Monthly Archives: September 2023

2023 Twins Game Logs

2023 Game Log 152 – Twins at Reds

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With a Magic number of 5 over the Guardians and 4 over the Tigers, Twins somewhat playing out the string of the season over these last dozen games or so. Bullpen match ups being tested, multi-positional players getting time at first base, etc. The Reds however are in a dogfight with four teams within a half a game of two remaining Wild Card spots so every game counts for them.

Kenta Maeda up for the Twins and had a very nice start last week. Would be nice to see that through the end of the season and maybe he gets the 3rd start over Joe Ryan if it gets that far in the Wildcard series. Fernando Cruz up for the Reds. He's typically a reliever so not sure if Reds are doing a bullpen game.

Game time at 5:40. Cleveland plays at 6:40 and Tigers after 9:00.

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Where They Stand

The St. Paul Saints are 37-32, in second place in the International League West, 1.5 games behind Nashville.  They have been eliminated from playoff competition.

The Wichita Wind Surge ended the second half 36-33, in second place in the Texas League North, two games behind Springfield.  They did not qualify for the playoffs.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels won their playoff series against Peoria two games to one.  They lead Great Lakes in the best-of-three League Championship Series one game to none.

TODAY'S TILTS

6:35  Great Lakes at Cedar Rapids (Andrew Morris)
6:37  Toledo at St. Paul (Hunter McMahon, 0-1, 1.93)

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–September 19

Yank Robinson (1859)
Stuffy McInnis (1890)
Roger Angell (1920)
Epitacio Torres (1921)
Bob Murphy (1924)
Duke Snider (1926)
Bob Turley (1930)
Bill Williams (1930)
Chris Short (1937)
Joe Morgan (1943)
Joe Ferguson (1946)
Masaji Hiramatsu (1947)
Joe Maddon (1954)
Charlie Reliford (1955)
Randy Myers (1962)
Jim Abbott (1967)
Pedro Munoz (1968)
Javier Valentin (1975)
Mike Smith (1977)
Nick Johnson (1978)
Scott Baker (1981)
Danny Valencia (1984)
Gio Gonzalez (1985)
George Springer (1989)
Luke Raley (1994)

Roger Angell wrote several books and essays on baseball.  He is the stepson of author and essayist E. B. White, who was the co-author of "The Elements of Style".

Outfielder Epitacio Torres was a star in the Negro Leagues and the Mexican League in the 1940s and 1950s.  He is a member of the Mexican League Hall of Fame.  Whitey Ford once described him as "the best player I've seen in my career."  He is also the father of major leaguer Hector Torres.

Bob Murphy was a baseball broadcaster from 1954-2003, spending most of that time broadcasting for the New York Mets.

Bill Williams was a National League umpire from 1963-1987.

Masaji Hiramatsu won over two hundred games in Japan, pitching for the Taiyo Whales.

Joe Maddon was interim manger of the Angels in 1996 and 1999, managed Tampa Bay from 2006-14, was the manager of the Chicago Cubs from 2015-2019, and managed the Angels from 2020-2022.

Charlie Reliford was a major league umpire from 1989-2009 and is currently a supervisor of umpires.

George Springer was drafted by Minnesota in the 48th round in 2008, but did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–September 19 →

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–September 18

Heinie Groh (1889)
George Uhle (1898)
Sam Bankhead (1910)
Harvey Haddix (1925)
Lorn Brown (1938)
Dick Dietz (1941)
Ken Brett (1948)
Tony Scott (1951)
Ray Smith (1955)
Ryne Sandberg (1959)
Jeff Bronkey (1965)
Kevin Thompson (1979)
Joe Bisenius (1982)
Taylor Motter (1989)
Juan Minaya (1990)
Beau Burrows (1996)
Marcos Diplan (1996)

Lorn Brown was a baseball broadcaster from 1966-1988, calling games for the Chicago White Sox, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the New York Mets.

Kevin Thompson was drafted by Minnesota in the eighteenth round in 1998, but did not sign.

Joe Bisenius pitched briefly for Philadelphia and Washington.  He is from Sioux City and was somewhat of a local hero when I lived in that area.

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to nibbish and a very happy anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Corn.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–September 18 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of September 17

CUBS 1, SAINTS 0 IN IOWA

The game's lone run scored on a double play in the second inning.

Brooks Lee was 2-for-4.

David Festa pitched 2.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks and striking out two.
Brent Headrick retired all ten men he faced, striking out four.
Michael Boyle pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.
Cole Sands struck out two and walked one in a scoreless inning.

ROCKHOUNDS 6, WIND SURGE 4 IN WICHITA

Cameron Masterson hit a three-run homer in the second and Midland never trailed.  Wichita scored all of their runs in the ninth and had the bases loaded when the game ended.

Alex Isola was 2-for-4 with a double.
Jake Rucker was 2-for-4 with a double.
Tanner Schobel was 2-for-4.

Jordan Carr pitched three innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk and striking out one.
Taylor Floyd struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.
Denny Bentley retired all four men he faced, striking out one.

Wichita ends its season 36-33, in second place in the Texas League North, two games behind Springfield.

KERNELS 10, LOONS 6 IN GREAT LAKES (PLAYOFF GAME 1)

Trailing 6-5, Cedar Rapids scored five runs in the ninth.  Carson McCusker hit a three-run homer to break a 6-6 tie.

McCusker was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs.
Emmanuel Rodriguez was 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs.
Jose Salas hit a home run.

Christian MacLeod pitched 1.1 innings, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks and striking out three.
John Stankiewicz struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.
Malik Barrington struck out two and walked one in 1.2 scoreless innings.

Cedar Rapids leads the best-of-three series 1-0.

TODAY'S TILTS

No games scheduled.

TUESDAY'S TILTS

6:35  Cedar Rapids (Andrew Morris) at Great Lakes
6:37  Toledo at St. Paul (TBD)