Some leftover scraps from a series-ending victory:
— Sunday's game was one of those that could have been really frustrating, considering how futile their offense was after runners reached base. The Twins were 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, and they lost dozens of games that way the past few seasons. This time, Mike Pelfrey and Glen Perkins bailed them out by combining for a shutout of the Brewers, but it's clear the trend worries manager Paul Molitor.
After a walk to Torii Hunter, the Twins scored two runs on Eddie Rosario's double and Eduardo Escobar's triple, but the next three hitters — Eduardo Nunez, Aaron Hicks and Danny Santana — couldn't bring Escobar home from third. Over the next four innings, the Twins put runners in scoring position, and left them all stranded, even after loading the bases with one out in the fifth.
"We probably could have scored a couple more to take a little pressure off," Molitor complained, mildly.
— Molitor is excited about Monday's amateur draft, but he hasn't been consulted about it.
"There were a couple of times during my tenure in player development where I was around during the week prior to the draft. You'd go in and listen to some of the things they talk about, or maybe see some of the videos. The guys in the scouting area are the ones who are going to make those decisions," Molitor said. "It's kind of fun sometimes to see guys that are talented, and think you might have a chance to stock your system with some pretty good players. But we're really not a part of that" in the clubhouse.
— Speaking of the Twins' clubhouse, as if the smoke, the lasers, the flashing gloves and the dancing aren't enough celebration for the Twins after a victory, they've added a new tradition, too: Air-horn frights. Mike Pelfrey found out the hard way Sunday, returning to his locker after doing a postgame interview on the field, only to be shocked when the air horn blasted from behind his clothes. It was Phil Hughes, apparently, pulling off the Twins' latest prank. "He got me good," Pelfrey said.
— Monday's game isn't only the first of a three-game series with first place at stake, it's also the first of 13 straight games against teams with winning records. The Twins are only 9-11 against such teams, though it's 7-4 if you remove their current nemesis, the Tigers. Sunday's game concluded 16 straight against teams with losing records; the Twins went 10-6.
— The Twins had a pair of three-game losing streaks in the season's first week, but it hasn't happened again since. Sunday's win was the fourth time the Twins have halted their losing streak at two games. And with the Astros' loss in Toronto, the Twins are now the only American League teams that haven't lost four straight games this season. (Los Angeles and St. Louis can say the same in the NL.) Just remarkable resilience.
