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)
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)
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)
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)
