The Cleveland Indians did something Monday night that they haven’t done since 1992. With Minnesota Twins catcher Mike Redmond up to bat with runners at first and second, Indians third baseman Casey Blake fielded a sharp ground ball, stepped on the bag, threw it to second where Asdrubal Cabrera forced out Jason Kubel before whipping it to first baseman Victor Martinez to retire the slow Redmond. It was the third triple play in the majors this season.
That play pretty much downed the Twins against the Indians on Monday night, a game the Twins were itching to win to bring them closer to the division lead. Now, the Twins are 6 ½ games back of the Tribe, and a series win is the best they can do. Boof Bonser will go Tuesday night and Johan Santana will face off with big lefty C.C. Sabathia on Wednesday.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Santana’s Sunday Performance a Pure Gem
Johan Santana still has plenty reason to pitch well for the Minnesota Twins this season. After publicly criticizing the Twins’ front office for trading Luis Castillo for minor league prospects, Santana had a poor outing against the Cleveland Indians, but proved he still has the stuff Sunday against the Texas Rangers. Whether Santana is still genuinely convince that his team can compete for a pennant this season, or he is simply eyeing up the big Yankees contract for next year, the Twins ace came out and carried his team on a day when his offense did the usual for him, one run off a solo home run. But Santana made sure it was all the team needed to win, striking out a club record 17 Rangers before removing himself from the game after the eighth inning. The major league record for strikeouts in a game is 20, and Santana had a shot at it if he had returned for the ninth inning, but winning the game was apparently more important to Santana, not even forcing manager Ron Gardenhire to make a decision.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Twins Continue Season-Long Flirt with .500 mark
The Minnesota Twins rollercoaster ride of a season continued last week, as the uphill climb only resulted in another downfall in the American League Central Division standings. The Twins were within 4 ½ games of first place last week, but after Monday night’s loss to the Seattle Mariners, the Twins are now a full seven games behind both the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians. The Twins are now two games below the .500 mark; if they are to have any chance at the playoffs, the Twins must climb above .500 and never look back. The Twins have one more game on the road and then have six straight games at the Metrodome. Let's hope the Twins can take advantage of the home field and win some games. If you are looking for Cheap Twins Tickets, it looks like Monday's game vs. the Seattle Mariners is your best bet. The Twins may be down, but they aren't out...yet.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Twins Run Production
One of the strangest aspects about the Minnesota Twins’ recent surge in the Central Division standings is the fact they are doing it without scoring many runs. In fact, the Twins are hardly scoring any runs: They have 71 since the All-Star break, the lowest total by far. The next lowest is the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates, who have a full 14 runs more than the Twins since the break. The Twins hurt their chances to catch up to the two teams in front of them again on Monday night, and the paltry run production was the main culprit.
I was at the game watching the goofy right hander Paul Byrd warm up for the Cleveland Indians. I was thinking back to a game where he owned the Twins last season, but I was also hoping the Twins might take advantage of the junk-balls he throws, as well as the fact that the Twins generally do better against right handers. But alas, Byrd mowed down the heart of the lineup again, and the trio of Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter went 1- for-10, making them 1-for-22 in their last two games. The Twins aren’t out of it yet, but those guys better start hitting before the Detroit Tigers start another hot streak.
I was at the game watching the goofy right hander Paul Byrd warm up for the Cleveland Indians. I was thinking back to a game where he owned the Twins last season, but I was also hoping the Twins might take advantage of the junk-balls he throws, as well as the fact that the Twins generally do better against right handers. But alas, Byrd mowed down the heart of the lineup again, and the trio of Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter went 1- for-10, making them 1-for-22 in their last two games. The Twins aren’t out of it yet, but those guys better start hitting before the Detroit Tigers start another hot streak.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Twins Postpone Royals Game due to Tragedy
Today’s Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals afternoon game has been postponed in light of the tragic I-35W bridge collapse. The Twins also postponed tonight’s groundbreaking ceremony for the new ballpark. More games could possibly be postponed for the team's weekend series with the Cleveland Indians but information regarding those games is not yet available. Keep a watch on the Twins official site: http://www.twinsbaseball.com/
The Twins decided to play Wednesday nights game in an effort to help the traffic situation
downtown. If the game had cancelled, it would have put another 20,000 fans back into the streets of downtown Minneapolis during the critical rescue hours. There was a moment of prayer held before the game and fans were encouraged to stay off of their cell phones and exit calmly if they were going to leave. The Twins lost to the Royals in overtime as Twins pitcher Juan Rincon gave up a two-run homer in the 10th inning.
This Minnesota Twins fan sends out prayers and peace to the people of Minneapolis and to those families directly impacted by this tragedy. I drove on that bridge the day prior to collapse and I frequently use that bridge to get to the Metrodome in Minneapolis. This tragedy definitely hits home. My hometown first responders were called in to assist with rescue and recovery and my prayers of safety go out to them as well. Be safe Twins fans, be safe!!
The Twins decided to play Wednesday nights game in an effort to help the traffic situation
downtown. If the game had cancelled, it would have put another 20,000 fans back into the streets of downtown Minneapolis during the critical rescue hours. There was a moment of prayer held before the game and fans were encouraged to stay off of their cell phones and exit calmly if they were going to leave. The Twins lost to the Royals in overtime as Twins pitcher Juan Rincon gave up a two-run homer in the 10th inning.This Minnesota Twins fan sends out prayers and peace to the people of Minneapolis and to those families directly impacted by this tragedy. I drove on that bridge the day prior to collapse and I frequently use that bridge to get to the Metrodome in Minneapolis. This tragedy definitely hits home. My hometown first responders were called in to assist with rescue and recovery and my prayers of safety go out to them as well. Be safe Twins fans, be safe!!
Twins Won't Fade
Somehow, improbably, astoundingly, the Minnesota Twins are still clawing and scrapping in the Central Division playoff hunt. I’m sure many were ready to write off the Twins after their crushing loss to the Cleveland Indians in that first game of last weekend’s series. But somehow, the resiliency of the Twins has shone through yet again, as they took the final two games on Saturday and Sunday from a charging Tribe.
Monday, the Twins had Luis Castillo listed as their leadoff hitter against the Kansas City Royals. Come game time, Castillo was likely packing his suitcase and heading to the Big Apple – Castillo was traded to the New York Mets a mere hours before the game. The Twins are giving up on the 2007 season, right? Well they might be planning for next season, but as long as they keep winning, they have no choice but to stay in contention, and that’s what’s happening to the club now. The Twins have dropped a few in a row and won a few in a row throughout the season and now they still have a chance down the stretch. If that one solid seven game winning streak can come this week, the Twins might find themselves in striking distance of either the Indians or the Detroit Tigers. It’s an exciting time to get some Twins tickets, let’s see if they can do it again to the Tigers this season.
Monday, the Twins had Luis Castillo listed as their leadoff hitter against the Kansas City Royals. Come game time, Castillo was likely packing his suitcase and heading to the Big Apple – Castillo was traded to the New York Mets a mere hours before the game. The Twins are giving up on the 2007 season, right? Well they might be planning for next season, but as long as they keep winning, they have no choice but to stay in contention, and that’s what’s happening to the club now. The Twins have dropped a few in a row and won a few in a row throughout the season and now they still have a chance down the stretch. If that one solid seven game winning streak can come this week, the Twins might find themselves in striking distance of either the Indians or the Detroit Tigers. It’s an exciting time to get some Twins tickets, let’s see if they can do it again to the Tigers this season.
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