The Twins had one of the longest in-season breaks in MLB history with their five days off during the All-Star Game, and all that rest proved restorative.
After entering the break going 7-8 in July — including a 11-0 shutout loss to the White Sox a week ago — the Twins dispatched of Detroit 8-4 at Comerica Park on Saturday, despite some late-inning intrigue from the bullpen. They now are 51-44 atop the American League Central, while the Tigers are 38-57 and in fourth of five teams.
"We've got a great opportunity in front of us right here," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said before embarking on the second half of the season. "We have everything that we need. We have everything kind of laid out in front of us. Now we just have to go out there and do our part. We have to go out there and play well. But we're set up."
The Twins loaded the bases multiple times against the Tigers, starting right away in the first inning. Luis Arraez, Carlos Correa and Jorge Polanco all knocked base hits off former Twins' starter Michael Pineda (2-6), with Arraez eventually scoring on Max Kepler's sacrifice fly.
Correa added a solo home run in the third inning to make it 2-0, and that was the final inning for Pineda, who exited with right bicep tightness after giving up four hits with three strikeouts.
Twins' starter Joe Ryan (7-3) was pretty solid until the sixth inning, giving up a leadoff triple to Riley Greene, who then scored on Javier Baez' single. Ryan put up two outs on the next batters before Emilio Pagan took the mound. Ryan allowed four hits but posted seven strikeouts in hits 5 2/3 innings.
The Twins broke the game open in the seventh and eighth innings. Hits to left from Alex Kirilloff and Jose Miranda, plus Kyle Garlick reaching on a fielding error from Detroit third baseman Jeimer Candelario loaded the bases. Gio Urshela brought in a run on his sacrifice fly. Then Arraez smacked a two-RBI single to put the Twins up 5-1.
Again Detroit let the Twins load the bases to start the eighth, and another error gifted the Twins a run when catcher Tucker Barnhart dropped the ball when trying to make a tag at home plate. Urshela drove in his second run on a single before Gary Sanchez also delivered a run with a fielder's choice.
Jovani Moran came in for the eighth inning and collected the first two outs, only to walk his next two batters and surrender an RBI single to Miguel Cabrera. Harold Castro followed with another RBI base hit to end Moran's outing in favor of Trevor Megill.
Megill, though, threw a wild pitch to let in another run, trimming the Twins' lead to 8-4.
Jhoan Duran was the final arm out of the bullpen to try to keep the win intact. He had a one-two-three inning with a strikeout to end the game and begin the final push of the season victoriously.
"We kind of control it all. We go out there and win games, we're going to get where we want to be, and we're going to have an opportunity to play for a World Series," Baldelli said pregame. "But it comes down to us doing our jobs and doing them well from here on out."
