The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Minnesota Twins Record First Sweep of the Year

The Twins have finally recorded their first sweep of the season on the last day of the month. Yes, it was just a two-game set, but it's a sweep nevertheless.

The Twins got their second consecutive quality start, this time from Nick Blackburn, who pitched reasonably well this time around. This was the first time a lineup had seen Blackburn for the second time, and there was substantial talk that his stuff wasn't good enough to fool the same team twice.

Blackburn wasn't as sharp as Bonser was last night, but he limited the damage the powerful Sox lineup could do, and ended up getting the support he needed to win.

The game shouldn't have been as close as it was. The Twins should have taken the 4-2 lead in fourth inning on Carlos Gomez's attempted steal of third and home.

Toby Hall did well to screen the home plate umpire from seeing the plate, since a clear view would have led to a safe call. Replays showed Gomez beating the throw, but the only call that matters is the one on the field. The Twins were held to two runs that inning. 

It looked as though the Twins might live to rue their misfortune when the Sox tied the game on Nick Swisher's RBI single in the top of the next inning. But Carlos Gomez was determined to score the winning run.

He led off the seventh inning with a bunt single, moved to second on a sacrifice, and was brought home by Justin Morneau's two-out double. 

Morneau has been at his best when the Twins need him most. He is batting .480 with runners in scoring position with an OPS of 1.456. Today was no exception as he roped the game winning double into the gap in left center.

Joe Nathan added a little drama to this one at the end by putting two runners on with only one out. Fortunately, the Twins' closer induced a fly out and the struck Swisher out to wrap up his ninth save in nine chances.

All in all, this was a very solid series for the Twins, and a great start to this homestand. Detroit comes into the Dome on Friday a much better squad than the one who stole two from the Twins at Comerica earlier this season.

If the Twins can get more good pitching over the weekend, and continue their timely hitting, there's no reason they can't also win the series over the Tigers and make this five-game run a springboard into May.   

The Good

Carlos Gomez: 3-4, 2R, 2B, RBI, SB, Outfield Assist.

The Outfield assist really just means he hit the cutoff man well, but that wasn't a given in Spring Training, so that's an improvement. It's also a consolation prize for the botched call at home.

The Bad

Nick Blackburn: 7IP, 8H, 3ER, 2BB, 4K, QS.

The rumors that Blackburn's stuff wouldn't hold up once teams saw him again proved to be false. He pitched well out of trouble, most of which he created for himself, and held the sox to one run in three innings. Avoiding big innings will be key for Blackburn's continued success.

The Ugly

Jason Kubel: 0-4, 3K, 6 LOB.

Hero today, goat tomorrow. A day after his two-run homer sparked the Twins, Kubel stranded three runners in scoring position by himself. He had plenty of RBI opportunities, but missed them all.