Twins 4, Blue Jays 3: Oh, Adam Lind, why would you swing at a first-pitch silder out of the zone? Why would you do it?

Joe West, about to run a bat boy through. (screen cap propers to the mighty Not Graphs) 

The dream of the undefeated season has died, but left open is the very real possibility of a 161-1 march through the AL (and various interleaguery). This was, on the whole, a hell of a game. Brett Cecil gave up three runs in five innings, which doesn't sound insurmountably awful or anything, but he was falling behind hitters all day and frankly it was disconcerting. Five of our most esteemed bullpen dudes then combined to allow only one run the rest of the way, but that one run, a solo home run Denard Span hit off of Jon Rauch in the top of the ninth, sucked enormously. In the bottom of the ninth, down by two, Travis Snider trickled a single through the infield and I was like oh man.  Seriously, that is totally how I was. J. P. Arencibia drove one to left, but alas. One away. Mike McCoy just barely floated a little fly ball into right and kind of crazily stretched it to a double, and if you thought I was like oh man before, just imagine the extent to which I was like oh man at that point. Escober flied out deep enough to bring Snider home, which was very good of him, but that's two out and Juan Rivera at the plate, and I don't know, man Juan Rivera . . . but he drew a walk! Jose Bautista at the dish! On Jose Bautista bobblehead day! He'd already homered in the sixth! I was actually pretty sure he was going to blast one to left and that would be that.  But he ended up drawing a walk after falling behind, and it was the kind of heroic walk with tough takes and things fouled off. Then, as I may have already mentioned, Adam Lind took a rip at a first-pitch slider out of the zone and dribbled the ball to first for the unassisted, wah-wah trumpet put-out to end the game. After Rivera and Bautista had patiently worked the count, and allowed Joe Nathan, who didn't look great, to pretty much play himself, there's Lind ripping at that first, awful pitch . . . not cool, Adam Lind.  Not cool.

But a great game!  Next up for the Blue Jays: the Oakland A's, in a series that threatens to destroy Baseball Feelings in a MEGA POWERS EXPLODE!!!-type situation. 

KS