Game 103: Angels rally past Twins in 11
July 31, 2009
Los Angeles @ Minnesota (Game 1 of 3)
The Angels pulled together a late rally and scored six runs in the 11th to defeat the Twins by a score of 11-5.
The Angels took a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first with three solid singles and a sacrifice fly off of Nick Blackburn. Joe Mauer, though, would put the Twins on top with a 3-run home run off Ervin Santana in the bottom of the third to make it a 3-2 ballgame.
The Twins would extend their lead the following inning as the bottom half of the order came through with a double from Carlos Gomez and an RBI triple from Nick Punto. Denard Span followed with a RBI double and the Twins took a 5-2 lead.
Blackburn would hold on to the lead until running into problems in the top of the seventh. Blackburn gave up a leadoff double to Reggie Willits and retired the next two batters. He then gave up a 2-run homer to Bobby Abreu and put another runner on before being replaced by Jose Mijares who retired the next batter in five pitches.
With a 5-4 lead, the Twins turned the game over to Matt Guerrier, who gave up a leadoff home run to Mike Napoli in the top of the eighth to tie the game at five each. Guerrier would retire the next six batters he faced, as did the Angels, and the game went into extra innings.
Joe Nathan struck out the side in the tenth but the pitching staff ran into problems in the top of the 11th when Bobby Keppel came out to the mound. Keppel gave up a leadoff walk to Erick Aybar, who used his speed to move over to third on a single from Gary Matthews Jr. Brendan Harris then tripped over his feet on a soft grounder by pinch-hitting Howard Kendrick to knock in a run and make it 6-5.
Jesse Crain replaced Keppel and gave up a bunt single to Chone Figgins to load the bases and Maicer Izturis hit a line drive single to center to knock in another run. Abreu followed with a 2-run single to right and Juan Rivera loaded the bases with a walk.
With no out, R.A. Dickey came out to the pitch and gave up an RBI single on one pitch to Kendry Morales. Dickey would strike out Napoli for the first out and get Erick Aybar out on a force out that scored another run. Dickey then ended the inning with by striking out Matthews Jr. but the damage was done as the Angels took a 11-5 lead.
Darren Oliver pitched in the bottom half of the 11th and made quick work out of the lineup by retiring the three batters in nine pitches.
Attendance: 31,767
Twins deal for Cabrera at deadline
July 31, 2009
The Twins made a deadline trade with the Oakland Athletics to acquire shortstop, Orlando Cabrera, in exchange for a Minor League prospect.
Twins All-Stars Joe Mauer, Joe Nathan and Justin Morneau, had been vocal about making a trade before the deadline to help shore up some needs and help the team to an AL Central title. Mauer and Morneau talked with Cabrera during their last road trip in Oakland and said they would like to see him play in Minnesota.
Cabrera, who is in his 13th season, batted .280 with four home runs and 41 RBIs in 101 games this year with the Athletics.
In return, the Twins gave Oakland Tyler Landendorf, a minor league shortstop who had been playing with the Single-A Beloit Snappers where he had a batting average of .233 over 15 games. Landendorf also hit .410 with the Elizabethton Twins earlier this season in the Appalachian League.
Game 102: Twins complete sweep of Sox
July 29, 2009
Chicago @ Minnesota (Game 3 of 3)
Brian Duensing filled in for Francisco Liriano, who was pulled from his start due to swelling in hsi throwing arm, and helped give the Twins to a 3-2 victory over the White Sox to complete the three game sweep of their division rivals.
The Twins gave Duensing some runs to work with in the bottom of the second after Alexi Casilla hit a ground rule double to knock in Carlos Gomez. Denard Span put in the second run of the inning on a force out that scored Nick Punto from third to make it 2-0.
The Sox came back into the game by scoring a run in the third of a leadoff home run from Jayson Nix to make it 2-1. Carlos Quentin tied the game in the top of the fifth with a leadoff home run of his own. Duensing pitched through the rest of the inning before handing it over to the bullpen. Duensing pitch five innings and gave up two runs off three hits with two strike outs and a walk.
