MINNESOTA 5, MILWAUKEE 2 IN MINNESOTA
Date: Tuesday, August 4.
Batting stars: Rich Reese was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Tony Oliva was 2-for-4.
Pitching star: Bert Blyleven struck out twelve in a complete game, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk.
Opposition stars: Tommy Harper was 2-for-4. Bob Humphreys struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.
The game: It was scoreless until the third, when singles by Ted Kubiak, Harper, and Russ Snyder put the Brewers ahead 1-0. The Twins took the lead in the fourth. Back-to-back one-out doubles by Harmon Killebrew and Reese brought home the first run. With two out, Leo Cardenas doubled and Blyleven contributed an RBI single to give the Twins a 3-1 advantage.
The Twins added two more in the fifth. With one out, Oliva singled and Killebrew was hit by a pitch. Reese singled home a run, leaving men on first and third, and a sacrifice fly made the score 5-1.
Blyleven took it from there. He gave up a run in the seventh when Dave May singled and scored on a Roberto Pena double, but Milwaukee did not get the tying run up to bat in that or any other inning as the Twins won 5-2.
WP: Blyleven (6-3).
LP: Bobby Bolin (3-9).
S: None.
Notes: Jim Holt was in center in place of Cesar Tovar. Danny Thompson remained at second in place of Rod Carew. Charlie Manuel made a rare start in left in place of Brant Alyea. Tovar went to left in the seventh, replacing Manuel. Frank Quilici went to second in the ninth, with Thompson moving to third and Killebrew coming out of the game.
Oliva was batting .328. Killebrew was 1-for-3 and was batting .304. Tovar was 1-for-1 and was back up to .300. Blyleven had an ERA of 2.78.
This was the third complete game for Blyleven. He would have five for the season.
This was only the second time Tovar did not start, and each time he came in for defense late in the game. He would not get a full game off until late September.
Bolin pitched 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out none. He did not have a good season in 1970, but he struggled with the Twins more than most: 0-3, 5.91, 1.69 WHIP. For the season he was 7-11, 4.63, 1.46 WHIP.
Record: The Twins were 66-37, in first place in the American League West, eight games ahead of California and Oakland. This was the largest lead the Twins had up to this point in the season.