It's about time a Twins starter gets rewarded for going six innings. Nick Blackburn didn't get the win but he shut down Kansas City enough for the Twins to pull out a 2-1 win in 11 innings.

Here are three quick thoughts before I got back to the hotel to crash so I can get up and watch Tiger take down the jug.

1. Plouffe update. Trevor Plouffe said he's jammed his thumb in the past, and that he's only needed a day to recover. So don't expect him to play tomorrow against the Royals. Plouffe jammed his thumb while hitting a line drive back to the pitcher in the seventh. "Just some tenderness back in the thumb area from letting the ball get deep," he said. "I've been playing with it the whole year but tonight....I got jammed really bad." He said he couldn't grip the bat after that. We'll see how long he needs to recover.

2.Suspicious Royals. With Darin Mastroianni on third with no outs in the 10th, the Twins had three shots to get him in. Alexi Casilla hit the ball hard, but right at the shortstop for the out. With Ben Revere up, the Royals pitched out twice, thinking something was on. My, how far we have come. A year ago, when Revere wasn't bunting much, the Royals never would have had to worry about a squeeze play. See what happens when you add bunting to your arsenal? Unfortunately, Revere ended up striking out in the at-bat - and I fully expected Ben to put the ball in play there.

3. The Hammer sprays the ball around? Josh Willingham's game-winning hit was a sharp grounder past the diving Betancourt at second. How about The Hammer hitting the ball where it's pitched? He's batting .448 over his last eight games.