Metrodome Memories

Bursting out to an early lead against the Yankees was not enough for the Twins as they couldn’t hold on and lost 6-5. It appeared that the momentum of the Royals series was still carrying them, but the Yankees kept scoring and the Twins didn’t.

The Twins were able to put 4 runs on the board in the 1st, jumping to an early 4-1 lead. With the bases loaded, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel and Delmon Young hit consecutive RBI singles, followed by a Mike Lamb groundout that scored the 4th run. However, that lead would disappear and the only other run would come via a Justin Morneau solo homer in the 8th, his 10th of the year.

Starter Glen Perkins was not his usual consistent self tonight. After giving up a run in the first, he gave up another in the 3rd and 2 in the 4th to tie it up. He left in the 5th, without recording an out after giving yet another run. He didn’t look good at all, giving up those 5 runs on 10 hits, 2 walks and no punchouts. The bullpen surrendered what became the decisive run in the 7th.

The loss tonight has to let alot of air out the tires after such a thrilling sweep of the Royals. Perkins was not on top of his game at all and that is something he will look to correct in his next start. It’s only the 1st game of the series, so there’s plenty of time for more wins.

There was much drama during the first 2 games of the series, however there was none of that sort tonight. Behind Kevin Slowey’s 1st career complete game, the Twins got the sweep with a 5-1 victory over the Royals.

The Twins were definitely drawing on their late game heroics for their offense tonight as they got 13 hits and generally had better at-bats then before in the series. The scoring got started in the 4th, with a Michael Cuddyer RBI single and Joe Mauer followed that with an RBI double in the 5th. The Twins got 3 more in the 6th, 1 off of Brendan Harris’ sac fly and 2 off of a Carlos Gomez single, one of his 4 hits on the night.

Slowey was simply great. He made all the pitches he wanted to and worked quickly, going through the first 6 innings having thrown only 64 pitches. He had the complete game shutout almost in hand, but with two outs in the 9th, gave up a run. He would complete the game by retiring the very next batter.

The hitters were certainly good in jumping out ahead after falling way behind last night, but the game belongs to Slowey. He was dominant, keeping the Royals off balance and not allowing them to start any sort of offense, at least until the end. This kind of performance can only boost the rotation that much more and this sweep can only increase the team’s confidence in themselves moving forward.

Next Thursday and Friday June 5th-6th will be the annual First Year Player Draft. The baseball draft is not as popular or followed as much as ones in football or basketball for a number of reasons. Last year’s draft was the 1st ever shown live on TV, so there’s not alot of exposure for the event, although that’s changing. Another reason is that the return on draft picks is longer in baseball. Whereas a 1st round pick in the NFL could start immediately and have an impact, in baseball it’s much more likely for that 1st rounder to spend a few years in the minors before making it to the majors. Each team has its system for how to handle draftees and bringing them up through the various levels of the minors. Nevertheless the Draft is an important event every season.

It is much harder to predict who will be drafted where in baseball then in other drafts due to the nature of bonus demands, slotting and other factors. Last year Rick Porcello was considered one of the top players in the draft but fell to the Tigers near the end of the 1st round, due to his monetary demands. Sliding does tend to happen to Scott Boras clients.

This year the Twins have a few extra picks in the early going. Their original pick is 14th overall, but because the Angels signed away Torii Hunter, the Twins received their 1st rounder, 27th overall and the first pick of the 1st supplemental round, 31st overall. This should allow the team to stock up since the organization feels this is a draft deep with college position players. The Twins have good depth in pitching but not so good when it comes to position players. This would lead one to think they would focus on those players. However, the team will look at both need and who they feel is the best player available at the time.

Given that there appears to be alot of college talent, the players most connected to the Twins are two high school outfielders from Southern California, Zach Collier and Aaron Hicks. This is not surprising given that the team will most likely focus on the best player available with their first picks, regardless of whether that player is a high school or college one. They might even select a pitcher or two, but they might not get a shot at one the top arms at pick 14. It all depends on what the team feels is best. Check back after the draft for a recap of how the Twins fared.

The Twins won in dramatic fashion, as they came from 5 runs down to tie it in the 9th, then won 9-8 in the 10th. The team had been struggling for much of the game and seemed headed for the loss, but never gave up and their effort paid off.

Before the 9th, the team had managed to get only 5 hits, but did put some runs on the board. In the 3rd, Carlos Gomez hit an RBI single and Alexi Casilla followed that by hitting a sac fly to score Mike Lamb. Lamb would later add an RBI single of his own in the 7th. But the real offense came in the 9th. Down 8-3 with 2 outs, the team got 2 runs off of Lamb and Gomez, via RBI singles again. Just when the rally was starting, Craig Monroe blasted a 3 run pinch hit homer to tie it at 8. In the 10th, Justin Morneau led off with his 9th homer of the season to make it 9-8.

Livan Hernandez had a horrible start. Though he lasted 6+ innings, he gave up 8 runs on 13 hits and just couldn’t get it together. This is his 2nd straight bad start after he beginning the season so well. 5 relievers combined to hold the Royals scoreless, including Joe Nathan pitching a perfect 10th for the save, making up in a way for his gaffe last night.

