Clemens Crushes Go-Ahead Homer, Twins Escape Detroit 3-2

Kody Clemens hit a 374-foot home run to right center in the sixth inning that scored Luke Keaschall and put Minnesota ahead for good, 3-2. The Twins held on from there to hand Detroit a one-run loss in a game that swung wildly in the span of two innings.

Minnesota drew first blood in the opening inning when Josh Bell hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Brooks Lee to make it 1-0. That lead held until the fifth, when Kevin McGonigle changed the entire complexion of the game with one swing — a 362-foot homer to left that scored a teammate and flipped Detroit to a 2-1 advantage. That single play swung Detroit's win probability from 43% to 71%, a 29-point lurch that looked, at the time, like the decisive moment of the night.

It wasn't. Clemens answered in the very next inning. His 374-foot shot to right center brought Keaschall home and put Minnesota back on top, 3-2 — erasing Detroit's momentum as quickly as it had arrived. The story of the night was how little margin either team had to work with, and how two home runs essentially decided everything. McGonigle finished 2-for-4 with 2 RBI for Detroit; Clemens matched him with 1-for-3 and 2 RBI for Minnesota. Both men did their jobs. Only one team won.

On the mound, Dean Kremer gave Minnesota five innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 earned runs with 3 strikeouts — serviceable, not dominant. Drew Anderson lasted 5.1 innings for Detroit, surrendering 3 earned runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. Neither starter was sharp enough to put the game away, which is what made the bullpen work matter. A.J. Minter threw 1.1 scoreless innings for Minnesota — 0 hits, 0 earned runs — and that looks like the quiet performance that sealed it. Brant Hurter matched him with 1.1 scoreless frames for Detroit, but by then the damage was done. Ryan Jeffers went 2-for-3 to pace the Minnesota lineup, and Keaschall's run in the sixth proved to be the margin that held. Minnesota wins, 3-2.