Tolbert continues to shine, but Twins still lose

The Twins couldn't complete the two-game sweep over the Rays last night, as the Rays took advantage of poor pitching to beat the Twins 7-3.

Boof Bonser only lasted 4 innings and before leaving the game, he left the game, he left Brian Bass a gift. That gift was the bases loaded with no outs, but Bass let 2 of the runners in before leaving the game with the bases loaded. However, Bass' exit was not a result of poor pitching, it was due to what we later find out as a lower back strain. He was examined after the game, and is listed as day-to-day. Matt Guerrier and Pat Neshek had much better outings this time around, as the two combined for 4 strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Guerrier did allow to let an inherited runner to score on a ground out, but that was the extent of the damage that the two allowed.

Three Twins hitters had multi-hit games; Carlos Gomez, Matt Tolbert and Justin Morneau all had two hits apiece. Tolbert had a great game while filling in for Adam Everett at shortstop. He played solid defense while staying aggressive on offense. He came up big in the fourth inning, with two outs, he hit a single to right which scored Denard Span from third base. He also stretched a single into a double in the 5th inning and was later driven in. He's been a pleasant surprise thus far this season, and I hope that he continues to get the majority of the starts at shortstop while Everett is out. Joe Mauer and Delmon Young also had hits and both went 1-4 with an RBI.

Tonight, the Twins and Indians will have a battle of the southpaws. Francisco Liriano will make the start for the Twins, while Cliff Lee makes the start for the Indians. Should be a good game with two pitchers trying to make their way back into the majors. Lee has looked great so far this season, but hopefully the Twins bats can get him early.

Game Ball
Matt Tolbert - Shortstop
Line: 2-4, 1 run, double, 1 RBI

• And as I write this (3:20 am), the Rockies and Padres just finished their game (6:16 minutes after the start of the game), with the Rockies winning 2-1 in 22 innings. Wow. Out of the near 26,000 that payed attendance, I'd like to know how many stayed the entire game.