This win will energize the Twins in a great way. It’s the kind of comeback win that can do wonders for a team’s confidence. Even when they were one out away from defeat, they never gave up and kept getting the hits they needed and the Monroe and Morneau blasts only serve as exclamation points on the night. After two extra innings wins, the team has all the momentum as they go for the sweep tomorrow.

The Twins blew a 3 run lead over the Royals in the 9th, but still won 4-3 in 12 innings. A spectacular outing by Nick Blackburn was spoiled by Joe Nathan of all people. The Twins had jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Nathan blew the save in the 9th, however, they kept going at it until they broke through in the 12th thanks to Michael Cuddyer.

The Twins got to Royals starter Brian Bannister early, tagging him for 2 runs in the 4th and 1 in the 5th. Cuddyer had an RBI single in the 4th, which was followed by Jason Kubel’s RBI groundout. Alexi Casilla added an RBI single the next inning. The real action was reserved for the 12th. After Joe Mauer walked and Justin Morneau hit a double to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with only one out. Cuddyer then came through with the winning single to score Mauer.

Nick Blackburn turned in a great outing and could have gone the distance had he not ran into some trouble in the 9th. He left that inning with one out and having put runners on 1st and 2nd. Joe Nathan was brought in to nail down the save. The very first batter, Mark Teahen hit an inside the park home run to tie it all up. Instead of sealing the deal like he had done all season, he got his 1st blown save of the 2008 campaign.

Although Blackburn didn’t get the win, this start has to be very encouraging for him. He was able to keep the Royals hitters from getting anything going. With Blackburn, Perkins and Hernandez turning in good starts lately, the rotation is starting to gain some consistency. Though Nathan got his 1st blown save of the season, he is one of the best closers in the game and has the talent and drive to not let this affect him and go out and get that next save.

The Twins got right back up after they were knocked down last night by the Tigers barrage to clinch the series win, with a 6-1 victory. The team got a big offensive boost from Jason Kubel on his birthday and solid pitching from Glen Perkins, who continues to improve.

Though the Twins had a few offensive highlights, the game belonged to Kubel. In the 2nd, Delmon Young grounded into a double play, but Michael Cuddyer was able to score from third to put the Twins on top 1-0. The game was put away big time the 8th when Kubel launched a grand slam. The team added another run in the 9th with an Alexi Casilla RBI single.

The fact that Perkins pitched 7 2/3 innings of one run ball is important to him for his development, as he continues to make solid starts ever since he was called up. What makes it even more important is that he was able to save the bullpen, which was severely overworked in last night’s loss. This had to be one of Perkins’ goals heading into the start.

It would appear that the Tigers did run out of offensive gas tonight, but that is more due to the great pitching of Perkins then anything else. His consistency helps the sometimes shaky rotation. This victory was a psychological boost to the Twins after the thrashing they got last night. That they were able to bounce back and not let the loss affect them shows their mettle and desire to win.

The Twins tried to clinch the series win tonight, but instead were bowled over to the extreme in an incredibly lopsided 19-3 loss to the Tigers. The pitching was shaky all night long and the team made several mistakes that the Tigers capitalized on to score their runs.

The team was doing fine in the beginning, coming back from down 2-0 to tie it up in the 3rd. Rookie Matt Macri singled to lead off the inning, then after he stole 2nd, Alexi Casilla hit a 2 run blast for the temporary tie. The team would get another run in the 4th, when Macri hit an RBI single to drive in Delmon Young.

Boof Bonser had yet another horrid start, giving up 9 total runs and the bullpen wasn’t any better. It just seemed like every pitch they threw the Tigers hit. It has to be somewhat demoralizing for the Twins pitchers to go through something like that, especially Bonser, who hasn’t gotten a win in what seems like forever. The team also made several fielding mistakes that compounded the pitching woes.

It was just one of those nights where nothing goes right, a game that may only happen a few times a season in all of baseball. The Twins have to see it that way, as a rarity, if they hope to move forward. Though they have to feel disappointed in themselves, they must pick each other up and come back tomorrow ready to get the series win. Perhaps the Tigers used up all their offensive prowess tonight and won’t have anything left for tomorrow.

The Twins started their series against divisional foes Detroit in great style, with a 9-4 win at Comerica Park. Starter Kevin Slowey pitched very well and the bats were able to jump out to the lead and stay there, despite a bad 7th inning by the bullpen that allowed the Tigers back in the game.

Unlike a few times this season where the Twins would give up runs in the very first inning, they themselves struck first. The 9 runs they scored started in the 2nd when Brendan Harris, with the bases loaded, hit a groundout that scored Jason Kubel, then Carlos Gomez and Joe Mauer hit RBI singles. They added a run in the 5th when Michael Cuddyer singled home Justin Morneau. Mike Lamb hit a solo shot in the 6th to make it 5-0. Lamb would later score in the 7th on a Brendan Harris single. Later in the inning Morneau hit a 2 RBI double to effectively put the game away.

