Game 43: Twins need 12 to take care of Brewers
May 22, 2010
Milwaukee @ Minnesota (Game 2 of 3)
Summary
The Twins took a four run lead into the top of the 9th inning only to give up 4 runs and trail the Brewers by one run in the bottom of the 9th.
Delmon Young had a ground rule double with one out to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th. The Twins were unable to take the lead and ended up in extra innings. In the 12th inning, with the bases loaded, Jason Kubel hit a sacrafice fly to right field to score the winning run.
Batting
Joe Mauer went 4-for-7 with 3 run and 1 RBI. Morneau was 3-for-5 with 2 runs, and RBI. Mauer had 1 double and Morneau had 2 doubles.
Delmon Young was 1-for-5 and had 3 RBI’s.
Pitching
Kevin Slowey completed 5.2 innings with 2 runs on 6 hits and 1 HR. He recorded 5 SO and 1 BB. Slowey left the game after 102 pitches and a 4-2 lead.
Brian Duensing came in to retire the last batter of the 5th and then Matt Guerrier pitched 2 full innings with 2 SO and 1BB.
Ron Mahay started the 9th and gave up 3 hits on 2 hits and 1 walk without striking out a batter. Jon Rauch replaced him and was unable to stop the bleeding giving up 2 more runs on 3 hits and 1 walk with only 1 SO.
Alex Burnett pitched 2 innings giving up only 1 hit before Jesse Crain came into the game in the 12th to get the win.
Notes
Jon Rauch failed to shut the door on the Brewers in the 9th and the confidence of many Twins fans.
Minnesota moves to 26-17 while Milwaukee drops to 16-27.
Attendance
39,152 (Target Field)
Game 42: Twins enjoy interleague series
May 21, 2010
Milwaukee @ Minnesota (Game 1 of 3)
Summary
Minnesota finally found their bat after a dismal 2-for-7 road trip. After only scoring 6 runs in the last three games, the Twins started the series with the Brewer’s by scoring 7 runs in just the bottom of the first.
The game saw the major league debut of short stop Trevor Plouffe and he was welcomed by the team and the fans. After getting a base hit on his first major league at bat, Plouffe was welcomed in later defense and offense appearance with the crowd growling ”Plouffe”.
Nick Blackburn pitched late into the game, being taken out after former Twin Carlos Gomez blasted a three run shot to the second tier in left field in the top of the 8th inning.
Batting
Four Twins had three hits on the evening. Denard Span was 3-for-6 with 3 runs and 1 RBI, Orlando Hudson was 3-for-4 with 3 runs and 2 walks. Justin Morneau was 3-for-5 with 2 runs and 3 RBI’s. Delmon Young was 3-for-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI’s.
Trevor Plouffe went 2-for-5 with 1 run and 2 RBI’s. He singled and doubled in the game and was quickly a crowd favorite.
Pitching
Nick Blackburn pitched 7.1 innings and looked good until the end. Blackburn gave up 3 runs on 7 hits striking out 2 and walking 1. The home run to Gomez brought him out of the game at the 91 pitch mark.
This is the first time Blackburn has won four games in a row and his record is now 5-1 on the season.
Jose Mijares came in relief (1.2 innings) giving up 1 hit and striking out 1.
Notes
The Twins debuted their 3rd player from Rochester and again the player was successful. This is a testimonial to the Twins organizations farm system. Luke Hughes, Wilson Ramos and now Trevor Plouffe had shown that they can be successful right away when called up.
Although Plouffe will be moved down when JJ Hardy returns, he is getting a chance to show the organization that he is capable of playing at the major league level.
The Twins move to 25-17 and will likely gain a game on Detroit who are currently trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers on the west coast 1-4 in the bottom of the 7th.
Minnesota continues the “Border Battle” tomorrow with Kevin Slowey (5-3) pitching against Milwaukee’s best pitcher so far this season Yovani Gallardo (4-2). The game has a 3:10 start at Target Field.
