The Twins lost their 4th straight game on Saturday and dropped 2 games under .500 and 6.5 games behind division leading Detroit. The Twins also have now lost 4 straight series and have just 2 wins to show in the first 8 games of their 9 game home stand. Justin Morneau suffered a broken nose in the eighth inning when an errant throw by Nick Punto bounced up off the dirt around 1st base and hit him square in the nose.

Offensively the Twins put 10 hits up, but hit into three double plays to wipe out most scoring opportunities.

Sidney Ponson had another poor start, allowing 5 ER in 4.0 IP. He gave the Tigers an early lead with 2 runs in the first and the Tigers just kept adding runs through the first 5 innings. It's mid-May and time for Ponson to be replaced. The Twins likely wouldn't have won this game with Santana on the mound, but Ponson has been ineffective and there are several better options waiting in AAA.

Another guy the Twins need to start searching for a replacement for is Nick Punto. Frankly, it should have been done in the off season. Anyone who thought he could come close to matching his production of 2006 is either kidding themselves or ignoring his drop off in the final two months of last season. Punto is great in the field and he obviously plays hard, but his lack of production at the plate is hurting this team a lot. Unlike pitchers, the Twins don't have a depth of young talent at 3B. Any replacement would likely have to come via trade.

Game Notes

• Lew Ford returned to the lineup and played LF. He had 2 hits, but also hit into a double play.
• Mike Redmond had a 3 hit game to bring his average above .300 for the first time this season
• Glen Perkins pitched 4 innings in relief of Ponson. He allowed 2 runs in his first inning, but settled down and pitched pretty well in the last three. Could Gardy be stretching him out for a spot in the rotation? Perkins' ability to go 4 innings may be one of the most underrated performances of the day. The Twins had little chance of winning the game when Perkins came in, but at least he was able to give the rest of the bullpen some rest.

The Twins will get a shot at rookie Virgil Vasquez who is replacing Jeremy Bonderman for a start while he heals a blister on his throwing hand. Boof Bonser looked pretty good in his last start and will try to get the Twins back in the win column. The game is at 7:05 and will be ESPN's Sunday night game.