Final sweep has Twins feeling positive despite a challenging first half of season

The Twins earned their upcoming All-Star break with Sunday's 12-9 victory over Detroit, a victory that has the AL Central Division's formerly last-place team aimed in a different direction.

The Twins swept the Tigers in four games and now are headed toward different destinations as well: Manager Rocco Baldelli to get married, outfielder Trevor Larnach to hang at his St. Paul home and slugger Nelson Cruz to the actual All-Star Game in Denver.

"It has been quite the first half, challenging in many ways," Baldelli said of a team that remains 11 games under .500 at 39-50. "As tough as it has been in some ways, I still enjoy being here with our guys every day. The atmosphere in the clubhouse has been real solid. The leadership our guys have brought has been very real and kept us going.

"We always take the All-Star break for what it is: a good time to get away, to reset, focus on what's to come and really enjoy life a little bit in the middle of the season."

The Twins have won six of their last eight entering that break.

"It has been a helluva first half to say the least," said reliever Tyler Duffey, who earned Sunday's victory after pitching a scoreless 10th inning. "I think we're seeing what we're capable of. We've got our guys healthy right now, our defense is clicking. We've had everybody come up and contribute. We're kind of doing everything right, picking up each other.

"That's what good baseball teams do and we're capable of it."

When asked about post-break plans, Baldelli said his team will work out at "Tropicana Field" on Thursday afternoon before it flies to Detroit.

He paused a couple beats and then said, "Did I say Tropicana Field? Wow, what is my problem? Target Field. Flashback."

Tropicana Field is the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, Baldelli's former team. He attributed the time warp to a call from his former boss, Rays manager Kevin Cash, that woke him Sunday morning.

Tigers veteran star Miguel Cabrera, who batted third Sunday, remains six home runs away from 500, at 494.

"He's pretty good, but six in five games, I hope not," Baldelli said before Sunday's game when asked about Cabrera reaching the milestone against the Twins. "I hope we're not dealing with that. He's a great player, but I don't know if we'll see it right now."

Cabrera has 45 home runs in 210 career games against the Twins, though none in eight games this year.

Sunday was Major League Baseball's first-year player draft, three years after the Twins took Larnach 20th overall out of Oregon State.

"That was a nervous day, but it was exciting," the outfielder said. "It felt like I was waiting for days to get the phone call. That was amazing and my family was there to root for me."

The draft was held early June in Larnach's 2018 draft, before he played in the College World Series. "That would have been kind of cool because that will show some teams what kids can do at playoff time," Larnach said.

Rookie first baseman Alex Kirilloff ended the top of the 10th inning with a diving, unassisted out against the speedy Willi Castro that likely kept Robbie Grossman from scoring the go-ahead run from second.

"A.K. saved me right there," Duffey said. "Thank God he had his head on a swivel and got there because who knows what might have happened after that.