Most people would've said Kevin Slowey vs. Ben Sheets would be a pitching mismatch. They were right.
But few would've predicted that Slowey would be the dominant starter and Sheets would prove vulnerable.
Slowey hurled a complete-game shutout and allowed only three hits. He retired the first 10 batters he faced and struck out eight.
In his last four appearances, Slowey has pitched 29 innings and allowed only three runs with two walks -- none on Sunday -- while winning three of those starts.
Sheets, meanwhile, gave up five earned runs in seven innings. The biggest blow was Delmon Young's two-run homer in the sixth.
Some of the usual suspects had their hands in the win. Alexi Casilla, a keeper at second base, went two for four with an RBI; Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau each had a hit; Jason Kubel, whose average has gone up to .267, had a hit and an RBI; and leadoff man Carlos Gomez had a hit and an RBI.
And this was against a hot pitcher. Sheets lost for the first time in eight starts and his ERA went up to 2.83. The Twins beat an ace.
The Twins put Michael Cuddyer on the 15-day DL with a a strained tendon in his left index finger.
Some of the trends during the Twins' 14-4 interleague play bode well for the rest of the season:
* The team is starting to hit for power. Kubel, Young and Mauer need to hit homers. Morneau can't be the only deep threat.
* The quartet of young pitchers has been terrific of late. Slowey's pitched great his last four starts. So have Nick Blackburn, Scott Baker and Glen Perkins. The Twins have won 11 of 12, and Livan Hernandez was the only guy who lost a game during that span.
* The bullpen's been terrific, the way it's been when the Twins had good teams the past few years. Craig Breslow was a great pickup. I don't understand how the Cleveland Indians could have afforded to let him go -- their bullpen is horrible.
Much was made of the Twins' trades and roster moves during the offseason. Yes, it was tough to lose Johan Santana, and only one of the players the Twins got is in the lineup (Gomez). Yes, the Rays got a decent young pitcher in Matt Garza and a decent shortstop in Jason Bartlett, and Young has not lived up to expectations.
But the Twins just coming up with players from their farm system. Brian Buscher (third) and Casilla (second) have been great finds. They already a core of guys in the middle of the lineup who are all-stars -- Mauer, Morneau and Cuddyer.
I don't want to say that the Twins should go out and make unfavorable trades. But when you have a farm system like the Twins', you don't depend on getting players from other teams. The Twins have done well with homegrown talent -- which, unfortunately, they often lose.
For the moment the Twins are a game behind the White Sox and the Brewers five behind the Cubs. The White Sox play the Cubs later tonight.
