Craig Monroe entered Tuesday night's game with a .103 average against left-handed pitchers this season, but even though the Twins were facing a lefty starter, Monroe had an advantage -- that lefty was a Detroit Tiger.
Admittedly playing with some extra adrenalin against his former team, Monroe hit his second home run off a left-handed pitcher, taking starter Nate Robertson deep for a three-run, momentum-changing blast in the fourth inning. "To be in Detroit and be a Tiger for a long time, the respect for my ex-teammates is always there," Monroe said. "But the desire to go at it and do something against them is way up, it burns inside to get the opportunity to do something special against that team."
Monroe is batting .389 (7-for-18) with two homers and six RBIs against his former team this season, but for manager Ron Gardenhire and Monroe, even more encouraging -- considering that the Twins signed Monroe largely to hit left-handers -- was that the home run came against a lefty.
"We need him to hit lefties," Gardenhire said. "We need him to do some damage against them."
TWINS 6, TIGERS 4: RHP Scott Baker threw his fifth consecutive quality start, and though the Twins stranded eight baserunners, Minnesota knocked out Detroit starter Nate Robertson early with consecutive three-run innings in the fourth and fifth to end the Tigers' six-game winning streak.
