The Twins sunk to 22 games below .500 with a weekend sweep at the hands of the last-place Mariners. Trevor Plouffe is 1-for-22 since returning from the DL.
Week 20
49-65
26
Ben Revere's development has been a highlight of the Twins' lost season. With a .314 average and stellar defense in right, he's looking like part of the club's future.
Week 19
47-61
25
Scott Diamond has compiled a 3.32 ERA in his past six starts. During that span, he has allowed only one home run.
Week 18
43-58
26
In dealing Francisco Liriano to the White Sox over the weekend, the Twins sent their hottest trade chip to their most hated rival for a negligible return. It's been that kind of season.
Week 17
40-55
26
Counting themselves among only a handful of surefire deadline sellers, the Twins have some leverage as the names of Francisco Liriano and Denard Span continue to buzz.
Week 16
36-52
25
Over the weekend, the Twins gave up 24 runs in three games to an Oakland club that ranks last in the American League in runs scored. Brutal.
Week 15
36-49
25
Francisco Liriano has held opposing hitters to a .175 average since returning to the rotation after a bullpen demotion in May. In eight starts, he's registered a 2.74 ERA while allowing one home run. He'll be a very intriguing deadline commodity.
Week 14
33-45
27
After blasting two more homers on Sunday, Trevor Plouffe is now tied for 10th in the American League with 18. That number leads all major league third basemen. He's got a legitimate case as an All-Star snub.
Week 13
29-42
27
Are the Twins still in it? Despite a league-worst 29-42 record, they're only 8.5 games out of first place. And this week's homestand will have them facing two teams ahead of them in the AL Central.
Week 12
26-39
27
Blindingly hot third baseman Trevor Plouffe (hitting .389 in June with nine homers and 16 RBIs in 14 games) hasn't been enough to stop the Twins from dropping their past two home series.
Week 11
24-35
27
Since Justin Morneau came off the DL on May 15 after resting a sore wrist, he's hit six homers with 23 RBIs in 23 games, and the Twins have gone 14-9.
Week 10
20-33
28
Rookie Scott Diamond is an impressive 4-1 with a 1.86 ERA in six starts since being recalled from Triple-A Rochester in early May.
Week 9
15-32
29
The Twins have the worst run differential by a long shot (minus-80) in the majors.
Week 8
14-27
29
Joe Mauer has a healthy .395 on-base percentage, but he continues to hit for little power, as he has only one home run.
Week 7
10-24
30
Scott Diamond has tossed 14 scoreless innings in two starts since being called up from Triple-A. His two wins tie him for the team lead -- a rare bright spot for baseball's worst club.
Week 6
7-20
30
Last week, the Twins set a modern-era record for fewest hits (nine) in a four-game stretch. If they're going to be bad, they might as well be spectacularly bad.
Week 5
6-15
30
The Twins have allowed 120 runs this year -- that's one more than the Nationals and Cardinals have combined to give up. Twins pitchers own a 7.43 ERA in the first three innings of games. It's ugly.
Week 4
5-11
26
Going 3-4 on a tough road trip through New York and Tampa would feel like an accomplishment had the Twins not started out 2-7.
Week 3
2-7
29
The Twins' offense will only go as far as Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau can take it. Up to this point, that's been nowhere. The Twins have scored three or fewer runs in seven of nine games, in which they're 0-7.
Week 2
0-3
26
With matchups against the Angels, Rangers, Yankees, Rays and Red Sox looming, the Twins could ill-afford the kind of abysmal effort they put forth in Baltimore on opening weekend.
Week 1
0-0
22
Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau have both really heated up late in the spring. With a tough early schedule, the Twins are hoping the success (and health) carries over.
Twins - MLB Defensive Ranking
27
Fielding
NAME
GP
GS
FULL
TC
PO
A
E
DP
FPCT
RF
ZR
DWAR
Ben Revere
88
83
745
204
199
5
0
1
1.000
2.46
10.373
0.2
Drew Butera
33
24
224
188
177
11
0
2
1.000
7.55
3.394
0.6
Nick Blackburn
19
19
99
24
10
14
0
2
1.000
2.19
11.583
0.0
Francisco Liriano†
22
17
100
22
3
19
0
2
1.000
1.98
12.864
0.0
Scott Diamond
20
20
130
21
7
14
0
0
1.000
1.45
17.286
0.0
Clete Thomas†
11
7
68
20
19
1
0
0
1.000
2.65
9.300
0.2
Sean Burroughs
4
3
25
12
7
5
0
2
1.000
4.32
5.833
0.0
Brian Duensing
42
9
85
12
2
10
0
1
1.000
1.28
20.167
0.0
Anthony Swarzak
34
4
73
11
5
6
0
0
1.000
1.35
18.273
0.0
Carl Pavano
11
11
63
10
5
5
0
0
1.000
1.43
17.600
0.0
Alex Burnett
53
0
56
10
2
8
0
1
1.000
1.61
15.800
0.0
P.J. Walters
7
7
37
9
3
6
0
1
1.000
2.21
10.889
0.0
Jason Marquis†
7
7
34
8
1
7
0
0
1.000
2.12
11.000
0.0
Jeff Gray
48
0
52
8
3
5
0
0
1.000
1.39
18.750
0.0
Matt Carson
5
5
40
8
6
2
0
1
1.000
1.79
14.125
0.2
Liam Hendriks
9
9
43
8
3
5
0
0
1.000
1.66
15.250
0.0
Jeff Manship
12
0
22
4
1
3
0
1
1.000
1.66
15.000
0.0
Luis Perdomo
5
0
6
4
3
1
0
1
1.000
6.00
4.250
0.0
Matt Maloney
9
0
11
3
0
3
0
0
1.000
2.45
10.667
0.0
Casey Fien
19
0
21
3
1
2
0
0
1.000
1.31
19.667
0.0
Tyler Robertson
26
0
16
2
0
2
0
0
1.000
1.15
21.500
0.0
Matt Capps
29
0
28
1
0
1
0
0
1.000
0.32
85.000
0.0
Kyle Waldrop
4
0
4
1
0
1
0
0
1.000
2.25
10.000
0.0
Ryan Doumit
61
57
499
257
244
12
1
2
.996
4.62
5.463
-0.9
Justin Morneau
72
72
641
647
600
44
3
82
.995
9.05
2.798
-0.9
Joe Mauer
83
81
704
607
571
32
4
22
.993
7.71
3.264
-1.0
Chris Parmelee
34
28
244
272
249
21
2
36
.993
9.96
2.460
-0.7
Josh Willingham
104
103
899
217
208
6
3
2
.986
2.14
11.700
-1.7
Denard Span
103
102
889
285
278
3
4
1
.986
2.84
8.800
1.5
Alexi Casilla
80
73
641
398
157
234
7
76
.982
5.49
4.515
1.7
Jamey Carroll
117
107
954
487
167
309
11
72
.977
4.49
5.513
1.3
Darin Mastroianni
48
32
307
84
80
2
2
0
.976
2.40
10.393
0.4
Brian Dozier
83
81
732
413
111
287
15
70
.964
4.89
5.015
0.4
Danny Valencia†
34
33
291
98
21
73
4
9
.959
2.91
8.316
-0.2
Luke Hughes†
5
3
27
23
15
7
1
0
.957
7.33
3.435
0.0
Erik Komatsu†
9
9
79
19
17
1
1
0
.947
2.05
11.368
-0.3
Trevor Plouffe
88
79
697
226
87
127
12
15
.947
2.76
8.739
-1.1
Samuel Deduno
8
8
46
17
7
9
1
5
.941
3.13
7.353
0.0
Pedro Florimon
7
7
57
34
17
14
3
4
.912
4.87
4.824
0.4
Glen Perkins
54
0
53
11
1
9
1
0
.909
1.69
13.727
0.0
Jared Burton
49
0
48
11
2
8
1
0
.909
1.89
12.636
0.0
Tsuyoshi Nishioka
3
3
26
19
6
11
2
6
.895
5.88
3.684
-0.2
Cole De Vries
14
13
70
8
1
6
1
1
.875
0.90
26.125
0.0
Lester Oliveros
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
.000
0.00
.000
0.0
Totals
124
0
1099
4726
3296
1351
79
0
.983
38.07
5.898
--
May 28th, 2012
To the Fans of a Terrible Team
Do's and Don'ts
The Twins are mired in last place with no escape in sight. Any hopes for a run from the Twins this year are pretty much long gone; even respectability would be difficult to achieve after the team's first two months. We can only face this reality, and manage our actions and emotions appropriately.
