Game 79: Twins edge Royals 2-1
June 30, 2009
Minnesota @ Kansas City (Game 2 of 3)
Scott Baker picked up his sixth win of the season in a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Baker gave up a single run in the first inning and pitched his way out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth to keep the Twins in the game. Baker completed five full innings and gave up five hits while striking out one and walking two.
Baker got some run support in the fourth on a solo home run from Justin Morneau that landed in the fountains in right field. It was Morneau’s 19th home run of the season and the third consecutive game that he has homered in.
Morneau also played into the second run for the Twins when he hit a ground ball to first baseman Billy Butler who tried to turn a routine double play but threw the ball into left field. Joe Mauer would advance to third on the error and score the winning run off a sacrifice fly from Michael Cuddyer.
Newcomer Bobby Keppel relieved Baker in the sixth and pitched another solid outing by giving up only one hit and a walk with three strike outs in 2 1/3 inning of work. Keppel has now pitched 6 1/3 innings with the club and has an ERA of 0.00. Jose Mijares and Matt Guerrier each pitched 1/3 inning of relief with Mijares giving up two hits and Guerrier retiring the only batter he faced.
Joe Nathan closed out the game for the Twins and retired all three batters he faced, two of them with strike outs. The win gave Nathan his 20th save of the season and dropped his already low ERA down to 1.45.
Attendance: 19,310 (Kauffman Stadium)
Game 78: Twins lifeless in loss
June 29, 2009
Minnesota @ Kansas City (Game 1 of 3)
Nick Blackburn only gave up two earned runs on the mound against Kansas City, however, the team couldn’t get any offense going and gave the Royals plenty of opportunities with defensive miscues in a 4-2 loss at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals jumped out to an early lead with a two out double to right field off the bat of Mitch Maier. Cuddyer would make a wild throw towards third that ended up in left field which allowed Miguel Olivo to score and put Maier at third. The Twins would put runners in scoring position in the third and fourth innings but were unable to put a run on the board.
Fireworks would come out in the sixth inning as Ron Gardenhire came out to argue with the umpire on a ball that may have hit off the foot of Jason Kubel. Gardenhire was ejected from the game by home plate umpire Larry Vanover for his actions. The Royals showed some power in the bottom half of the inning with back-to-back home runs from Alberto Callaspo and Miguel Olivo, both of which had full counts on them, to make it a 3-0 game.
Blackburn was removed from the game after giving up three runs, two earned, off 10 hits with four strike outs and a walk. R.A. Dickey pitched the seventh inning and retired the first two batters he faced before giving up a single to Callaspo and a RBI triple to Olivo to make it a 4-0 game.
The Twins finally got some offense going in the top half of the eighth inning as Justin Morneau hit a 2-run homer to right field for his 18th of the year to cut the deficit in half. That’s all the offense the team could put together, though, as Joakim Soria retired the side with three strike outs to close out the game.
Attendance: 22,066 (Kauffman Stadium)
Game 77: Liriano holds out against Cards
June 28, 2009
Minnesota @ St. Louis (Game 3 of 3)
Francisco Liriano has had a rough season thus far but looked great on the mound against the St. Louis Cardinals by holding them to two runs off four hits in a 6-2 victory.
Liriano pitched seven effective innings and struck out six while getting behind some early run support in the form of a 3-run blast off the bat of Justin Morneau to give the Twins a quick 3-0 lead. Jason Kubel would knock in another run in the third with a two out RBI single to score Brendan Harris.
Liriano retired the first 11 batters he faced before giving up a walk to Albert Pujols. The Cardinals wouldn’t get a hit off Liriano until the fifth inning when they get three hits off three pitches, two being back-to-back doubles, to put two runs on the board. Liriano would retire the next three batters to get out of the inning with the lead intact.
The Twins extended their lead in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Brendan Harris. Harris would also knock in another run with an RBI single in the ninth. With the lead firmly in grasp, the Twins would turn the game over to the bullpen, which had their share of rough moments.
