Game #22 - Back-to-Back Series Wins

The Twins got to Tampa Bay starter Scott Kazmir early and never relented, winning 8-3 and scoring its second-consecutive series win.

Minnesota scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning without hitting anything hard. The inning featured some classic Twins' manufacturing of runs, complete wild pitches, miscommunication in the outfield, and dribblers up the middle.

Nick Blackburn was solid in his start. He scattered 8 hits over 7 innings, surrendering 2 runs. The right-hander has now picked up wins in his last 2 starts, going 7 innings each time, and surrendering a total of 3 runs to fine hitting teams Cleveland and Tampa Bay. Craig Breslow pitched a solid 8th inning, and Luis Ayala allowed a single run in the 9th.

At the plate, the Twins' top 3 hitters in the lineup each had 3 hits - Denard Span, Brendan Harris, and Justin Morneau. Span also added a triple, adding to his impressive first month of the season.

Joe Mauer will return to the Twins' lineup on Friday. We'll see if the team options Jose Morales to Rochester, despite the fact he has started 7 of the last 9 games and is hitting .349 on the season, or put Mike Redmond on the DL.

The Kansas City Royals come to town on Friday for a 3-game set. Pitching match-ups feature:

• Friday, 7:10pm - Kevin Slowey (3-0) vs. Sidney Ponson (0-3)
• Saturday, 6:10pm - Glen Perkins (1-2) vs. Brian Bannister (2-0)
• Sunday, 1:10pm - Gil Meche (1-2) vs. Scott Baker (0-3)

Around the AL Central:

• Chicago White Sox 6, Seattle 3 - The Whities scored 5 runs in the 6th-8th innings, and Seattle had no answer. Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye hit back-to-back homers in the 7th inning, and A.J. Pierzynski also went deep. Gavin Floyd started and went the first 6, but Matt Thornton picked up the win in relief. Bobby Jenks finished for his 5th save, and the Sox improved to 11-10.
• NY Yankees 8, Detroit 6 - The Yanks took the series from the Tigers on the heels of 2 homers from Nick Swisher. Starter Rick Porcello was knocked around in 3.2 innings, surrendering 6 runs on 6 hits. The Tigers made it interesting in the 9th, scoring 5 runs including Curtis Granderson's 3-run homer off Mariano Rivera. However, the great closer got the final out and saved it for Joba Chamberlain. The Tigers are now 11-10.
• Boston 6, Cleveland 5 - Jonathan Van Avery's first major league homer in the top of the 10th against Jensen Lewis gave the Red Sox the victory. Cleveland's Fausto Carmona finally had an effective start, giving up 5 hits and 2 runs over 6-2 innings. Mark DeRosa and Kelly Shoppach hit home runs for the Indians, who fell to 8-14 on the season.
• Kansas City 11, Toronto 3 - Zack Greinke became the first pitcher to win 5 games this season, but did allow an earned run this time. In fact, he allowed 2 earned runs over 7 innings, striking out 8 on the season. In his incredible start to the season, Greinke is allowing 11.0 strikeouts per 9 innings, and only 6 hits in that same span. Billy Butler had 4 hits, including 2 homers, and 4 RBI for KC. Mark Teahen also went deep. The Royals are also 11-10.

Around the Minors:

• AAA - Rochester 1, Buffalo 0 - Kevin Mulvey, Mike Gosling, Bobby Keppel, and Sean Henn combined on a 7-hit shutout of the Bisons. Dustin Martin batted in Jason Pridie for the Red Wings' only run in the bottom of the 7th inning. Pridie had 2 hits in the game. Rochester is now 7-10.
• AA - New Hampshire 5, New Britain 0 - The Cats were shut out on 5 hits (all singles) by New Hampshire. Ryan Mullins started and lost for NB, going just 4.2 innings and giving up 8 hits and 4 runs. Zach Ward pitched the next 2.1, giving up 3 hits and a run. The Rock Cats are now 7-11 with the loss.
• High A - Ft. Myers 5, Palm Beach 1 - Ben Revere and Mark Dolenc each had 3 hits, pacing the Miracle. Mike McCardell was good through 7 innings (5 hits and 1 run), and Santos Arias finished up with 2 scoreless innings. Ft. Myers improves to 12-7 with the win.
• Low A - Dayton 2, Beloit 1 - The Snappers managed just 2 hits in a loss to Dayton. Evan Bigley provided the team's only extra-base hit with a double. Brad Tippett went the first 5.1 innings, allowing only 3 hits and a run. Henry Reyes took the loss, giving up 5 hits and a run in his 2.2 innings. Danny Rondon finished up with a scoreless 9th inning. Beloit is 6-12 with the loss.