With this in mind, I'd like to help you find a way to enjoy the remainder of this year. Baseball can be fun even when your favorite team has a two-in-three chance of losing every night - heck, I'm still a baseball fan, and I lived through the mid- and late-1990s, when the Twins were often mathematically eliminated from pennant contention midway through spring training. And so here, I have a few do's and don'ts for you, a fan of a terrible baseball team.
DO: Keep on attending games. DON'T: Pay full price for a ticket, unless there is a very good reason, such as the seller holding you at gunpoint, which is so far the only scenario I can come up with that would cause me to pay more than about $5 for a Twins ticket the rest of this year.
DON'T: Leave the game early. DO: Leave your seat to go to the bar.
DO: Beer. DON'T: Heroin.
DO: Follow the minor league teams, in the hopes of help from the farm system for the major-league club. DON'T: Quit your job, abandon your family, and move to Beloit under what is clearly a fake name like "Joseph Q. Milkcarton," because the cops will find you and you will have a lot of explaining to do.
DO: Feel free to take joy in cheering against other teams, like the White Sox and the Tigers. DON'T: Twist yourself into knots about what to do when Detroit plays Chicago, because you can always hope for a measles epidemic or a flood or something like that.
DO: Pick out a National League team to cheer for, just for a way to get some excitement this summer. DON'T: Decide that you're going to be a Cubs fan, because that's about the only way you can go wronger than being a Twins fan this year.
DO: Avail yourself of other local baseball options. DON'T: Treat the players on your local town-team like you do the Twins, because those men live in your neighborhood and they can hear what you're saying about them and they will be waiting by your car when the game's over.
DO: Go to a St. Paul Saints game or two. DON'T: Try to discuss baseball with your neighbor, because nobody who goes to a Saints game is actually watching the baseball, except as a pleasant backdrop for drunkenness and between-innings shenanigans.
DO: Start a website so that you can write about your favorite baseball team. DON'T: Move to a city on the Eastern seaboard, because the next thing you know you'll be posting pictures of Fenway Park on Facebook and you'll have the writing staff worried that you're about to take off and write for a Red Sox blog instead of a Twins blog.
May 27th, 2012
Scoreboard
Final
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Detroit (23-24) «
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
4
12
1
Minnesota (15-32)
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
3
12
0
Tigers 4, Twins 3
The Detroit Tigers were supposed to be scoring a lot more runs than they have so far this season. They nearly cost themselves this three-game sweep at Minnesota by leaving eight runners in scoring position.
But Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder have been steadily slugging them back, and the big guys sure had their swings in shape this series.
Cabrera's two-run homer with one out in the ninth inning lifted the Tigers to a 4-3 victory over the Twins on Sunday, making up for 10 men left on base.
"I was having nightmares during that game, because we're just leaving those guys on out there," manager Jim Leyland said.
His afternoon had a happy ending. Cabrera crushed an 0-2 pitch to center field from Matt Capps (0-3), who took his first blown save in 10 tries, after rookie Quintin Berry started the inning with a single.
Capps threw an off-speed outside pitch to Cabrera on Friday night with a 0-2 count, and Cabrera singled to the opposite field. This time, the closer fired his fastball inside and watched Cabrera hit the ball over the wall.
"You've got to be ready for anything," Cabrera said.
All-Star right-hander Justin Verlander hit a long home run during batting practice, so Leyland said he jokingly yelled at Cabrera to try to do the same during his dramatic at-bat.
"Boom. Next pitch," Leyland said. "It was funny."
Jose Valverde followed for his ninth save in 11 attempts. Denard Span led off with a single. After Ben Revere popped his bunt up for the first out, Joe Mauer hit a hard line out to left. Then after Span stole second, Josh Willingham walked. But Justin Morneau flied out to right.
Brayan Villarreal (1-1) recorded two outs in the eighth for the victory.
Fielder had two more hits and went 9 for 12 in the series plus two walks for the Tigers, who have won 21 of their last 27 games against the Twins. Cabrera raised his career average at Minnesota's 2 1/2-year-old ballpark to .408, including nine doubles, four homers and 18 RBIs.
"We're here to win games, not here for personal numbers," Cabrera said. "If you think about that, you put pressure on yourself."
Said starter Rick Porcello: "A clutch home run like that, late in the game, to put us ahead: That's why he's our guy."
Alexi Casilla went 3 for 3 for the Twins, including an RBI single against Porcello in the fourth. Mauer had two hits, tying the game at 2 with a double in the fifth. Willingham singled him in to give the Twins the lead.
Porcello lasted six innings, allowing nine hits, three runs and three walks with only one strikeout. He hasn't won in four starts, but this was a much better performance. He took a sharp drive by Mauer off his leg but managed to stay on his feet and throw for the out before hobbling around in pain in the third.
"That's all I'm looking to come out there and do: Keep us in the game and try to pitch as deep as I can. In that way, it was a good outing," Porcello said. "Obviously I've got to continue to work on putting it all together, but it's a good win for us."
Twins starter P.J. Walters gave up seven hits and four walks, both highs over four appearances since being brought up from Triple-A less than three weeks ago. But he finished six innings with only two first-inning runs allowed and struck out four.
After a ray-of-hope, four-game winning streak on the road that included a two-game sweep of the Tigers in Detroit, the Twins have lost five in a row.