Jose Mijares pitched in the top of the eighth and gave up a four pitch walk to start the inning. Matt Guerrier would replace Mijares and gave up a double and another walk but was able to prevent the Cardinals from scoring.
R.A. Dickey pitched in the ninth and gave up a pair of hits and a walk before Joe Nathan was summoned to the mound to close out the game with two outs. It would take Nathan a total of four pitches to get Skip Schumaker to strike out swinging to finish the game and pick up his 19th save of the season.
The game concluded interleague play for the season with the Twins going 12-6 against National League teams.
Attendance: 42,705 (Busch Stadium)
Game 76: Pujols shows power in 5-3 win
June 27, 2009
Minnesota @ St. Louis (Game 2 of 3)
Kevin Slowey took to the mound on a hot afternoon in St. Louis to try for a league leading 11th win. Slowey wouldn’t make it past three innings, however, after giving up a pair of 2-run home runs to Albert Pujols in a 5-3 loss to the Cardinals.
Slowey had problems right from the start by giving a lead off double to Skip Schumaker before hanging a slider up for Pujols to send into left field. The Twins answered back in the second inning when Brendan Harris hit a two-out bases loaded blooper to left field that Chris Duncan couldn’t quite catch. The hit cleared the bases and gave the Twins a 3-2 lead.
With the lead, Slowey seemed to regain his composure on the mound and retired six batters in a row before giving up a single to Schumaker. Slowey would retire the next batter before Pujols hit another 2-run shot to left field. Slowey would load the bases and then hit Tyler Greene with a pitch in the helmet to allow another run to come in. Slowey would strike out the next batter but the damage was done with the Cardinals on top with a 5-3 lead.
Slowey wasn’t the only pitcher that was having issues either, as the Cardinals starter was removed from the game after 2 1/3 innings of work. Todd Wellemeyer labored slowly on the mound and threw 68 pitches to the 15 batters he faced before Tony LaRussa had seen enough and pulled him out of the game.
Bobby Keppel, a native of the St. Louis area, got to make his Twins debut and pitched four quality innings of relief and pitched out of a fourth inning jam after giving up a lead of triple to Joe Thurston. Keppel even picked off Thurston in the sixth after hitting him with a pitch. Keppel would give up a pair of hits with three walks and strike outs.
Even with Keppel keeping the game in check, the Twins were not able to score only reaching base three times on two singles and a walk. Ryan Franklin would close out the game for the Cardinals by retiring the side with three ground outs to the right side of the field.
Attendance: 42,986 (Busch Stadium)
Game 75: Twins take first game at Busch Stadium
June 26, 2009
Minnesota @ St. Louis (Game 1 of 3)
The Twins were unable to win any games when the team went down to St. Louis to face the Cardinals during the 1987 World Series. Since interleague play started in 1997, the Twins are 2-7 in Busch Stadium. All of those games took place at the old Busch Stadium, though, which was closed in 2005. Glen Perkins got the Twins off on the right foot in the new Busch Stadium, which opened in 2006, with a 3-1 win over the Cardinals.
The Twins got off to a fast start by scoring a pair of runs against the Cardinals in the first inning. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau would both pick up two out walks and Mauer would score on a single from Jason Kubel. Morneau would score on a fielding error by Joe Thurston to make it 2-0 before the home team even got to bat.
Glen Perkins would cut through the Cardinals lineup and retire 10 batters after giving up a double to Albert Pojols in the first inning. Meanwhile, the Twins would put another run on the board in the sixth inning with an RBI single from Cuddyer that scored Kubel.
Perkins would run into trouble in the seventh and give up a two out double to Rick Ankiel that scored Colby Rasmus from first base. Perkins, though, would get Yadier Molina to ground out to first base to end the inning. Perkins would leave after seven complete innings giving up one run off four hits with three strike outs.
Matt Guerrier would come in to the pitch in the eighth inning and gave up back-to-back singles before getting Tyler Green to strike out swinging. Jose Mijares would replace Guerrier and get credit for pitching 2/3 inning with one pitch by getting Skip Schumaker to ground into a double play.
