Looking to avoid getting swept, the Minnesota Twins were stunned by a ninth inning home run in a 4-3 loss to Detroit at Target Field in Sunday's series finale.
Attempting to protect a 3-2 lead, Twins closer Matt Capps served up an 0-2 fastball to Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera with a runner on base, and the All-Star first baseman promptly smashed it over the wall in center field to give Detroit a one-run advantage it would never relinquish. The blown save was Capps' first of the season, but dropped his record to 0-3 and earned run average to a rather pedestrian 4.00.
Despite the loss, there are plenty of positive that can be taken away. First, the Twins did manage to put 12 hits on the board against Detroit pitching, and knocked around Tigers starter Rick Porcello for nine hits over just six innings. And in addition to completing three double plays on defense in the finale, Minnesota racked up 30 total hits on offense over the course of the series.
Thankfully for the Twins (15-31) they will host a light-hitting Oakland team for a three-game set on Monday. Manager Ron Gardenhire will give the ball to 3-1 rookie starter Scott Diamond in an effort to get his squad back on track.
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