The Moment: The Twins were knocked on their butts early as Salvador Perez hit a another home run in the first inning, which would be the first of his two home runs in this game Just like the first game of the double header, the biggest play of the game was a positive play by the losing team. Maybe if the Twins had 2 outs in the bottom of the first when they immediately tied, then took the lead with a pair of 2 run homers of their own.
The Hero: Yep, this is going to be just like the first game, because the hero and goat of this game both belong to the losing team. Hard to argue with a guy like Salvador Perez, who collected two home runs, including one that will probably ruin some kid’s life. But more on that later.
The Goat: If your catcher gets you two home runs, you had damned well better win. That’s what Ian Kennedy had happen to him. He gave up two homers in the first inning alone, and was done after only two innings of work. The game got further out of hand in the other 6 innings of Twins offense, but truly, it was over before Kennedy’s night was done.
Torii Hunter status: Kind of a dick.
The Soundtrack: Destroyer – Saint Motel – I might have left it on 96.3 after that Twins double header. I don’t really have strong opinions on Saint Motel.
The Story: Adalberto Mejia’s return to the majors looked as though it was going to be another disaster when Sal Perez hit his early home run. This time, though, the Twins let him work through his adversity, and he made it through 7 innings. Actually, Perez and his home runs and RBI were the only flaws in Mejia’s game. If you take his at bats out, there were only 3 hits and no earned runs. That’s worthy of sainthood around these parts.
The Twins’ bats were warmed up on this chilly late May afternoon. Robbie Grossman and Max Kepler each homered in the bottom of the first, while Chris Gimenez had his first Twins home run in the 4th inning. The only Twins starter to fail to get a hit was a Eddie Rosario, and even he was robbed of what should have been his first hit. There were no holes in the lineup in the second game of the day.
Max Kepler is probably the overall star of the day for the Twins. His underrated season is best captured in his day at the plate today. In game 1, he had 3 hits and two walks, for an OBP of .500. He drove in 2 runs with his home run and scored twice. His average is a respectable .260, but he has been hitting his gaps and taking walks, leaving himself with a respectable .791 OPS on the season. He was overshadowed today and this season, but here is my official shout out to the young German.
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