When you're done reading this entry, check out my latest on Examiner on Bemidji State's application to the WCHA.

Game #21 - Rare Blown Save; Victory Follows

Joe Nathan blew his first save of the season, allowing a 9th inning pinch hit homer to Ben Zobrist to tie the game at 3, only to see the Twins rally in the bottom half to take a 4-3 victory. Justin Morneau's force-out in the bottom of the 9th scored Jose Morales to give the Twins the win. The team is now 10-11.

Francisco Liriano had a solid effort, going 6.2 innings and allowing 7 hits and 2 runs. He took the no-decision, but it was encouraging to see him bounce back after his debacle in Boston last Wednesday. Another bright spot was Jose Mijares striking out the side in the 8th inning.

At the plate, Morneau was 1-5, but batted-in 3 runs, thanks to his 2-run homer in the top of the 1st (his 5th). Jose Morales continued his hot hitting, going 2-4.

The team's struggles with men on base continued on Tuesday night, going 1-8 in the game. They also hit into 3 double plays.

After you read this post, check out my Examiner.com piece on the struggles of Scott Baker and Liriano during the first month of the season.

Around the AL Central:

• Cleveland 9, Boston 8 - The Indians won a wild affair with a walk-off win to end Boston's 11-game winning streak. Ben Francisco and Mark DeRosa each went deep for the Tribe, and DeRosa went 4-5 in the game. Anthony Reyes continued Cleveland's starting pitching woes this season with a 2-inning, 9-hit, and 7-run line. Kerry Wood picked up the win one night after blowing a save against Boston. Cleveland is now 8-13 on the season.
• NY Yankees 11, Detroit 0 - The Yanks broke their losing streak with a 10-run 7th inning to break open a scoreless game. Phil Hughes combined with three relievers on the shutout in his first MLB appearance of the season, going 6 innings and allowing just 2 hits. Edwin Jackson matched Hughes's 6 innings with 6 scoreless innings of his own before the Detroit bullpen imploded in the 7th. The Tigers are now 11-9.
• Chicago White Sox 2, Seattle 1 (game 1) - The Whities took game one of the twi-night doubleheader behind a strong performance by Bartolo Colon. The big right-hander went 7 innings, allowing 4 hits and 1 run in picking up the win. The White Sox had just 2 hits on the game off Chris Jakubauskas, but Paul Konerko's 2-run double in the 4th inning provided all the offense Chicago would need.
• Seattle 9, Chicago White Sox 1 (game 2) - In the nightcap, the Mariners rode "King" Felix Hernandez to the victory. Hernandez went 8 innings and allowed no runs and 3 hits, while striking out 9. John Danks took the loss for Chicago, lasting just 4 innings and giving up 8 hits and 5 runs. The Whities are 10-10 with the doubleheader split.

Around the Minors:

• AAA - Rochester and Buffalo were postponed
• AA - New Britain 6, New Hampshire 4 (10 innings) - The Cats manufactured 2 runs in the top of the 10th to win the game. Anthony Slama picked up the win in relief, and starter Jay Rainville was pretty good in his 6 innings of work, allowing 6 hits and 3 runs. Brian Dinkelman went deep for New Britain and had 3 RBI. The Rock Cats are now 7-10 with the win.
• High A - Palm Beach 4, Ft. Myers 3 (11 innings) - Despite an 11-hit attack, the Miracle could not hold a one-run lead in the 9th inning and lost in the 11th. Ben Revere went 3-4 for Ft. Myers and also walked twice and picked up his 13th RBI. Joe Mauer was 1-2 with a double and an RBI in the game. Starter Tyler Robertson struggled through 4 innings, surrendering 2 runs on 2 hits and 4 walks. The Miracle is now 11-7 with the loss.
• Low A - Beloit 4, Kane County 0 - The Snappers shut out the Cougars behind the strong pitching of Bobby Lanigan and Joe Testa. The pair scattered 8 hits in the game for the win. Dominic de la Osa had 3 hits, while Evan Bigley, Ozzie Lewis, and Michael Harrington had 2 apiece. Beloit is now 6-11 with the win.