Slowey got his 1st win of the season in a start where he pitched 6 shutout innings and held down the fort as the Twins kept padding their lead. However, Dennys Reyes and Jesse Crain allowed 4 runs to the Tigers in the 7th and the Tigers would have tied it if Marcus Thames had not overslid 2nd and then got chased down by Alexi Casilla. He dropped the ball, but Thames thought he was out, so he started back towards his dugout. Casilla then got the ball and tagged him out between third and the Tiger dugout.

It is great that the Twins were able to score so many runs and get ahead early, something they haven’t really been doing lately. However, the most important aspect of the win was Slowey’s outing. After not being that effective so far in the season, he was able to turn in a start that showed poise and shutdown ability. This is something the Twins need to see more of from their starters on a consistent basis.

The Twins started a late rally to send it into extra innings, but fell to Josh Hamilton’s 2 out home run in the top of the 10th for the 8-7 loss to the Rangers. Livan Hernandez’s streak of impressive starts came to an end, and the Twins fell behind often and spent a good part of the game trying to come from behind, even though the team was given plenty of chances to accomplish the comeback.

After falling behind 4-0 after the 1st, the Twins started one of several comeback attempts. With two outs in the 2nd, Carlos Gomez hit a 2 RBI single to halve the lead. Gomez hit a solo homer in the 5th to decrease the Rangers lead to 1. In the 6th after the Rangers scored twice more, Brendan Harris and Michael Cuddyer drew two straight bases loaded walks to make it a 6-5 game. They tied the game at 7 in the 8th on a Justin Morneau RBI single, but with the game on the line in the bottom of the 10th, the team could not get a single baserunner and fell short. Morneau and Delmon Young each ended innings with the bases loaded and the team stranded 16 runners total.

Hernandez’s recent string of success came to an abrupt end. He began his start by allowing  4 runs in the top of the 1st, then giving up 2 more in the 6th, before being pulled with only one out. Matt Guerrier gave up 2 hits and 3 walks in his 1 2/3 innings of work, the run he allowed came when he committed a throwing error that put the Rangers ahead by 2. Brian Bass allowed the winning run when he allowed the Hamilton home run in the 10th.

This has to be a major letdown to the end of the Texas series that started off so promising. Particularly this game, the Twins continued a trend seen many times this season of the team not being able to get that critical hit when it was really needed. Obviously, this is something that the hitters need to fix, but not something they can really work on. They just need keep on focusing and trying again when that next critical situation comes up.

The offensive outbursts that have characterized the Twins’ past two games came to a screeching halt tonight as they lost to the Rangers 10-1. The Twins were haunted by Rangers starter Sidney Ponson who threw a complete game. The Twins released Ponson just about a year ago.

The only run the Twins came in the 6th when after Adam Everett tripled to lead off the inning, he was driven home by an Alexi Casilla sacrifice fly. The Twins were only able to muster 6 hits aganist Ponson all game.

Nick Blackburn started off very strong, shutting down the Rangers through the first 5 innings, however that ended in the 6th. He started off the inning by allowing a solo home run to Michael Young and ended it by striking out Young, but that was just after he gave up a 3 run homer to Ian Kinsler. In all he surrendered 7 runs, but through an odd twist only one of those was scored as an earned run, due to an error by Casilla.

This was just one of those games where nothing seemed to go right. Blackburn started the 6th with the homer, then let the game get away from him. However, he is still young and as he gets more and more experience, he will learn to shake off those misfortunes and in a future start might lock down the opponent and not let everything slip away.

The Twins broke out of their recent offensive slump in a big way, perhaps riding last night’s extra innings victory to an 11-4 thrashing of the Texas Rangers. What makes the outburst so significant is due to two things; the fact that every one was involved in the scoring and the 11 runs were scored without any home runs.

The scoring started right in the 1st inning. Carlos Gomez showed off his speed by hitting a triple to start things off. He would then be driven in by an Alexi Casilla single and the team would add one more run in the inning. The big inning for the Twins was the 3rd, where they scored 7 runs and every hitter in that inning reached base. The Twins started with 4 consecutive hits, including an RBI single by Justin Morneau followed by an RBI double by Michael Cuddyer. The other runs would be scored on 2 groundouts, a single, a bases loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. The team added 2 more runs in the 7th on a Delmon Young triple and a Mike Lamb sac fly.

Starter Glen Perkins turned in another solid start. Like some Twins starters lately, he flew through the early parts, but ran into trouble later. In the 7th, he gave up 3 runs, 2 of which were earned, before exiting with only one out in the inning. Brian Bass came in and pitched 2 2/3 innings of one run relief, something that was needed after the extensive work te bullpen got last night.

The Twins were able to transfer the emotion and energy of last night’s dramatic win into a ton of runs tonight. Just as important, they were able to break out of their slump of the last two series. The fact that they did this all without a single home run goes to show how good the Twins are; they don’t need a masher to homer every night to win games, they can do it by getting on base, moving runners over and the bringing them home. The team can keep the momentum going tomorrow when try for the series victory.

There were plenty of tense moments and times when the Twins could have put the game away, but they still managed to pull out the 7-6 win over the Rangers in 12 innings. They blew an early lead and it looked dire, but they tied it all up in the bottom of the 9th, before winnings 3 innings later.

