DETROIT _ It's taken Ehire Adrianza some time to learn this, but the Twins prefer their Venezuelan shortstops to turn into extra-base machines.
Looks like Adrianza has finally caught on.
Adrianza, stealthily compiling the greatest slugging month of his career, smacked a two-out, bases-loaded fastball into the right-field stands at Comerica Park on Tuesday, his first career grand slam and the game-breaking moment in the Twins' 6-4 victory over the Tigers.
With the Twins trailing 2-1 in the seventh inning, Adrianza worked the count to 3-1 against Detroit right-hander Warwick Saupold, and took advantage of the reliever's reluctance to walk in the tying run. When Saupold's 92-mph fastball hung belt-high, Adrianza upper-cutted it into the first row of seats over right fielder Nicholas Castellanos' head, setting off an energetic celebration inside the Twins' dugout.
If you thought Adrianza was just about the least likely Twins hitter to blast a grand slam, well, there was a time when that may have been true. But not lately. With eight career home runs over six major-league seasons, Adrianza had never hit two home runs within any two-month period, until now. The game-winner against Saupold was his third home run in two weeks.
No, he's not the extra-base hitter that Eduardo Escobar, like Adrianza a Venezuelan utility infielder, has become _ Escobar still leads the majors in doubles, after all _ but he's having an impressive June. In his last nine starts, Adrianza has piled up five doubles, a triple and three homers, and a slugging percentage of .900.
The Twins needed Adrianza's big blast, because at the moment he hit it, it was only their fourth hit of the night, and just the second to leave the infield. Left-hander Blaine Hardy shut down the Twins' offense, facing three batters in four of his six innings, and four batters in the other two. The Twins scratched out a run against Hardy, though that was mostly Adrianza's doing as well: He beat out an infield dribbler to third base, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Ryan LaMarre's fly ball to left.
But when Escobar led off the seventh inning with a single, Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire lifted Hardy, and Detroit's bullpen quickly made the mess much worse. Louis Coleman walked Miguel Sano, and then, after recording two outs, walked Logan Morrison, too, to load the bases. Gardenhire went to Saupold, Adrianza waited for a fat pitch, and the Twins were on their way to their second straight win.
The Twins added an insurance run in the eighth inning, with Sano delivering a two-out single to drive home Eddie Rosario.
Jake Odorizzi was his usual high-pitch-count self, needing 102 pitches to last five innings and putting runners on base in all five. He gave up four hits and four walks, but stranded three Tigers in scoring position, and allowed just two runs. One came on a shot into the right-field corner by Jose Iglesias that got past Max Kepler for an RBI triple. Iglesias then scored on a sacrifice fly by Leonis Martin.
Detroit added two more runs in the seventh to close within 5-4. With Niko Goodrum and Victory Martinez on base and two outs, JaCoby Jones hit a slow roller toward Escobar, whose throw sailed over Morrison's head at first base, allowing both to score. Goodrum was playing in place of two-time AL MVP Miguel Cabrera, who suffered a biceps injury while swinging at an Odorizzi pitch in the third inning. Cabrera dropped his bat and grabbed his arm in pain, then walked to the dugout and into the clubhouse.
