Minnesota Twins postgame report: There is no rust for Nelson Cruz
By Chris Schad
In his second game off the injured list, the Minnesota Twins slugger hit three doubles and drove in four runs as the Twins beat the Chicago White Sox.
If there is one move that the Minnesota Twins made over the offseason that has made the most impact, it has been signing Nelson Cruz. Such moves don’t seem to get people excited when it involves a 38 (now 39)-year old designated hitter, but Cruz is putting together would be a darkhorse MVP campaign if it weren’t for some guy named Mike Trout.
As the Twins got Cruz back on Monday, it was fair to wonder if his ruptured wrist tendon that forced him onto the injured list for the second time this season would affect his production at the plate or if there would be a little rust after a 10-game layoff. After his performance on Tuesday, that answer was a resounding no.
The Twins would get off to a slow start against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, but the bats would get going midway through the game led by the efforts of Cruz. With three doubles and four RBI under his belt, Cruz would lead the way along with a strong pitching performance by Michael Pineda to help the Twins pick up a 14-4 win at Target Field.
The win coupled with the Cleveland Indians’ loss to the New York Mets expanded the Twins lead in the American League Central to three games and with an effort like the one Cruz provided, there’s plenty of optimism that Minnesota could put together a strong stretch against some weak opponents from within the division.