Lowe is Hit Hard

Plus, the Twins got some runs off him.

For the most part, Derek Lowe's sinkerball has been his bread and butter, with a success rate that makes it a more-than-satisfying meal. But tonight, the trademark pitch came up tasting more like bread and water. The 9-2 loss also left a little to be desired when it comes to tempting a Dodger fan's palate. In a mere 5.1 innings, Lowe was pounded for a dirty dozen hits, all of which added up to an ugly nine earned runs. Six of those runs came in the second, an inning so out of control that Justin Morneau nearly batted twice. Adding insult to (a hopefully non-) injury, Lowe was hit in the forearm by a line drive, which led to him in the dugout with a trainer using some space age blow dryer-looking contraption to keep the swelling down. No word yet as to the seriousness, but it doesn't take a baseball genius (or in lieu of one, me) to figure out that the Dodgers can't afford any more holes in their already Swiss cheese-esque rotation.

In the meantime, Twins rookie phenom Francisco Liriano was pretty much money, stifling Dodgers hitters for a mere five hits and two runs over seven innings, although Nomar and Jeff Kent did manage solo jacks (the latter an absolute monster long ball). Unfortunately, that was almost the extent of any L.A. excitement. Save a sweet diving catch by Jose Cruz Jr. and Russell Martin's in-game shaving of a horrible idea mustache, there weren't many other Blue highlights to speak of. Seriously, I gave it some legit thought. Drawing a big ol' blank here.

More to come later.

—AK