The Twins fell behind 2-0 early on, but charged right back. Joe Mauer hit an RBI single in the 3rd and Alexi Casilla hit a 3 run homer in the 4th to put the Twins ahead 4-2. A Mike Lamb sac fly in the 6th made it 5-2. Then after falling behind 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th, Joe Mauer hit an RBI single to score Craig Monroe and tie it up. They then had runners at the corners with only one out, but couldn’t capitalize. They had the bases loaded in the 11th with one out, but couldn’t cash in that time either. But they finally broke through in the 12th, when Howie Clark doubled home Carlos Gomez for the winning run.

Boof Bonser certainly didn’t start well as he surrendered a 1st inning solo homer to Josh Hamilton. He settled down allowing only one more run through 6, but as has been the usual, he faltered late, allowing a 2 RBI single to Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the 7th. Dennys Reyes gave up back-to-back RBI hits in the 8th before the bullpen shut the Rangers down the rest of the way, though not without a scare in the 11th. Bobby Korecky got the win pitching 1 2/3 perfect innings and even chipping in a hit.

Obviously the Twins are excited that they were able to pull off such a dramatic victory. They had their chances to end it, but couldn’t execute and can only get so many of those before luck runs out. Bonser continues to struggle as this is his 4th straight start of giving up 4 or more runs. Nevertheless, this is the kind of victory that can energize a team and this is what the Twins need after their recent struggles.

It was game that finally saw a sizeable number of runs scored at Coors Field, but unfortunately the ones scoring the runs were the Rockies, not the Twins. It ended up as a 6-2 loss for Minnesota. Starter Kevin Slowey started solid but faltered towards the end of his start as he dropped to 0-4 on the season. The hitters wasted chances to score against Rockies starter Jeff Francis, and they continued to be unable to come through with clutch hits.

The 2 runs the Twins scored came in the 6th with one swing of the bat. After Delmon Young doubled, Justin Morneau smacked his 8th home run of the season, to temporarily put the Twins ahead 2-0, but that lead would vanish in the bottom half of the inning. There was not much more offense as the only other Twins to get hits were Brendan Harris, Michael Cuddyer and recent call up Howie Clark, although Harris and Clark got doubles.

Slowey was doing fine through the 1st 5 innings, only giving up a solo shot to Clint Barmes in the 3rd, but he unraveled in the 6th. After getting two quick outs, he gave up another solo homer, this time to Todd Helton. Jeff Baker later would hit an RBI single to put the Rockies ahead for good. Reliever Juan Rincon started the 7th, but loaded the bases before Dennys Reyes came in and allowed a 2 run single. Insult to injury came later when Jesse Crain walked Colorado reliever Taylor Buchholz, allowing another run to come in.

The theme for the Twins this series has been their inability to get that clutch hit. They have been able to get guys on base and in position to score but can’t finish it. Slowey’s woes continue this season as he still is winless and his ERA grew to 5.49. The team can only hope a return home to the Metrodome for a 4 game set against the Rangers can cure their woes.

Another low scoring game was the order of the night as the Twins fell to the Rockies 3-2. Livan Hernandez started out strong but faltered at the end and the Twins get not get much offense going in a well known hitters park.

Hernandez helped the offense, when in the 7th he performed a perfect sac squeeze to score Delmon Young. Brendan Harris then came through with an RBI single to score Adam Everett and put the Twins up by one. That was all the offense the Twins would get as they had a hard time against Rockies starter Greg Reynolds and got both their runs off of the bullpen.

Hernandez started off superbly, retiring the first 15 batters he faced. However, it was not to last as Jeff Baker led off the 6th with a double, breaking up the perfect game. The Rockies were able to score a run in 3 consecutive innings off of Hernandez to pull ahead for good. Hernandez ended his promising start by allowing 3 runs on 8 hits in 7 1/3 innings of work while striking out none and walking none.

Oddly enough, both games so far in the series at Coors Field have been low scoring. For anyone, even Hernandez, to pitch as he did in the beginning is something to remark upon. He has been the Twins’ best starter so far this season. Many thought he would have a tough time, playing the American League for the first time, but he has silenced many of his critics as he looks to continue to help the Twins rotation.

Although the offense didn’t pour in the runs as Coors Field is apt to allow, the Twins still won 4-2, snapping their 3 game losing streak. Nick Blackburn turned in a very solid start for his 4th win of the season and Joe Mauer, Adam Everett and Delmon Young were the offensive stars.

The Twins scattered their runs over several innings. Joe Mauer hit a RBI single to score Carlos Gomez in the 3rd. Delmon Young hit doubles in both the 4th and 6th, and would later score in both innings. He was driven home by a Mike Lamb single in the 4th and an Everett sacrifice fly in the 6th. The Twins added an insurance run in the 8th, when Everett hit another sac fly with the bases loaded. Justin Morneau chipped in as well with 2 hits. Blackburn even joined in, getting his 1st Major League hit.

