NY Mets at Twins. Twins 5, Mets 3

Did Batgirl say she didn't like interleague play? She did? Really? Wow, what was she smoking? Interleague play rules. See, I don't know if you remember, but there was this whole nasty slump-thing a while back. Okay, last week. And the week before that. And… Well, anyway, during that whole slump thing, the Twins basically allowed their asses to get handed to them again and again, day in and day out. And every once in a (great) while we'd actually win a game, and everyone would think maybe, just maybe, the slump was over—but then the next night we'd come to the ballpark and the other team would just be lined up with our asses already in their hands, and they'd say, "Hello, here are your asses. Would you like them?" And we'd say, "Yes, please. Thank you so very, very much. See you tomorrow!"

Last year, we had a horrific slump that nearly sucked us into the vortex of loserdom for good—until the All-Star Break when we came out with bats a-blazing and started to crawl our way back up. We could hardly wait for All-Star time this year; but somehow, Sunday's win (and Batgirl's birthday) combined with Monday's off-day combined with the beginning of this weird interleague mini-season has provided enough of a mental break for the Twins to get their heads out of said bums and back in the game of baseball where they belong.

Tonight, we had another pitchers' duel going for the first few innings, with Johan Santana holding his own against '90s refugee Steve "Hey, Macarena!" Trachsel. But then in the 4th, Corey "Ice, Ice Baby" Koskie singled, Torii "I'm Too Sexy" Hunter walked, and Jacque "Whoop, There It Is!" Jones tubthumped the ball into the leftfield seats, then Matt "Baby Got Back" LeCroy went boom again.

Things got a little less smooth for Twins pitching in the 7th. It looked like the inning might get away from Johan as he got one out and then proceeded to load the bases. But Johan went into his special place then and reached wayyyyyyyyyy down deep and pulled out two strikeouts.

Johan was only following Brad Radke's form from yesterday; was it too much to ask that the bullpen then repeat Juan Rincon's exercise in awesomeness? Apparently, yes; the eighth played out like an on-the-field episode of BULLPEN IDOL. First, the Roa constrictor got two outs then gave up a single, and then Gardy pulled him for J.C. Romero—who is maybe exercising his mind with summer reading a little too much. J.C. gave up two runs, and with the tying run at the plate Gardy broke form and brought in Count Chocula—who got the next four outs and literally and statistically saved the game.

The Twins have won three in a row now. Jacque "Please Don't Trade Him" Jones--no one hit wonder he-- has broken out of his slump, and the rest of the players seem to be waking up too. Joe Mauer had two doubles tonight, Luis Rivas was 2 for 3 with a triple, and Torii Hunter—of all things—walked twice. That's how you know things are changing. Oh, and unless they have a really good ninth, the Bitch Sox are going to lose to the Phillies, putting the Twins in a tie for first. Let's not give it up this time.