KEY STAT
3 IP, 0 R: The work by the Tigers much-maligned bullpen, which rallied together to help the team get the win.
KEY PLAY
Alex Avila hits a double down the line in the eighth inning, which is then interfered with by fans -- both on purpose by one idiot and by accident by others who got hit by the ball as it went into the stands -- scoring Jhonny Peralta for the go-ahead run when the umpires apparently ruled he would have scored anyway. (They didn't say. But that's the only reason I can think of why the run was allowed to score.) (That was probably awful grammar.)
KEY THOUGHTS
As I watched the game-winning run get sent home by the umpire -- after the Tigers already led, blew the lead, then led again -- I could only feel like the Twins are going through the kind of feeling the Tigers typically go through in Minnesota. Run deficits, blown comebacks, quirky plays that give the home-team the win. We've been through all of that before as fans. It's kind of nice to see Minnesota paid back.
Another thought: This kind of late-rally excitement and getting-the-job-done-ness hasn't been apparent nearly enough this season. They need more of this. (Or you know early big leads are fine too...)
As to whether the run should have scored, I watched the replays on TV a few times and it's hard to tell for sure due to the edits. However I do think the run would have scored without an interference. Delmon Young wasn't running hard and was not remotely close, and Peralta was halfway to third anyway, from the looks of it.
I think it's safe to say we've found a pattern with the Tigers, anyway. When at least two of Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta have a good day at the plate, the team usually wins. Cabrera and Martinez both hit home runs, and Peralta had a two-out single in the eighth that eventually led to his game-winning run.
It was nice to see the Tigers bail out Brad Penny too. He blew a 3-0 lead and trailed 5-3 when he handed the ball off to the bullpen.
Great catch by Don Kelly in the ninth.
And let's take a moment to remember this is the third game the Tigers played in a 36-hour period. And one of those games involved a rain delay, causing the game to end at around 11 p.m. before a day game.
OTHER NEWS
Phil Coke will make a rehab start Friday with the Mud Hens and rejoin the rotation soon after it everything goes fine. (MLB.com).
The confidence poll will be posted tomorrow morning. With today being a holiday I postponed it.