Misc.:

• I'm now on Facebook, so you can easily follow my writing for both this site and the Examiner.com off of that. I'm somewhat embarrassed that I joined the site - I'm prepared for the ridicule - but felt it would be a good way to market my writings.
• I'm also on Twitter, but since I currently don't have a cell phone, I haven't posted anything here yet.
• Why not play some Bobby Darin today? How about one more in a shout-out to my dad?

Game #20 - More of the Same

Scott Baker started out shaky, settled down in the early innings, but the Twins couldn't take advantage of their chances in a 7-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Baker started and went the first 6, giving up 6 hits and 4 runs. After allowing 3 consecutive hits in the top of the 1st, Baker sent the next 10 hitters down before allowing 2 runs in the top of the 5th to stake Tampa to a 4-0 lead.

At the plate, the Twins did not capitalize on their chances, going 0-9 with runners in scoring position and leaving 17 men on base. Joe Crede's homer accounted for the only Twins' run.

Baker was better on Monday but dropped to 0-3 on the season and his ERA is still at 9.82. He had a shaky first inning and settled down to retire 10 straight, and he also struck out 7 hitters. However, when the Twins needed him to continue to hang zeroes, he couldn't do so. However, the Twins' bats were completely silent and didn't do him any favors in the process.

Around the AL Central:

• Detroit 4, NY Yankees 2 - The Yanks' struggles continue in a loss to the Tigers. Justin Verlander was fabulous for Detroit, out-dueling CC Sabathia with 7 shutout innings and striking out 9. Magglio Ordonez's 2-run homer supplied the difference.
• Boston 3, Cleveland 1 - The hated Red Sox won their 11th straight after getting to Kerry Wood in the top of the 9th for 3 runs on Jason Bay's 3-run shot. Cliff Lee was brilliant, going 8 innings and allowing no runs on just 5 hits.
• Kansas City 7, Toronto 1 - The Royals once again received strong starting pitching in a win over the Jays. Brian Bannister went to 2-0 after his call-up, going 7 innings and giving up 1 run on only 1 hit. 6 walks made it interesting for him. His ERA in his 2 starts is a paltry 0.69. Jose Guillen had 2 homers for KC, and Miguel Olivo also went deep.
• Chicago White Sox and Seattle - Postponed; double-header Tuesday

Around the Minors:

• AAA - Scranton/Wilkes Barre 7, Rochester 3 - The Red Wings and Yankees always seem to play each other, and the Wing cannot wait to get away from these guys. Jason Jones started and lost for the Red Wings, but he was solid in his 6.2 innings of work, allowing 5 hits and 3 runs. Ben Julianel was knocked around in his relief stint for 7 hits and 4 runs in 2.1 innings of work. Jason Pridie, Matt Tolbert, Dustin Martin, Trevor Plouffe, and Alejandro Machado each had 2 hits for the Red Wings who dropped to 6-10 on the season with the loss.
• AA - New Britain, Idle
• High A - Ft. Myers 4, Palm Beach 3 (10 innings) - Kyle Waldrop picked up the win with 2 scoreless innings in relief. Joe Mauer was 1-2 with 2 walks in his continuing rehab stint. D.J. Romero and Chris Cates each had 2 hits. Ft. Myers is now 11-6 on the season.
• Low A - Kane County 10, Beloit 6 - The Snappers lost to the Cougars again. Ramon Santana was the hitting star with 3 hits, including a double, and 2 RBI. Beloit fell to 5-11 with the loss.

