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Tigers Vs. Twins: Minnesota Edged In Game 3 By Detroit, 5-1

Minnesota hitters were fanned 10 times by Detroit starter Max Scherzer on Wednesday in a 5-1 defeat.

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Twins Vs. Tigers Final Score: Minnesota Dropped In Series Finale With Detroit, 5-1

The Minnesota Twins fell for the sixth time in their last seven attempts on a sunny Wednesday afternoon at Target Field, as the visiting Tigers racked up 12 hits en route to a 5-1 series-clinching victory.

Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer was the story of the day, with a complete domination of Minnesota hitters that included 10 strikeouts over just seven innings. As the lone bright spots offensively in a game where Twins batters could only muster six total hits, Ben Revere and Joe Mauer each put forth 2-for-4 performances from the plate.

Revere, who proved that he was fully back to health by legging out his fourth triple of the 2012 campaign, has now recorded multi-hit games in each of his last three starts atop Ron Gardenhire's lineup, bumping his season average to .319.

Next up for the Twins is a brutal 10-game AL West road trip that starts Friday evening in Seattle. Struggling starter Nick Blackburn will take the mound in game one looking to get his club back in the win column.

Head over to Twinkie Town for more Twins coverage, and be sure to visit Bless You Boys for more on the Tigers. Also check out Baseball Nation for more MLB analysis from around the league.

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Twins Vs. Tigers: Brian Duensing Looks For Third Win Of The Season

The Minnesota Twins were able to snap their most recent losing skid on Monday night with a 9-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers. On Tuesday night, they'll trot out Brian Duensing to try too keep that streak alive -- though that might be easier said than done.

Duensing has just one win in his seven starts for the Twins this season, an ugly statistic considering his 5.68 ERA over his last 10 outings shows that the win-loss record isn't an aberration. His most recent outing resulted in helping the Cleveland Indians snap an 11-game losing streak as he gave up 11 hits and six runs in a loss.

The Tigers will counter with Doug Fister who, unlike Duensing, has been very solid as of late. He's been much worse when it comes to pitching against the Twins than other teams in his career, however, compiling a 1-6 record against Minnesota.

For more on the Twins, be sure to visit Twinkie Town. Want to read up on the Tigers? Head on over to Bless You Boys. For everything MLB, check out Baseball Nation.

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Twins Activate Trevor Plouffe, Send Tsuyoshi Nishioka Back To Triple-A

The Minnesota Twins got some good news when they heard that Trevor Plouffe was going to be able to come back sooner rather than later. On Monday, the team activated him from the 15-day disabled list on top of that, according to Rhett Bollinger on the official website.

Plouffe has been a bright spot for the Twins this year, hitting .259/.330/.525 with 19 homeruns in 74 games this year. He was placed on the disabled list retroactive to July 21, and had a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester, in which he went 0-for-8 with a walk in two games. Still, those rehab assignments are less about looking awesome and more about looking like you're not going to fall apart going full-speed.

Barring any setbacks, Plouffe should be in the lineup sooner rather than later, which is definitely a good things as the Twins have struggled lately. The Detroit Tigers are making a push in their division, and could be a tough team to beat right now with their strong pitching staff. Plouffe certainly helps things.

The team optioned second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka to Triple-A Rochester to make room on the roster. Nishioka went 0-for-12 at the plate with three errors in the field during a three-game series against the Indians recently.

For more on the Minnesota Twins, check out Twinkie Town. You can also head over to SB Nation's main MLB hub at Baseball Nation.

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Matt Capps Injury: Twins Pitcher To Undergo MRI On Monday

The Minnesota Twins have had trouble all over the roster this season, but the pitching staff has undergone numerous iterations due to injuries and general ineffectiveness. A regular could be returning, however, as closer Matt Capps is set for an MRI on Monday to see how his injured shoulder is recovering.

Capps has pitched a total of three innings since being diagnosed with shoulder inflammation on June 16 and, since he hasn't thrown a baseball since mid-July, the Twins don't think the MRI will help them discover anything new. Instead, according to general manager Terry Ryan, it's more to give Capps peace of mind.

"We're just doing it to make sure, so we can clear him to start throwing," he said. "We give MRIs many times to guys that don't necessarily (need one). ... A lot of times it's to give the player peace of mind. We did not schedule this because of an issue. It's about peace of mind."

Capps said that, barring any issues, he expects to return to the lineup in early September.

Head over to Twinkie Town for more Twins coverage and then visit Baseball Nation for even more MLB news and analysis.

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Trevor Plouffe Injury: Twins 3B Expected To Rejoin Team Monday After Rehab Stint

It only might take two days with Triple-A Rochester, but Minnesota third baseman Trevor Plouffe is reportedly on track to make his return in a Twins uniform on Monday according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger:

The Twins open up a three-game homestand with the Detroit Tigers on Monday, so Plouffe's presence in the lineup would come at a time when Minnesota appears to be entering a skid after a very strong two-week stretch. Plouffe finished 0-for-4 from the plate with a pair of strikeouts in Saturday's game with the Red Wings, but played well in the field and made two key plays at third late in the game.

More importantly, though, Plouffe felt good enough after the game to convince his team that he's ready to be recalled sooner rather than later, which is a great sign. The 26-year-old infielder has not suited up for a game with the Twins since July 20, but should be back with the club to open the week barring a setback.

Stay with this StoryStream for more on Plouffe's injury, and be sure to check out Twinkie Town for more Twins coverage. Also head over to Baseball Nation for even more MLB news and analysis.

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Photographs by Micah Taylor, clairity, and Fibonacci Blue used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.