SEATTLE 8, MINNESOTA 3 IN SEATTLE

Batting stars:  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs.  Gary Gaetti was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Steve Lombardozzi was 2-for-4 with a run.

Pitching star:  Les Straker pitched three innings of relief, giving up one run on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Alvin Davis was 3-for-3 with two home runs (his twelfth and thirteenth), a double, and a walk, driving in four.  Mike Kingery was 2-for-4 with a home run (his sixth) and a stolen base (his seventh), driving in two.  Lee Guetterman pitched eight innings, giving up three runs on ten hits and a walk with one strikeout.

The game:  The Mariners scored three in the first to take the early lead.  The Twins cut it to 3-2 in the top of the third, but Davis hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the third to put Seattle up by three again.  Davis hit another two-run homer in the fifth to make it 7-2 and put the game out of reach.

Of note:  Puckett raised his average to .328...Gene Larkin was used at DH...Starter Mike Smithson pitched five innings, giving up seven runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts...It seems likely that Straker was used in relief because the next day was an off day and he was going to be skipped in the rotation.  Skipping guys and using them in relief doesn't seem to happen as often as it used to, but when you really only have two starting pitchers you can rely on it makes sense to keep them on regular rest and use them as often as you can.

Record:  The Twins were 55-48, in first place by two games over Oakland.  They seem to have been exactly two games ahead of Oakland for quite some time now.

I hope to get back to doing player profiles, because I find them interesting and fun, but it probably won't be for a week or so.