By The Jazzy One, on August 27th, 2010%
Minnesota Beats Texans 6-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Minnesota | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 1 | | Texas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
W: Liriano (12-7)
L: Lee
S: Capps (32)
Boxscore
Francisco Liriano looked good Thursday night against the Rangers after his extended rest. Fortunately for the Twins he helped Minnesota avoid being swept by Texas, and he beat Cliff Lee to do it.
Liriano pitched 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk. His first 6 innings were scoreless. He struck out 6 batters.
Cliff Lee, on the other hand, gave up 5 runs to the Twins in 7 innings.
It’s the second time that the Twins have faced Lee this year, and it’s the second time they’ve won the game. The first time Lee didn’t get a decision, but Carl Pavano outlasted Lee to get the win for the Twins. Lee was pitching for Seattle at the time.
The Twins got a home run from Delmon Young and one from Jim Thome. Cuddyer hit a couple RBIs as well.
By The Jazzy One, on August 24th, 2010%
Rangers Beat Twins 4-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | Texas | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 4 | 10 | 0 |
W: Harden
L: Blackburn (7-8)
Boxscore
Nick Blackburn had his first Major League start in over a month Monday night as he faced the Texas Rangers. He officially gave the Twins a quality start, going 7 innings giving up 3 runs on 8 hits. He struck out 5 guys and didn’t walk anyone.
Unfortunately for Blackburn, he was facing Rich Harden, who was on fire.
Harden threw 6.2 innings of no-hit baseball against the Twins. He gave up 5 walks, but the Twins weren’t able to capitalize on any of the free base runners. Harden was taken out in the 7th inning after racking up 111 pitches. The thing that probably saved the Twins from Harden going longer into the game was that he was missing the strike zone on 44% of his pitches.
What wasn’t good for the Twins is that the Rangers bullpen also seemed to be on fire.
If it wasn’t for Joe Mauer getting a 9th inning hit, the Twins would’ve gotten no-hit for the game.
But despite the fact that the Twins managed one hit on the night, they still found themselves with runners in scoring position during 4 separate at-bats.
Hopefully the Twins will be able to give Pavano some more support tonight.
By The Jazzy One, on August 20th, 2010%
White Sox beat Twins 11-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Chicago | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 21 | 1 | | Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
W: Buehrle
L: Pavano (15-8)
Boxscore
Like the title said, Carl Pavano set a Minnesota Twins club record during his start on Thursday night against the Chicago White Sox.
Unfortunately for Carl Pavano, it’s probably a record that he doesn’t want his name associated with.
The 15 hits that Pavano surrendered to the White Sox during the game was the highest number of hits ever given up in a game by a single Twins pitcher. Pavano, who has been one of Minnesota’s most reliable arms this year, got completely knocked around, giving up 7 runs on 15 hits in 6 innings. Glen Perkins came in in the 7th and didn’t do much better, giving up 4 runs in two innings.
The Twins weren’t really getting it done from the plate, either. The Sox held them to 5 hits total. Joe Mauer, who has been on fire lately, went 0 for 4 on the night.
The Twins still have a 4 game lead over Chicago, but obviously they would have preferred to lead by 6 games at this point.
By The Jazzy One, on August 19th, 2010%
Twins Beat White Sox 7-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Chicago | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 0 | | Minnesota | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | X | 7 | 13 | 0 |
W: Manship (1-0)
L: Floyd
S: Capps (31)
Boxscore
Joe Mauer reminded Minnesota yesterday that Brett Favre isn’t the only hero in the state.
 Image via Wikipedia
Coming off a day when the sports media was focusing on Favre, Mauer stepped to the plate and got some of those eyes back on him. Mauer had 5 at-bats on Wednesday night. He hit the ball 4 times.
One of those hits was Joe’s first home run at Target Field.
Joe Mauer was hitting .296 before the All Star Break. Since then he’s raised his batting average all the way up to .335. He has hit .442 since the break.
The RBIs for the game came from a lot of different Twins. Mauer hit 2, and Cuddyer, Kubel, Young, Valencia, and Hardy each added one of their own.
Francisco Liriano struggled from the mound. He gave up 5 runs in 5 innings off of 6 hits and 4 walks. The Twins bullpen was solid in relief, though, getting a combined 3 scoreless innings from Manship and Crain, and a save from Matt Capps.