Joe Nathan was brought in to the ninth inning and gave up a lead off double to Colby Rasmus to start out the inning. Nathan would then strike out Pujols, get Ryan Ludwick to ground out and strike out Ankiel to close out the game and earn his 18th save of the season.
The Twins are now 1-0 against the Cardinals in the new Busch Stadium and 11-5 in interleague play.
Attendance: 44,159 (Busch Stadium)
Game 74: Twins surge with Span back in lineup
June 25, 2009
Minnesota @ Milwaukee (Game 3 of 3)
Denard Span returned to the Twins lineup after his stint on the disabled list and made an immediate impact in a 6-4 win against the Milwaukee Brewers to take the series.
Span got things rolling in the fourth inning for the Twins with a lead off walk before advancing to second on a single from Brendan Harris. Span would then score on a line drive from Justin Morneau and Harris scored on a bases loaded walk to Michael Cuddyer to make it 2-0.
Span would come back in the fifth inning and hit a triple and score on a sacrifice fly from Harris to extend the lead. Joe Crede would then take Mike Burns long in the sixth inning to make it 4-0 which resulted in Burns being pulled out of the game.
Scott Baker was cruising along through the first five innings until he finally hit a rough spot in the sixth. Baker started the inning with a lead off walk to Craig Counsell and Casey McGehee hit a fastball to right center field to cut the Twins lead in half. Baker would give up a second home run two batters later to Prince Fielder to make it a 4-3 ballgame.
The one run lead wouldn’t last long, though, as Denard Span would turn a base on balls into a run on a passed ball. Joe Mauer would follow with a ground rule double to score Brendan Harris from second.
With a three run lead the Twins would turn the game over to the bullpen where R.A. Dickey retired the first three batters he faced in the seventh. Matt Guerrier would try to do the same but ended up giving up a two out home run to Ryan Braun to make it 6-4. Joe Nathan would close out the game by getting two strike outs and a ground out to give Minnesota the win.
This was the final game of the season between the interleague rivals and the Twins won 5-of-6 against the Brewers.
Attendance: 40,524 (Miller Park)
Span returns from DL, Pridie sent back down
June 24, 2009
Denard Span, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to an inner ear infection, has completed his rehab stint in Rochester and is being recalled to the 25-man roster. Jason Pridie, who was brought up in Span’s absence, is being sent back to Rochester.
Span played a pair of games in Triple-A Rochester with the Red Wings and got two hits in six at bats, including a double, with a run and an RBI. Span was also hit by a pitch during Tuesday night’s game which bruised the palm of his left hand. The bruised hand is a step up from the dizziness that Span was suffering prior to being put on the disabled list.
Jason Pridie stated that he was thrilled to be called up to the big leagues, however, he didn’t get much playing time while with the club. Gardenhire mentioned that Pridie would be used in a reserved role and the manager was right in that statement. Pridie only got to step on the field once as a ninth inning pinch runner for Jose Morales in their 6-5 loss to the Houston Astros on June 20th.
Game 73: Costly mistake gives Brewers the win
June 24, 2009
Minnesota @ Milwaukee (Game 2 0f 3)
Nick Blackburn was in the midst of another great outing and just four outs away from getting another complete game victory. It only took one hit followed by an error to give Milwaukee a pair of runs and a 4-3 lead as they went on the defeat the Twins for the first time this season.
Carlos Gomez got the Twins out to an early lead with a lead off triple to right field to start the game. Gomez scored six pitches later on a sacrifice fly from Brendan Harris to give the Twins a quick 1-0 lead. Milwaukee would answer back in the second with a two out single from pitcher Braden Looper that scored Mike Cameron to tie the game at one.
Jason Kubel broke the tie game with a solo home run in the top of the sixth for his 13th home run of the season. Michael Cuddyer followed with a double to center and scored on a double from Joe Crede to give the Twins a 3-1 lead. The Brewers would get one run back in the bottom half on a RBI single from Jason Kendall that again knocked in Cameron.