"One of those losses that knocks the wind out of your sails," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Notes
Berry, who made his major league debut earlier this week when CF Austin Jackson strained an abdominal muscle, has at least one hit in each of his five games. He's 8 for 21. ... The Twins start a three-game series with Oakland on Monday in a holiday matinee. LH Scott Diamond (3-1, 1.78 ERA) takes the mound for the Twins, and LH Travis Blackley (0-0, 0.00) will make his first start of the season for the A's. ... The Tigers send RH Doug Fister (0-2, 1.84) to the mound on Monday in Boston. LH Felix Doubront (4-2, 3.96) starts for the Red Sox. ... The Twins had two moving moments on the field before the game. Mauer hosted an 8-year-old boy named Grant with leukemia as part of the Make-A-Wish program, competing with him in the video game "MLB 11: The Show" with the action shown on the scoreboard above left field. Then Robert Buresh, a Minnesota Air National Guard master sergeant just returned from Afghanistan, surprised his daughters in front of home plate as they ran around the bases in a promotional contest.
May 20th, 2012
Marquis allowed eight runs in 1 2/3 innings,
done in by Milwaukee's six-hit, six-run second inning, and the Brewers went on to beat the Twins 16-4 on Sunday.
Lucroy homered twice and had a career-high seven RBIs, and Zack Greinkepitched six strong innings to improve to 14-0 at Miller Park for the Brewers.
In Milwaukee's second inning, Ryan Braun doubled in two runs, Lucroy had a bloop two-run single and Corey Hart and Travis Ishikawa each added run-scoring singles. Marquis (2-4) also hit one of the 10 batters he faced. After Ishikawa's two-out RBI hit, Anthony Swarzak took over for Marquis and retired Cesar Izturison a fly ball.
"I'm putting the team in a hole every time I step on the mound," Marquis said after losing his fourth straight start. "I can't get it right right now. They hit good pitches and bad pitches."
Marquis' last victory was April 29 when he beat Kansas City.
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said the Brewers' batters just didn't miss as his club lost a chance to win five games in a row for the first time this season.
"They seemed to hit everything we threw up there," he said. "Everything Marquis threw was up and you can't have that from your starter."
Lucroy connected on an 0-2 pitch from Jeff Grayin the seventh inning for his first career grand slam. The ball nipped the back edge of the padding in right before falling into the Twins' bullpen. He also had a solo homer in the first.
With the victory, the Brewers avoided being swept in a three-game series with Minnesota for the first time since Sept. 15-17, 1978, when Milwaukee was still in the American League.
Greinke (5-1) benefited from Milwaukee's season highs for hits (17) and runs to extend his unbeaten streak to 20 starts as a Brewer at Miller Park. He allowed one run on five hits, struck out six and walked one.
Staked to a seven-run lead early, he allowed just one run on four hits through six innings. In the seventh, Trevor Plouffe singled with one out. Second baseman Edwin Maysonet's two-base throwing error put runners at second and third. After Denard Span walked to load the bases, Juan Perez relieved and struck out Ben Revereto end the threat.
Braun went 3 for 4 with two doubles, a single, four RBIs and two runs scored. Hart also had three hits, including his ninth home run of the season. Taylor Green's sacrifice fly pushed the lead to 10-1. An inning later, Braun made it 11-1 with a bloop RBI single. Norichika Aokipinch hit for Braun in the seventh and drove in a run.
Gardenhire turned to his catcher Drew Buterato pitch the eighth after using four relievers after Marquis.
"Butera looked like a catcher pitching," Gardenhire said. "He said he pitched in high school so that's the only reason why I put him out there."
The Miller Park radar gun recorded one of Butera's pitches at 94 mph.
The game got a little chippy in the Twins' ninth.
Milwaukee reliever Tim Dillard threw behind Jamey Carrollleading off the inning and was promptly ejected by home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. Three Brewers had already been hit in the game.
"We pretty much stunk up the field, so there's no need for us to be throwing at anybody," Gardenhire said.
The Twins' bright spot was Revere, who kept up his strong hitting since being recalled May 17. He doubled and scored on Josh Willingham's single in the Twins' first. Revere came into the game batting .400 with two runs scored and two stolen bases.
Brian Dozierhad a RBI single in the eighth for the Twins.
Minnesota scored a run in the ninth when Izturis couldn't field Darin Mastroianni's two-out roller to short with the bases loaded. Then reliever Kameron Loewalked in a run before retiring Dozier to end the game.
Hart led off the bottom of the first with a solo shot that nearly cleared the second tier of seats in left. Lucroy followed two outs later with another solo blast. It landed in the same tier in left, but just a few rows in.
Game notes Joe Mauer had four hits for the Twins. ... Revere has a seven-game hitting streak. ... Twins pitchers have surrendered a major-league leading 58 home runs.
May 9th, 2012
Angels Fly By Twins 6-2
Mike Trout went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two more driven in, as the Angels finally gave Ervin Santana some run support in their 6-2 win over the Minnesota Twins.
The Angels did not score for Santana over his previous five starts and had pushed just two runs across when he's been on the mound this season.
But a 14-hit attack, including a two-hit, two-RBI effort from Albert Pujols, propelled Santana (1-6) to his first win after he allowed two runs on six hits over 7 1/3 innings.
"We haven't been getting him much support," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said about Santana. "He battled a little bit tonight with command early, but he pitched deep into the game and he did a good job pitching with the lead."
Carl Pavano (2-3) lasted just four-plus innings for the Twins, getting touched for five runs -- four earned -- on 10 hits.
"I wasn't able to [execute] consistently and they got to me," Pavano said.
Minnesota, currently in a 2-7 funk, scored in the fifth on Danny Valencia's RBI groundout and again in the sixth on Josh Willingham's solo homer.
The Angels, shut out in middle test of this three-game series, put up three runs in the third inning to take control.
Trout doubled off the left-field wall to knock in Erick Aybar, then scored on Pujols' base hit to left. A Joe Mauer throwing error plated the third run.
Run-scoring hits by Alberto Callaspo and Pujols in the fifth made it 5-0, and Trout added another RBI single an inning later off Alex Burnett.
Game Notes
The Angels won the season series, 6-3...Minnesota went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, while the Angles went 7-for-14 with RISP...Santana had been 0-9 in 10 starts dating back to September 6, 2011...After the game, Valencia was optioned to Triple-A Rochester and Twins pitcher Matt Maloney was designated for assignment. To fill the roster spots, Minnesota recalled outfielder Darin Mastroianni from Rochester and selected the contract of right-hander P.J. Walters.
May 8th, 2012
Angels Win, Weaver Picks Up Fifth Win Of Season
Angels drop Twins
In his first start since tossing a no- hitter against Minnesota on May 2, Jered Weaver spun six strong innings of one-run ball to lift the Angels over the Twins, 8-3, in the opener of a three- game set at Target Field.
Weaver (5-0) allowed just three hits and walked two over six frames as he became the first pitcher since Derek Lowe in 2002 to throw a no-hitter against a team and then face them in his next outing.
"A lot of things went my way," said Weaver. "They hit the ball hard and obviously it wasn't like it was the start before but it's always tough pitching against the same team two times in row."
Albert Pujols ended his home run drought at 139 at-bats on Sunday and knocked in two runs on Monday while Alberto Callaspo added a two-run homer and finished with three RBI to help the Angels earn their third straight victory.
Francisco Liriano (0-5) is still in search of his first win in 2012 after giving up four runs on five hits and three walks over five innings. Denard Span and Joe Mauer each knocked in a run as Minnesota dropped its third straight.
Maicer Izturis led off the game with a line-drive single into left field, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored two batters later on a groundout from Pujols to give the Halos an early 1-0 lead.
