COLORADO ROCKIES 6, MINNESOTA TWINS 2 IN COLORADO

Date:  Sunday, May 18, 2008.

Batting stars:  Delmon Young was 2-for-4 with a triple and a double.  Justin Morneau hit a two-run homer, his eighth.

Pitching star:  Bobby Korecky retired all four men he faced, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Todd Helton was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth) and three RBIs.  Clint Barmes was 2-for-4 with a home run, his third.  Garrett Atlkins was 2-for-4 with a double.  Jeff Francis struck out seven in 6.2 innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks.

The game:  The Twins missed chances to take the lead early.  Brendan Harris led off the game with a double but remained on second.  Michael Cuddyer led off the second with a triple, but remained on third.  Delmon Young tripled with one out in the third, but he also remained on third.  It cost them, because in the fourth Clint Barmes hit a home run, putting Colorado ahead 1-0.

The Twins took the lead in the sixth.  Delmon Young led off with a double, and this time Justin Morneau hit a one-out two-run homer to make it 2-1.  But in the bottom of the sixth, Todd Helton hit a two-out home run.  Garrett Atkins followed with a double, Brad Hawpe walked, and Jeff Baker singled home a run to make it 3-2 Rockies.

The Twins missed another chance in the seventh when Howie Clark led off with a double and was stranded at second.  The Twins then gave the game away in the bottom of the seventh.  Omar Quintanilla walked and Willy Taveras reached on an error.  A bunt moved the runners up and Matt Holliday was intentionally walked.  Todd Helton then delivered a two-run single, the only Colorado hit of the inning.  With two out, Brad Hawpe and pitcher Taylor Buchholz both walked, forcing in a run to make the score 6-2.  The Twins went down in order in the last two innings.

WP:  Jeff Francis (1-4).

LP:  Kevin Slowey (0-4).

S:  None.

Notes:  Mike Redmond was behind the plate in place of Joe Mauer.  Brendan Harris was at second base in place of Alexi Casilla.  Adam Everett was at shortstop.  Nick Punto played the most games there with 61, followed by Harris with 55 and Everett with 44.  Howie Clark was at third base.  Brian Buscher played the most games there with 64, followed by Mike Lamb with 55.  Craig Monroe was in center field in place of Carlos Gomez.  Michael Cuddyer was in right field.  Denard Span played the most games there with 85, followed by Cuddyer with 58.

Justin Morneau was batting .306.  He would finish at .300.

Dennys Reyes had an ERA of 0.73.  He would finish at 2.33.

What a frustrating game for the Twins.  They had three doubles, two triples, and a home run, and yet only scored two runs.  They had zero singles and went 1-for-12 with men in scoring position.

This was Howie Clark’s first game for the Twins.  It was his only game at third base for them, and one of only four he played for them.  Those were the last four games of his major league career.

Michael Cuddyer had forty-two triples in his career, with a high of seven in 2009.  Delmon Young had eleven triples in his career, with a high of four in 2008.

Manny Corpas pitched the ninth inning for Colorado.  He had been brilliant in 2007, 4-2, 2.08, 19 saves, 1.06 WHIP.  It was the only good year of his career.  He only had one other season in which his ERA was below four, and only one in which his WHIP was below 1.35.  But for that one year, he was outstanding.

Record:  Colorado was 17-27, in third place in the NL West, eleven games behind Arizona.  They would finish 74-88, in third place, ten games behind Los Angeles.

The Twins were 21-22, in third place, 1.5 games behind Chicago.  They would finish 88-75, in second place, one game behind Chicago, due to losing game 163.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 51-52 (.495).

MINNESOTA TWINS 13, DETROIT TIGERS 6 IN DETROIT

Date:  Friday, June 15, 1973.

Batting stars:  Bobby Darwin was 4-for-5 with two home runs (his ninth and tenth) and seven RBIs.  Jerry Terrell was 3-for-5.  Larry Hisle was 3-for-6 with a double and two runs.  Harmon Killebrew was 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, two runs, and four RBIs.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.  Rod Carew was 2-for-5 with a walk and two runs.

Pitching star:  Jim Kaat pitched 6.2 innings of relief, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks and striking out three.

