If there were a way to put a positive spin on a 4-game sweep, I'd probably mention that 3 of the 4 games were lost by just 1 run and the other one was lost by 2 runs in walk-off fashion. Considering they're outspent by the Yankees $201 million to $65 million, the Twins put up a better fight than one would logically expect. It's fun to dream about how good just an extra $25 million well spent would make the Twins.

Monday's game seemed finished almost as soon as it got started. Although the Twins put a couple runs up right away in the first, Glen Perkins allowed 6 runs to the Yankees in the bottom of that inning before leaving with just 2 outs. R.A. Dickey did a marvelous job keeping the Yankees bats at bay as the Twins slowly pecked away at that lead. Dickey pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings.

After the game, Perkins was placed on the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation. Perkins disclosed that it was something that had been bothering him for a while, which helps explain his sudden collapse after starting the season with 3 fantastic starts. Perkins allowed just 4 runs in 24 innings to start the season, but in the 5 starts since then has allowed 24 runs in 23 innings.

Sean Henn was called up from AAA to replace Perkins. Henn will try to help out the struggling bullpen. He's definitely had a good 2009 in Rochester so far, posting a 1.13 ERA through 24 innings. He posted a 5.82 ERA in 17 innings of minor league pitching in 2008. Henn has pitched at the major league level in parts of the past 4 seasons, accumulating a 7.56 ERA in 66 2/3 innings. In other words, he's probably not going to be much a difference maker for the Twins. He's just an easy option to try something different.

The Twins will wait until Saturday when Perkins was scheduled to start next to name a replacement starter. R.A. Dickey, who effectively started last night's game, and was also the substitute when Baker started the season on the DL, would be an easy candidate for a couple spot starts if Perkins' injury is not serious.

Game Notes

• Justin Morneau capped off a good weekend in New York. He was 4-5 at the plate with 2 doubles. For the series he was 9-16 with 3 home runs.
• Michael Cuddyer hit his 4th home run of the season, a solo shot in the 4th inning.
• Carlos Gomez was 2 for 3 and even drew a walk in the ninth inning. With 4 hits and 2 walks in the past 2 games, he's made the most of his increased playing time while Delmon Young is away.