Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire might have uncovered a diamond in the rough in waiver wire pickup Clete Thomas. Starting in right field for Sunday's game just hours after being claimed from the Detroit Tigers, Thomas hit a two-run homer in his second at bat in a Twins uniform to pull his new team ahead 2-1 on the scoreboard.
Though it was just the ninth home run of his MLB career, Thomas' blast appears to have solidified his ascension to the starting lineup, and should afford him more playing time in the near future if he can maintain his success from the plate.
The Twins took the lead in the bottom of the fifth after giving up a Mike Napoli solo home run in the top half. After four innings of being controlled by Texas starter Neftali Feliz, Thomas and company finally broke through on a day when it looked like they might be held without a run. Josh Willingham, the man who trotted across the plate on Thomas' homer, set the table with his 12th hit of the year to bump his season average to .448.
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