The Twins beat a banged-up Indians team Wednesday, hitting starter Paul Byrd hard in an 8-5 victory.
Nick Blackburn had a strong outing, but once again the Twins bullpen showed cracks in the armor. Boof Bonser and Dennys Reyes nearly gave away the game, but Jesse Crain and Joe Nathan preserved the lead and the win.
It's good to see Jason Kubel (three hits, homer, two RBIs) and Justin Morneau (two doubles, three RBIs) play a strong game. Kubel is one of the keys to any success the Twins might have this year. His average is up to .254.
But the continuing bullpen troubles are a cause for concern. That used to be the bedrock of contending Twins teams -- if you handed the lead off to the pen, it was pretty much all over. Now about all you can say is that if you hand the lead to Nathan, it's a sure win.
The Indians are fighting injury problems. The latest player to get hurt is catcher Victor Martinez. Jake Westbrook faces season-ending surgery today, Fausto Carmona has been out since May 24 and Travis Hafner is also on the DL. That's rough.
Meanwhile, the White Sox -- the hottest team in the league before their most recent series -- have cooled off against Detroit.
What does all that mean? The White Sox still look like the class of that division, but it's too early to count out the Indians -- if they get their players back -- and even the Tigers.
The Twins need to string several wins together to contend. We'll see if it happens.
Keywords: Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins
