MINNEAPOLIS -- Brooks Lee had never hit a grand slam in the Major Leagues. With a former teammate and fishing buddy on the mound on Sunday, he figured it was time to change that.
Lee cleared the bases with a two-out blast to the seats in right field, part of a six-run third inning off former teammate Chris Paddack as the Twins beat the Tigers, 8-1, avoiding a four-game sweep at the hands of the American League Central’s first-place team.
“I went to breakfast with him yesterday,” Lee said of Paddack, with whom he bonded over their shared love of fishing. “Maybe I’ll get out there in the offseason, to Texas. He really wants me to go. But maybe not so much right now.”
Royce Lewis and Byron Buxton also homered off Paddack (4-11), who the Twins also beat in Detroit on Aug. 5, one week after they traded Paddack to the Tigers for 19-year-old catcher Enrique Jimenez (Twins' No. 30 prospect). Minnesota banged out nine hits in the finale against Paddack, who was charged with eight earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.
“Obviously, it stings a little bit more when it's your former team,” Paddack said. "I'm wishing those guys the best, but I'm glad I don't have to face them again. I know Brooks is going to send me a text here in the next 15-20 minutes. One of my best friends over there hits a grand slam. You have to have fun with it, too. We're human beings.”
Buxton saw the ball exceptionally well against Paddack. He hit the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning for a sharp single to left. Then, he hit the first pitch of the third inning for a sky-high fly ball that settled into the second deck in left field.
That was the catalyst for the Twins’ biggest inning since they scored six in the second inning against Pittsburgh on July 12. Kody Clemens drove in one of the runs with a groundout and Lewis fell behind, 0-2, before battling back to draw a two-out walk, loading the bases and setting the stage for Lee’s grand slam.
Knocking the ball out of the park isn’t supposed to be Lee’s job at this young stage of his career, but he won’t turn down the chance to make some noise when he can.
“I think I just have to be smart [about] picking and choosing my times to take that A-plus swing,” Lee said. “Other than that, I’m the type of player to put the ball in play. Supposed to be gap-to-gap and outrunning the balls. But it’s more important for me to get the next guy up.”
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli wasn't surprised to see a power surge from Lee, who had an extra-base hit in every game of this series.
“He's a big, strong young man, and when he catches the ball out front, he can hit it out of the ballpark,” Baldelli said. “He’s a guy that will hit the ball on the barrel with authority by having good at-bats and getting good pitches to hit, getting in good hitter’s counts by laying off pitches.”
Twins starter Thomas Hatch (2-0) turned in the longest outing of his career to pick up his second win over the Tigers this month. Hatch threw five innings, allowing one run on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts. He and four relievers combined to retire the final 20 Tigers hitters in order.
“I've been impressed with him. It's hard not to be,” Baldelli said. “He mixes well … keeps them off-balance really nicely. It's called pitching, you know -- it's not all about throwing 100 miles an hour all the time. He has a good mix.”
After walking Lee in his first at-bat and then allowing the grand slam, Paddack earned a measure of revenge when he struck out Lee on a changeup in the sixth inning. Paddack stared down Lee as he walked back to the dugout, but it was all in good fun.
“I looked right at him and I started laughing,” Lee said. “It was 1-0 me, so I was like, 'Whatever.' He got me, too. And I think that’s his best pitch, too. He made some good pitches to me in that next at-bat. Good for him.”