Twins' Brian Dozier belts 40th to join elite list of second basemen

DETROIT -- Brian Dozier reached a personal milestone amid another Minnesota loss. He's having a hard time separating those contradictory feelings.

"I'm sure when the season is over, it will mean a lot more, but I just wish this was happening in (first-place) Cleveland's position or Detroit's position, where we were making a run," Dozier said. "We're still looking at losing 100 games. ... That takes something away from this."

Dozier became the fourth second baseman in MLB history to hit 40 home runs in a season in the Twins' 4-2 loss to theDetroit Tigers. According to the Star Tribune, hejoins Davey Johnson, Ryne Sandberg and Rogers Hornsby.

Dozier is the second Minnesota player to reach 40 home runs in a season. Harmon Killebrew was the other. He did it most recently in 1970.

Dozier also extended his hitting streak to 16 games, and he now has 33 home runs in his last 76 games.

"It stinks because they are going to expect this every year from me," Dozier joked, according to the Star Tribune. "That's the only thing."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.