Attendance
38,737 (Target Field)
Plouffe called up, Manship sent down
May 21, 2010
Trevor Plouffe has been called up to the Twins roster while Jeff Manship has been optioned down to Triple-A. Plouffe will fill in the spot that was left open with JJ Hardy being on the disabled list. Hardy’s wrist has been slow to heal and will not be activated in time to face his former team, the Milwaukee Brewers, in interleague play this weekend.
Plouffe is a natural shortstop, which is an upgrade from the spot utility infield duties shared by Brendan Harris, Alexi Casilla or Matt Tolbert when he is on the active roster. Plouffe was a first round draft pick by the Twins in 2004 and has had a hot streak this year in Rochester, hitting .303 in 38 games with 11 doubles, three triples, four home runs and 21 RBI.
Plouffe became the best option for the Twins as Luke Hughes is on the disabled list and Matt Tolbert is still in his 10-day holding period after being sent back down to Triple-A. The move marks the first time Plouffe has been a part of the Major League roster and will wear number 24.
Jeff Manship was sent down to Triple-A to make room for Plouffe. The Twins went short handed on the bench during their two game series against the Boston Red Sox to allow for 13 pitchers as their bullpen overused against the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. In his short stint with the team, Manship made one appearance out of the bullpen giving up one run off of one hit over 1.1 innings.
Game 41: Road trip fail
May 20, 2010
Minnesota @ Boston (Game 2 of 2)
Summary
The last game of a seven game road trip ended like it started. With a loss. Francisco Liriano looked good in the game, but the Twins were once again unable to score runs. The Twins were 0-7 with runners in scoring position and failed to get on the board until the 8th inning.
The Twins went 2-for-7 this road trip and thankfully will head home for a Friday evening game against the struggling Brewers as the “Border Battle” is renewed.
Batting
Denard Span was 2-for-4 with a run scored and Brendan Harris was 2-for-3. Michael Cuddyer doubled to lead off the 8th inning and later scored off of a Delmon Young sacrifice fly ball for his 16th RBI on the season.
With runners at 2B and 3B, Joe Mauer grounded out to score Span for his 20th RBI.
The long ball was missing as it has been much of this road trip.
Pitching
Francisco Liriano had a good outing, although statistically it may not appear that way. Liriano pitched 4.2 innings and threw 98 pitches. He allowed 5 runs on 5 hits (2 home runs) while striking out 6 opposing batters. He uncharacteristically gave up 3 walks in the 4 innings.
The loss drops Liriano to 4-3 on the season and is his 3rd loss in a row. He has really only had one bad outing and this outing all though not stellar, Liriano looked good for most the game.
Jeff Manship, Jesse Crain and Jon Rauch each pitched an inning as well, with only Manship giving up 1 run on 1 hit.
Notes
The Twins will be glad to be off this road trip. JJ Hardy who was rumored to be joining the Twins in Boston will likely be taking the weekend off. The deep bone bruise has not healed enough for Hardy to do much more then hit the ball of the tee at this point.
Minnesota is now 24-17 and are now tied with Detroit for the lead in the Central Division.
Attendance
38,144 (Fenway Park)
Game 40: Twins fall like the rain in Boston
May 19, 2010
Minnesota @ Boston (Game 1 of 2)
Summary
Minnesota had a good performance from Scott Baker, but not enough offense to get the job done as they fell to the Red Sox 2-3 on a rainy evening in Boston.
Baker was strong for six innings, but the Minnesota offense was unable to give him the support he needed to get the win. The Twins ended the game with 2 runs on 6 hits and as has been the pattern, Minnesota went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Batting
Deanard Span was 2-for-4 on the night with a double. Orlando Hudson, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer all had a hit, with Mauer getting his team leading 11th double in the 4th inning.
Mauer’s double scored Span for the first run of the game and put the Twins up 1-0. Mauer would ground out in a fielders choice to score Span again in the 9th to make the score 2-3.
Pitching
Scott Baker went 6 innings giving up 3 runs on 8 hits and 1 home run. Baker struck out 4 and walked 1 in 105 pitches. The drops Baker to a 4-4 record.