The Twins would retake the lead in the bottom half of the sixth on a two out single from Casilla that scored Joe Crede to make it 3-2. The defense and bullpen would take over from there and hold the game for Joe Nathan, who came in to close the game in the ninth.
Nathan had some problems early on and gave up a leadoff single to Gordon Beckham before striking out Jermaine Dye. Paul Konerko would take a 5-pitch walk to put the go ahead run on first but Nathan would retire the next two batters with a strike out and a line out to earn his 29th save of the season and the win for his club.
Attendance: 39,002
Game 101: Twins spoil Buehrle’s attempt at second perfect game
July 28, 2009
Chicago @ Minnesota (Game 2 of 3)
Mark Buehrle took a perfect game into the sixth inning before giving up a two-out walk to Alexi Casilla. Denard Span then ruined the no-hitter by hitting a blooper into center field which put the Twins in motion to a 5-3 win over the White Sox at the Metrodome.
Baker wasn’t throwing a perfect game as Buehrle was, but he was holding the Sox to just one run of four hits with six strike outs over six innings. The lone run came off a homer from Jermaine Dye in the top of the sixth to put the first run on the board.
The Twins came back in the bottom half of the inning that was sparked by the two out walk from Casilla. Denard Span followed with the hit to center and Joe Mauer hit a ground rule double to tie the game at one all.
The Twins came back hard in the seventh and knocked Buehrle as Brendan Harris knocked in the first run with a single to left. Nick Punto then hit a 2-run single to right to make it 4-1 in favor and knocked Buehrle out of the game. The fans at the Metrodome, however, gave Buehrle a standing ovation for setting an MLB record for retiring 45 consecutive batters.
Octavio Dotel would relieve Buehrle and give up three walks to put in another run to make it 5-1 before the inning was over.
The White Sox mounted a comeback in the top of the ninth as Bobby Keppel gave up a two out single to Gordon Beckham to knock in two runs. With the tying run on deck, the Twins went to Joe Nathan to close out the game. Nathan needed a total of six pitches to retire Dewayne Wise and pick up his 28th save of the season.
Attendance: 34,642
Slowey out for season
July 28, 2009
The Twins received a bit of bad news on Monday as their most consistent pitcher, Kevin Slowey, will be having season ending wrist surgery on his right wrist.
Slowey was put on the disabled list with a sore wrist a day after pitching three short innings in a 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on July 3rd. Slowey was scheduled for a rehab stint in Triple-A but was unable to even play catch. Rather than risk further injury, the team decided it would be best to take care of the problem now instead of the offseason.
The injury is caused by a bone chip in his wrist which happened after being struck by a line drive last September in a game against the White Sox. Since then, the bone chip became embedded in the cartilage around the wrist. After surgery, Slowey will need between 2-4 months to rehab and recover.
Slowey started in 16 games this season with a 10-3 record. He posted a 4.86 ERA in 90 2/3 innings with 75 strike outs and only 15 walks. Anthony Swarzak will remain in the starting rotation in place of Slowey for the remainder of the season.
All Metrodome Team
July 28, 2009
To commemorate the final year in the Metrodome, the Twins are putting together the All-Metrodome Team which is voted on by fans, media and a veterans committee. The team will be announced on Tuesday night and I am going to take a moment to state who I think will be on the team and who I voted for.
First Base
Nominees: Ron Coomer, Kent Hrbek, Gene Larkin, Doug Mientkiewicz, Justin Morneau
This should be a no-brainer for the most part. Since moving into the Metrodome the Twins have had two memorable first basemen, which are Kent Hrbek and Justin Morneau. While Morneau has developed into a star and perennial MVP contender, Hrbek gets the honor of being on the All-Metrodome Team based solely on his two World Series Championship rings. Plus, he is the local boy.