By The Jazzy One, on August 18th, 2010%
Twins Beat White Sox 7-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Chicago | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 0 | | Minnesota | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 16 | 1 |
W: Mahay
L: Thornton
Boxscore
Twins take an early lead.
Twins blow the lead.
Twins take the lead.
Twins blow the lead.
Finally Jim Thome saves the day.
That pretty much sums up Tuesday’s game at Target field between the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox.
Minnesota got off to a big jump scoring 4 runs in the first inning. Unfortunately starting pitcher Scott Baker gave up 3 runs in the 2nd and 1 in the fourth to tie the game. The Twins scored again in the bottom of the 5th and held a 5-4 lead until Matt Capps blew the save in the 9th and sent the game into extras. Things looked bleak when Jon Rauch gave up a run in the top of the 10th, but Jim Thome hit a two run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th to give the Twins another win…
… and maybe more importantly a 4 game lead over the White Sox for the division.
Baker got knocked around a bit, giving up 7 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs in 4 and 2/3rds innings. Perkins, Guerrier, and Crain were very solid in relief, giving up a total of 1 hit and no walks between them. Matt Capps came on for the save in the 9th, but 3 hits and a walk later, the score was tied. The run he gave up was a home run, but luckily the bases were clear at the time. Rauch took a turn in the 10th, but he also gave up 3 hits leading to a run. Mahay got the last out. Fortunately for him, he got credited for the win even though he only had to throw 2 pitches.
Orlando Hudson hit his 6th homerun of the year. Delmon Young hit his 15th, and Jim Thome hit his 17th. Young and Thome both went 3 for 5 on the night. Valencia went 2 for 4.
By The Jazzy One, on August 13th, 2010%
Twins Beat White Sox 6-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 0 | | Chicago | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
W: Liriano (11-7)
L: Floyd
Boxscore
Francisco Liriano and the Minnesota Twins took 2 out of 3 games to pull ahead by 1 game in the American League Central.
Liriano pitched well again Thursday night, going 5 2/3rds innings, giving up only 1 run. He got into a bit of a scare in the 6th inning, but Matt Guerrier pitched him out of a jam.
Jesse Crain pitched in the 8th inning, retiring 3 straight batters as he continues to finally show us what Twins management saw in him for so long.
Capps was given the 9th inning, even though it wasn’t a save opportunity.
From the plate the Twins had a solid night, getting 11 hits. All of Minnesota’s batters except for Valencia made it safely to first at least once in the night.
Orlando Hudson hit his 5th home run of the year, and Jason Kubel hit his 17th of the year. Kubel’s was a 3 run shot. Jim Thome also had an RBI.
By The Jazzy One, on August 11th, 2010%
Twins Beat White Sox 12-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Minnesota | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 14 | 1 | | Chicago | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 0 |
W: Baker (10-9)
L: Garcia
Boxscore
Many people thought that Tuesday’s game between the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox could set the tone for the rest of the season in the American League Central division.
The Twins didn’t want to be shy about their intentions.
- Jim Thome hit his 15th home run of the year.
- JJ Hardy hit his 5th home run of the year
- Joe Mauer hit his 7th home run of the year
- Michael Cuddyer hit his 11th home run of the year
- Jason Kubel hit his 16th home run of the year
The Twins scored 12 runs on 14 hits and 5 walks. Joe Mauer had a big day at the plate, going 3 for 5. Jason Kubel went 2 for 2 plus 3 walks. Jim Thome went 2 for 4 with 2 walks. Every Twins batter got at least 1 hit.
Scott Baker wasn’t exactly dominant, but he got the job done. He gave up 4 earned runs and 1 unearned run in 6 innings on the mound. He struck out 5 guys and only walked 1. Guerrier and Rauch cleaned up for him. Rauch gave up one run in the 9th, but at that point it didn’t matter a whole lot.
Tonight the Twins will be looking for a repeat performance from the hitters as their looking for a win from Glen Perkins in his first big league start of the year.
By The Jazzy One, on August 5th, 2010%
Twins Beat Rays 8-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Minnesota | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 2 | | Tampa Bay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
W: Capps (4-3)
L: Benoit
Boxscore
Holy cow, what a game.
The Minnesota Twins were able to split the series with the Tampa Bay Rays at 2 games a piece despite looking vastly over-matched after the first two games, but today’s win did not come easily.
