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Tigers sputter early, fall 4-1 to Twins


Final - 7.23.2011 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Detroit Tigers 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 8 1
Minnesota Twins 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 X 4 7 0
WP: Scott Baker (8 - 5)
SV: Joe Nathan (7)
LP: Brad Penny (7 - 7)

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BOX

KEY STAT

1-for-8: Tigers didn't get the job done with runners in scoring position

KEY PLAY

Top fifth: Carlos Guillen is caught stealing -- hit and run failed? -- then Alex Avila strikes out. Really there wasn't any key play. Just a lot of little ones that added up to a loss.

KEY THOUGHTS

Seemed like two things were going on. Scott Baker, coming off the DL, really mowed through the Tigers pretty good.

Meanwhile Brad Penny found himself behind in the count way too much, which results in walks and hits both. It really seemed early the Tigers were not going to be in this game. You always hope that will suddenly change, but Detroit just couldn't string hits together well enough to score. That's what happens when you bat .125 with runnners in scoring position. Penny, for what it's worth, did a nice job saving his start. It looked like he was done for in the fourth but he managed to get out of the inning with a double play, then stayed in through seven innings without giving up another run.

11 consecutive wins against the Twins was fun. Let's start over on Sunday.