A great followed just a day after a terrible loss.
On Sunday the Twins kicked away a game it appeared to have in hand, and loss in extra innings, 5-4 to the inept Royals.
On Monday, new father Glen Perkins pitched one of the best games of his life and the Twins shut out the Yankees, 4-0. It was the first time the team had shut out the Yankees at the Metrodome since June 24, 1996.
What made it even better was that Adam Everett, who made an error Sunday that cost the Twins the game, hit a two-run homer against the Yankees.
And, to complete the circle of good news, the White Sox lost, so the Twins are in first place. At least for a day.
This game was all about great pitching.
Perkins (9-3) allowed four hits and three walks while striking out four. He induced two inning-ending double plays and got a standing ovation when he left after the eighth. Joe Nathan struck out Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez and Xavier Nady in the ninth for the exclamation mark to a great win.
Yankee fans have cause for concern. They've lost four in a row, including two whippings in Anaheim. (Of course, the Angels have been beating up on everybody, and the Twins will have to bring their A game when they visit next week.) The Bronx Bombers are nine games behind the Rays and well back in the wild card chase as well.
I wondered when Sidney Ponson would start getting lit up. That he's starting at all says a lot about the Yankees' desperate need for pitchers. They just don't have enough pitching, it looks like.
But the Twins can't be complacent. They went 3-3 against the Mariners and Royals on the road, and could have won all those games. Losing when you're up 6-0 in late innings against the worst team in the American League is about as awful as it gets.
The team's biggest worry is the schedule. The Twins have a two-week road trip coming up soon that includes stops in Anaheim, Seattle, Oakland and Toronto. If they had trouble with the Mariners on the road, how will they fare against the best team in the major leagues, the Angels, as well as the Athletics and Jays? The team has been iffy away from the Metrodome.
Still, the Twins are in first for now. They face the Yankees for two more, then play Seattle and Oakland at the Baggie Dome.
On Tuesday, it's Kevin Slowey vs. Darrell Rasner.
Keywords: Adam Everett, Glen Perkins, Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees
