Here are three thoughts following the Twins' win over Atlanta:
MISSED THE CALL: Twins manager Paul Molitor seemed a little agitated after the game, and we found out why. Trevor Plouffe singled in Danny Santana in the ninth as the Twins took a 4-2 lead. But Jorge Polanco was called out at home as he tried to score a second run. I never saw a replay because the game feed was on the monitor in front of me and gameday announcer guy was blabbing. But play resumed with no challenge by the Twins. Molitor said he looked at his players on the field, and none of them acted like the call was incorrect. But he knows he needs to step out of the dugout and make sure. ``Yup. That's on me,'' Molitor said. ``When you miss an opportunity, it falls on the manager. You watched the play, and from our angle I thought the ball beat him. I didn't think it was particularly close. You watch for reactions of your players from the guy who slid to the guy who's telling him to slide. I just didn't see anything and I quickly turned the page. That's my mistake. You can't assume anything. Generally, we look for things to challenge. It sounds like I missed an opportunity there. Thankfully it didn't cost us the game.'' I get irked at times when players automatically look toward their dugouts for replays when they are thrown out. But maybe that's the way to go to make sure they at least talk to their replay official. It sounds like the Twins replay maven was calling the dugout to alert the bench, but play had resumed.
ANOTHER CLOSE CALL: The Twins looked like they bungled the eighth inning when Brian Dozier led off with a single but was thrown out trying to steal. Molitor took the bunt play off for one pitch to give Dozier a chance to steal. Former Twins catcher A.J. Pierzynski, now with Atlanta, had thrown out 20.7 percent of basestealers this season. But Dozier got a bad jump and was thrown out. ``He didn't know why he went,'' Molitor said, ``which happens.'' When Jorge Polanco flied out, the inning looked over. But the next five Twins hitters reached base, including Joe Mauer, who homered. Mauer is now batting at least .284 for the first time since June 17.
DOZIER BACKERS IN FORCE: Dozier purchased a suite to accommodate 20 or so family and close friends who drove over from his home state of Mississippi for the series. But that didn't include another 40 or so who were in the stands on Monday to see the former Southern Mississippi star take on Atlanta. The drive from Hattiesburg isn't that far. ``About four, four-and-a half hours, depending on how much lead is in your foot,'' Dozier said. So Dozier, and the Twins, had a little cheering section on Tuesday. Dozier went 1-for-5 and was caught stealing one. But he also made splendid sprawling catch in the seventh when he raced toward the right field foul line to snatch Adonis Garcia's sinking fly ball.
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La Velle E. Neal III has covered baseball for the Star Tribune since 1998 (the post-Knoblauch era). Born and raised in Chicago, he grew up following the White Sox and hating the Cubs. He attended both the University of Illinois and Illinois-Chicago and began his baseball writing career at the Kansas City Star. He can be heard occasionally on KFAN radio, lending his great baseball mind to Paul Allen and other hosts.
Phil Miller covered three seasons of Twins baseball, but that was at a different ballpark for a different newspaper. Now Miller returns to the baseball beat after joining the Star Tribune as the Gopher football writer in 2010, and he won't miss the dingy dome for a minute. In addition to the Twins and Gophers, Miller covered the Utah Jazz and the NBA for six years at The Salt Lake Tribune.
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