Blackburn’s only trouble over the 7 innings he pitched was in the 4th, when he allowed an RBI triple to Clint Barmes and an RBI groundout to Ryan Spilborghs. After that he locked in, retiring 9 of the last 11 batters he faced. He fanned 5 Rockies and more impressively didn’t walk anyone. Juan Rincon and Dennys Reyes combined for a scoreless 8th and Joe Nathan stopped a rally in the 9th for his 13th save of the season.

The Twins are very happy to put the Toronto series behind them and get a win. They got the pitching they needed from Blackburn and the offense to back it up. Blackburn has not really had back-to-back solid starts as in his last one he gave up 4 runs even though he got the win. This effort in a big hitter’s park can only help his confidence going into his next start.

It was a heartbreaking loss in extra innings as the Twins got swept, losing 3-2 to Toronto in 11 innings. The team had a number of chances to take the lead, but couldn’t capitalize on any of them. The pitchers were solid throughout, something that hasn’t occurred in the series.

The Twins were able to take advantage of Toronto starter Dustin McGowan’s wildness in the 3rd, drawing 3 walks and Matt Tolbert scored on a wild pitch to cut the Blue Jay lead to 1. Tolbert scored again in the 5th when he was doubled home by Justin Morneau. There were few offensive highlights, as the team only had 7 hits but did get 7 walks, but when they did get on base, they couldn’t finish the job, stranding 15 runners total.

Glen Perkins, in his 2nd start since being called up, was solid. The only trouble he ran into over the 6 innings he pitched was in the 4th, where he gave up 2 runs, although the score would be tied later. He was good otherwise, striking out 6 total in his start. The bullpen shut down the Jays the rest of the way, but faltered when Jesse Crain allowed Scott Rolen to score the winning run in the top of the 11th.

The sweep is obviously a major letdown after the team performed so well in taking 3 of 4 from Boston. The two biggest problems in the series were the Twins falling behind early and when they fell behind not being able to band together and complete a comeback, as they fell short in all 3 games. After scoring a ton of runs in the Boston series, they were only able to put across 10 against Toronto. The perfect cure for this could be coming up as the Twins open Interleague play against the Rockies in Denver.

Another late inning comeback didn’t quite work out as the Twins fell to the Blue Jays 6-5. It was a game highlighted by a busy 1st inning that some big hits and even bigger home runs. However, the Twins hitters could not quite make up for the mistakes of the rotation yet again.

Down 4-0 after the top of the 1st, the Twins did not give up as they scored 3 runs in their frame, including a 2 run blast from Justin Morneau. Jason Kubel helped with pair of RBI doubles and Delmon Young had 2 hits. Down 6-4 in the 8th, they scored a run to get closer, but that was all they could muster as they were shut down the rest of the way by the Toronto bullpen.

Boof Bonser had yet another horrible outing. He allowed a 1st inning grand slam to Matt Stairs and another run in the 4th. He could just not keep runners off the bases as he fell to a 2-5 record with an ERA of 5.37. The bullpen did the job of keeping the team in the game, allowing only an unearned run in the 8th.

Bonser has just not been getting it done. He had a few starts at the beginning of the season, but has tailed off recently. The trend seems to be 1st inning trouble, as the last few starts he has dug himself into a hole straight from the get go. The obvious thing he needs to work on is starting off well, getting 1st pitch strikes and trying not to give opposing hitters any good pitches. The Twins need Bonser to improve and help their already shaky rotation.

After having scored plenty of runs against Boston, the Twins could not muster enough to beat the Blue Jays and fell to them 5-3. The team was able to jump out in front first, but starter Kevin Slowey was unable to hold the lead and the offense couldn’t make up the deficit.

The Twins starting the scoring in the 3rd with Carlos Gomez’s solo shot. Justin Morneau nearly had a home run in the 6th, but had to settle for a triple that scored Brendan Harris. The final Twins run came in the 8th with Jason Kubel’s pinch hit solo home run. The only other Twins to get hits were Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer and Mike Lamb.

Slowey started off solid before running into trouble in the 4th. With two outs he allowed two doubles in a row that scored 2 runs. He nearly made it out of the 6th, before allowing a solo shot to Matt Stairs with 2 outs. Matt Guerrier then came in to finish the 6th and pitch the 7th, allowing one run. Dennys Reyes couldn’t even record an out in the 8th, throwing only 3 pitches, but allowing a run on 2 hits. Brian Bass pitched a scoreless final two innings to give the Twins a chance to come back.

The Twins tried to stage a comeback but fell short in their bid to extend their winning streak to 3 games. The offense just wasn’t there to carry the team like it was in the Boston series. On the plus side, 2 of the 3 runs did come from homers, so the power was evident. The Twins face a tough task in the rest of the series against the Blue Jays’ high caliber pitching.

The Twins accomplished a great morale-boosting feat when they beat the Red Sox 7-3 to gain the 4 game series win. The game started off poorly, with Boston scoring 3 times in the top of the 1st, but the hitters were able to come back and the pitchers were able to stifle the Boston offense for the rest of the game.