Misc.

• For music today, when I think New Wave, I go Ho-Jo.

Game #19 - Let's Go Home!

The Twins couldn't complete the sweep in Cleveland, losing to the Indians 4-2 on Sunday. They did have their share of chances however, and come home from a 2-3 road trip with a 9-10 record.

Starter Glen Perkins did not go 8 innings for the first time this season. He took the loss and surrendered 4 runs and 7 hits in 5 innings of work. Relievers Matt Guerrier, Craig Breslow, and Luis Ayala finished up with 3 scoreless innings.

The Twins fell behind 4-0 before mounting a rally in the top of the 7th inning. Pinch hitter Denard Span singled home 2 runs and a walk to Brendan Harris left the bases loaded with just one out and Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel coming up. Reliever Tony Sipp, making his second major league appearance, struck Morneau and Kubel out to end the threat, and the Tribe held on from there. It was disappointing to see the team's second and third-best hitters waving helplessly at sliders from a rookie.

Jose Morales had a great day at the plate for the Twins, going 4-4 and raising his average to .375. Delmon Young, Joe Crede, and Span had the other three hits - all singles.

The Twins now head home to take on the Rays Monday-Wednesday. The pitching matchups for those games:

• Monday, 7:05pm - Jeff Niemann (1-2) vs. Scott Baker (0-2)
• Tuesday, 7:05pm - James Shields (2-2) vs. Francisco Liriano (0-4)
• Wednesday, 7:05pm - Scott Kazmir (3-1) vs. Nick Blackburn (1-1)

On another Twins' note, catcher Joe Mauer will continue his rehab stint in Ft. Myers this week and will join the team this coming Friday against Kansas City, as Joe Christensen reports. He'll catch on Monday and Tuesday, DH Wednesday, and will join the Twins after their Thursday off-day. That's certainly good news.

Around the AL Central:

• Toronto 4, Chicago White Sox 3 - The Blue Jays scored a single run off Scott Linebrink in the 8th inning and held on to beat the Whities. Brian Anderson had 3 hits for Chicago, and Jose Contreras had his first solid start of the season.
• Detroit 3, Kansas City 2 - Armando Galarraga improved to 3-0 on the season with a strong 6 inning, 3 hit, 1 run outing for the Tigers. Brandon Inge hit his 7th homer of the season. Sidney Ponson was good in a losing effort for KC, and dropped to 0-3 on the season.

Around the Minors:

• AAA - Rochester 7, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 3 - The Red Wings salvaged the final game of this series, broke its 8-game losing streak, and defeated the Yankees for the first time this season. Brian Duensing gave the Wings exactly what they needed to rest a taxed bullpen, pitching 5 innings, allowing 5 hits and 3 runs. Philip Humber and Bobby Keppel each threw 2 scoreless innings. David Winfree and Jeff Christy each had doubles and 2 RBI in the game.
• AA - New Britain 11, Trenton 3 - Danny Valencia and Rene Tosoni each went deep as the Rock Cats used a 16-hit attack to beat Trenton. Jeff Manship got the win for New Britain, going 6 innings, surrendering 7 hits and 3 runs.
• High A - Jupiter 5, Ft. Myers 1 - The Miracle had 9 hits on the game but did not score until the 9th inning in a loss to Jupiter. Joe Mauer went 2-4 as his rehab stint continued. Estarlin de los Santos and Chris Cates had 2 hits apiece. Delois Guerra took the loss, going 6 innings, surrendering 6 hits and 5 runs.
• Low A (game 1) - Kane County 11, Beloit 6 - In the first game of the doubleheader, the Cougars took care of the Snappers. Nick Romero had 3 hits - including a homer - and 4 RBI in a losing cause. Michael Allen had a tough day on the mound, lasting only 1.1 innings, and surrendering 7 hits and 8 runs.
• Low A (game 2) - Kane County 8, Beloit 7 - The Cougars picked up the doubleheader sweep with a comeback win over the Snappers. Alex Romero was a perfect 2-2 at the plate, batted in 2, and scored 2 runs. Shooter Hunt was wild as all hell, going just 2+, giving up only 1 hit, throwing 2 wild pitches, and walking 6. This led to 4 runs allowed. In 11.2 innings this season, Hunt has given up a ghastly 16 runs on just 9 hits. The culprit is 23 walks. Obviously, he needs to get straightened-out.

