May 31, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer (7) looks down to the ground after a home run in the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

After being rained out Friday night, the Twins took the first game from Washington on Saturday before dropping both games in a day/night doubleheader Sunday.

REVIEW

Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit lead the offense in Saturday’s contest, highlighted by Mauer’s solo home run (100th of career) in the top of the 5th and Doumit’s game-winning single in the top of the 11th. Kevin Correia pitched good, but not great going 6.1 innings allowing 3 runs on 8 hits while striking out 7.

Not much to talk about for the second game of the series, and the first of the doubleheader. Scott Diamond dropped to 4-5, giving up 10 hits over 4.1 innings pitched – good for 7 runs (6 earned).

The Twins jumped to an early 4-1 lead, thanks a 2nd inning double off the bat of Chris Herrmann, followed by 2-run home run from Pedro Florimon in the 3rd. Samuel Deduno was predictable, pitching out of a few jams, particularly in the bottom of the 3rd and 5th innings. Anthony Swarzak entered the game in the 6th, giving up the tying run on an RBI triple to former Twin Denard Span and a go-ahead double to Ian Desmond.

THOUGHTS

• Chris Herrmann has been a nice surprise since joining the club, going 6-12 with a HR and 4 RBI in limited playing time since joining the team two weeks ago. He may not stick with the club the whole season, but it’s a nice glimpse of his potential and is much better than Drew Butera.
• Aaron Hicks left Sunday night’s game with a strained left hamstring during the middle of the 12-minute rain delay. He injured himself while trying to beat out a grounder to third. His numbers at this point aren’t all that impressive, but he’s been playing better. Losing Hicks for any amount of time will ultimately hurt the team, as there aren’t many, if any viable options to replace him in centerfield.
•  Deduno didn’t pitch a terrible game, and likely would’ve stayed in the game had it been American League rules. While many like to question Ron Gardenhire’s decision making, you can’t blame him for bringing in the team’s leader in RBI to pinch hit with a runner on third.
• Speaking of Justin Morneau, while he’s in the longest home run drought of his career, I’m still confident his power will come. Hitting over 25 HR at this point is probably unrealistic, but I still see him hitting between 15-20 by season’s end.
• The Twins need Trevor Plouffe back. He may have some doubters, but since landing on the DL with a concussion and then a strained calf, third basemen have combined to go 7-for-75 (.093) with 1 double and 1 RBI. Think about that.
• Mauer’s catch on Saturday afternoon. Holy crap. This is awesome.

UP NEXT

The Twins (27-33) will have an off day Monday before returning home for a 3 game series against the Phillies (31-33). Ben Revere returns to Minnesota for the first time since being traded for Vance Worley and Trevor May during the offseason. First pitch is set for 7:10 CT.

May 25, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher P.J. Walters (39) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Twins defeated the Tigers today 3-2, snapping their 4th longest losing streak in team history at 10 games.

The Tigers were treated to the M&M boys, as Joe Mauer hit a solo shot followed by an RBI double by Justin Morneau in the 1st. Morneau eventually came around to score on a Chris Parmelee single. P.J. Walters, making his 2013 debut, pitched 6 solid innings with Brian Duensing, Josh Roenicke and Jared Burton giving solid relief work before Glen Perkins closed it out in the 9th.

Player of the game:

P.J. Walters

6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K

Walters biggest moment of the game came in the 5th inning. Torii Hunter hit an RBI double over the head of Wilkin Ramirez in CF (he did take a terrible rout) to bring up Miguel Cabrera representing the tying run. Walters kept his cool, eventually striking out Cabrera on a full count with a nice breaking ball.

Hashtag of Day:

#MauerPower

Other news:

• Oswaldo Arcia, who’s been really struggling at the plate, was optioned to AAA Rochester Friday night. Arcia leave’s Minnesota in a 3 for 32 slump. Some might be confused why Aaron Hicks has not gone down yet, and the answer is this: there is no one to really replace him in CF. There is plenty of depth in the corner spots with Parmelee, Willingham, Ramirez and Doumit. Arcia will go to Rochester to work on putting better swings on offspeed pitches. If he succeeds, he should be back with the Twins at some point this season.
• 

  Mar 7, 2013; Fort Myers, FL, USA; dMinnesota Twins center fielder Joe Benson (12) reacts after strike out during a spring training game against the Boston Red Sox at Hammond Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

  Joe Benson was removed from the 40 man roster in order to make room for P.J. Walters, and the Twins hoped his rough start in Rochester would help pass him through waivers. 27 teams passed on Benson, but the Rangers took a flier and claimed him. There are sure to be many mixed feelings in the Twins community on losing Benson. He was named the Twins Minor League Player of the year in 2010, finishing his year with a .259 avg and 27 HR with 62 RBI. The Twins’ logic makes sense, and I’m sure their brass can’t be too upset they’ve lost him. Aaron Hicks is with the club now, if top prospect Byron Buxton can keep his current pace, we might see him manning CF by 2015. In other words, there’s not really room for Joe.

May 1, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau (33) hits an RBI double in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Twins’ Mike Pelfrey labored through the first game, before giving up a 3-run home run to Prince Fielder in the bottom of the 6th inning, proving to be the blow to Minnesota as they lost 4-3.

Game 2 was over from the start, as the Twins have not beaten Justin Verlander in the past 2 seasons. Vance Worley started the contest; while he is seeking his first win of the season, doing it against Verlander is a tough order.

The Twins were able to get things going all around in the series finale. Scott Diamond pitched another impressive outing, holding Detroit hitless until the 5th inning. Chris Parmelee had a big day, going 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBI, helping Minnesota to a 6-2 win to put the club back at .500.

THOUGHTS

• I’ve used a lot of space here to talk about Aaron Hicks. And I probably won’t stop any time soon. He’s been hitting more consistently, getting on base and taking better at-bats. He’s 6 for his last 22, good for a .273 avg. He’s also had two extra base hits in that frame, including a 7th inning lead off triple in Sunday’s win over Detroit. It was nice to finally see him showcase how quickly he can get to third base.
• Justin Morneau looks like he is trying to put the ball over the fence a LOT early this season. But in the Detroit series, he looks like he’s putting better swings on the ball. His game on Sunday shows that, with a first inning double down the left field line and then a bases loaded bloop in short left-center in the 7th. He’s hitting .313 over the past week.
• Mike Pelfrey looked like he was going to deliver a quality outing until the Prince Fielder HR in game 1. I have to agree with Ron Gardenhire. “For the most part, he mixed his pitches in and out and did a nice job,” Gardenhire said. “You’re talking about a guy that’s missed a year of baseball, coming back from an elbow surgery. It’s a process. It doesn’t just happen overnight. He needs innings and the only way you’re going to get innings is by pitching like that.” Pelfrey just needs to command his pitches better, and he may be a guy who gets better as the season progresses. At least I hope so.

Joe Mauer had the day off on Sunday, and deservedly so considering the terrible slump he’s been enduring, going 3 for his last 34. Let’s hope 2 days of rest helps Mauer start hitting like Mauer.

UP NEXT:

The Twins (12-12) travel to Progressive Field for a weekend series against the Indians (12-13). It is the first meeting of what should be plenty of fun games to watch this season, as I compared the two clubs here.