Instead of bowing to the 3 Boston runs to start the game, the Twins roared right back, scoring twice in the bottom of the 1st off of Justin Morneau’s single that scored 2 and then scoring twice more in the 3rd to take the lead. To make sure they won, Craig Monroe, last night’s offensive catalyst, hit a 2 RBI double in the 5th, the only extra base hit for the Twins, and then later scored on a single by Delmon Young. Joe Mauer kept hitting and scored 3 runs.

Livan Hernandez had that rough 3 run top of the 1st, including giving up a 2 run homer to Manny Ramirez, but shut down the Red Sox the rest of his start to gain his 6th win of the season. He did do it a bit on the edge, inducing 13 fly ball outs. Juan Rincon and Jesse Crain combined for the final 3 scoreless innings.

This series win is nothing short of a season highlight. They were able to put large quantities of runs across against the World Series champs. Tonight’s win is particularly impressive since out of their 11 hits, Monroe had the only extra base one. They won with the style they are almost built for, getting on base, moving runners over and bringing them home. Having won 9 of their last 12, one can certainly say they’ve put their early season struggles behind them.

The Twins got to Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield early and stayed ahead in a 9-8 win over Boston. Craig Monroe led the hitting that started a 5 run barrage in the 2nd and didn’t stop there.

Craig Monroe had a pair of home runs, a 3 run blast in the 2nd off Wakefield and a solo shot off of Mike Timlin in the 7th that put the Twins ahead for good. The other runs in the 5 run 2nd came off the bat of the defensively minded Adam Everett, for a 2 run homer, his 1st of the season. The next inning Mike Lamb hit a 2 RBI single to score Justin Morneau and Delmon Young. In the 4th, Monroe reached on an error that allowed Joe Mauer to score. Carlos Gomez continued to display his speed on the base paths, picking up his 16th stolen base of the season.

Nick Blackburn got the win in a start that had some good spots and some bad spots. He did pitch 6 innings and fanned 5, but gave up 4 runs on 9 hits and a walk. Matt Guerrier nearly made it out of the 7th, but gave up a 2 run homer to Coco Crisp. Dennys Reyes pitched a scoreless 8th to maintain his ERA of 0. Joe Nathan, who has been rock solid in the 9th for Twins, gave up 2 runs but still managed to get his 12th save of the season.

The Twins were able to put up a large number of runs against the Red Sox, but also allowed a large number of runs to them. It was a game with mixed results that has happened a few times this season. On the positive side, the team got power from Monroe and Everett, outside of the usual suspects. Also, The offense was spread over just about every hitter, and a balanced attack will be the key to success for the Twins.

Twins starter Glen Perkins, making his 1st Major League start, began strong, but could not make it out of the 7th, and the Twins lost 5-2. The Twins problem was keeping the Red Sox from hitting home runs, as the 4 solo shots were the team’s downfall.

The Twins were once again unable to muster much offense after scoring plenty of runs the previous game. Carlos Gomez drew a bases loaded walk in the 2nd and Justin Morneau drove in Matt Tolbert in the 5th with a single. Joe Mauer went without a hit in what seems like forever.

Perkins was solid through 6 innings, giving up only the first solo homer to Kevin Youkilis. However, he gave up back-to-back solo blasts to Coco Crisp and Jed Lowrie to start the seventh. The 3 homers overshadowed was was a pretty decent first start for Perkins. The last of the 4 homers was given up by Brian Bass in the 8th. To make matters worst, setup man Pat Neshek might be out for the rest of the season.

The Twins have had some problems this season sustaining momentum after big games. Their thrilling comeback win last night could not be repeated tonight. However, they have won 7 of their past 10, so there is something to build on. The team has 2 more games with Boston and achieving a 4 game series split could be considered a success against the defending champs.

The Twins overcame a horrid start by Boof Bonser to beat the Boston Red Sox 7-6. It came down to the wire as the win was sealed in the bottom of the 9th by Mike Lamb. Bonser blew two leads, but the hitters were able to overcome both of them to pull away with the victory in the opening game of the 4 game set with the Red Sox.

The Twins built a 2-0 lead in the 1st with an RBI groundout from Justin Morneau and an RBI single by Michael Cuddyer. They regained the lead in the next inning, starting with Adam Everett hitting a double, and Carlos Gomez reaching on a error and stealing second. Brendan Harris then brought them both home with a single. Gomez also had an RBI single in the 4th. However, the crucial hitting was of course in the 9th. Delmon Young started it off with a single, advanced to 2nd on a sacrifice bunt, then stole 3rd. Gomez drew a walk, then stole 2nd again and that allowed Mike Lamb to drive them both in with the game winning hit off Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Bonser had his 2nd straight start of giving up 6 runs. Right after the Twins had built the 2-0 lead in the 1st, Bonser gave up two runs in the top of the second. But the 5th inning was Bonser’s worst, as he faced 4 batters and didn’t record an out. He gave up a 2 run double to Mike Lowell and left with runners on 2nd and 3rd with no one out. Juan Rincon came in and allowed both runners to score, including one on a wild pitch.