Nick Blackburn pitched into the eighth inning and retired the first two batters before giving up a single to J.J. Hardy. Jason Kendall followed with a double, however, the relay throw to home was off the mark and Hardy was safe at the plate to tie the game. With the ball overthrown, Kendall made his way towards third and Blackburn overthrew the base as the ball went into left field and Kendall would come around to score to give the Brewers the lead.
Blackburn retired the next batter on one pitch to end the inning but the damage was already done.
Trevor Hoffman came in to pitch the ninth inning to close out the game by striking out a pinch hitting Jose Morales and Brendan Harris before issuing a five pitch walk to Joe Mauer. With the tying run on first, Justin Morneau hit a ground ball to second to end the game.
Nick Blackburn was given credit for the complete game, the first Twins pitcher to pitch back-to-back complete games since Brad Radke in 1998, and earned his third loss of the season. He gave up four runs, three earned, off 11 hits and struck out two while only giving up one walk. He pitched the complete game in 96 pitches.
Attendance: 34,480 (Miller Park)
Ayala wanted to be traded
June 24, 2009
Ron Gardenhire stated on Tuesday that Luis Ayala, who was designated for assignment on Monday, had requested to be traded three weeks earlier. Ayala was upset over his role in the bullpen and wanted to be the setup man in the eighth inning as a bridge to Joe Nathan.
The Twins looked into trade options for Ayala but wasn’t able to find a deal that would work, which lead to the team making the move on Monday and designating him for assignment. This means the team has 10 days to either trade or release Ayala or place him on waivers.
If he is placed on waivers and isn’t claimed by another team, Ayala can reject being sent outright to Triple-A Rochester as he has more than five years of service time in the Majors. Thus, it is doubtful that Ayala will be seen within the Twins organization again.
On Wednesday, the Star Tribune reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates have shown interest in possibly picking up Ayala.
“He asked for this, and when you ask out of here, you will get out of here,” Gardenhire said.
Game 72: Twins keep streak alive in the Border Battle
June 23, 2009
Minnesota @ Milwaukee (Game 1 of 3)
Francisco Liriano struggled to get through five innings but was able to hold on for his third win of the season. The win kept the Twins undefeated streak against the Brewers alive at four in the 7-3 victory.
The Twins got the ball rolling in the first inning when Michael Cuddyer struck out with two on and two outs, however, it was on a wild pitch from Jeff Suppan that got away from Jason Kendall and Cuddyer made it to first base to load them up. Joe Crede then cleared the bases with a double to make it 3-0 in favor of the Twins.
The Brewers were able to get a pair of runs back in the bottom half of the inning and loaded the bases with two outs. Mike Cameron sent a 3-2 slider into left field to score Jason Kendall and Casey McGehee to make it a 3-2 game.
The Twins put another run on the board in the second after Carlos Gomez hit a two out double and was knocked in on a single to center from Brendan Harris. The Brewers answered back with a run of their own in the bottom of the second when Casey McGehee hit an RBI double to left that scored Jeff Suppan to make it 4-3 with the visitors on top.
The Twins came out in the third and put up another 3-run inning that got started on a fielding error by J.J. Hardy that allowed the Twins to have runners on first and second. Delmon Young hit an RBI double to score Cuddyer and Jeff Suppan intentionally walked Nick Punto to load the bases. With two out, Carlos Gomez hit a RBI single that scored two runs to make it 7-3.
Liriano took control of the game and gave up two singles and three walks over the next three innings, however, it was a laboring night for the left hander as it took him 117 pitches to make it through the five innings. Liriano left the game after giving up three runs off seven hits with five walks and six strike outs.
The Twins bullpen shut down the Brewers, who only managed to make it on base twice in the final four innings off of a single from R.A. Dickey and a hit batter from Matt Guerrier. Joe Nathan closed out the game in the non-save situation by striking out two of the three batters he faced.
Joe Mauer went 0-for-5 during the game and dropped his batting average to .395 for the season.
Attendance: 42,008 (Miller Park)
