CLEVELAND INDIANS 5, MINNESOTA TWINS 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  September 28, 2013.

Batting star:  Eric Fryer was 1-for-1 with two walks. 

Pitching stars:  Anthony Swarzak pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.  Caleb Thielbar retired all four men he faced.  Glen Perkins pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Michael Bourn was 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs.  Jason Kipnis was 2-for-4.  Carlos Santana hit a two-run homer, his twentieth. Scott Kazmir struck out eleven in six innings, giving up one run on six hits and two walks.

The game:  It was scoreless through three, with Twins starter Cole DeVries retiring the first nine men he faced.  He would take the streak to eleven, but with two out in the fourth Kipnis singled and Santana followed with a two-run homer.  The Twins got one back in the fourth, as Ryan Doumit and Josh Willingham opened the inning with singles.  Chris Colabello and Darin Mastroianni struck out, but Fryer delivered an RBI single to make it 2-1.

That was as good as it would get for the Twins.  In the top of the fifth DeVries again retired the first two batters, but Yan Gomes and Mike Aviles singled and Bourn followed with a two-run triple, making the score 4-1.  Nick Swisher walked and Kipnis had an RBI single to bring us to the final score of 5-1.

Neither team did much on offense after that.  The Twins put together a threat in the bottom of the fifth, getting a one-out walk to Brian Dozier followed by a Trevor Plouffe! single, but nothing came of it.  The Twins would not get another hit the rest of the game.  Cleveland had only a single and a walk after the fifth inning.

WP: Kazmir (10-9).   

LP:  DeVries (0-2). 

S:  None.

Notes:  Fryer was replacing Joe Mauer behind the plate.  Colabello was at first in place of Justin Morneau.  Alex Presley was in center rather than Aaron Hicks.  Mastroianni was in right field in place of Chris Parmelee, who pinch-hit for Mastroianni in the ninth.

This was the next-to-last game of the season.  A forgettable game at the end of a forgettable season in middle of several forgettable seasons.  Not would I would have chosen to start this year’s random rewind.  But then, if I was choosing, I guess it wouldn’t be random.

Record:  Cleveland was 91-70, in second place in the AL Central, two games behind Detroit.  They would finish 92-70, one game behind Detroit.  Minnesota was 66-95, in fourth place in the AL Central, twenty-seven games behind Detroit.  The would finish 66-96, twenty-seven games behind Detroit.

Random Record:  The Random Twins start their season 0-1.