Some leftover thoughts on the Twins 6-5 loss to the Red Sox:
* It was especially disappointing for the Twins because they made several good defensive plays. I circled four on my scorecard: Jamey Carroll's sliding stop and throw to second base on David Ortiz in the second inning; Denard Span's sliding catch on Kevin Youkilis in the fourth; Danny Valencia ranging to get Marlon Byrd's bouncer in the fifth, and the 6-4-3 double play that brought the crowd to its feet in the sixth.
That one was just sick. David Ortiz hit a hard smash up the middle. Carroll made a diving stop, flipped to Trevor Plouffe, who caught the ball with his bare hand and made a running, off-balance throw to first in time for the out.
"Jamey made the diving stop, and I was running, and we made eye contact and I said, 'Give me the ball, let's do it,' " Plouffe said. "It was a great play -- fun to be a part of. It's fun to play with Jamey out there."
Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine thought that play could have been a game changer.
"When David hit that ball and they turned a DP -- as hot as he was, and they make a spectacular play to turn a DP -- that usually ends the game," Valentine said. "That usually sends a team home. It didn't send us home, and that's what I'm most proud of."
* The Twins thought Plouffe won the game for them in the ninth inning. With one out, and pinch-runner Clete Thomas on first base, Plouffe hit a long drive off Alfredo Aceves, but Cody (Boss) Ross settled under it just in front of the 377-foot sign on the left-center field warning track.
"When it made a sound off the bat, it sounded like he crushed it," Manager Ron Gardenhire said. "This night, a little dampness out there, the ball just died. I thought he got it pretty good. I think everybody did."
