Game Recap #122: Vikings 6, Chiefs 12

It got late early.

If you look at Tommy Milone's line in the box score, it looks terrible.  1.1 innings pitched, 7 runs, 6 earned.  I would argue he wasn't that bad.  I'm not arguing that he was good, mind you, just that he wasn't as bad as his line looks.

He got through the first inning just fine.  In the second he walked two batters and hit one.  This is a pitcher who, in nearly five hundred major league innings, has averaged two walks per nine innings.  One has to think the rain, the wet ball, and the wet conditions generally affected him.  He also gave up four hits in the inning.  All of them were singles, and some were not hit very hard.  You'd think one or two of those hits would've gone to somebody, but it did not happen that way.  I'm not saying he gave up seven runs solely due to bad luck, but luck was a factor in it.  With better luck, he might've pitched his way out of the inning and been able to continue for a while.  But again, it did not happen that way.

So the bottom line is that this game seems a lot like a fluke.  I'm not at all worried about it, and I'm not at all worried about Tommy Milone.  Stuff happens in baseball.  I continue to believe that Milone will be just fine and will be a starter for the Twins for some time to come.

Other than that, there's not much to say about the game.  Highlights include Kennys Vargas going 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, his third; Joe Mauer going 1-for-2 with a home run (his fourth) and two walks; and Samuel Deduno and His Magical Zoomball pitching 2.2 very good innings.

Tonight we conclude this four-game wraparound series with the Royals.  Trevor May gets the ball for the Twins.  We hope the nerves are behind him and he can now show us all how he can actually pitch.  He'll face Jason Vargas, who's having the best year of his career.  We're down to forty games left, so you know what that means:  forty game winning streak!  We'll just have to settle for 95-67!