Its always fun when the Twins win.
Its a tad more fun when that win is against the White Sox.
Its even more fun when the White do White Sox things and bumble away a game against the Twins.
There was so much to like about this game. Ervin Santana went 7 strong innings. His only blemish was a 2 run home run by Adam Eaton. Trevor May pitched a strong 8th inning too.
Torii Hunter seems to be pulling out of his mid-to-late season slump by collecting two hits, an RBI, and had two outfield assists. Trevor Plouffe broke out of a long homerless drought by hitting two.
I just want to take a moment to thank Jerry Reinsdorf for keeping Robin Ventura around to manage. All he has done this year is pad the win total of our favorite team! I hope he is around for 5 more years! Since WGN does not air White Sox games anymore I dont get to see them except when the play the Twins. But from what I have seen, I have not been impressed by his teams. The players seem unenthusiastic to play the game. His bullpen management seems odd (like in tonights game when everyone could see Putnam was struggling to get the ball TO the plate let alone throw a strike, Ventura left him in there) and his in game management (in the 9th inning, Putnam was wild with Mauer getting the count 2-0, then he tossed to the IBB to fill the bases for Miguel Sano. WHAT?!). Sometimes Paul Molitor does some curious things (like going to the Blaine Boyer well one too many times) but you can chalk it up to being a first year manager and he is trying to do a trial and error of what works and not. Ventura is in year 4. It seems like he should know how to run a baseball team.
I mean, part of it is talent, or the lack of it in the Sox system. But a decent manager should be able to coax a few extra wins out of a flawed roster and it just doesnt seem like he is doing that with the Sox. But like I said, I hope he is manager for 5 more years.
Texas won so the Twins keep pace with them still 1 game back for the second Wild Card slot. The Royals lost so the Twins pull to within 10 games. The Royals magic number is 13. WE STILL HAVE A CHANCE!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMRrNY0pxfM
Is that news? I guess the word "might" leaves some leeway in a Hunter retirement.
I don't think Torii really knows yet what he wants to do next year, but his numbers this year show a pretty steep decline. I'd offer him a coaching job and if he says he still wants to play, wish him well in free agency.
That's what I would do, too. I'm just skeptical that it's what Terry Ryan would do.
The more I look at remaining schedules the better I feel about our playoff chances. That seems to be the case for Baseball Prospectus, too. They now have the Twins with a 29% chance of making the postseason, up from 16% a week or so ago. In marketing language, that's almost double.
This is where I'm at as well. Being in the hunt with the leaves beginning to change is so much fun!