The Minnesota Twins beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in their final game of the season at Target Field 2-1 on Wednesday.
The Twins took two of three from the Diamondbacks, but a couple of Twins players suffered tough breaks in the contest.
Twins starter Phil Hughes (16-10) worked eight innings, giving up one run on five hits, while striking out five before the game was delayed by rain after the eighth inning.
Hughes isn’t scheduled to start again this season so he needed just one more out to qualify for a $500,000 bonus when the clouds opened up. After the hour-long rain delay, eight innings and 96 pitches, Hughes wasn’t able to return to work the ninth.
Phil Hughes is just one out away from getting his $500,000 bonus for 210 IP. He's at 96 pitches through 8 IP. But rain delay could ruin it.
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) September 24, 2014
Hughes did earn his 16th win of the season and finished the year with an 11.63 strikeout-to-walk ratio – the highest in Major League Baseball history.
Another Twins player also suffered a tough break. Trevor Plouffe left the game with a fractured forearm that will end his season.
Trevor Plouffe leaves the game after hitting his left arm on Pollock's knee as he slid into third. Nunez replaces him.
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) September 24, 2014
The injury brings about a disappointing end to what has been Plouffe’s best season in the majors. He hit .258 with 14 homers, 40 doubles and a .751 OPS in 136 games.
According to Hard Ball Talk, it seemed that Plouffe would just be keeping the position warm until prospect Miguel Sano reached the majors, but Sano underwent Tommy John surgery on his elbow and missed the entire season, so Plouffe could be in a similar spot again next year.
Plouffe had driven in one of the Twins’ two runs during Wednesday afternoon’s game, and he also had four hits on Tuesday night.
Danny Santana was 3-for-4 with a run scored and had three of the team’s four hits. Eduardo Escobar scored the other Twins run.
Hughes was helped Wednesday by some solid defense, including this sliding catch by Oswaldo Arcia.
The Twins begin a four game series in Detroit on Thursday to close the season. Trevor May (3-5) will face Max Scherzer (17-5) in the series opener.
