Chris Parmelee gave the Minnesota Twins an extra boost Wednesday afternoon as they beat the Detroit Tigers 6-2 to avoid a three-game sweep. Parmelee went 2-for-4 on the day with a home run and two runs batted in as the Twins stole a game from the Tigers at Comerica Park.
The Twins jumped out to an early lead after first baseman Justin Morneau drove in Josh Willingham with a double in the first inning. One batter later, Morneau crossed the plate on Parmelee’s first hit of the day to give the Twins a 2-0 lead.
Minnesota struck again in the top of the second when Jamey Carroll hit an RBI-double to left that extended the Twins’ lead to three. Scott Diamond got the start for the Twins and had enough run support after two innings to hold off a strong Tigers’ lineup.
Diamond started off with five scoreless innings before the Tigers cut the Twins lead to one in the sixth. Austin Jackson hit a one out double to get the Tigers going before Torii Hunter drove him in with a single to shallow right.
Last season’s Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera was next to face Diamond and followed Hunter’s single with an RBI-double to make it 3-2 Twins after six innings. Minnesota quickly responded in the seventh as Pedro Florimon drove in Aaron Hicks who tripled to start the inning.
Chris Parmelee was at it again in the eighth and hit a solo home run to deep right field to put away the Tigers for good. Parmelee’s second home run of the year gave the Twins a 6-2 lead and gave way to Minnesota’s bullpen to close it out.
Jared Burton pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Twins before Glen Perkins came in for the save. Perkins didn’t have his best stuff and gave up two hits before finishing off the Tigers for his seventh save of the season.
The Twins have Thursday off before returning to the field on Friday for the start of a three-game set with the Cleveland Indians. The Tigers immediately turn to Houston for a four-game series with the Astros .
The Twins are even with a 12-12 record and are only two games back of the Kansas City Royals for first place in the American League Central. The Tigers are a fraction behind the Royals in winning percentage and won’t face Kansas City until early-June.
With the AL Central up for grabs early in the season, can the Minnesota Twins position themselves atop the division or is this the start of a two-team race between the Royals and Tigers?
[Image via Keith Allison ]