All-Metrodome Team Prediction: Kent Hrbek
My Vote: Kent Hrbek
Second Base
Nominees: John Castino, Chuck Knoblauch, Steve Lombardozzi, Al Newman, Todd Walker
Steve Lombardozzi puts up a strong case as he tallied the highest batting average in the 1987 World Series, but the second base position has to go to the 1991 Rookie of the Year, Chuck Knoblauch. At second base, Knoblauch earned a Gold Glove plus led the team in batting average in 1995 and 1996. He didn’t leave the team on the best of terms, but his playing on the field made up for it.
All-Metrodome Team Prediction: Chuck Knoblauch
My Vote: Chuck Knoblauch
Shortstop
Nominees: Jason Bartlett, Greg Gagne, Cristian Guzman, Pat Meares, Ron Washington
Only seven Twins players were on both the 1987 and 1991 World Series Champion teams and Greg Gagne was one of them. Gagne was never known as a power hitter, but his great defense more than made up for it. Even so, Gagne could hit in clutch moments such as the 3-run home run in Game 1 of the 1991 World Series and a two out RBI single to give the Twins the lead in Game 7 of the 1987 World Series.
All-Metrodome Team Prediction: Greg Gagne
My Vote: Greg Gagne
Third Base
Nominees: Gary Gaetti, Corey Koskie, Scott Leius, Mike Pagliarulo, Nick Punto
The G-Man has to get the nod at third based on his list of accomplishments when compared to the rest of the nominees. Gaetti played with Twins for 10 years and racked up a World Series Championship, four Gold Gloves, two All-Star appearances and was named the American League Championship Series MVP in 1987 where he hit two home runs in his first two at-bats. All of this plus an astounding 360 career home runs in a career that nearly spanned two decades.
All-Metrodome Team Prediction: Gary Gaetti
My Vote: Gary Gaetti
Catcher
Nominees: Brian Harper, Tim Laudner, Joe Mauer, A.J. Pierzynski, Terry Steinbach
If there is one position that gets the overall vote in a landslide victory it will be at catcher. Sure, there will be some who vote for Laudner and probably even a few more for Pierzynski, but the fact is Joe Mauer will walk away with this one. Mauer has become the face of this franchise and, pending a contract extension, will hopefully be the face of the team until the day he retires. In six season with the Twins he has been selected as an All-Star three times, won a Gold Glove and not one, but two, AL batting titles with a very good chance at a third one this season.
All-Metrodome Team Prediction: Joe Mauer
My Vote: Joe Mauer
Outfielders (3 Selections)
Nominees: Tom Brunansky, Randy Bush, Marty Cordova, Michael Cuddyer, Dan Gladden, Mickey Hatcher, Torii Hunter, Jacque Jones, Jason Kubel, Matt Lawton, Shane Mack, Kirby Puckett
Two of the 12 nominees should be easy to pick out as both of them roamed the confines of center field for a good majority of the years the Twins played in the Metrodome – Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter. My other choice, though, may fall short but I have to pick the Dazzle Man, Dan Gladden.
Puckett is deserving of the honor as the first ballot Hall of Famer played all 12 years with the Twins and is one of the five Twins players to have his number retired by the team. Not to mention the two World Championships, the 10 All-Star selections, the six gold gloves and all of the memories on both offense and defense that he gave to the Twins fans through the years. Whether it was hitting a game winning home run in Game 6 or making a huge catch off the plexi-glass, Kirby was the man to watch on the Twins.
Much like Puckett, Torii Hunter was the man to watch on the Twins in the late 90′s and into the new millennium. Hunter earned seven Gold Gloves while with the Twins with his amazing catches in the outfield. Hunter also showed power at the plate with six seasons of 20+ home runs and was a driving force in getting the Twins to four AL Central Titles. Unfortunately, Hunter would leave the club after the 2007 season and head for Los Angeles after being offered a 5-year $90 million deal.
