Article: Cuddyer's finger ailment tosses curve ball into batting lineup; Denard Span is helping to fill the gap left by the "gamer's" absence, and one bit of good news: Kevin Slowey's finger is fine.(SPORTS)(PATRICK REUSSE)

Byline: PATRICK REUSSE; STAFF WRITER

The Twins had blown a 3-0 lead on May 27 in Kansas City when left fielder Delmon Young played Mark Teahen's drive into a three-run, inside-the-park home run.

Nearly an hour later, Michael Cuddyer's third hit drove in Joe Mauer with the decisive run in the Twins' 4-3, 12-inning victory. This was a game that both triggered a three-game road sweep and started Cuddyer toward an effective month at the plate.

From May 27 through June 27, Cuddyer batted .286 and drove in 19 runs in 30 games. That wasn't Josh Hamilton-like, but it was enough to give second thoughts to pitchers contemplating pitching around Justin Morneau.

On June ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!