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(AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Season Record: 16-17

Up Next: Tigers (7:10 CT, 5/13)

1. Collecting the Victories

The win didn't come without challenges, but after working out of several tough jams in his six inning outing, Kevin Slowey collected his fifth victory of the season. The fifth win is a welcome sign for Slowey, a pitcher who did well last season, but with little run support, won only 12 games instead of what some say could have been closer to 20.

Slowey's one loss came in his previous start, a rain-shortened, three inning outing. In the win over the Tigers in the series opener, Slowey lasted six innings, allowed only a solo homerun, and improved to 5-1 on the young season while lowering his ERA to 4.91. 

The outing started with a leadoff double by Granderson and a rare walk by Slowey. A double play and a pop-out set the tone for the remainder of the night however, and Slowey time and time again worked his way through jams to last six strong innings. 

2. The Joe Show

Something happened to catcher Joe Mauer while he missed the month of April. Last season, in 146 games, Mauer hit 9 homeruns. Thus far in only ten games, Mauer has nearly half that number with four opposite field homeruns. In his most recent showing, Mauer hit a long fly to left field only to see the Clete Thomas go over the fence and bring it back. The next at-bat, Mauer hit it just a bit further to keep it in the stands. 

Each homerun has been to the opposite field, and each has been within a small area. The man that everybody once called "Mauer Power" just might now be living up to the name.

The other Joe, Joe Crede, also hit his fourth homerun in the victory. Crede has missed some games recently with some soreness in his groin, but returned to the lineup in dramatic fashion with a long homerun. Crede has played solid defense so far this season, and if he can turn on the power switch, it could put the lineup over the top.

3. Missing: Good Jesse Crain

Jesse Crain was once a hard-throwing, dominant pitcher. After hitting 95 MPH on the radar consistently during spring training, it looked as if those days might be back. Crain however entered the new series against Detroit with an ERA near 8.00. The once highly touted reliever has struggled, and the poor season continued into the seventh inning. Crain allowed a leadoff homerun and then walked the next batter before being removed. His ERA now stands at a horrendous 9.00 for the season.

While Crain struggled, there were some good signs for the bullpen on the evening. Matt Guerrier, Jose Mijares, and Joe Nathan all combined for three innings of no-hit baseball. Guerrier and Mijares each have ERAs near or at 3.50 for the season, while Nathan's stands at a tremendous 1.50 after the outing.