DETROIT TIGERS (86-73) at MINNESOTA TWINS (66-93)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 – TARGET FIELD – MINNEAPOLIS, MN

WINNING PITCHER: Coke (2-3, 4.00)

LOSING PITCHER: Burton (3-2, 2.21)

SAVE: Valverde (34)

FIRST PITCH: 1:11 pm              GAME TIME TEMP: 70 degrees, wind S/SW at 7 mph                        TIME OF GAME: 2:43                      ATTENDANCE: 32,554

HOME RUNS: Fielder (30, off Burton, eighth inning, one on, two out, 0-0 pitch, 365 feet to left field)

PITCHING LINES:

TIGERS NOTES:

• ·    The Tigers have won nine of their last 13 games…they improve to 10-8 against the Twins this season and 7-2 at Target Field.
• ·    Anibal Sanchez tossed 6.1 innings for the Tigers, allowing just one run on five hits and one walk in the effort…the Twins run finished his day and ended a 15 inning scoreless streak, dating back to his complete game shutout on September 25.
• ·    Miguel Cabrera went (0-for-3) today and is now hitting .325 on the season, which leads the MLB coming into today’s games.
• ·    Delmon Young doubled for the 27^th time this season, and is now batting .313 (15-for-48) at Target Field since being traded to the Tigers last season.
• ·    Andy Dirks (2-for-3) recorded is 30^th multi-hit game, and second in as many games against the Twins…he is now batting .348 (23-for-66) in his last 18 games.
• ·    Prince Fielder (1-for-4) hit his 30^th home run of the season in the eighth inning, he has now homered in back-to-back games four times this season…he is hitting .423 (11-for-26) in his last seven games against the Twins.
• ·    Jose Valverde recorded his 34^th save of the season, with a perfect ninth inning…he is sixth in the American League in saves.

TWINS NOTES: ­

• ·    The Twins lost just their 13^th game when out-hitting their opponent, and are now 42-21 when getting ten-or-more hits.
• ·    Liam Hendriks tossed 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing just five hits and two walks (one intentional)…it was just the second time this season he has pitched seven-or-more innings, the last coming on August 27, when he pitched a one-run complete game against the Mariners.
• ·    Twins starters have gone 3-1, 1.67 (32.1 ip, 6 er) in the last five games against the Tigers (Since September 23 doubleheader).
• ·    Jared Burton allowed an eighth inning home run to Prince Fielder, it was his first allowed since May 24, by Dayan Viciedo of the Chicago White Sox.
• ·    Joe Mauer recorded his 23^rd game with 3-or-more hits, which leads all of Major League baseball…he finished the day 3-for-4, with an intentional walk, and is now batting .323.
• ·    Alexi Casilla stole his 19^th and 20^th bases of the season in the fifth inning, becoming the third Twin to steal 20-or-more bases this season…it is the first time that three Twins have done so since 2001 when Luis Rivas (31), Corey Koskie (27) and Christian Guzman (25) did it.
• ·    The Twins finished September 13-15, the second most wins in a month this season, behind a record of 14-13 in June.
• ·    The Twins finished the home portion of 2012 with a final home record of 35-44…they finished the 2011 season 33-48 at Target Field, and went 53-28 in the first season at Target Field.
• ·    Today’s attendance of 32,554 increased the season total to 2,776,354…through 81 home dates, Target Field’s average is now 34,275…it was the fourth highest attendance in Twins history.