Hudson to rejoin team in Seattle
May 31, 2010
After a scare on Sunday night, Orlando Hudson will rejoin the Twins on the road in Seattle on Tuesday.
Hudson and Denard Span collided in the final out of Sunday night’s game against the Texas Rangers to complete a 3-game sweep of the AL West opponent. It wasn’t all happiness for the Twins, though, as two of their players were lying on the ground. Hudson took the worst part of the collision and it was feared that the second baseman may have reinjured in surgically repaired left wrist.
X-rays on the wrist were inconclusive, so Hudson had a CT scan done on Monday to take a further look at it. Results of that showed nothing new and Hudson has been able to move the wrist more. Manager Ron Gardenhire doesn’t know how long Hudson will be on the shelf, but feels that Hudson will let them know when he is ready.
For the time being, Michael Cuddyer is filling in a second base, reprising a role that he hasn’t started in since 2005.
Game 51: Minnesota holds off Seattle
May 31, 2010
Minnesota @ Seattle (Game 1 of 4)
Summary
Minnesota bent, but didn’t break. After going up 5-1 in the top of the 4th, the Twins allowed the Mariners to cut into the lead with two runs in the bottom of the 5th inning.
Minnesota looked good until the bottom of the 9th when Jon Rauch gave up one run on two hits. Rauch was able to retire the fifth batter in the 9th for the Twins win.
Batting
Justin Morneau was the hot bat, going 3-for-4 with 1 run and 2 doubles on the night.
Michael Cuddyer and Delmon Young both had 2-for-4 nights each with a home run. Cuddyer scored two runs with 2 RBI’s and Delmon scored once and also contributed 2 RBI’s.
Pitching
Francisco Liriano looked sharp going 6.0 innings giving up 3 runs on 8 hits. Liriano had 7 K’s and did not walk a batter in the 99 pitch performance.
Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain each donated an inning of work and picked up 1 K each.
Jon Rauch came in to the game in the 9th and recorded his 13th save, only after giving up 2 hits and 1 run.
Notes
Minnesota will need another strong performance tomorrow as they will get two of the leagues best pitchers on Wednesday and Thursday.
Minnesota improves to 31-20 while Seattle drops to 19-31.
Attendance
19,795 (Safeco Field)
Game 50: Minnesota doubles up Texas for sweep
May 30, 2010
Texas @ Minnesota (Game 3 of 3)
Summary
Minnesota scored 5 runs in the first 3 innings to take a 5-2 lead on Texas.
Both teams added runs later in the game, with the Twins taking advantage of the early runs from the Rangers and earning the sweep.
Batting
Everyone in the line up with the exception of Michael Cuddyer and JJ Hardy ended up with at least a base hit in this game.
Nick Punto was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Denard Span and Jason Kubel were each 2-for-4 on the night with Span getting 1 RBI and Kubel getting 2 RBI’s.
Pitching
Scott Baker had a quality start going 6 innings giving up 3 runs on 8 hits while striking out 4 and walking 3.
Jon Rauch came in to the game in the 9th and recorded his 12th save, giving up 2 hits before getting the save.
Notes
Minnesota recorded the sweep against the AL West leaders and Minnesota 3.5 games over Detroit in the AL Central.
Minnesota improves to 30-20 while the Texas drop to 26-24.
Attendance
39,873 (Target Field)
Game 49: Twins better Rangers by 5 runs
May 29, 2010
Texas @ Minnesota (Game 2 of 3)
Summary
Carl Pavano was finally able to get enough run support to claim a win.
What looked to be a typical game for Pavano, the Twins were behind 2-0 after 5 and a half innings. Minnesota scored 8 runs in the next two innings allowing Pavano to record a much deserved win. Minnesota was able to win the game 3-8.
Batting
Orlando Hudson continued his streak at the plate going 2-for-4 in the game scoring 2 runs and another 3 RBI’s.
JJ Hardy was also 2-for-4 in the game scoring once and adding another 2 RBI’s.
Delmon Young was 1-for-4 with a run scored and 2 RBI’s.
Pitching
Carl Pavano pitched 5 innings giving up just 2 runs on 7 hits. He only struck out 1 and gave up 1 BB, but was able to improve his record to 5-5.
Jesse Crain came in relieve in the 8th and gave up 1 run on 1 hit while striking out 1.
Brian Duensing finished the game giving up just 1 hit and striking out 1.
Notes
Justin Morneau had a day off from 1B and was the DH. Michael Cuddyer came into the infield to relieve Morneau at first base, giving Jason Kubel the start in right field.
Minnesota improves to 29-20 while the Texas drop to 26-23.
Attendance
39,659 (Target Field)
Game 48: Minnesota picks up first game on Texas
May 28, 2010
Texas @ Minnesota (Game 1 of 3)
Summary
Minnesota took advantage of a great outing from Kevin Slowey, scoring one more run then Texas to get the win.
All three runs were recorded in the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings.
Minnesota scored first in the bottom of the 3rd. Texas answered in the top of the 4th to tie the game. With no outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 5th, Joe Mauer grounded into a double play scoring Nick Punto from 3rd base.
Batting
Orlando Hudson was 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
Michael Cuddyer and Jim Thome both went 1-for-4 with Cuddyer hitting a triple and Thome hitting a double.
Pitching
Kevin Slowey went 6.2 innings giving up 1 run on 6 hits. Slowey struck out 5 and walked 1 in 102 pitches. Slowey improved his record on the season to 6-3.
Matt Guerrier came in for a hold in one full inning with one strike out.
Jon Rauch recorded his 11th save giving up only 1 hit and striking out 1.
