A better loss

A loss is a loss, and the Twins lost Monday, only the fifth time this season that they've lost two games in a row. They haven't lost three straight so far. I won't be surprised or dismayed if that streak ends tonight, and I won't regard it as the beginning of a collapse.

But this loss was better than Sunday's, for several reasons:

• It came against a quality team (Boston) that is playing well
• The Twins played cleanly afield, a welcome sight after several days of sloppiness

They just ran up against a good pitcher (Rick Porcello) having one of the better games he'll have this season.

On Sunday we saw a lot of Minnesota at-bats that ended with frustrated body language. Not so Monday. Porcello didn't make as many mistakes as the Twins are accustomed to seeing.

My view: The Twins lost on Sunday. The Red Sox won on Monday. In my eyes, there's a difference.