After Izturis worked a one-out walk in the third, Callaspo belted his first home run of the season over the wall in left to make it a 3-0 contest.
LA loaded the bases with one out in the fourth on consecutive singles and a Chris Iannetta walk. Peter Bourjos then plated Howie Kendrick with a sacrifice fly to extend the margin to 4-0.
Minnesota finally got to Weaver in the fifth as back-to-back singles around a Trevor Plouffe walk loaded the bases. After Jamey Carroll popped out, Denard Span slapped a groundball to shortstop but Kendrick was unable to turn the double-play at second, allowing Chris Parmelee to score to cut the deficit to 4-1.
The Angels tacked on a run in the seventh on an RBI single from Pujols but the Twins rallied in the eighth as Carroll launched a leadoff double and Brian Dozier followed two batters later with a single to put runners on the corners.
Mauer stepped to the plate, ripping a single through the hole on the right side to bring the Twins within three before Ryan Doumit's sacrifice fly made it a 5-3 contest.
"That seems to be the story every day," said Carroll about his team not being able to get the big hit when they need it. "Obviously it's frustrating and not the way you want it to be, but that's the way it went down tonight."
The Halos blew the game open in the ninth as Bourjos reached on a bunt single and came around to score on Callaspo's RBI single. After Pujols popped out and Torii Hunter walked, Minnesota seemed to be out of the inning as Mark Trumbo lifted a fly ball to left field, but the ball went in and out of Erik Komatsu's glove in left, allowing Callaspo and Hunter to score to extend the lead to 8-3.
Game Notes
Weaver improved to 7-3 in 13 career starts against the Twins...The Angels have won five of seven against the Twins this season and swept them in a three-game set from April 30-May 2...LA left seven on base and went 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position while the Twins stranded five and finished 3-for-10 with men in scoring position.
May 7th, 2012
LA Angels of Anaheim (12-17) at Minnesota Twins (7-20), 8:10 p.m. (ET)
Jered Weaver takes the ball for the first time since his no-hitter this evening and will be facing the team he shut down, as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim open a three-game set with the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Weaver becomes the first pitcher since Derek Lowe in 2002 to no-hit an opponent and face the same team in the next start and the sixth since the beginning of the 1991 season. Of course, he's also trying to become the first pitcher since Cincinnati's Johnny Vander Meer in 1938 to throw consecutive no- hitters. "It's my biggest pet peeve about being a pitcher. It's tough," Weaver said of facing the same team in consecutive starts. "Obviously, you face the same team twice, you have to pitch a little bit different, but it's hard to pitch different because you have to pitch to your strength, as well, and the opposing team will know that." The 29-year-old right-hander was absolutely magnificent on Wednesday against the Twins, as he walked just one batter and struck out nine in throwing the franchise's 10th no-hitter. Weaver will be facing the Twins for the third time this season tonight and is 6-3 lifetime against them with a 3.73 ERA in 12 starts. Weaver may also have a rejuvenated Albert Pujols behind him too. Pujols' home run drought ended at 139 at-bats on Sunday when he launched a two-run bomb in the fifth inning to help the Angels best the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3, in the finale of a four-game set at Angel Stadium. "I put a good swing on it. It's all about making adjustments," the three-time MVP said. "The fans wanted to see it, I heard the boos; it's part of the game. But the cheers were louder." Pujols, the 12-year-veteran who signed a 10-year $240 million contract during the offseason, was hitting just .194 entering Sunday and had been given the night off on Saturday. Jerome Williams (3-1) picked up the victory, scattering eight hits and three runs, two earned, with a walk and four strikeouts, as Los Angeles finished off a split in the series. "I wasn't as sharp as last game, but when I needed to bear down, I did. I got outs when I needed to," Williams said. It was not all good news for the hosts, however. Angels closer Scott Downs entered in the ninth but left the game with an apparent left leg injury sustained while attempting to avoid a line drive hit by J.P. Arencibia. Minnesota, meanwhile, lost the final two games of its set with the Seattle Mariners, falling 5-2 in Sunday's rubber match at Safeco Field. Ryan Doumit hit two home runs for the Twins while Nick Blackburn (0-4) gave up five runs over six innings to suffer the loss. He has not won since July 8, 2011. "I thought he was kind of feeling for the ball, wasn't aggressive until later on in the game, and when he got aggressive, he was pretty effective," Minnesota bench coach Scott Ullger said of Blackburn. Minnesota has managed just five runs and 14 hits while batting .096 in their first five games this month. The Twins turn to struggling lefty Francisco Liriano, who is 0-4 with a 9.97 ERA. Liriano lost to the Angels on Wednesday, as he surrendered four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 frames. Amazingly, it was his best outing of the season. Liriano has faced the Angels six times (five starts) and is 1-3 with a 7.48 ERA. The Angels have won four of six against the Twins this season. This, though, is the final series between the teams this year.
Twins Worst MLB Team in 2012
It's time for Manager Ron Gardenhire to GO!
~THIS SEASON IS OVER~
May 6th, 2012
Hits Are Hard To Come By For The Twins
The Twins managed five hits in their 5-2 loss at Seattle, giving them a total of only 14 hits over their last five games (three hits on Tuesday, none on Wednesday, five on Friday and one on Saturday). That ties Minnesota with the 1961 Red Sox (May 12-15) and 1993 Reds (Aug. 10-15) for the fewest hits for a major-league team over a five-game span during baseball's modern era (1900 to date)
SEATTLE — Only Ryan Doumit was able to keep the Minnesota Twins from adding to a historic week of offensive futility. Doumit hit a pair of solo homers to account for all of Minnesota's offense, but the Twins couldn't overcome Nick Blackburn's rough early innings in a 5-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. Rookie slugger Jesus Montero lined a two-run double in the first inning to get Seattle on the board, Mike Carp added his first homer of the season and the Mariners cruised to their second straight win over the Twins. "It hasn't been a fun season for anyone," Blackburn said. "All we can do is go out there and keep playing. I'm not concerned at all about the guys in the clubhouse." Doumit had three of Minnesota's five hits, including his second and third homers of the season. But both shots came when the Twins were already facing a 5-0 hole. Minnesota's offense had already taken its place in baseball history this week. Before Sunday's game, the nine hits in the previous four games by Minnesota - including a no-hitter by the Angels' Jered Weaver and a combined one-hitter courtesy mostly of Felix Hernandez on Saturday night - were the fewest hits in a four-game span since 1900, according to statistics provided by the Twins from the Elias Sports Bureau. Minnesota had been shut out in three of its previous four games for the first time since 1996 and was on the verge of yet another shutout until Doumit's homer leading off the seventh inning. Changes are coming for the Twins starting Monday. Touted prospect Brian Dozier is expected to join the team in Minnesota with Justin Morneau and his sore right wrist headed to the disabled list. "We're going through a dry patch right now," Doumit said. "It's just baseball. It's a cyclical game. Sometimes you score a lot of runs, sometimes you don't. We're at the opposite end right now." Blackburn (0-4) made it through six innings, but was battered early and remained winless in five starts this season. Left-handed batters came in hitting .407 against Blackburn this year and a Mariners lineup full of lefties did its part. But it was Montero, a right-hander and the centerpiece of Seattle's big offseason trade with the Yankees, who got it going early. His two-run double just inside the bag at third in the first was followed by Kyle Seager's long line-drive single off the wall in right that scored Montero. Carp then opened the second with a solo shot deep into the seats in right field. It was just his third hit since coming off the disabled list earlier in the week after he missed nearly a month with a shoulder sprain suffered during the season-opening series in Japan. Seattle went ahead 5-0 in the fourth when Dustin Ackley lined a triple into the left-center field gap, then scored on Brendan Ryan's sacrifice foul out down the right-field line. "Later I got in a groove, got things a little more figured out," said Blackburn, who retired seven of the final eight batters he faced. "But it was one of those days that was not a lot of fun." Seattle starter Hector Noesi took a shutout into the seventh inning before giving up Doumit's first homer. Despite the home run, Noesi (2-3) allowed just four hits and struck out five. While Montero was the focus of Seattle's trade with the Yankees, Noesi was a piece the Mariners were equally excited about. His potential was on display in early April when Noesi threw eight shutout innings against Oakland. But in his three starts since, Noesi was 0-2 with a 9.75 ERA. Facing the Twins' meek offense certainly helped. Noesi gave up singles in the first, third and fourth innings and didn't allow a baserunner past second until Doumit's second homer of the season in the seventh. Doumit made it his fifth career multi-homer game when he lined a solo shot in the ninth off reliever Tom Wilhelmsen. "He just continued on doing what we've seen the last couple of starts," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. "He was doing a good job of commanding his fastball and reaching out front and really finishing off his pitches and then using all of his secondary stuff." Notes: Seager has 10 RBIs over his past five games. ... Twins C Joe Mauer was back behind the plate for the first time since taking a foul tip off the inside of his knee and spending most of the past week as a designated hitter. ... The Twins will call up LHP Scott Diamond on Monday from Triple-A Rochester. Minnesota will announce the corresponding roster move on Monday.
