Twins take rubber game vs. Yanks

After the way the Twins lost Tuesday, you had to wonder if they would end up demoralized against the Yankees, who have always manhandled them.

Nope. The Twins got a great start from Kevin Slowey, and Delmon Young's three-run jack was the difference in the team's 4-2 win.

Slowey allowed only three hits and one run in six innings, and the bullpen finished it off. Joe Nathan earned his 32nd save in 34 chances. Nathan, who has an ERA of 1.05.

Can that number be right? Yup. He's been the rock who's stabilized a shaky pen that was hard-hit by the season-ending injury of Pat Neshek a few months ago. The pen, undermanned without Neshek, has been overworked because of the young starters who usually go only about six innings.

Maybe the biggest story of this game is Young's resurgence. After starting slowly, he's finding his stroke. He hit a three-run homer Tuesday that tied the game in the ninth. He was two for four and boosted his RBI total to 52.

It was also good to see all-star Joe Mauer back after he sat out the game Tuesday. He was two for three with two runs scored.

Here's an interesting stat: Five players in the Twins' lineup are hitting over .300: Denard Span, .308; Mauer, .313; Morneau, who's been in a bit of a slump, .303; Brian Buscher, .303; and recent call-up Randy Ruiz, .357.

The biggest story for the national media coming from the series is, of course, that the Yankees have been in a slide and might miss the playoffs for the first time since 1993. That would be glorious, of course, but you can never count them out. They have too much talent to be written off. Last year they were horrible in May and ended up making the playoffs.

A buddy of mine who's a fanatical Red Sox fan thinks the Yankees would've given Boston a lot of trouble last year.  That could be -- and let's remember a plague helped the Indians knock off the Yanks. Yes, I know, it's tempting to think it was divine intervention. But I prefer to think of it as just dumb luck.

The Twins are now tied with the White Sox, who play the Royals this evening.

The next foe for the team is the Mariners at the Baggie Dome. It's ex-Twin Carlos Silva vs. Francisco Liriano. 

Liriano has done well so far, and the team will need him to have a great start every time out.

The bullpen continues to be a source of concern. The Twins have middle-relief issues. Still, aside from the Angels, who doesn't?