Dan Gladden’s career was sandwiched between the two championship years of 1987 and 1991 and also was one of the seven to play on both teams. Gladden made his mark on history by hitting a grand slam in Game 1 of the 87 Series and scoring the winning, and only, run in Game 7 of the 91 Series. Since retiring from baseball in 1993 (unless you count his time in Japan), Gladden has been active with the Twins as a scout before heading into the radio booth to provide color commentary.
My selection of Dan Gladden, though, is a dark horse in my mind. Out of all of the nominees, I could see Tom Brunansky being the third selection instead of Gladden.
All-Metrodome Team Predictions: Kirby Puckett, Torii Hunter, Tom Brunansky
My Votes: Kirby Puckett, Torii Hunter, Dan Gladden
Designated Hitter
Nominees: Chili Davis, Paul Molitor, David Ortiz, Roy Smalley, Dave Winfield
Out of all of the choices for the All-Metrodome team, the designated hitter position was the hardest to select. This is mainly due to the fact that the nominees, with the exception of Roy Smalley, spent little time with the club. I have a good idea that my selection won’t make the team, but I have to go with Chili Davis.
David Ortiz flourished with the Red Sox and even though both Paul Molitor and Dave Winfield are local boys, I have to say that Davis’s role in 1991 greatly helped the Twins go from worst to first and win the World Series. Davis was a switch hitter that led the Twins in home runs, SLG, OBP and OPS. Davis also had two home runs during the 91 Series.
All-Metrodome Team Prediction: Paul Molitor
My Vote: Chili Davis
Starting Pitcher (3 Selections)
Nominees: Allan Anderson, Bert Blyleven, Scott Erickson, Joe Mays, Eric Milton, Jack Morris, Brad Radke, Johan Santana, Mike Smithson, Kevin Tapani, Frank Viola
I wish we were allowed to choose more than three starting pitchers because there are a few that are deserving of the honor but obviously won’t make the cut. Out of the 11 nominations, I feel Blyleven, Erickson, Morris, Radke, Santana, Tapani and Viola all have a good case for being selected. Since only three can make it, I have to go with Santana, Viola and Radke.
Johan Santana is a solid selection just due to his sheer dominance. Santana never won a World Championship with the Twins but was a Cy Young Award winner in 2004 and 2006 that attacked batters with his fastball and changeup. Santana racked up nearly 1400 strike outs with the Twins with a 93-44 record and four shut outs. Santana even won a Gold Glove on the mound in 2007 before leaving for the bright lights in the big city of New York.
Frank Viola was a mainstay in the Twins rotation for a good portion of the 80s and picked up 112 wins with the club. Viola did not put up the strike out numbers that Johan Santana did, but Viola was a workhorse who pitched 54 complete games with 10 of them being shut outs. He also won a World Series with the Twins in 1987 along with the World Series MVP and a Cy Young Award in 1988 when he led the league with 24 wins.
Brad Radke may not be a popular choice but he was the embodiment of what it meant to be a Minnesota Twin. Radke grew up just across the border in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and played his entire 12 year career with the Twins. Part of his career with the club was during the lean years but that didn’t stop Radke from being one of the best pitchers in the league. In 1997, when the Twins went 68-94, Radke had a record of 20-10 with four complete games and a shutout. The 20 wins includes a 12 game win streak that help put Radke in the running for a Cy Young Award along with the likes of Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson. Radke finally retired after the 2006 season with a final record of 148-139.
All-Metrodome Team Prediction: Johan Santana, Frank Viola, Bert Blyleven
My Votes: Johan Santana, Frank Viola, Brad Radke
Relief Pitcher (2 Selections)
Nominees: Rick Aguilera, Juan Berenguer, Ron Davis, Eddie Guardado, Mark Guthrie, LaTroy Hawkins, Joe Nathan, Jeff Reardon, Juan Rincon, J.C. Romero
There are a lot of good names in the list of relievers, however, since I can only choose two, they have to be the closers Rick Aguilera and Joe Nathan.