AL Central standing: 5 Win percentage: .250
May 3rd, 2012
Minnesota Twins announce promotions for nine-game homestand
Minneapolis, MN – The Minnesota Twins will host the Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians in a nine-game homestand starting at Target Field in Minneapolis on Monday, May 7.
Monday, May 7 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (7:10 p.m.) TICKET OFFER – Schweigert™ Dollar-A-Dog Day Hot dogs are just $1 at the Hennepin Grille, Taste of Twins Territory and Halsey’s Sausage Haus concession stands. (Limit 20,000 per game; 2 per person.) TICKET OFFER – Wine, Women and Baseball presented by Dove Brand Chocolate, Park Nicollet; hosted by Graves 601 Hotel with media partners KS95 and WCCO-TV Just for women, the package includes a Skyline Deck ($60) or U.S. Bank Home Run Porch View ($50) ticket, a pass to a pregame event at nearby Graves 601 Hotel featuring wine tasting, light appetizers and desserts, “Pamper Me” stations and a complimentary gift.
Tuesday, May 8 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (7:10 p.m.) TICKET OFFER – Sports Authority Value Pack presented by K-TWIN 96.3 FM Purchase a U.S. Bank Home Run Porch View ticket and receive a FREE Schweigert hot dog and Pepsi. (Hot dog and soda available at the Hennepin Grille by Section 232 and Skyline Deck Section U, and at Taste of Twins Territory by Section 234.)
Wednesday, May 9 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (7:10 p.m.) TICKET OFFER – Rasmussen College Student Day presented by FOX Sports North Standing room only tickets are just $8 for students on Wednesday games. (Available day of game only at the Target Field box office beginning at 9 a.m. Limit one ticket per student with valid ID.)
Thursday, May 10 vs. Toronto Blue Jays (7:10 p.m.) TICKET OFFER – Sports Authority Value Pack presented by K-TWIN 96.3 FM Purchase a U.S. Bank Home Run Porch View ticket and receive a FREE Schweigert hot dog and Pepsi. (Hot dog and soda available at the Hennepin Grille by Section 232 and Skyline Deck Section U, and at Taste of Twins Territory by Section 234.)
Friday, May 11 vs. Toronto Blue Jays (7:10 p.m.) TICKET OFFER – Life Time Fan Fit Fridays Fans attending Friday games can visit www.lifetimefitness.com/twins to receive a free 7-day Life Time Fitness pass.
Saturday, May 12 vs. Toronto Blue Jays (6:10 p.m.) GIVEAWAY – The first 20,000 fans will receive a Twins cap courtesy of DQ® TICKET OFFER – DQ® Sensational Saturdays Purchase a Saturday single game ticket in any seating section and receive a coupon for a buy-one-get-one-free Blizzard® Flavor Treat from DQ. (Offer not available for online orders printed at home or via the Target Field automated kiosks.) TWINS SPLIT THE POT RAFFLE – The Twins Split the Pot Raffle will benefit the Save A Life Initiative. Raffle tickets may be purchased through the end of the fifth inning at various locations throughout the ballpark. One lucky winner will take home HALF the net proceeds from that day’s raffle ticket sales (up to $10,000). BALLPARK-WIDE PHOTO – Fans in attendance are encouraged to be in their seats during the 3rd inning to be a part of the Target Field ballpark-wide photo. Then, fans can visit www.twinsbaseball.com/tagoramic to find themselves at the game and tag their friends.
Sunday, May 13 vs. Toronto Blue Jays (1:10 p.m.) GIVEAWAY – The first 10,000 female fans will receive a Mother’s Day fashion scarf courtesy of Pepsi. TICKET OFFER – Crystal Farms® Kids Day Purchase a Sunday single game ticket in any seating section and receive a special coupon offer from Crystal Farms. (Offer not available for online orders printed at home or via the Target Field automated kiosks.) Plus kids 14 and younger can receive free autographs from a Twins player before the game. Postgame, kids can run the bases courtesy of Gillette Children’s Hospital.
Monday, May 14 vs. Cleveland Indians (7:10 p.m.) TICKET OFFER – Schweigert™ Dollar-A-Dog Day Hot dogs are just $1 at the Hennepin Grille, Taste of Twins Territory and Halsey’s Sausage Haus concession stands. (Limit 20,000 per game; 2 per person.)
Tuesday, May 15 vs. Cleveland Indians (12:10 p.m.) TICKET OFFER – Sports Authority Value Pack presented by K-TWIN 96.3 FM Purchase a U.S. Bank Home Run Porch View ticket and receive a FREE Schweigert hot dog and Pepsi. (Hot dog and soda available at the Hennepin Grille by Section 232 and Skyline Deck Section U, and at Taste of Twins Territory by Section 234.) TICKET OFFER – Treasure Island Senior Days Fans 55 and better receive a $5 discount on Field Box and Powerball® Pavilion tickets for all weekday day games. (Offer available by phone and in-person only. Subject to availability.)
It's like beating-flogging a dead horse!
Weaver's fastball makes easy out of Twins
Jered Weaver threw the 10th no-hitter in franchise history as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 9-0 to sweep a series for the first time this season. It was the 250th regular-season no-hitter in MLB history.