Opposition stars: Willie Horton was 3-for-5 with a home run (his eighth) and two RBIs.  Norm Cash was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Aurelio Rodriguez was 2-for-5 with a home run, his fifth.  Dick McAuliffe hit a two-run homer, his third.

The game:  The Twins’ first five batters reached base.  Rod Carew and Larry Hisle singled and Tony Oliva walked to load the bases.  Harmon Killebrew hit a two-run single and Bobby Darwin had an RBI single.  That chased Detroit starter Jim Perry from the game.  The Twins would get another run on an RBI ground out to take a 4-0 lead.

The Twins missed a chance to expand the lead in the second, when they got two singles and a double but failed to score because they lost two men on the bases.  It looked like it would hurt them, as Willie Horton led off the bottom of the second with a home run, Norm Cash singled, and Dick McAuliffe hit a one-out two-run homer to cut the lead to 4-3.

The Twins came back in the third, when Harmon Killebrew walked and Bobby Darwin hit a two-run homer to make it 6-3.  Detroit got one back in the bottom of the third on singles by Mickey Stanley, Al Kaline, and Willie Horton to cut the lead to 6-4.

The Twins once again expanded their lead in the fourth.  Rod Carew walked with one out and Larry Hisle followed with a single.  Harmon Killebrew walked to load the bases with two out and Bobby Darwin delivered a two-run single to make it 8-4.  The Tigers again got one back when Aurelio Rodriguez homered with two out in the bottom of the fourth, making the score 8-5.

Nobody scored in the fifth, but in the sixth, Tony Oliva singled with one out and Bobby Darwin hit a two-out two-run homer to make the score 10-5.  The Twins got a couple more in the seventh.  George Mitterwald reached on an error and Jerry Terrell singled.  With two out, Tony Oliva hit an RBI single and Harmon Killebrew had a two-run double to make the lead 13-5.

Detroit got one in the eighth when Willie Horton singled and scored on a Norm Cash double, but that was it.  The Twins won, 13-6.

WP:  Jim Kaat (7-4).

LP:  Jim Perry (7-5).

S:  None.

Notes:  Harmon Killebrew was at first base.  He was injured much of 1973, so that Joe Lis was the regular first baseman.  Jerry Terrell was at short.  Danny Thompson played the most games there, with 95 to Terrell’s 81.

Rod Carew was batting .340.  He would finish at a league-leading .350.

Jim Perry had pitched for the Twins from 1963-1972.  He was traded to Detroit shortly before the 1973 season start for Dan Fife, the father of college basketball coach Dane Fife.

Jim Kaat had started on June 11, but pitched only 3.2 innings.  He would start again on June 19.  He was thirty-four years old and was having a poor year, so the Twins, thinking he was about done, waived him on August 15.  He was claimed by the White Sox, but would only pitch for another ten seasons.

By game scores, this was not Jim Perry’s worst game of the season.  On July 20 he gave up six runs in a third of an inning.  Despite that, he went 14-13 for the season with a 4.03 ERA.  He had some games where he was really bad, but he also had seven complete games and one shutout.

Aurelio Rodriguez has all the vowels in his first name.

Record:  Detroit was 30-48, in fourth place in the AL East, one game behind Milwaukee.  They would finish 85-77, in third place, twelve games behind Baltimore.

The Twins were 31-25, in second place in the AL West, 1.5 games behind Chicago.  They would finish 81-81, in third place, thirteen games behind Oakland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 51-51 (.500).

MINNESOTA TWINS 2, BALTIMORE ORIOLES 1 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Saturday, July 11, 1987.

Batting stars:  Randy Bush hit a home run, his sixth.  Gary Gaetti hit a home run, his sixteenth.

Pitching star:  Frank Viola pitched a complete game, giving up one run on eight hits and two walks and striking out five.

Opposition star:  Dave Van Gorder was 2-for-2 with a walk.  Ron Washington was 2-for-4.  Alan Wiggins was 2-for-4.  Mike Griffin pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on five hits and four walks and striking out three.

The game:  With one out in the third Dave Van Gorder walked, Alan Wiggins singled, and Ron Washington delivered an RBI single to give Baltimore a 1-0 lead.  The Twins came right back in the fourth, as Randy Bush led off with a homer to tie it 1-1.

