Nationals' leadoff batter Cristian Guzman lines a single to short left off Twins’ starter Kevin Slowey, who gets a line drive to right from Elijah Dukes for the first out of tonight’s game. Lastings Milledge takes a fastball off the elbow and there’s two on for DY. Dmitri Young flies out to his brother Delmon Young in left. Two on, two out for Jesus Flores. Kevin Slowey gets a groundout to short to end the DC first...Carlos Gomez squares to bunt and Jason Bergmann’s coming inside hard, Gomez saves himself with the bat, so it’s a strike. Gomez grounds weakly towards third, Aaron Boone fields and throws to first, and Paul Lo Duca puts his glove in the basepath, and almost rebreaks the hand he just spent a month rehabbing. Alexi Casilla’s sac bunt moves Gomez to third. Joe Mauer works a walk off Bergmann. Justin Morneau’s sac fly to center is deep enough to score Gomez without a throw from Lastings Milledge. 1-0 Twins.
Aaron Boone grounds out for the first out of the second. Felipe Lopez goes down swinging. Paul Lo Duca pops out foul of first, and Kevin Slowey’s quickly through two. Lo Duca misses a grounder (that wasn’t his) from Jason Kubel to let the leadoff runner on in the Twins’ half of the second. Delmon Young flies out to Casto in left for the first out. Brian Buscher drives a liner to left, Kubel tries to take third, and does, beating out the cut throw from Guzman to third when it gets away from Boone. Brendan Harris doubles off the garbage bag walls in right center, two runs score, when Lastings Milledge misplays it, 3-0 Twins.
Kevin Slowey throws a fastball by Kory Casto. Guzman grounds back to the mound. Elijah Dukes singles up the middle for the Nationals’ second hit of the game, and then promptly gets picked off first by Slowey...Bergmann gets a fly ball out to center from Justin Morneau. Michael Cuddyer pops out to Jesus Flores behind the plate. Jason Kubel grounds to first, (“Don't Worry, Lo Duca Has It")...
Dmitri Young’s on in the DC fourth with a one-out single. Jesus Flores beats out the back end of his own double play grounder when Brendan Harris’ pirouetting throw to first is late. Aaron Boone flies out for Kevin Slowey’s fourth scoreless frame. Paul Lo Duca boots a grounder to let Brian Buscher on with one down. Brendan Harris flies out deep to center where Milledge catches it, and Bergmann gets Carlos Gomez looking to end the fourth. 3-0 Minnesota.
Felipe Lopez gets a fastball and demolishes it to right and off the upper deck’s facade for a leadoff homer in the fifth. 3-1 Twins. Slowey throws a fastball by Lo Duca. Kory Casto pops out to center. Guzman hits a two-out single to right field. Elijah Dukes singles to center. Guzman to third...Lastings Milledge grounds Slowey’s first pitch to Morneau, who steps on the bag to end the threat...Alexi Casilla lines to first, "Don’t Worry, Lo Duca Has It." Joe Mauer drives a sinking fastball to left for a single. Morneau flies out to Milledge in center. Michael Cuddyer pops one straight up above first..."Don’t Worry, Lo Duca Has It." 3-1 Twins after five.
Kevin Slowey starts DY with three straight balls and follows with a fourth to walk the leadoff runner in the sixth. Jesus Flores...strikes out on the next three pitches from Slowey. Aaron Boone pokes a single to left center. Two on, one out for Felipe Lopez. Lopez grounds into a force at second, but he beats out the DP throw to first. Lo Duca pops out foul of first, Slowey’s through six. 3-1 Twins. Bergmann saws off Jason Kubel for the first out of the Twins’ sixth. Bergmann issues a one-out walk to Delmon Young. Brian Buscher backs Elijah Dukes up to the garbage bag walls in right, where Dukes catches the second out. Brendan Harris flies out to end the sixth. Still 3-1 Twins.
Kory Casto patiently accepts a leadoff walk that will chase Kevin Slowey from the mound. Jesse Crane comes on to face Cristian Guzman. Crane sort-of hits Guzman. Elijah Dukes chases a ball outside for a full count K. Lastings Milledge fouls strike three from Crane into Mauer’s glove. DY takes a two-out walk, bringing up Jesus Flores with the bases loaded. WWJD? Pops up high over second...Stand up and stretch...Saul “Sa-ool” Rivera’s on in relief. Carlos Gomez drops a bunt and gets it by Rivera for a bunt single. Alexi Casilla grounds into a force at second. Joe Mauer turfs a single through second, Casilla to third. Justin Morneau forces one through short to score Casilla. 4-1 Twins. Rivera walks Michael Cuddyer to load the bases. Sac fly from Jason Kubel scores Mauer. 5-1 Twinkies. Rivera walks Delmon Young to reload the bases. Jesus “Everyday” Colome replaces Rivera. Brian Buscher goes down swinging. 5-1 Twins after seven.
Brian Bass to pitch the eighth for the Twins. Aaron Boone grounds to center, and Felipe Lopez lines there for consecutive singles to start the inning. Lo Duca grounds to Buscher at third, steps on the bag, throws to second, to first, TRIPLE PLA...The Ump says Casilla missed the bag at second. Just a double play. Casto grounds out to end the DC eighth. Brendan Harris triples to left and off the wall. Carlos Gomez singles off Colome to scores Harris. 6-1 Twins. Two outs later, Justin Morneau singles to drive in Gomez from second. 7-1 Twins. After Colome reloads the bases with a walk, DC Manager Manny Acta pulls Colome in favor of Brian Sanches. Delmon Young doubles to drive in two. 9-1 Twins. Brian Buscher singles to right. Two more score...11-1 Twins.
BOOF Bonser on for Minnesota in the ninth. Cristian Guzman reaches on an infield single to start the ninth. Elijah Dukes drives one to center, Guzman takes third, Dukes takes second on the throw behind Guzman. Lastings Milledge grounds deep in the hole at short, and Brendan Harris throws it away. Guzman scores. 11-2 Twins. DY goes down swinging. Jesus Flores grounds to third, to second, to first, game-ending double play. 11-2 Twins.
Nationals now 29-44.