Since the Angels entered the American League in 1961, no major-league team has more no-hitters. The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers also have 10 no-hitters in that span.
Weaver was able to shut down the Twins without needing to go to his secondary pitches. Nineteen of his 28 outs (including Chris Parmelee, who reached on a passed ball after striking out) were on fastballs. Six of his nine strikeouts were recorded on fastballs, with two on sliders and one on a curveball – his only out on a hook all night.
Since the start of the 2009 season, Weaver has relied on his fastball 56 percent of the time. Against the Twins on Wednesday, he went with the heat on 75 of 121 pitches (62 percent). While the outs came more easily than normal, his percent of pitches for strikes - 64 percent - was the same in the no-hitter as over the last four seasons.
It was the second no-hitter in major-league history thrown on May 2. The other was tossed by Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds in 1917.
The Halos have been brightest on Wednesday recently. With Weaver’s gem, the last three Angels' no-hitters have been thrown on Wednesday. Ervin Santana no-hit the Cleveland Indians last year, the first no-hitter for the Angels since Mark Langston and Mike Witt combined to allow no hits against the Seattle Mariners in 1990.
It was the first time that the Twins fell victim to a no-hitter since May 17, 1998, when David Wells threw a perfect game at Yankee Stadium.
Combined with Philip Humber's perfect game in April, this is the earliest in the calendar that two no-hitters have been thrown since 1994 (when there were three at this point). Last season was a near miss, as Francisco Liriano and Justin Verlander both threw no-hitters in the first week of May.
Weaver is the fifth pitcher overall, and the second in Angels history, to throw a no-hitter the year after being the runner-up in Cy Young voting. The last was Kevin Brown, who threw a no-hitter for the Florida Marlins in 1997 after finishing behind John Smoltz in NL Cy Young voting in 1996.
On the offensive side, it was the third straight game that the Angels hit two home runs. In the first 22 games of the season, they only had two multi-homer games.
Think 2011 Was Bad?
2012 Will Be Even Worse.
The Minnesota Twins had a season they'd like to forget in 2011.
2011 Record: 63-99
"Welcome to 2012 Twins"
It's like beating-flogging a dead horse!
So they're keeping their fingers crossed and hoping for the best. What I mean is whether they'll have good fortune in June, July & August of 2012. I'll give it some time....
I'll check back in late August.....
Good Luck Twins!
You Owe It To Yourself; You Owe It To The Team &
You Owe It To All Your Fans!
~Keep their fingers crossed~
(See You)
Early trade targets for GMs
When it comes to the July 31 trade deadline, good things do not come to those who wait.
With the first month of the season in the books, general managers around the major leagues already have begun to deploy scouts to evaluate other teams and their farm systems as well as take stock of their own major-league 25-man roster and farm system.
By now, most GMs have a good grasp of their team’s main strengths and weaknesses. They have begun to target the possible sellers at the trade deadline and who might be their competition for a particular player. Contending teams have begun to crystallize whether they will be able to address certain weaknesses from within their farm systems or if they will have to go outside the organization. But no matter what, they are trying to stay ahead of the curve and that means sending out scouts to watch players now.
Going by their records, selling teams are already obvious: Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres. By the end of May, more teams such as the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners could join that group as their surprising starts could -- or should -- fizzle by then.
In three categories, there are a number of players who should be prime targets of most contenders: closers, starting pitchers and position players.
Targeted closers: Brandon League, Joel Hanrahan, Huston Street, Carlos Marmol, Brett Myers and Grant Balfour Clubs in need: Los Angeles Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins
League should draw interest especially from the Angels and Reds. His fastball sits at 96-97 mph, occasionally touching 98-99 with great sink. He’s also got a good slider and a nasty split.
May 2nd, 2012
Angels aim for sweep of Twins
Jered Weaver tries to pitch the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to their first sweep of the season this evening when they close out a three-game set with the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium.
Weaver has been terrific this season for the Halos, posting a 3-0 mark to go along with a 2.02 earned run average. However, Weaver wasn't sharp against the Twins back on April 11 when he gave up five runs in six innings of a no- decision.
That wasn't the case the last time he took the rubber, though, as Weaver struck out eight and blanked the Cleveland Indians for six innings. However, he walked a season-high four batters and did not factor in the decision of his team's 3-2 loss.
Weaver, who has not given up a run in three of his five starts this season, will be trying to match Jerome Williams' brilliant effort from Tuesday, as the veteran right-hander twirled his second career shutout in the Angels' 4-0 win.
"I just went out there and pitched. I didn't even realize what was going on until the ninth inning," said Williams.
Williams (2-1) scattered just three hits and one walk, struck out six and retired 17 batters in a row before walking Denard Span with two down in the ninth. The 30-year-old then fanned Alexi Casilla to notch his first shutout since 2003.
"It was fun to go out there and perform," Williams continued. "I've learned how to get people out."
Howie Kendrick finished a double shy of the cycle and Torii Hunter added a solo homer and an RBI single for the Angels, who have won three of four and will shoot for their first home sweep of the Twins since 2007 tonight.
The Angels, though, have yet to win three straight games this season and Albert Pujols continues to struggle. After another 0-for-4 showing, the three- time NL MVP is now hitting .208.
Francisco Liriano (0-4) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings for the Twins, who fell to 6-17 on the season.
"(Liriano) wasn't that bad," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. "He gave up two early homers but I was happy with the way he threw the baseball."
Denard Span did extend his hitting streak to 12 games in the loss.
Getting the call for the Twins tonight will be righty Liam Hendriks, who is 0-1 with a 6.89 ERA. Hendriks absorbed the loss last Wednesday against Boston, as he allowed seven runs and nine hits in just four innings.
"I think I just gave the guys too much credit," said Hendriks. "I was trying to trick them a little bit too much and not play with my strengths of panning the zone."
He has never faced the Angels.
Minnesota took two of three from the Angels earlier in the year after LA captured six of the nine meetings in 2011.
May 1st, 2012
Minnesota Twins' Francisco Liriano better, but still winless
Francisco Liriano gave the Twins his best of the season. But like so much about the enigmatic left-handed pitcher, the haphazard performance kept him winless in 2012 and failed to answer crucial questions about his reliability in the rotation.
Familiar themes emerged on the mound and at the plate as downtrodden Minnesota opened May with a 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night, May 1.
Liriano showed glimpses of dominance, mowing down the Angels in order in the first inning and wiggling out of a pair of jams in the fourth and fifth. He struck out five.
But he also yielded solo home runs to Torii Hunter and Howard Kendrick in a span of three batters in the second. He allowed two more runs in the third as the Angels played small ball. He put the leadoff man on base in five innings and was occasionally wild.
Liriano, returning to the rotation after the Twins skipped his previous turn to rebuild his confidence, pitched into the sixth inning and managed to lower his earned-run average to 9.97 from a ghastly 11.02. But he fell to 0-4 on the season because of his opponents' resourcefulness and the Twins' inability to generate anything against unheralded L.A. starter Jerome Williams.
Following four nightmarish starts by Liriano, and with his team 6-17, manager Ron Gardenhire found positives in the mixed results.