Each team had men on first and third with one out in the fifth, but did not score.  With one out in the sixth, Gary Gaetti homered to give the Twins a 2-1 lead.

And that’s where it stayed.  The Twins loaded the bases with two out in the seventh but did not score.  The Orioles got a single in each of the last three innings, and moved a runner to third base with two out in the ninth, but a ground out ended the game.

WP:  Frank Viola (8-6).

LP:  Mike Griffin (1-3).

S:  None.

Notes:  Al Newman was at shortstop in place of Greg Gagne.  Tom Brunansky, normally in right, was in left in place of Dan Gladden.  Mark Davidson was in center in place of Kirby Puckett.  Randy Bush was in Brunansky’s spot in right.

Roy Smalley was batting .314.  He would finish at .275.

Frank Viola had an ERA of 2.96.  He would finish at 2.90.

Ron Washington had played for the Twins from 1981-1986,

The only substitute in the game was Mike Young, who pinch-hit for Ken Gerhart with two out in the ninth.

Baltimore was 1-for-8 with men in scoring position.  The Twins were 0-for-4 with men in scoring position.

This was the only complete game of Mike Griffin’s career.  He made 24 starts and 43 relief appearances in parts of six seasons.

This was the last major league game for Dave Van Gorder.  At least he got to go out on a high note.

In the “things that would never happen today” file, it’s rare that anyone pitches a complete game at all.  But to do it when the score is 2-1, and to be allowed to stay in the game after giving up a leadoff single in the ninth, and to be allowed to stay in when the tying run moves to third, would simply not happen today.

Record:  Baltimore was 34-53, in sixth place in the AL East, 19.5 games behind New York.  They would finish 67-95, in sixth place, thirty-one games behind Detroit.

The Twins were 49-39, in first place in the AL West, two games ahead of Kansas City and Oakland.  They would finish 85-77, in first place, two games ahead of Kansas City.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 50-51 (.495).

MIAMI MARLINS 5, MINNESOTA TWINS 3 IN MIAMI

Date:  Wednesday, June 26, 2013.

Batting stars:  Joe Mauer was 3-for-5.  Oswaldo Arcia was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Casey Fien pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Placido Polanco was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer (his first) and two runs.  Giancarlo Stanton was 2-for-4.  Ed Lucas was 2-for-4.  Jeff Mathis hit a two-run homer, his first.  Kevin Slowey pitched three shutout innings of relief, giving up four hits and a walk and striking out two.

The game:  The Twins jumped out to an early lead.  Clete Thomas walked and went to third on a pickoff error.  Brian Dozier then walked, followed by RBI singles by Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham and a run-scoring ground out.  The Twins had a 3-0 lead with one out in the first inning.

And that was as good as it would get.  The Twins got a pair of two-out singles in the third and had men on second and third with two out in the fifth, but could not extend their lead.  In the bottom of the fifth, Placido Polanco led off with a single and Jeff Mathis hit a one-out two-run homer to cut the lead to 3-2.  There followed singles by Kevin Slowey, Justin Ruggiano, and Ed Lucas to load the bases, and a ground out tied the score 3-3.  In the sixth, Logan Morrison led off with a single and Placido Polanco followed with a two-run homer to give Miami a 5-3 lead.

That was it.  The Twins got a pair of singles in the seventh, but a double play took them out of the inning and they did not get another baserunner.

WP:  Kevin Slowey (3-6).

LP:  Scott Diamond (5-7).

S:  Steve Cishek (14).

Notes:  Chris Parmelee was at first base in place of Justin Morneau.  Eduardo Escobar was at short in place of Pedro Florimon.  Clete Thomas was in center.  Aaron Hicks played the most games there with 81, followed by Thomas with 50.  Oswaldo Arcia was in right.  Chris Parmelee played the most games there with 68, followed by Ryan Doumit with 32 and Arcia with 29.  There was no DH in this game.

Joe Mauer was batting .337.  He would finish at .324.

Ryan Pressly had an ERA of 2.27.  He would finish at 3.87.

Logan Morrison would play for the Twins in 2018.  Kevin Slowey had pitched for the Twins from 2007-2011.

