Game 159: Twins split series with Tigers
Minnesota @ Detroit (Game 4 of 4)
The Twins made sure that there would be no celebration in Detroit as they beat the Tigers 8-3 to split the series. The Twins fought to battle another day, however, there was no cause for celebration on the behalf either.
The Tiger took an early 1-0 lead in the second after a fielding error by Delmon Young allowed Marcus Thames to get to second base on a base hit to left field. Thames advanced to third on a ground out and scored on a single from Gerald Laird.
The lead for the Tigers wouldn’t last long, though, as the Twins fired back in the top of the third when Joe Mauer hit a single to center that scored Nick Punto. Michael Cuddyer followed with a single that scored Denard Span and Jason Kubel hit a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1 in favor of the Twins.
With the lead in hand, Scott Baker labored on the mound but cut through the Tigers line up in the third and even pitch out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth to retain a 4-1 lead.
Tempers would start to flare, however, after Marcus Thames was hit by a pitch in the fourth and slide hard into Orlando Cabrera on a ground out from Brandon Inge. Baker came up and in to Thames once again in the fifth, which got a glare from Thames, who then proceeded to stare at the next pitch for strike three.
Baker would be taken out of the game after five innings and giving up one run, which was not earned, off five hits with three strike outs and three walks. The bullpen would take over and hold the three run lead before the Twins opened the game up in the top of the eighth.
The Twins loaded the bases with two out in the eighth before Orlando Cabrera hit a base clearing double to left field. Cabrera then scored on a single from Mauer to make it a 8-1 ballgame.
The Tigers also had a two out rally in the bottom half of the inning when Carlos Guillen scored on a fielding error from Matt Tolbert. Jose Mijares would come in to relief Matt Guerrier and apparently did not like the fact that Gerald Laird stole second base on him so he threw at Adam Everett. Laird would eventually score on a single from Curtis Granderson to make it a 8-3 game.
As it is in baseball, Delmon Young was plunked on the first pitch from Jeremy Bonderman in the ninth, which got Bonderman ejected, as a livid Delmon Young pointed and yelled at his own dugout. By that time, though, the game was pretty much over as the Twins held on to the lead to beat the Tigers.
The Twins committed four errors during the game, although they only gave up three runs. The Tigers had three ejections during the game with home plate umpire, Angel Hernandez, ejecting Jim Leyland, Gerald Laird and Jeremy Bonderman throughout the course of the game.
Attendance: 40,533 (Comerica Park)
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