Alex Burnett came in relieve and gave up 2 hits in two-thirds innings, before Brian Duensing came out to finish the remainder of the game. Duensing struck out 1 and gave up no hits in one and one-third innings.
Notes
Minnesota again wasted another strong pitching performance from one of their starters and left a plethora of base runners in scoring position.
The loss is the second in a row and moves Minnesota to a 24-16 record overall. Minnesota now leads Detroit by a game in a half. Minnesota will send likely send Francisco Liriano (4-2) out to face Jon Lester (3-2) for the final game of the 2 game series.
Attendance
37,426 (Fenway Park)
Manship called up, Tolbert sent to AAA
May 19, 2010
Jeff Manship has rejoined the Twins after being called up from Triple-A with utility infielder, Matt Tolbert, being sent down to Rochester. The move gives the Twins a total of 13 pitchers on the active roster, with eight arms in the bullpen.
Manship was briefly called up when Nick Blackburn took an emergency family leave in April. Manship started one game against the Cleveland Indians giving up two runs off five hits with six strike outs over six innings in an extra innings loss. Manship has pitched in 12 games in his career posting a 5.26 ERA with 27 strike outs over 37.2 innings.
Matt Tolbert was called up to the roster after shortstop JJ Hardy was retroactivley placed on the disabled list. Since being called up, Tolbert has gone 1-for-4 with one start at third base. Tolbert also played second base for a few innings during Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. After spending time with the Twins over the past three seasons, Tolbert has a career batting average of .251 in 315 at-bats.
Game 39: Blue Jays wreck havoc on Twins
May 18, 2010
Minnesota @ Toronto (Game 2 of 2)
Summary
Carl Pavano has had little help offensively from the Twins. Most of his losses are because the Twins were unable to give him run support. That was the case today as well, but this time Pavano was unable to halt the powerful line up that is the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays showed the Twins why they were 23-17, with 11 runs on 15 hits and 4 home runs.
Batting
Michael Cuddyer was the most successful Twin going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
The Twins were down 0-5 at the top of the 4th inning when Cuddyer was credited with a triple. Jason Kubel singled into right field to score Cuddyer and put the Twins behind 1-5.
The only other score came when Alexi Casilla pinch hit for Justin Morneau and tripled on a fly ball to center field to score Denard Span from 2nd base.
Pitching
Carl Pavano had his first real bad start for the Twins. Pavano only lasted 4.0 innings giving up 6 runs on 10 hits and 2 home runs. The veteran was only able to strike out 2 batters in the game. Although he did not walk a runner, he did hit Jose Bautista with a pitch.
Ron Mahay and Jesse Crain did just as poorly with Mahay iving up 3 runs on 3 hits in 1.2 innings and Crain giving up 2 runs on 2 hits in 0.1 innings pitched.
The only good pitching came from Jose Mijares after the game was out of reach. He pitched 2.0 innings with no hits and 2 strike outs.
Notes
After giving a beating yesterday, the Twins could not match the offense of the Blue Jays as the Toronto team took full advantage of the Twins pitchers.
The Twins moved to 24-15 and stay 2 games ahead of Detroit who lost today versus the White Sox. Minnesota heads to Boston for a two game series with the Red Sox before coming back to Minnesota for some inner-league play against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Twins could hope to take advantage of the loss the Red Sox just took from the Yankees yesterday. Heading into the bottom of the 9th inning with a 2 run lead, the Yankees came back with two 2 run home runs to win the game.
Attendance
27,981 (Rogers Centre)
Game 38: Morneau is successful in Canada
May 17, 2010
Minnesota @ Toronto (Game 1 of 2)
Summary
The Twins were able to sail to an easy win thanks to the efforts of Canadian native Justin Morneau. Morneau was 3-for-4 with 2 home runs, 3 runs scored and 4 RBI’s.
The Twins were trailing 1-2 until the top of the 4th inning when Minnesota scored 4 runs to take the lead back 5-2. The Jays scored again in the bottom of the 5th inning to make cut the lead to 2 runs, but the Twins added one more run at the top of the 6th inning and two more runs in the top of 8th inning to beat the Jays 8-3.