Anytime you can beat the defending World Series champs it’s something to remember. The Twins offense was able to outscore the loaded offense of Boston. However, it was also a reminder of just how shaky the rotation can be. Bonser hasn’t been pitching well, Nick Blackburn is uneven, Kevin Slowey just came off the DL and Scott Baker just went on it. About the only consistent starter is Livan Hernandez. The Twins hitters bailed out their starter tonight, but they can’t keep counting on that to happen every time.

What began as a promising start for Kevin Slowey, ended in disaster as a rough 5th inning erased any chance for a Minnesota victory. As a result, the Twins lost 6-2.

Both of the Twins runs came in the top of the 5th when Brendan Harris drew a walk and Adam Everett singled, then Matt Tolbert and Joe Mauer hit back-to-back RBI singles to put the Twins ahead 2-0. It was a breakthrough, as they had not been able to do much against White Sox starter John Danks. That was pretty much all the offense of the game, as the only Twins to do anything else was Michael Cuddyer, who stole two bases. The White Sox bullpen clamped down any chance of a Minnesota comeback.

Back from the DL, Slowey was cruising, retiring 12 of the first 13 batters he faced, until he hit a wall in the bottom of the 5th. However, when Jermaine Dye led off the inning with a solo shot, it all started to come undone. Two batters later he gave up a 2 run homer. There was some excitement however, when Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected for arguing a checked swing call on Paul Konerko in the 6th inning. The call led to some confusion that allowed the Sox to pull off a double steal and have runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs.

More importantly then this loss sealing the series loss for the Twins was that it revealed the Twins greatest weakness; their inconsistency. The team has the ability to put together consistent streaks of production, they just have not been able to so far. Stymied in the first game of the series, they erupted offensively in the second game but fell back to earth tonight.

After getting one hit the day before, the Twins decided to make up for that lack of hitting in a major way, as the bats just kept going in a 13-1 win over the White Sox. Just like Gavin Floyd had his no hit bid broken up in the 9th yesterday, so did Livan Hernandez’s shutout attempt end in the 9th. It was a stellar pitching performance to go along with the offensive outpouring.

The offensive spotlight belonged to Carlos Gomez as he made history by hitting for the cycle. He began that with a solo shot to start off the game, and completed the cycle with a single in the 9th, tallying 3 RBIs in the process. Shortstop Nick Punto also had a great night as his two hits, a double and a triple, drove in 5 runs total. Catcher Mike Redmond, subbing for Joe Mauer, had 2 hits and knocked in 3 runs. Craig Monroe, Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer had 2 hits each.

Hernandez pitched a gem, allowing only 5 hits entering the 9th with the shutout intact. However, with one out, Jermaine Dye homered to erase that possibility. The wheels came off a bit for Hernandez as he then loaded the bases, but he was able to work out of the jam to get the complete game and improve his record to 5-1.

The Twins wanted to bounce back after almost being held hitless yesterday and they accomplished that in a big way tonight. Hernandez answered Floyd’s outing yesterday with one that was far better. Even when they had a 7-0 lead going into the top of the 9th, they didn’t stop there, tacking on 6 more to firmly seal the deal. The offensive outburst is that much more surprising when one considers that Mauer, their most consistent hitter this season, was not in the lineup. The Twins are proving they can get it done with anyone on the squad.

After sustaining offensive production over the past 2 series, the Twins could not get anything going at all against White Sox starter Gavin Floyd, and lost 7-1.

The Twins did not even get a hit until Joe Mauer had double with one out in the top of the 9th, as they had been stymied by Floyd up until that point. However, there were able to score a run in the 4th, when after Joe Mauer walked and was moved over to 3rd, Jason Kubel hit a sacrifice fly to bring him home. The team was only able to muster 3 walks and 1 hit, all of which belonged to Mauer except for 1 walk, which went to Brendan Harris.

Twins starter Nick Blackburn did not have a very good outing, giving up 4 runs, 3 earned, on 6 hits, including a solo shot to Jermaine Dye. Relievers Jesse Crain and Bobby Korecky didn’t do much better in their innings of work, the former giving up 2 runs and the latter 1. Blackburn has not been able to string together 2 straight solid starts as he has been uneven so far. However, he is a rookie and this is to be expected, but there’s no doubt who will be able be more consistent in the future.

Well the good fortune of the winning streak had to come to an end. Even though getting only 1 hit and 1 run is disappointing, the only thing that can really be done is to try to hit better tomorrow. What will truly test this team is if they can shake off this loss and continue keeping their recent success going, avoiding bottoming out.

The Twins overcame a very early 6 run deficit to gain the series sweep of Detroit in a 7-6 win. The Tigers put 6 runs on the board in the top of the 1st, but the home team was able to come back for a thrilling victory.

Being down by 6 certainly seems like an insurmountable lead to overcome, but that didn’t stop the Twins. The comeback started in the 4th, when Joe Mauer scored on a Justin Morneau single after hitting a double. Then in the 5th, with 2 runners on, Nick Punto drove them both in with a double. With 2 outs in the 7th, the Twins took the lead. That rally started with a Matt Tolbert double and Punto reaching base on an error. Carlos Gomez beat out an infield single to drive in Tolbert. Brendan Harris hit a ground rule double to score Punto and then Joe Mauer, who started it all, singled in Gomez and Harris to put the Twins ahead for good.