Misc.:

• A big "thank you" to to Rob, Althea, and Ted ("The RAT Pack") for having me on their radio show on WSRQ 1220 in the Tampa Bay area Sunday night. We spoke about the upcoming Twins/Rays series at the Dome. I really enjoyed my first foray into radio. Check out Ted, Althea, and Rob daily on Examiner.com.
• When you're done reading this entry, check out my column on Examiner.com. I'll link here whenever I write.
• On the YouTube front today, we'll link a song from the worst concert I've ever seen (Janet Jackson, although Triple-T was ok).

New Writing Gig; Programming Note

Last week, I started writing for Examiner.com as a Minnesota Sports Examiner. Basically, I will post on all Minnesota sports topics regularly - right now, about 3-5 times per week. I will continue to maintain Donny Puck as usual, but the Examiner site will be more wide-ranging. Please check out my page at http://www.examiner.com/x-8981-Minnesota-Sports-Examiner.

Also, on Sunday evening, I will be a guest on the "Speaking of Sports" talk show on WSRZ 1220-AM in Sarasota, FL. I'll be discussing the upcoming Twins/Rays series at the Dome as well as otherTwins-related topics. Check out the segment at 7:05pm CDT Sunday. Tune into the link above for live audio and make fun of me afterward.

RIP, Bea Arthur; Game #18 - Kubel Leads Twins

The Twins made it two in a row over Cleveland Saturday night, winning big 7-1. The victory evens the Twins' record at 9-9 on the season and on the road trip (2-2).

Kevin Slowey was masterful, going 8 scoreless innings before losing his shutout bid in the 9th inning. He allowed 8 hits and 1 run in his 8+ innings, walking nobody, and striking out 7 while improving to 3-0 on the season.

At the plate, Jason Kubel went 3-5 - 2 hits being homers - and batted in 2. Joe Crede also homered for the Twins. Delmon Young was 3-4. Crede, Michael Cuddyer, and Justin Morneau had 2 hits apiece.

The Twins go for the series sweep Sunday, sending Glen Perkins to the bump to face fellow lefty Aaron Laffey.

In other Twins' good news of the day, there is a possibility that Joe Mauer will return for the Tampa Bay series at the Dome next week. The target date is Tuesday. That should give the Twins' sputtering offense a shot in the arm and allow the Twins to return their best hitter to their "regular" lineup.

Around the AL Central:

• Chicago White Sox 10, Toronto 2 - The Whities exacted revenge on the Jays with a 13-hit performance at the plate and strong pitching from Mark Buehrle. Alexei Ramirez and Jermaine Dye homered for Chicago.
• Detroit 9, Kansas City 1 - The Tigers took it to the Royals, hitting 3 homers in the process. Gerald Laird, Curtis Granderson, and Magglio Ordonez each went deep, and Zach Miner was strong on the mound.

Around the Minors:

• AAA - Scranton/Wilkes Barre 17, Rochester 14 (13 innings) - Rochester lost in extras to SWB, and continued their skid. The Wings pounded out 19 hits, but surrendered 21 to the Yankees in the loss. Matt Macri and Luke Hughes each homered twice; Brock Petersona dn Justin Huber also went deep. Hughes, Dustin Martin, and Peterson each had 3 hits for the Red Wings. Each of the 6 Rochester pitchers surrendered runs in the game. The Red Wings are now 5-9 and dropped 8 straight.
• AA - New Britain 5, Trenton 1 - The Rock Cats scored a nice win behind the pitching of Matthew Fox. Fox went 7 innings, allowing no runs and just 5 hits. Rob Delaney surrendered a run in his one inning; Anthony Slama struck out the side in the 9th. Rene Tosoni and Toby Gardenhire had 2 hits apiece. New Britain improves to 5-10 with the victory.
• High A - Jupiter 2, Ft. Myers 1 (10 innings) - The Miracle lost despite a solid pitching performance from Carlos Gutierrez, who went 7 innings and allowed just 2 hits and 1 run (unearned). Joe Benson doubled for the Miracle, and Joe Mauer went 0-3 in his rehab stint. Ft. Myers drops to 10-5 with the loss.
• Low A - Beloit was postponed, and holds steady at 5-8 on the season.