Batting
Justin Morneau was the big bat for the night with two home runs as well as an RBI single in the top of the 4th inning.
Joe Mauer was 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
Pitching
Kevin Slowey threw 98 pitches in 5 complete innings giving up 3 runs on 8 hits and only 1 home run. Slowey struck out 2 and did not walk a batter to get the win. His record is now 5-3.
Alex Burnett came in for two innings and pitched very well. Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain also pitched an inning a piece in the win.
Notes
The Twins were able to keep the always dangerous Toronto hitters off balance. The Twins pitchers kept the Jays to only 3 runs on 11 hits in the game.
Morneau added two home runs to put him in the top 5 and both he and Mauer now lead the American League for batting average. Morneau is at .374 and Mauer is at .360 through May 17.
The win moves the Twins to 24-14 and now 2 full games over Detroit whose game with the White Sox was rained out. The Twins will try for the two game sweep tomorrow with Carl Pavano on the mound.
Attendance
13,892 (Rogers Centre)
Game 37: Kubel grand slam breaks Yankees grip
May 16, 2010
Minnesota @ New York (Game 2 of 3)
Summary
The Twins fell behind the Yankees 1-3 with Blackburn throwing well. The Twins continued to struggle against the Yankee pitching. Minnesota was able to record 9 hits on the Yankees but were unable to score but one run up until the 8th inning.
The Twins were able to get Joba Chamberlain into trouble in the 8th inning with 2 outs. Chamberlain walked Thome and a run so the Yankees skipper brought out Mariano Rivera to get the last 4 batters out.
With Jason Kubel up, Rivera’s second cutter was golfed to short left field for a grand slam home run and a 6-3 lead to go into the bottom of 8.
Batting
Orlando Hudson was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Justin Morneau hit his 9th home run of the season in the top of the 2nd inning to get the Twins on the board first.
The hit of the night though was the grand slam home run by the struggling Kubel. The home run brought a lot of fist pumps in the dugout and a lot of smiles from Twins fans happy to finally beat the Yankees in New York.
Pitching
Nick Blackburn pitched 7.0 strong innings only giving up 3 runs on 9 hits. Blackburn was able to strikeout 4 and walked 1 batter in 104 total pitches.
The win moves Blackburn to 4-1 on the season.
Brian Duensing and Matt Guerrier came in the 8th for the hold and both pitched well.
Jon Rauch came in for the save and quickly gave up 2 hits. Rauch settled down after that and struck out the side to get his 10th save of the year.
Notes
The Twins were finally able to beat the Yankees in New York. The offense is sputtering a little, but the pitching and defense in general has been solid in the Yankee series.
The Twins record is now 23-14 and they are still just 1.5 games up on the Detroit Tigers. The Twins will go to Toronto for two games and then to Boston on Wednesday for another two game series.
Attendance
46,347 (Yankee Stadium)
Game 36: Twins still struggle in Yankee Stadium
May 15, 2010
Minnesota @ New York (Game 2 of 3)
Summary
The Twins struggles in Yankee Stadium continue as the Twins were blanked by the Yankees for 7 innings and take another loss 1-7.
The Yankees picked away at the Twins pitching and accumulated 7 runs in 8 innings.
Batting
Joe Mauer was 1-for-4 with one RBI in the DH roll. Justin Morneau continued his hot streak going 2-for-4 in the game.
The Twins were unable to get the bats going until the 8th and 9th innings when they picked up 4 of their 7 hits.
Pitching
Francisco Liriano was able to keep the powerful Yankees to only three runs in the Babe Ruth sized field of Yankee Stadium. Liriano gave up 3 runs on 9 hits through 6 innings. He was able to strike out 7 and did not walk a batter.
Jesse Crain did not fair as well, giving up 3 runs on 2 hits in just one-third of an inning.
With the loss, Liriano falls to 4-2 on the year.
Notes
The outing was not bad for Liriano, but the Twins were unable to get him run support. The bullpen imploded in the 7th giving up 4 runs.
The Twins move to 22-14 and are now 1.5 games ahead of Detroit.
Attendance
46,347 (Yankee Stadium)
