dugout. The Twins dugout.

Young was mad at rookie reliever Jose Mijares for provoking Bonderman's payback pitch, and so were Young's other teammates.

The Twins staved off elimination for one day at least, by defeating the Tigers 8-3 at Comerica Park, but it was clearly going to be a surly flight home to Minnesota.

"We didn't need any of this to happen," Young said. "You've got two teams in a pennant race. You don't need to get somebody suspended or hurt."

The Twins trimmed Detroit's lead to two games, as each team heads into a final weekend series at home. The Tigers' magic number is two, so the Twins could be eliminated tonight if they lose to the Royals, and the Tigers overcome Jake Peavy and the White Sox.

While cruising to their second victory in the four-game series, the Twins were feeling good that they wouldn't have to watch the Tigers celebrate in person.

But then Mijares pulled what Twins shortstop Orlando Cabrera called "a selfish act."

Though the Twins led 8-2 when Mijares entered in the eighth inning, Cabrera said the lefthander was angry that Tigers runners twice took second base that inning through defensive indifference, including once with Matt Guerrier pitching.

When Mijares relieved Guerrier to face former Twins teammate Adam Everett, Gerald Laird took second base uncontested on the first pitch.

Mijares threw the next one -- a fastball clocked at 94 miles per hour -- behind Everett's back.

"[Mijares] needs to understand how to play the game," Young said. "This isn't the minor leagues over here."

Earlier, Twins starter Scott Baker (15-9), who pitched five innings for the victory, hit Marcus Thames with a pitch and threw another curveball near his head. Thames responded with an menacing slide into Cabrera that broke up a double play.

After Mijares' pitch -- which drew both teams a warning and prompted Tigers manager Jim Leyland to argue and get ejected -- Twins catcher Mike Redmond said he knew someone would get drilled the next inning.

Young led off the ninth against Jeremy Bonderman, and sure enough, on the first pitch, he took a 93-mph fastball off the back of his right knee. "You can't throw behind their players and expect nothing to happen," Young said. "If I'm going to get hit, it's going to be because I did something stupid."

Manager Ron Gardenhire and trainer Dave Pruemer went to check on Young as he rolled on the ground. When Young got up angrily, the benches cleared. But Young was pointing at Mijares, and after helping restrain and console Young, Gardenhire controlled the scene by quickly explaining this.

Later, Gardenhire called Leyland to apologize.

"Our pitcher lost his cool out there and made a mistake," Gardenhire said. "They did what they had to do, and it's over with and they did the right thing, what they had to do, and we screwed up."

Young made it clear he was not upset at the Tigers or Bonderman.

"They went about it the right way," Twins catcher Joe Mauer said. "Kept the ball down."

Mijares did not comment.

"I can't say what I said to [Mijares]," said Cabrera, who broke the game open with a two-out, three-run double in the eighth inning that put the Twins up 7-1. "It was a selfish act on his part because as a team we're here to win ballgames, we're not here to fight with people."

Others noted that Mijares has had no other controversial incidents this season, after putting a difficult winter and spring training behind him. Now, the Twins need to do just that and get ready for the Royals.

"Hopefully we'll go and at least do our part," Gardenhire said. "We can't control it now. It's in somebody else's hands."