"I know he gave up four runs, but he wasn't that bad," he said. "He stayed after it. I was happy with the way he threw
the baseball. It's a step in the right direction. We'll build off of that."
Liriano lamented a couple of mistakes, especially an 0-2 slider he failed to bury against Hunter, who bounced an RBI single for a 3-0 Angels lead. But he squelched potential rallies when L.A. put runners in scoring position in consecutive innings with less than two outs.
"I just tried not to think about the runners, and think about the hitters," said Liriano, who is mired in his first four-game losing streak since July 2010. "Just try to spot my pitch when I need to. The result wasn't what I wanted. (But) I feel I made some better pitches than the last time."
Journeyman barely describes Williams. Only the 27th Hawaiian big leaguer, the 39th overall pick of the San Francisco Giants in 1999 is with his fourth team. He spent 2010 pitching in Taiwan.
Sure, Williams was 4-0 in six starts last season. But his mastery of the Twins was lethal in its efficiency: three hits, six strikeouts. He did not allow a runner to reach second until Denard Span stole the base due to defensive indifference with two outs in the ninth.
Williams improved to 5-0 at Angel Stadium, the first L.A. pitcher to win his first five home starts since Chuck Finley in 1990. It was his first complete game since June 27, 2003, against Oakland, marking the longest drought between complete games since Lindy McDaniel pitched one May 15, 1960, with St. Louis and duplicated the feat on July 10, 1973, for the New York Yankees.
"We never squared up a ball," Gardenhire said. "He pretty much ate us up."
Meanwhile, Hunter continues to torment his former team. He swatted two more hits and a pair of runs batted in and is now 21 for 43 (.561), with three home runs and 11 RBIs in his past 12 games against Minnesota.
He homered for the fourth time in five games and continues to pick up the slack from Albert Pujols, the Angels' $240-million (so far) bust.
Pujols drove in a run with a groundout but finished 0 for 4 and has not hit a home run in his first 96 at bats for Los Angeles, drawing a smattering of boos from the normally placid southern California fans.
The Twins have lost eight of their past nine and are in danger of getting swept for the fourth time in Wednesday's series finale.
April 30th, 2012
LA Angels 4 ~ Minnesota 3
Final
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Minnesota
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
8
0
LAAngels
1
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
X
4
8
0
WP: C.J. Wilson (3-2) S: S. Downs (2) LP: N. Blackburn (0-3)
Scoring Summary
Bot 1st: LA Angels
- T. Hunter singled to left, A. Pujols scored, K. Morales to second
Bot 4th: LA Angels
- T. Hunter homered to deep left center, K. Morales scored
Bot 7th: LA Angels
- C. Iannetta homered to deep center
Top 8th: Minnesota
- A. Casilla doubled to shallow left, C. Parmelee scored
- D. Span singled to center, A. Casilla scored
- D. Valencia singled to shortstop, J. Carroll scored, S. Burroughs to second
April 27th, 2012
After Loss, Twins Own Worst Record In MLB
Minnesota Twins pitching has been abysmal this season, but it's not the only reason Minnesota is the worst team in baseball. No matter what they do, the Twins generally find a way to lose.
"We've got to find a way to win it, no matter how you look at it -- offense, pitching," manager Ron Gardenhire said after his team dropped a 7-6 decision to the Kansas City Royals Friday at Target Field.
The Twins and Royals started the night tied for last in the American League Central with 5-14 records, worst in all of baseball, but the Royals have now won three straight and the Twins have lost six in a row.
Last year at this time, the Twins were 8-12 and by the end of May were 20 games under .500.
"We've got to get everybody on the same page here and figure out a way to win ballgames," Gardenhire said.
Minnesota's .263 team batting average is the sixth best in the majors, and their 168 hits rank 10th. But their 168 runs rank 20th among 30 teams.
"We're not happy, make no mistake about it; this is not where we want to be," said outfielder Trevor Plouffe, whose solo home run in the second gave the Twins a 3-2 lead on Friday. "But you can't dwell on it; you have to just keep going at it and try to win the next game. Nights like tonight are tough."
It's hard to blame the offense, though, when your starters are giving up seven runs a game; the rotation's ERA stands at 7.00 after Carl Pavano lowered it by giving up four earned runs in 6.1 innings on Friday.
"It comes down to pitching," Pavano said. I didn't do my job tonight, and we're looking for a strong start tomorrow, there's no doubt about it. The game and the momentum of the game is surrounded by pitching, and I didn't do a good job of setting that tone tonight at all."
Royals send Twins to 6th straight loss, 7-6
Kansas City Shortstop Alcides Escobar!
April 25th, 2012
Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz has made four starts this season, in which he has thrown a total of 22 1/3 innings -- the fraction coming in his 5 1/3-inning outing Wednesday night in Boston's 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins.
April 25th, 2012
Out of 30 Teams
Minnesota Twins
Record
5-14
MLB Offensive Ranking
19
MLB Defensive Ranking
30
April 24th, 2012
Ortiz Is A Hit Machine
David Ortiz recorded his fourth straight multiple-hit game and drove in three runs in the Red Sox 11-2 victory over the Twins. Ortiz has 28 hits on the season, by far the most he has ever had through his first 16 games of a season (previous high: 21 in 1998 and 2001).
April 23rd, 2012
Just a few nuggets of Twins related information before we start tonight’s game thread.
Fransisco Liriano will skip his next start and will focus on throwing bullpens to clear his head.
Josh Willingham will be gone for a few days starting Wednesday for paternity leave.
Alexi Casilla was scratched from the lineup due to flu like symptoms.
Okay! On to the game thread. Today, the Twins take on the Red Sox in Target Field. Jason Marquis makes his home debut. He will be doing battle with Jon Lester.
The Twins have gotten off to the kind of start that talking heads have expected, at 5-11. They did just come out of a decent road trip through the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox, however have not gotten off to the start that the same talking heads expected, at 4-10. Are the Twins going to take advantage of a scuffling team? Or will the Red Sox use Twins pitching to get the lead out? We shall find out! Lineups after the jump!
Rays Send Twins To Worst Start Since 1995
April 22nd, 2012
Desmond Jennings powers Rays past Francisco Liriano, Twins
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Desmond Jennings had one of the Rays' team record four sacrifice flys and drove in three runs as Tampa Bay beat the Minnesota Twins6-2 on Sunday.
Jennings had a sacrifice fly during a two-run third and made it 5-0 in the fifth with a two-run homer off Francisco Liriano(0-3).
Liriano went five innings, allowing five runs, three hits and four walks. The left-hander has given up 22 runs, 25 hits and 13 walks over 16 1/3 innings this season.
Josh Willinghamwent 0 for 2, which ended his season-opening 15-game hitting streak that had tied Kirby Puckett's Twins' record set in 1994. Willingham walked once and was hit by a pitch.
The Rays took a 2-0 lead -- on sacrifice flys by Jennings and Ben Zobrist-- in the third without getting a hit. Liriano loaded the bases with no outs with two walks and a hit batter.
Evan Longoria got the Rays' first hit leading off the fourth, a high fly to left that struck an overhanging catwalk and then landed in shallow center. He scored to make it 3-0 on B.J. Upton's sacrifice fly.