Notes
Although Minnesota did not hit the ball particularly well this game, their effort was enough with the good outing from Slowey to win the game.
Minnesota improves to 28-20 while the Texas drop to 26-22.
Attendance
39,581 (Target Field)
Game 47: Twins unleash on Yankees
May 27, 2010
New York Yankees @ Minnesota (Game 3 of 3)
Summary
The Twins took a quick 3-0 lead with runs in the bottom of the first and second inning.
The Yankees scored 1 run in the top of both the 4th and 6th innings, but the Twins answered with runs in the bottom of the 5th, 6th and 7th to seal the win.
Batting
Jason Kubel was 3-for-4 with 2HR, 5 RBI’s and scoring 3 runs. Justin Morneau was 2-for-2 with 1 run and 1 RBI.
All of the Twins in the line up with the exception of Jim Thome got a hit in the game.
Pitching
Nick Blackburn recorded his 5th win in a row while throwing 92 pitches in 7 innings. Blackburn gave up 2 runs on 9 hits, while striking out 2 and avoiding giving up a walk. Blackburn improved to 6-1 on the season.
Jose Mijares came in for an inning giving up 1 hit while striking out 1 batter.
Alex Burnett looked solid again in the inning he pitched.
Notes
The Twins took 2 out of 6 games against the Yankees this year, which is a huge improvement from the last few years. The Twins continue to lose the 1 run games, and when they win, they tend to win big against the Yankees.
The Twins improve to 27-20 while the Yankees drop to 28-19.
Attendance
39,087 (Target Field)
Game 46: Minnesota comes up one run short again
May 26, 2010
New York Yankees @ Minnesota (Game 2 of 3)
Summary
The second game of the day, Minnesota struck first, scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning.
New York scored in both the 4th and 6th innings to go up by one run. The Twins answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the 7th.
Minnesota gave up a home run to Nick Swisher in the top of the 9th and were unable to answer it in the bottom of the 9th.
Batting
Denard Span was 2-for-3 with a double and 1 run scored. Michael Cuddyer and Delmon Young were both 2-for-4 with Cuddyer doubling and scoring a run and Young doubling and getting and RBI.
Pitching
Francisco Liriano looked strong against the Yankees throwing 112 pitches in 8 innings giving up 2 runs on 8 hits while recording 7 SO and and uncharacteristic 2 walks.
Jon Rauch appeared in the 9th and gave up 1 run on 2 hits and the loss (1-1).
Notes
The Twins again lost to the Yankees by one run.
The Twins record fell to 26-20 while the Yankees improved to 28-18.
Attendance
39,353 (Target Field)
Hardy activated from DL, Plouffe sent down
May 26, 2010
Shortstop JJ Hardy has been activated from the disabled list while his replacement, Trevor Plouffe, has been sent back to Rochester.
Hardy bruised his wrist in the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers on May 4th. Hardy scored the winning run off a wild pitch but injured his hand after sliding into third base with a one-out triple. Since then, Hardy has changed the way he slides into bases to avoid having the injury happen again, including wearing a brace on the base paths.
Plouffe was brought up to start the weekend interleague series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Plouffe got off to a hot start in his Major League debut, picking up two hits, including a double, and knocking in two runs while scoring one. He cooled off the next two games and recorded the final out of the 4-3 loss against the Brewers and going 3-for-13. Overall, though, the Twins were impressed by the 23 year old.
Game 45: Yankees edge Twins 1-0
May 25, 2010
New York Yankees @ Minnesota (Game 1 of 3)
Summary
A pitching duel to the end, this game took 2-days to finish. The game was stopped after five innings due to rain with the score 0-0.
In the end, Minnesota was unable to answer a solo home run by Derek Jeter in the top of the 6th.
Batting
Denard Span went 3-for-5, but left 3 runners on base. Jason Kubel and JJ Hardy both doubled in the game, but were left stranded.
Overall the twins only had six hits and were 0-7 with RISP.
Pitching
Scott Baker went 5 complete innings with only 3 hits, 2 K’s and 1 BB. Baker was unable to complete the game as it was called because of the weather.
Brian Duensing came in and gave up a solo shot to Derek Jeter in the top of the 6th, but quickly recovered going 3 innings with 1 run on 2 hits and 2 K’s.
Duensing was charged with the loss to bring his record to 2-1.
Notes
This game was postponed until the following day and although Duensing gave up a run, the Twins were unable to answer with the bat and fell to the Yankees again by one run.
The Twins record fell to 26-19 while the Yankees improved to 27-18.
Attendance
38,962 (Target Field)
Game 44: Twins fail to sweep Brewers
May 23, 2010
Milwaukee @ Minnesota (Game 3 of 3)
Summary
The Twins were unable to sweep the Brewers, falling 4-3 with 13 players batting and Kevin Slowey coming in to pinch run.
The Twins were unable to score again with runners in scoring position, giving Carl Pavano another unwarranted loss on the year.
Batting
Orlando Hudson was 3-for-5 scoring twice and 1 RBI. Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer both doubled in the game, with Morneau going 2-for-3 and Cuddyer going 1-for-5.
Pitching
Carl Pavano went 8 full innings with 103 pitches giving up 4 runs on 6 hits with 5 K’s and 1 BB and 2 HR. With the loss Pavano is now 4-5 on the season.
Notes
Carl Pavano pitched well and should be 6-3 this season and not 4-5. For some reason the Twins fail to swing the bats well when Pavano is on the mound.
Minnesota falss to 26-18 while Milwaukee moves to 17-27.
Attendance
38,952 (Target Field)
