MINNEAPOLIS -- More moments like the ones on Sunday were expected from this Twins team -- moments of near violence.
The guy whose single enabled the winning runs to score, Delmon Young, was backpedaling faster than Floyd Mayweather from a Manny Pacquiao fight as teammates tried to pound on him.
"None of the big bodies got me," Young said after going 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI, "but the little bodies got me."
The guy who scored the winning run, Michael Cuddyer, was doing a system check after Jim Thome went after him in front of their dugout.
"We have some beasts on this team like Thome, knocking helmets off, which he did to me," Cuddyer said. "I would run away, too."
ADVERTISEMENT
Have more days like Sunday's
7-6 comeback over the rival White Sox, and perhaps the Twins will get bored with extreme celebrations -- or perhaps players will become desensitized from all the blows they receive.
But if Cuddyer's ears are still ringing, that means the Twins did something right. And they will need more of it.
"Three out of four," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said after his team's third walk-off victory at Target Field and first since May 22 against Milwaukee. "And hopefully we are back on the right track. I thought the guys didn't give up."
The Twins entered the bottom of the ninth inning down 6-3 and three outs away from a split of the four-game series against AL Central-leading Chicago, a split that would have left the Twins at 3½ games back in the division.
But they took turns being unflappable against hard-throwing closer Bobby Jenks. The inning began with walks to Orlando Hudson (on 10 pitches) and Joe Mauer (four). Jason Kubel fell behind 0-2 but got a fat pitch from Jenks and singled in a run. Cuddyer added an RBI single to make it 6-5 and send Jenks to the showers in favor of Sergio Santos.
Jason Repko, playing in only his sixth game for the Twins since being called up June 24, worked a five-pitch walk, setting up a bases-loaded single by Young that scored pinch runner Nick Punto with the tying run. When center fielder Alex Rios' errant throw zipped through the infield and was caught by the screen in front of the White Sox dugout, Cuddyer scampered home with the winning run.
"I didn't have it," Jenks said. "My cutter was coming back. My sinker wasn't sinking. The slider was big. I just didn't have my stuff today."
ADVERTISEMENT
The Twins' four-run outburst, all with nobody out, sent an announced sellout crowd of 40,336 home happy, except for the White Sox fans in attendance. Winning three of four in the series enabled the Twins to pull into a second-place tie with Detroit, 1½ games behind Chicago.
Now the Twins can salivate over their favorable schedule, as they have 13 consecutive games against teams with losing records, beginning with three at home against the rebuilding Cleveland Indians starting today.
Cleveland put the Twins in position to climb the standings by sweeping the visiting Tigers in four games over the weekend. Mike Redmond, the former Twins catcher, was released by Cleveland on Saturday.
"We've had a number of players talk to Mike Redmond," Gardenhire said. "(The Indians) have a lot of very good young players and they get after the game. They play hard. They had a good series against Detroit, and that's not all bad for us, but we have to do our job against Cleveland."
Twins 7, White Sox 6
Chicago Minnesota
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Pierre lf 5 0 0 1 Span cf 4 0 0 0
Vizquel 3b 5 0 2 0 OHudsn 2b 4 1 1 0
ADVERTISEMENT
Rios cf 5 1 2 0 Mauer c 4 1 1 0
Konerk dh 5 1 2 0 Kubel rf 5 1 3 1
Quentin rf 3 1 2 2 Punto pr 0 1 0 0
AnJons rf 1 0 1 0 Cuddyr 1b 5 1 3 2
Kotsay 1b 4 0 0 0 Thome dh 4 1 2 0
AlRmrz ss 2 3 2 0 Repko pr-dh 0 0 0 0
RCastr c 3 0 1 1 DlmYn lf 5 1 2 3
Bckhm 2b 4 0 4 2 Valenci 3b 4 0 2 0
ADVERTISEMENT
_ Hardy ss 4 0 2 0
Totals 37 6 16 6 Totals 39 7 16 6
Chicago 001 014 000--6
Minnesota 021 000 004--7
No outs when winning run scored.
E--Rios (2). DP--Chicago 1, Minnesota 3. LOB--Chicago 7, Minnesota 12. 2B--Quentin (17), Al.Ramirez (16), Mauer (27), Hardy (9). 3B--Cuddyer (4). HR--Delm.Young (11). SB--Quentin (1). CS--Rios (10). S--R.Castro.
IP H R ER BB SO
Chicago
ADVERTISEMENT
F.Garcia 6 11 3 3 1 1
Thornton H,14 1 0 0 0 0 0
Putz H,9 1 2 0 0 0 2
Jenks L,1-2 0 2 4 3 2 0
S.Santos BS,1-2 0 1 0 0 1 0
Minnesota
Blackburn 5 9 5 5 0 1
Duensing W,3-1 4 7 1 1 1 1
ADVERTISEMENT
Blackburn pitched to 3 batters in the 6th.
Jenks pitched to 4 batters in the 9th.
S.Santos pitched to 2 batters in the 9th.
HBP--by Blackburn (Al.Ramirez). WP--Blackburn.
Umpires--Home, Dan Iassogna; First, Dale Scott; Second, Jerry Meals; Third, Mark Wegner.
T--3:07. A--40,336 (39,504).