Rick Aguilera came over for his first stint with the Twins in a trade for one of the star pitchers in Frank Viola in 1989. Aguilera was dominant in his closing role and picked up a team record of 42 saves in the 1991 championship season, plus three saves in the 91 World Series. To this day, Aguilera holds the Twins team record in saves with 254 and was an All-Star three times in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
Joe Nathan has picked up where Aguilera left off and has become one of the best closers in the game. Nathan dominates batters with a fastball and slider and has racked up 476 strike outs and 226 saves with the Twins in just over five years. Nathan is also a perennial All-Star candidate with a total of four appearances in the years of 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009. Nathan is likely to break Aguilera’s record of team saves to further cement his legacy as a part of Twins baseball.
All-Metrodome Team Predictions: Rick Aguilera, Joe Nathan
My Votes: Rick Aguilera, Joe Nathan
Manager
Nominees: Ron Gardenhire, Billy Gardner, Tom Kelly
This selection is one of the easiest to choose and that is Tom Kelly as the All-Metrodome Team manager. Kelly’s time as the manager lasted nearly as long as the Metrodome itself with him being in charge of the Twins from late 1986 to 2001. It was with Kelly that the Twins won both of the World Series Championships, however, if you look at the numbers, the Twins were 1140-1244 with Kelly at the helm. Even with the sub-500 record, TK is more than deserving of the honor of All-Metrodome Team manager for his hand in developing Twins baseball.
All-Metrodome Team Prediction: Tom Kelly
My Vote: Tom Kelly
Game 100: Twins hold on to 4-3 win over Sox
July 27, 2009
Chicago @ Minnesota (Game 1 of 3)
A 2-run home run from Michael Cuddyer and some errors on the White Sox gave the Twins enough for the 4-3 at the Metrodome.
Glen Perkins gave up a solo home run to Gordon Beckham to put the White Sox on the board and give them an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second. The Twins came right back, though, and scored on a throwing error caused by a hard slide from Carlos Gomez to break up a potential double play. The White Sox would make another fielding error on the next at bat from Alexi Casilla and Nick Punto was able to score to make it 2-1 in favor of the Twins.
The White Sox would retaliate in the top of the third as Paul Konerko sent one into the seats in left field for a 2-run home run to give the Sox a 3-2 lead. John Danks would cruise through the Twins lineup until he ran into problems in the sixth inning. Danks would give up a one out single to Justin Morneau and follow it up with a 2-run home run from Michael Cuddyer that went into center field.
Perkins would pitch with the lead through the seventh inning before being taken out of the game. Perkins gave up just three runs of six hits with three strike outs and a walk. The bullpen took over from there and Matt Guerrier and Joe Nathan cut through the next six batters to close out the game. The win gave Nathan his 27th save of the season.
Attendance: 32,354
Game 99: Twins win big over Angels
July 26, 2009
Minnesota @ Los Angeles (Game 4 of 4)
The Twins prevented a four game sweep with a little help from Justin Morneau who went deep twice in a 10-1 win over the Angels on Sunday afternoon.
Morneau put the Twins on the board in the top of the first with a 2-run home run for his 25th homer of the season. The Twins then opened the game up in the fourth with a four run inning spurred on by a two RBI singles from Nick Punto and Denard Span to give the Twins a 6-0 lead.
Anthony Swarzak worked with the lead and his only blemish came in the bottom half of the fourth with a solo home run from Kendry Morales to make it 6-1. The home run was one of four hits allowed from Swarzak in 6 2/3 innings of work. Swarzak also struke out four and walked three in the outing.
The Twins extended their lead in the sixth with an RBI double from Punto and again in the seventh on a solo home run from Morneau. The home run put Morneau in the lead for most home runs in the American League with 26. The Twins would tack on another two runs in the eighth with a 2-run home run from Denard Span.
