Game Recap #6 Philadelphia Phillies @ Minnesota Twins

Jim Thome has had a long and illustrious career in Major League Baseball. He has played for multiple teams, and both the Philadelphia Phillies and their hosts, the Minnesota Twins, are teams he has spent time as a member of. Today, he was in a Phillies uniform when he hit a three-run home run in the third inning off of Minnesota starter Scott Diamond, putting Philadelphia ahead for good. The two teams traded solo home runs in what was early on a power display at Target Field, as Thome's teammate and fellow journeyman Ty Wigginton went yard to left field in the second inning, followed by young utility infielder Trevor Plouffe hitting his shot in the bottom of the second inning, also into left field. Thome's pivotal long ball was just one of 607 for him, but it provided vital offense at a time when the Phillies needed it most. Or maybe they didn't, as Phillies starter Joe Blanton threw a complete game, allowing just the Plouffe home run among seven hits and no walks, while striking out seven. After the Wigginton and Thome homers, Diamond was able to settle down and worked through the sixth inning before Ron Gardenhire made his call to the bullpen. His first call was for Lester Oliveros, who worked into the eighth inning before running into trouble as Carlos Ruiz hit a double into left field that was able to score Shane Victorino. Alex Burnett cleaned up the eighth inning. The Phillies finished off their 6-1 victory with a ninth inning Placido Polanco single off of Jeff Gray to right-center field, knocking in Jimmy Rollins. Overall, it was a spotty effort by the Twins pitching staff, as Diamond didn't have his best stuff with him and the bullpen was unable to keep it relatively close. On the basepaths today, Rollins and Ben Revere each swiped a bag. As for Thome, just a personal congratulations to him for a very underrated career for one of the most humble players of his generation.

A side note: this is just outside of Minneapolis as we catch a late night meal before we hit the road for an all-nighter to our next location.