Upton added another sacrifice fly in the eighth, which gave the Rays a team record fourth sac fly in one game.
Tampa Bay's Jeff Niemann didn't allow a hit until Clete Thomas' two-out single in the fifth. He left one inning later with the bases loaded and one out. After Jake McGee struck out Justin Morneau, pinch-hitter Ryan Doumit cut the Twins' deficit to 5-2 on a two-run single off Wade Davis.
Niemann (1-2) gave up two runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings. His teammate at Rice University, Phil Humber, threw the first perfect game in the majors in almost two years as the Chicago White Soxbeat Seattle 4-0 on Saturday.
The Twins went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, and were 4 for 27 overall in losing two of three to Tampa Bay.
Game notes Minnesota RHP Nick Blackburn (right shoulder) threw a 52-pitch bullpen session and is scheduled to pitch Tuesday night against Boston. ... Former Twins star Tony Oliva threw the ceremonial first pitch. He was inducted this weekend into the Ted Williams Hitters Hall of Fame, which is located at Tropicana Field. ... Minnesota RHP Jason Marquis (1-0) and Boston LHP Jon Lester (0-2) are the scheduled starters Monday night.
April 21st, 2012
Twins Err Their Way To A 4-1 Defeat Against The Rays
by Andrew Bryz-Gornia
What did I say, people? From the game thread earlier today.
I don't know if this has the potential of being a pitcher's duel, but I could easily see both starters pitching into the 7th or even 8th inning tonight. That may sound contradictory, but does 3 runs in 7 innings for Pavano really qualify him for being one half of a pitcher's duel? I think not.
For nearly 6 innings, we did have a pitcher's duel. The two teams were deadlocked in a 0-0 tie, with both pitchers doing a great job of shutting down the opposing team's offense.
That is, until Carl Pavano reached the Rays' half of the 6th inning. He was still on the mound and was still looking pretty good after striking out Ben Zobrist to lead off the inning, his 7th strikeout of the game. However, Pavano then walked Carlos Pena, and cleanup hitter Evan Longoria singled to left field. Now facing Luke Scott, Pavano induced a fly out to Denard Span for the second out in the inning. On the play, Pena tagged up and went to 3rd, drawing a questionable throw over the cutoff man from Span. Pena was just barely safe, but the throw by Span allowed Longoria to also tag up to second base.
After an intentional walk to Matt Joyce, B.J. Upton finally broke through with a 2-run single to center field. Once again, Span attempted a throw to third base, and again the results were not positive as Span's throw hit Joyce in the back, allowing a third run to score and Upton to advance to second.
The poor defense continued in the next inning for the Twins. With Alex Burnett pitching and one out, leadoff hitter Desmond Jennings hit a chopper to Danny Valencia at third. Valencia chose to stay back on the ball instead of charging it, and Jennings beat out Valencia's throw for an infield single. Ben Zobrist followed with a tailor-made double play to Alexi Casilla, but his throw was slightly wide of Jamey Carroll and the ball glanced off the tip of Carroll's glove for an error. Following Carlos Pena being hit by a pitch, Valencia committed the Twins' third error of the game when he was unable to backhand a grounder from Evan Longoria.
In the box score, we'll only see two unearned runs, but if Span threw to second base instead of third on Luke Scott's 6th inning fly out, it's very possible that Pavano could have escaped the 6th with at most a run allowed instead of three.
On the offensive side, the Twins were unable to do very much against James Shields. He did attempt to go for a complete game shutout, but he was already over 100 (110?) pitches starting the 9th, and was quickly pulled after a Josh Willingham single and Justin Morneau double. Ryan Doumit did get a sacrifice fly (would have been a double if not for Desmond Jennings' wheels) but then Fernando Rodney slammed the door on the Twins.
Studs
Josh Willingham (1 for 2, BB, HBP, extends hitting streak to 15 games), Joe Mauer (2 for 4), Carl Pavano (6 IP, 2 ER, 7 K)
Duds
Twins defense in 6th and 7th innings (3 errors and a couple miscues that didn't get scored as errors), Clete Thomas (0 for 4, 3 K), Danny Valencia (0 for 4, 2 K), Jeff Gray (0.2 IP, 2 BB, WP)
Notes
Yes, I know that Gray escaped without allowing any runs, but he looked awful pitching, as he only threw 11 of his 24 pitches for strikes, and he now has a 2/7 K/BB ratio on the season. His sparkling ERA is a mirage right now. I won't even try to pretend that I'm biased against him right now. I felt he (and Matt Maloney) were terrible waiver claims at the end of the Bill Smith era, and Gray has done little to change my opinion thus far.
Also, Willingham has now gone a full week with only a single hit per game, which means that he has hit .241 (7 for 29) in the second half of his 15 game hitting streak. He is tied with Kirby Puckett for the longest hitting streak to start a season, and he will attempt to be the sole leader tomorrow in the rubber game against the Rays.
Tampa Bay Rays 4
Minnesota Twins 1
Twins
Magic Number
89
Going in to
Sunday's
Game!
with
Francisco
Liriano
Pitching!
Francisco Liriano
Last Game Pitching
Yankees 8, Twins 3: Francisco Liriano blows 3-1 lead
Francisco Liriano blew a 3-1 lead and failed to pitch out of the third inning, and New York's No. 9 hitter Chris Stewart had a career-high three RBIs as the Yankees evened the four-game series 1-1 Tuesday night, April 17, in front of 40,194 in the Bronx.
Liriano surrendered five earned runs on seven hits and four walks in 2-1/3 innings, falling to 0-2 with an 11.91 earned-run average.
April 19th, 2012
Granderson: Five Hits And Three Homers
Curtis Granderson went 5 for 5 with three home runs and a pair of singles in the Yankees' 7-6 win over the Twins. Granderson is the first player in Yankees history to record a five-hit game that included three home runs and only the fourth active major-leaguer who's pulled off that feat. The others are Victor Martinez (July 16, 2004), Albert Pujols (July 20, 2004) and Dustin Pedroia (June 24, 2010).
April 16th, 2012
Yankees' CC Sabathia wins even without his best fastball
Sabathia averaged 91.7 mph with his four-seam fastball and 90.7 on his two-seamer. Entering the start, he averaged 91.7 and 91.5 respectively. But what he had with his fastball proved to be good enough. At one point, Sabathia retired 13 in a row in what was easily his best start of the young season. He provided only the Yankees' third quality start of the season while picking up the win in the Yankees' 8-3 victory against the Twins.
April 15th, 2012
Texas tops Twins for a sweep
Minnesota's Clete Thomas smacked a two-run homer in the fifth inning, but Josh Hamilton's two-run homer in the eighth lifted Texas to a three-game sweep.
April 14th, 2012
Twins strand 15, fall to Texas
Denard Span led the Twins with three hits and an RBI double. But the Twins failed to score with the bases loaded on three occasions, and lost for the sixth time in their first eight games.
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Twins go from bad in 2011 to even worse in 2012!
Manager Ron Gardenhire
2012 Minnesota Twins ~ Magic Number is:
Manager Ron Gardenhire
Minnesota Twins ~ Magic Number
26
Minnesota Twins ~ Magic Number
~Doomsday Minnesota Twins~
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