We woke up at 5:30 this morning still thinking about the game last night. We've probably forgotten half of the things we thought of before we actually got up, but let's try a few anyway:

*What a stretch at the Metrodome. Not to overstate the obvious, but you had the sweep of the Royals, MNF and then last night's game. It's hard to top that kind of stretch.

*Outstanding game from Nick Punto. He had a 9-pitch single in the seventh, a very underrated at-bat that preceded Orlando Cabrera's two-run homer. He had a 10-pitch walk in the ninth that we really thought would produce the winning run. He had a strong at-bat against Fernando Rodney in the 10th that could have ended the game if not for a great throw by Ryan Raburn and a gaffe by Alexi Casilla (more on that later). And he made one of the defensive plays of the game in the top of the 12th to get a force out at the plate. Punto is obviously limited and takes his share of pounding from fans. But that was a great performance.

*Underrated play of the game: Jason Kubel's home run with two outs in the sixth. Rick Porcello was in lock-down mode at that point, having retired nine batters in a row -- five by strikeout -- after getting a little shaky in the third. Kubel's HR, followed by a walk to Michael Cuddyer, brought out the hook from Jim Leyland (pretty hasty, we might add ... though he seemed to be itching to take out his youngster all day, as evidenced by bullpen activity in the third inning during a very modest Twins rally). Long story short, it not only brought the Twins within 3-2, but also helped them get into Detroit's bullpen quicker. The Twins ended up getting 4 runs off the Tigers pen in 5.2 innings. The Tigers got 2 runs off the Twins' pen in 6 innings. Ballgame.

*Baserunning gaffes: We're not sure Casilla would have scored from third even if he had properly tagged up in the 10th inning. We even understand some of the rationale of not being on the bag because if Punto's line drive is a one hopper to the outfielder, the last thing that a runner wants to have happen is for there to still be a chance at a play at the plate. That said: once the ball was in the air, it was pretty clear at a point that it would be caught. Gotta get back to the bag. No other way to put it. ... Perhaps even more egregious, though: veteran Curtis Granderson straying off first base for some reason and getting doubled off on Magglio Ordonez's rocket to Orlando Cabrera with runners on the corners in the ninth. Where does Granderson think he's going? If he stays put, it's Miguel Cabrera vs. Nathan with runners on the corners and two outs.

*For everyone screaming that Matt Guerrier shouldn't have pitched the eighth against the heart of Detroit's order: Ordonez was 2-for-18 lifetime against Guerrier, while Cabrera was 0-for-8. If you ask Joe Nathan to get six outs in a one-run game, you not only ask a lot of him but you burn one of your best bullpen guys (Guerrier) after he's thrown only a handful of pitches in the 7th. Guerrier was the right call.

*Speaking of which, that was a very well-managed game by Ron Gardenhire. We liked the use of the bullpen (the only question was whether he should use Duensing over Keppel and say the hell with tomorrow let's play for today, but as it was Keppel survived). People can quibble about whether you bunt with Denard Span in the bottom of the ninth with Punto at first and no outs. Pros: Span is an excellent bunter and almost certainly would get the runner to second, while there was also a chance he could beat it out and put pressure on the defense. In a tie game in that spot, you're looking at a most likely worst-case scenario of having two cracks at getting a game-winning single. Cons: Takes the bat out of the hand of one of the team's best hitters; at that point, Carlos Gomez had already come in for Jason Kubel, so it was pretty much assured that if Orlando Cabrera didn't get a hit, the open base would be used to walk Mauer, leaving a favorable matchup for the Tigers.

Our take: In a situation like that, you bunt and guarantee two cracks at most kinds of outfield singles winning the game. Down by one, you don't bunt (and in the 7th, down 3-2, Span swung away, striking out before Cabrera's two-run homer). We don't have the numbers in front of us, but we have to imagine that while the odds of scoring multiple runs increase by not bunting, the odds of scoring a single run go up slightly by bunting. When all you need is one, you have to make that play. It's not like Gomez or Cabrera couldn't have produced hits. Cabrera has been on fire and Gomez hooked a single off Rodney in his next at bat.

*Best, classiest, truest quote of the night from Brandon Inge, who could have been a hero a couple of times if not for breaks that went against his squad: "I'm going to take the outcome out of it. Pitch to pitch, inning to inning, out to out, at bat to at bat, the best game I've ever played in."

*Best Twins game ever, as La Velle wondered? Sorry. And this is painful for someone who grew up a Braves fan. But we don't know how anything will ever top Game 7 of the World Series in 1991. That one last night, though ... that was something beyond special. Almost assuredly the greatest game we've ever attended and/or covered.

*The Twins were swept at Yankee Stadium earlier this year, but they were four extremely close games. Yes, we know it's a long shot and that the Yankees are powerful. But CC has a poor playoff track record, and beyond him there isn't a Yankees starter that should scare anyone. The Twins have gone 17-4 in their last 21 games, including five wins in a row that were essentially all elimination games. What's to say they can't win 3 of 5? Steal one tonight with the unknown Duensing on the hill and the adrenaline flowing. Ensure two games back at a building that seems to be prone to magic lately. Then let's see what happens.