Justin Morneau smacked a two-run RBI single off Tigers closer Jose Valverde in the ninth inning to break a 4-4 tie and give the Twins a 6-5 win.
Jim Thome hit another home run for the Twins as well, the 601st of his career, to help the Twins take two of three from Detroit.
Miguel Cabrera knocked in a couple of runs for Detroit, including one in the bottom of the ninth that cut the lead to 6-5, but it wasn’t enough in the end.
Brad Penny started and held a 2-1 lead going into the seventh inning, but gave up a two-run shot to Rene Tosoni that quickly gave the Twins a 3-2 lead. Cabrera tied it in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single, but the Twins got the lead right back in the eighth on Thome’s RBI single.
The turning point came in the bottom of the eighth when Detroit loaded the bases with nobody out, but was only able to score a run on a sacrifice fly by Wilson Betemit to tie the game at four.
The Twins did the same in the ninth, loading the bases thanks to a bobbled bunt by Valverde and a questionable safe call at first base. Valverde struck out the next two batters, but gave up Morneau’s game-winning hit.