The Twins bullpen, which was shorthanded after Jose Mijares was taken to a medical facility due to illness, took over and was nearly flawless in relief. Matt Guerrier gave up no hits and struck out one while Jesse Crain gave up one hit and struck out two to finish the game and end the 10-game road trip on a high note.
Attendance: 36,386 (Angel Stadium)
Game 98: Big inning gives Angels the win
July 25, 2009
Minnesota @ Los Angeles (Game 3 of 4)
The Twins watch a two run lead turn into a seven run deficit as the Angels sent 13 batters to the plate and scored nine runs in route to an 11-5 win over Minnesota on Saturday afternoon.
The Twins got on the board in the top of the third inning off a rocket 2-run home run from Jason Kubel for his 18th homer of the season. Nick Blackburn was also mowing down the Angels as he retired the lineup in order in the first three innings. The Angels made sure that didn’t happen again in the fourth inning.
The Angels started their 9-run rally with a solo home run from Chone Figgins. Maicer Izturis followed with a double and scored on a single from Bobby Abreu to tie to game at two. Kendry Morales then doubled to center to score Abreu to take the lead. Mike Napoli then singled before Erick Aybar grounded into a 3-3-2 double play. With two outs, Howard Kendrick singled to center to score Napoli and Blackburn then walked Matthews before being pulled out of the game.
R.A. Dickey took over and gave up back-to-back RBI singles to Reggie Willits and Chone Figgins to make it 6-2. Izturis then cleared the bases with a 3-run home run to make it 9-2. Dickey gave up one more single to Abreu before finally getting Morales to fly out to left field to end the inning.
Bobby Keppel took over in the fifth and restored some order to the game while the Twins looked to make a comeback. The Twins started the seventh inning with back-to-back singles from Denard Span and Joe Mauer and Span would score on an RBI single from Kubel. Kubel would score on a throwing error by Figgins and Michael Cuddyer scored on single from Brian Buscher to make it 9-5. The two-out rally would be killed on a fly out from Brendan Harris.
The Angels put two more runs on the board in the bottom of the eighth off Jose Mijares to put the game out of reach for the Twins. Robert Mosebach came out and finished the game for the Angels and pitched out of a scoring threat to give the Angels an 11-5 win over the Twins. It is the fourth consecutive loss for the Twins who have now gone 3-6 during the road trip.
Attendance: 35,922 (Angel Stadium)
Game 97: Mauer’s 2HR’s not enough to defeat Halos
July 24, 2009
Minnesota @ Los Angeles (Game 2 of 4)
Joe Mauer showed off his power stroke in Los Angeles and hit two home runs. Mauer’s two home runs also proved that home runs don’t make much of a difference when the rest of the team fails to get on base before them as the Twins lost their third game in a row in a 6-3 loss to the Angels on Friday night.
The Angels got on board in the second inning of a 2-run home run from Robb Quinlan off of Francisco Liriano. Joe Mauer would cut the Angels lead in half with a solo home run in the fourth to make it 2-1. The Angels would make that up in the fifth, though, off a solo home run from Jeff Mathis to make it 3-1.
Mauer would answer back in the top half of the sixth with another solo home run to bring the Twins within one run but Liriano would give up a 3-run homer to Mike Napoli to extend the Angels lead to four runs. Liriano would leave the game shortly afterwards with six earned runs off eight hits, three strike outs and two walks. All six runs would come off three home runs.
Jesse Crain came in to relieve Liriano and held the Angels to no hits while striking out two in 1 2/3 innings of work. Brian Duensing was also strong in an inning of work and gave up only one hit and picking up a strike out.
The Twins tried to mount a comeback in the ninth when Brian Buscher hit a two out single to center that scored Justin Morneau from second. Buscher would advance to second but Delmon Young would end the threat with a strike out to end the game.
Attendance: 39,272 (Angel Stadium)