This was the last home run of Placido Polanco’s career.  He hit 104 in a career that lasted sixteen years.

Jeff Mathis hit fifty-three home runs in a thirteen-year career.  He would hit five in 2013.

PItcher Scott Diamond went 1-for-3 in the game, getting a one-out single in the sixth.  He did not advance beyond first base.

The Twins had eight hits and five walks, but all their hits were singles.  They stranded nine.

Record:  Miami was 27-50, in fifth (last) place in the NL East, seventeen games behind Atlanta.  They would finish 62-100, in fifth place, thirty-four games behind Atlanta.

The Twins were 34-40, in fourth place in the AL Central, seven games behind Detroit.  They would finish 66-96, in fourth place, twenty-seven games behind Detroit.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 49-51 (.490).

CLEVELAND INDIANS 6, MINNESOTA TWINS 5 IN CLEVELAND

Date:  Wednesday, May 4, 1977.

Batting stars:  Rod Carew was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second) and a walk.  Larry Hisle hit a three-run homer, his sixth.

Pitching star:  Jeff Holly pitched three innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Johnny Grubb was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Duane Kuiper was 2-for-4.

The game:  Lyman Bostock led off the second with a double.  With one out Mike Cubbage was intentionally walked to pitch to Larry Hisle(!), who hit a three-run homer to put the Twins ahead 3-0.

Rick Manning hit a one-out triple and scored on a ground out in the bottom of the second to make it 3-1.  In the third, Larvell Blanks led off with a double and scored on a Fred Kendall single.  With two out, Jim Norris singled and went to second on a throw, putting men on second and third.  Johnny Grubb then delivered a two-run single to give Cleveland a 4-3 lead.

Rod Carew homered with one out in the fifth to tie it 4-4.  In the sixth Larry Hisle walked, stole second, and scored on a two-out single by Rich Chiles to give the Twins a 5-4 lead.

In the sixth, Rick Manning drew a two-out walk and scored on a Rico Carty double to tie it 5-5.  With one out in the seventh Fred Kendall walked and Duane Kuiper and Buddy Bell followed with singles, putting the Indians up 6-5.

The Twins did not get a hit in the final three innings.  They did draw three walks, and put the potential tying run on third with two out in the eighth, but the score remained 6-5 Cleveland.

WP:  Don Hood (1-0).

LP:  Tom Johnson (3-2).

S:  Dave LaRoche (3).

Notes:  Rob Wilfong was at second.  He shared the position with Bobby Randall, with Randall playing the most games there, 101 to 66.  Rich Chiles was the DH.  He shared the position with Craig Kusick and Glenn Adams.  Kusick played the most games there with 85, followed by Chiles (62) and Adams (46).

Mike Cubbage was batting .350.  He would finish at .264.  Rod Carew was batting .343.  He would finish at a league-leading .388.  Rob Wilfong was batting .333.  He would finish at .246.  Butch Wynegar was batting .317.  He would finish at .261.  Lyman Bostock was batting .310.  He would finish at .336.

Jeff Holly had an ERA of 0.90.  He would finish at 6.89.  Tom Johnson had an ERA of 1.29.  He would finish at 3.13.

Dave LaRoche had pitched for the Twins in 1972.

As you can see, the Twins had a lot of players get off to hot starts, which propelled them in to first place early in the season.  Obviously, they did not stay there, but they were in contention for the first half of the season.

You may be wondering, as I was, why in the world you would walk Mike Cubbage to pitch to Larry Hisle.  Yes, it set up the double play, and yes, Cubbage was batting .350.  But Hisle was batting .290, so it’s not like he was in a slump.  And even with the difference in batting average, Hisle had the better OPS.  Frank Robinson was the Cleveland manager at that time, and he obviously knows more about baseball than I do, but it does not seem like a smart decision to me.

Record:  Cleveland was 8-13, in sixth place in the AL East, 5.5 games behind Milwaukee.  They would finish 71-90, in fifth place, 28.5 games behind New York.

The Twins were 15-10, in first place in the AL West, a half game ahead of Chicago.  They would finish 84-77, in fourth place, 17.5 games behind Kansas City.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 49-50 (.495).