Brooks Lee plays hero as Twins sweep Tigers
It’s no secret that the start to Brooks Lee ’s season hasn’t gone as the shortstop would have hoped.
Lee entered the day hitting .167, scuffling from both sides of the plate. Things haven’t been totally smooth in the field, either. And so on Wednesday night, he turned to his very first baseball coach for some advice: his dad.
“I felt like (it was) a really good talk that we had,” Lee said. “Just trying to get things off my chest, because I keep it in all the time. It’s a tough game.”
It is. But on Thursday, Lee finally got some results. And they couldn’t have come at a more important time.
Lee started the day on the bench, but he came in late and delivered the big swing that helped lift the Twins to a 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers . Lee’s two-run single in the eighth inning helped the Twins to their fourth straight win, securing the series sweep over Detroit and lifting the team over .500.
“I always believe in him in those clutch moments,” teammate Royce Lewis said. “I knew it was going to get done. I just didn’t know if it was going to be left field, center field or right field.”
After falling behind 0-2, Lee worked his way back to a full count before sending a single past diving second baseman Zach McKinstry into right field, bringing home two runs. As he reached first, he turned towards the dugout and let out a yell, perhaps one of relief.
His teammates were just as excited.
“He’s grinding a little bit, and I think it speaks to … how these guys in our dugout and clubhouse feel about Brooks Lee,” manager Derek Shelton said. “You see the genuine excitement and emotion. You know, this is a brotherhood. They know one of their guys is struggling right now, and when you come up in a big situation like that and get a hit, it’s a nice feeling to know that the other 25 guys are behind you.”
Lee’s late-inning heroics came after the Twins had gotten a strong start from Mick Abel , who had also been struggling to begin the season. After giving up a combined nine runs in his first two outings (7 1/3 innings), Abel rebounded with six scoreless innings.
While it wasn’t always smooth — he dealt with traffic through most of his outing — Abel was able to work around that.
“A lot of it came from what I was doing throughout the week,” Abel said. “Made some slight mechanical adjustments and was able to take it into today. … Everything felt good.”
In the sixth inning, Shelton placed his faith in Abel, and the young starter rewarded him for it. With the tying run on base and Javier Báez at the plate, Shelton walked up to the mound for a chat with Abel.
On his way out, he had a few words with veteran catcher Victor Caratini , whom he said yelled at him to leave Abel in. When he got to the mound, the first thing out of Abel’s mouth “made me think ‘Yeah, he’s going to stay in this game,’ ” Shelton said.
Abel responded by getting Báez to ground out, the final out of his outing. He left with the Twins protecting a one-run lead — Josh Bell , who had three hits on the day, homered in the fourth inning — but that lead quickly disappeared after he departed.
Garrett Acton , who picked up the win in his first career outing with the Twins, allowed a run in the seventh inning, tying the game up. He then threw a scoreless top of the eighth, and that was where things stood until Lee punctured the tie.
Lee’s heroics came after an at-bat by Lewis in which the third baseman got his cleat stuck in the dirt and twisted his knee, prompting a visit from a team trainer. Lewis stayed in and reached on an infield single, setting the stage for Lee with the bases loaded and two outs.
“I just feel like I’m grinding, but luckily I came through there,” Lee said.