Starting pitcher Kevin Slowey had a really good game, despite the fact that the box score says that he gave up 4 runs in the 8th inning. He actually held the Rays to no runs and 2 hits in the first 7 innings. In the eighth inning after giving up a home run, a walk, a hit batter, and a couple of hits,  he found himself facing the bases loaded. Ron Gardenhire brought in Jesse Crain to get the last out of the inning. Crain threw 8 pitches, 4 of which were fouled off. Unfortunately the other four were called balls, which walked in another run. I was later informed by several people watching the game that the pitch tracker on TV showed that 3 of those 4 balls were directly in the strike zone.
Anyway…
The Twins are still up 6-2, and only need one out to get out of the inning.
In comes in Ron Mahay.
A few pitches later, Jason Bartlett clears the bases with a grand slam home run, tying the game for the Rays.
Finally Matt Capps came in and got the necessary out for the Twins.
In one inning the Twins blew a 6 run lead.
In the top of the 9th, though, their fortunes changed. With two outs and Jason Repko on third, Jason Kubel came to the plate. He hit an infield pop-up which should’ve been an easy out. Fortunately for Kubel and the Twins, the ball hit a cat-walk that is suspended 190 feet above the field. Bouncing off the catwalk gave the ball a different trajectory, the fielder couldn’t catch it, Kubel was safe at first, and Repko scored the go ahead run. The Twins added one more run for insurance, and Matt Capps closed out the 9th inning to get himself and the Twins a win.
By The Jazzy One, on August 4th, 2010%
Twins Beat Rays 2-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Minnesota | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 0 | | Tampa Bay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
W: Guerrier (2-6)
L: Cormier
Boxscore
I know I just said I’d do the recap in the morning, but I have a few minutes now, and the game is still on the brain, so I thought I might as well do it.
Scott Baker pitched a great game against the Tampa Bay Rays tonight. He went 8 innings giving up 3 hits, 1 walk, and no runs. That is great news for Baker, especially since he’s been struggling lately, and especially since he had a great performance against a great team.
Unfortunately, Matt Capps wasn’t able to get the save. In fact, he blew the save giving up 1 run in the 9th to send the game into extra innings.
For the Twins, Crain and Mijares pitched the 10th and 11th innings respectively, and they did well.
I’ll be honest, though, when I heard Matt Guerrier was coming in in the 12th, I was nervous. Guerrier hasn’t pitched well lately at all. He ended up having a great 12th inning, though.
The Twins got a lead off walk from Cassilla to start off the 13th. Then Mauer singled to get Alexi to third before Delmon Young brought him home for the go ahead run.
Then I got REALLY nervous.
Guerrier came out to pitch in the 13th. I expected Gardy to bring in Rauch at this point to get the save. Guerrier took care of business, though, and the Twins won 2-1.
The interesting decision actually came from Rays manager Joe Maddon as he decided to leave reliever Lance Cormier in to pitch all 4 of the extra innings.
Whatever the reason, it worked out for the Twins.
Maybe this will give them some confidence heading into the fourth game of the series tomorrow night.
By The Jazzy One, on August 4th, 2010%
Rays Beat Twins 6-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Minnesota | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 0 | | Tampa Bay | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 6 | 6 | 1 |
W: Niemann
L: Guerrier (1-6)
S: Soriano
Boxscore
The Twins need to figure out how to play the Rays, and they need to figure out how to do it with Slowey and Baker pitching for them.
Brian Duensing couldn’t get it done on Tuesday. While he technically had a quality start for the Twins, going 6 innings giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks, the three run homer he gave up in the first inning put the Twins in a tough place from the very beginning. After the first, Duensing calmed down enough to have 5 solid innings.
Unfortunately, that’s where the bullpen came in.
The Twins battled back to tie the game in the top of the 7th inning.
Matt Guerrier came in to pitch in the bottom of the 7th. After walking 2 batters and only getting one guy out, Guerrier gave up a 3 run home run (the Rays second of the night) to BJ Upton.
Guerrier just hasn’t been very reliable lately.
From the plate, the Twins got 10 hits, but they left 9 men on base during the game. Drew Butera had a home run, and Mauer batted in 3. Joe Mauer had a good night offensively, going 3 for 4 plus a walk with 3 RBIs, but he didn’t have much help from the rest of his team.
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