Ace makes it a race Tigers 1 at Twins 12 September 10th, 2006 at 10:17 pm
Johan Santana is always a great pitcher, but in big games he somehow manages to step it up a notch. He was virtually unhittable on Sunday against the Tigers as he led the Twins to a series victory over the flailing Tigers. Pitch count knocked Santana out of the game in the seventh. Before leaving he allowed just four baserunners and struck out 11.
The victory moved the Twins to within 2 games of the AL Central leading Tigers. Had they lost, overcoming a 4-game deficit would’ve been unlikely, but now the race is on. One race that is probably over, is the race for the AL Cy Young. Santana leads both leagues in wins (18), ERA (2.75), opponent batting average (.212) and strikeouts (230).
The bats also came alive against Jeremy Bonderman and the Tiger bullpen. The Twins scored one run in each of the first, second and fifth innings, but then exploded in the sixth and seventh with five and four runs, respectively. The Twins managed the dozen runs without a single homerun. All it took was 10 singles, 2 doubles and 3 triples.
Game Notes
- Mauer’s bat might be hot again. He’s riding a five game hit streak and has five hits in his past two games. He nudged his average to .350 on Sunday with a 2-3 night at the plate.
- Nick Punto was 4-5 with 2 runs and 3 RBI.
- Torii Hunter was 3-4 with 2 runs.
- Michael Cuddyer was the only starter without a hit.
Chicago loses
Most importantly C.C. Sabathia and the Cleveland Indians took down the White Sox on Sunday to give the Twins a slightly more comfortable 1 1/2 game lead in the wild card race.
The Twins will play a pretty hot Oakland team in a three game series to begin on Monday. Matt Guerrier will replace Scott Baker as a starter on Tuesday and Francisco Liriano will make his long-awaited return on Wednesday. Bert Blyleven will also return to the booth on Monday after serving his suspension for dropping a couple F-bombs in last Sunday’s pre-game telecast.
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