MINNESOTA 3, KANSAS CITY 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday May 8.

Batting stars:  Tom Prince was 2-for-3 with a double and a hit-by-pitch.  Dustan Mohr was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Denny Hocking was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Pitching star:  Brad Radke pitched a complete game, giving up one run on five hits and three walks with no strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Neifi Perez was 2-for-3.  Mike Sweeney was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Carlos Beltran was 1-for-3 with a walk.

The game:  The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the first, but did not score.  They loaded the bases again with one out in the fourth, but Jay Canizaro hit a sacrifice fly to put the Twins up 1-0.  Twins fans probably wondered if the missed opportunities would come back to haunt them, but Radke silenced the Royals bats, allowing only one hit through the first seven innings.  In the sixth, doubles by Mohr, Prince, and Cristian Guzman made the score 3-0.  Kansas City finally got on the board in the ninth.  With two out, Sweeney doubled and Beltran singled him home to cut the lead to 3-1.  Manager Ron Gardenhire allowed Radke to stay in the game, and Radke made the decision pay off by retiring Joe Randa on a fly to center to end the game.

WP:  Radke (4-2).  LP:  Jeremy Affeldt (1-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  Canizaro again started at second and was moved into the leadoff spot, as Jacque Jones was given the day off.  Mohr played left field, with Brian Buchanan in right...Matthew LeCroy was again the DH, going 1-for-3 with a walk.  He was also caught trying to steal third(!).  It was a strikeout/throw out double play with men on first and second and Mohr at-bat, so I assume he was running on a full count.  Still, a rather dicey proposition...Hocking played third, giving Corey Koskie a day off.  He went 1-for-3 with a walk...Torii Hunter was 1-for-4 to make his average .351...Mohr raised his average to .326...Prince raised his average to .370(!)...This was one of two complete games Radke would have in 2002.  He threw 103 pitches...Affeldt started by pitched just four innings, giving up one run on two hits and four walks with three strikeouts.  He threw 78 pitches.  Affeldt was in his rookie season and had spent April in the bullpen.  This was only his second start, which is probably why he was pulled so soon.  Affeldt would go on to have a long and successful career as a set-up man, having his best years with San Francisco from 2009-2014...Ex-Twin Chuck Knoblauch led off and started in left field for the Royals.  He went 0-for-4, dropping his average to .185 with an OPS of .511.

Record:  The Twins were 22-13, in first place, a half game ahead of Chicago.  The Twins had won eight of ten, but the White Sox remained right on their tail.