What started out as a disaster for Boof Bonser steadied out as he was able to overcome the 6 runs he gave up in the first. Going into the second, it might be expected he was still a bit shaken, but Bonser locked in and didn’t allow any more Tiger runs over his remaining 5 innings. Matt Guerrier pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the win and Joe Nathan notched his 11th save and 4th in 5 games.

The importance of this win cannot be understated. Not only were the Twins able to score a significant amount of runs, but they were able to score them all in coming back from a huge deficit. The hitters never gave in and were always looking to get on base in order to score and cut into the Tigers’ lead. Bonser shook off his 6 run first inning to give the Twins the chance to come back. Both components were working in harmony to achieve one of the Twins best wins of the season so far.

Not only was it a comeback victory but it was their 5th in a row, against division rival Detroit and also gave them the sweep of the Tigers. This can only serve to increase the confidence of the team as they embark further into the season.

Twins pitching held the Tigers lineup to only one run for the second game in a row. Though the team did not score as much as yesterday, they still won 4-1 to put them atop the AL Central. Even though starter Scott Baker had to leave after 3 innings, reliever Brian Bass came in and pitched several scoreless innings in relief to hold the Tigers in check.

The Twins got the runs they needed, both by moving runners over and the long ball. Mike Lamb, who was moved up to 2nd in the batting order, scored 2 runs, being driven in by Michael Cuddyer in both the 4th and 6th innings. 2 runs would be all that was needed, but Craig Monroe added to the total with a 2 run shot in the 7th. Joe Mauer continues to hit well, getting 3 tonight.

Baker was pitching scoreless baseball, but had to leave because he re-aggravated his previous groin injury. No problem because Bass came in and pitched 4 scoreless innings, allowing only 3 hits, for his 1st career win. Joe Nathan pitched a scoreless ninth with 2 punchouts for his 10th save of the season.

The Twins have their longest winning streak of the year at 4 and everything seems to be going right for them. They are getting the pitching they need to shut down opposing teams and are also getting the runs when they are needed. The team goes for the series sweep tomorrow of the presumed AL Central champs.

All facets of the Twins’ game seemed to be working in the White Sox series. But they took all that to another level in an 11-1 dismantling of the Detroit Tigers. The offense kept driving in runs and starter Livan Hernandez kept shutting the Tigers down.

Carlos Gomez was one of the offensive stars of the game. He reached safely in all 3 at bats. He had an RBI single in the fifth but when he successfully stole second, he was hit in the head by an Ivan Rodriquez throw and had to be replaced by Nick Punto, who would eventually score. Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel both went 3 for 5, with the former getting 2 RBIs and a double and the later an RBI and a triple. Joe Mauer and Michael Cuddyer each had a pair of RBIs with Cuddyer getting 2 doubles. Brendan Harris belted a solo shot in the 7th to keep the scoring going.

Hernandez bounced back from his previous start to stymie what is widely viewed as one of, if not the, most potent offense in the majors. He got into a few jams but worked out of them, allowing only a solo home run to Magglio Ordonez in the second, one of 8 hits he surrendered over 7 innings. Those would be the only hits the Tigers got as Matt Guerrier and Juan Rincon pitched perfect innings in relief.

Not only did the pitching shut down a great offense, but the offense got the runs they needed to win but didn’t stop there. The Twins have their 2nd 3 game winning streak in hand and hope to make it 4 in a row tomorrow.

The Twins finished the month of April with a 13-14 record, just half a game under 500. However, they are in second place in the AL Central, a game and a half behind the White Sox. However, the division is tightly bunched with last place Kansas City trailing Chicago by 3 games.

Though their record is mediocre, the team has several bright spots, with most of them falling on the offensive side. Justin Morneau and Carlos Gomez have easily been some of the team’s best when they are up to bat. Gomez has been all that he was advertised to be when he came over in the Santana deal. He has displayed great ability in the outfield, making several highlight reel catches and has been great in stealing bases. Morneau has provided the power for a team largely starved of it, hitting 6 home runs. Jason Kubel has also been a power supplier, with 4 homers. There has been noted inconsistency with driving runs home in critical situations, as the team has left numerous runners in scoring position. Joe Mauer and Brendan Harris are the only regulars with high batting averages, .295 and .287 respectively, the next being Morneau at .268. Mauer in particular has been consistent in getting hits.

As for the pitching, it has been mostly uneven. Livan Hernandez started off well, but ran into trouble in his latest outing. Boof Bonser and Nick Blackburn have turned in both great and bad outings. Both Hernandez and Scott Baker have been homer prone and no Twins starter has an ERA under 3.50. The bullpen has been a strength, except for that Detroit series where it collapsed. Closer Joe Nathan has been automatic, with 9 saves with an 0.82 ERA. Reliever Dennys Reyes has an ERA of 0, giving up only 4 hits and 2 walks in 9 innings.

The job for the Twins moving forward is to sustain their success of the recent White Sox series. There have been short bursts of production in April, but the team hasn’t really been able to keep it going over an extended period of time. Now seems like the perfect opportunity to take that step into continued production.