Misc.:

• Bea Arthur died on Saturday. She was the star of TV's "Maude" and "The Golden Girls." She was a funny woman - and, by far, the funniest one on "The Golden Girls." RIP.
• Here is some classic Bea Arthur......

Game #17 - Hopefully, A Sign of Things to Come

Twins' Territory can rest easier as Minnesota defeated Cleveland on Friday night, 5-1 at Progressive Field.

The story of the game was Nick Blackburn. The starter went 7 strong innings, allowing 6 Cleveland hits, 1 run, walking nobody, and striking out 6 to pick up his first win of the season. Jose Mijares and Joe Nathan each pitched scoreless innings.

At the plate, Justin Morneau homered and batted-in 2 runs. Jose Morales and Denard Span had 2 hits each, and Jason Kubel hit his 5th double of the season. The Twins got to Fausto Carmona early with a run in the top of the 1st inning, making the 8th win of the season the first one to not be of the come-from-behind variety.

I had heard from Twins' fans over the past two days who were completely distraught after they were swept in Boston on Wednesday. Comments included:

• The middle relief corps suck
• Trade Cuddyer
• Delmon sucks
• Ayala sucks
• Casilla needs to go to AAA - so does Gomez
• Let's just tread water until Mauer returns

One "Twins-style" win will cure that. They doinked a few hits here and there, received a bomb from Morneau, and rode solid starting pitching to victory. Let's make it two in a row on Saturday with the Slow-Man.

Around the AL Central:

• Kansas City beat Detroit 6-1 behind Zack Greinke. The right-hander improved to 4-0 and actually gave up a run - but it was unearned, keeping his ERA at 0.00. He pitched a complete game, allowing just 3 hits and striking out 10. This is an amazing start. The numbers are amazing: 4 starts, 4 wins, 2 complete games, 29 innings, 19 hits, 0 earned runs, 6 walks, 36 strikeouts, 1.05 WHIP. I believe I predicted a turnaround year for Greinke, but who would have thought he'd be this good, this early?
• Chicago - Getting killed by Tampa Bay, enough said.

Around the Minors:

• AAA - Scranton/Wilkes Barre 6, Rochester 2 - The Yankees continued their great start with their fourth win over Rochester. Trevor Plouffe had 2 hits for the Red Wings, including a double and an RBI. Matt Macri tripled in the game and had the other RBI. Anthony Swarzak started and lost for the Wings, giving up 5 hits and 2 runs in 6 innings. He is now 0-3 with a 1.59 ERA on the season. Rochester is now 5-8 and has dropped 7 straight.
• AA - Trenton 6, New Britain 3 - The Rock Cats' early season struggles continue with a loss to Trenton. Danny Valencia had 3 hits (single, double, triple) and 2 RBI. Yancarlos Ortiz and Wilson Ramos had 2 hits apiece. Cole de Vries started and went the first 4.2 innings, giving up 3 hits and 2 runs. Jose Lugo was roughed-up for 3 hits and 3 runs in 0.2 innings. The Rock Cats are now 4-10 on the season.
• High A - Ft. Myers 3, Jupiter 1 - Mike McCardell was outstanding in his start, surrendering just 1 hits in 6 innings of work, while striking out 6. Joe Mauer was 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI as his rehab continues. Chris Parmelee had 2 hits and the other RBI for the Miracle, which improved to 10-4 with the win.
• Low A - Beloit 7, Quad Cities 5 - The Snappers scored 4 unanswered runs to defeat the Swing. Alexander Soto had a perfect night at the plate, going 4-4 with a homer, double, and 3 RBI. The bullpen was solid, going 5 scoreless innings to preserve the victory. Beloit is now 4-8 on the season.