CLEVELAND GUARDIANS 3, MINNESOTA TWINS 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, April 6, 2024.

Batting stars:  None.

Pitching stars:  Joe Ryan struck out seven in six innings, giving up three runs on five hits.  Jorge Alcala struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Jay Jackson struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Brayan Rocchio was 2-for-3.  David Fry hit a three-run homer, his first.  Carlos Carrasco struck out six in three innings, giving up one run on one hit and three walks.  Six relievers combined to shutout the Twins for six innings, giving up one hit and four walks and striking out eight.

The game:  The Twins scored in the bottom of the first when Carlos Carrasco drew a one-out walk and Alex Kirilloff followed with a triple.  In the second, Josh Naylor was hit by a pitch, Will Brennan singled with one out, and David Fry hit a two-out three-run homer, making it 3-1 Cleveland.

And that was it for scoring.  The Twins drew a pair of walks in the third, but the other three batters that inning struck out.  In the fifth their first two batters reach on a hit batsman and an error, but the next three couldn’t get the ball out of the infield.  In the sixth they loaded the bases with one out on two hit batsmen and a walk, but the next two batters struck out.  They opened the seventh with two walks, but a double play took them out of the inning.  A frustrating offensive game, to be sure.

WP:  Nick Sandlin (2-0).

LP:  Joe Ryan (0-1).

S:  Emmanuel Clase (4).

Notes:  As we’ve noted before, the 2024 Twins only had a couple of “regulars” and a number of “semi-regulars”.  Alex Kirilloff was at first base in place of Carlos Santana.  Willi Castro was at third.  Jose Miranda played the most games there with 79, followed by Royce Lewis (51) and Kyle Farmer (29).  Matt Wallner was in left.  Manuel Margot played the most games there (65), followed by Trevor Larnach (52), Austin Martin (40), and Willi Castro (34).  Santana was the DH.  Larnach had the most games there (52), followed by Ryan Jeffers (34), Lewis (28), and Miranda (27).

Alex Kirilloff was batting .385.  He would finish at .201.  Carlos Correa was batting .364.  He would finish at .310.

Jorge Alcala had an ERA of 0.00.  He would finish at 3.24.  Jay Jackson had an ERA of 0.00.  He would finish at 7.52.

The Twins had just two hits, but drew seven walks and had three hit batsmen.  They stranded eleven, going 0-for-11 with men in scoring position.  They struck out fourteen times.

Alex Kirilloff hit five triples in his career.  Three of them came in 2024.

Jay Jackson appeared in twenty games for the Twins in 2024, and I have no memory of him at all.  Granted, they were all in the first part of the season, when I was still working and not able to pay close attention, but still.  He gave up runs in twelve of his twenty appearances, adding up to an ERA of 7.52.  The Twins released him in July.

Six of the Twins nine starters had batting averages below .200.  Carlos Santana (.150), Edouard Julien (.130), Willi Castro (.130), Ryan Jeffers (.111), Matt Wallner (.100), and Max Kepler (.050).  Yes, it was very early in the season, and they would do better.  Still, that’s a really rough start.

Record:  Cleveland was 7-2, in first place in the AL Central, a half game ahead of Detroit.  They would finish 92-69, in first place, 6.5 games ahead of Detroit and Kansas City.

The Twins were 3-4, in fourth place in the AL Central, three games behind Cleveland.  They would finish 82-20, in fourth place, 10.5 games behind Cleveland.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 38-44 (.463).

NEW YORK YANKEES 12, MINNESOTA TWINS 1, IN NEW YORK

Date:  Friday, May 21, 1982.

Batting star:  Tom Brunansky was 3-for-4.

Pitching star:  None.

Opposition stars:  Oscar Gamble was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer (his third), a walk, and two runs.  Dave Collins was 2-for-4 with two runs.  Bobby Murcer hit a three-run homer, his second.  Mike Patterson hit a home run, his first.  Rudy May pitched seven innings, giving up one run on eight hits and a walk and striking out four.

The game:  In the first, Willie Randolph singled, Dave Collins walked, and Lou Piniella hit a two-run triple to make it 2-0 Yankees.  In the second the Twins first three batters went single, double, single, and they did not lose a runner on the bases, but somehow did not score.  In the bottom of the second, Butch Wynegar walked and Oscar Gamble hit a two-run homer, making it 4-0.

The Twins got their sole run in the fifth when Gary Gaetti walked and scored from first on a Dave Engle double.  The Yankees put it away with six runs in the sixth, three of them on a home run by Bobby Murcer.  Mike Patterson homered in the eighth to round out the scoring.

WP:  Rudy May (1-2).

LP:  Brad Havens (1-2).

S:  None.

Notes:  Jesus Vega was at first base in place of Kent Hrbek.  Larry Milbourne was at second base in place of John Castino.  Dave Engle was in right field in place of Tom Brunansky.  Brunansky was in center in place of Bobby Mitchell.  Mickey Hatcher was the DH.  Randy Johnson played the most games at DH, with 66, followed by Vega at 39.

Ron Washington was batting .347.  He would finish at .271.  Jesus Vega was batting .307.  He would finish at .266.  Tom Brunansky was batting .300.  He would finish at .272.

Roy Smalley was at short for the Yankees.  He played for the Twins from 1976-1982 and 1985-1987, having been traded to New York about six weeks earlier.  Graig Nettles was at third.  He played for the Twins from 1967-1969.  Butch Wynegar was behind the plate.  He played for the Twins from 1976-1982, having been traded to New York nine days earlier.  Roger Erickson pitched an inning of relief.  He pitched for the Twins from 1978-1982, having been traded to New York with Wynegar.  Shane Rawley pitched an inning of relief.  He would pitch for the Twins in 1989.

This was the only triple Lou Piniella would hit in 1982.  He hit forty-one triples in his career, with a high of six in 1979 and 1986.

This was the only home run Mike Patterson hit in his career.  It was his first at-bat of 1982–he had played in sixteen games in 1981.  He would play in ten more games for the Yankees in 1982, which would bring his major league career to a close.  He would play two more seasons in AAA and spend 1985 in Japan.

Paul Boris, who came to the Twins in the Roy Smalley trade, and John Pacella, who came to the Twins in the Roger Erickson/Butch Wynegar trade, both pitched for the Twins in this game.

Record:  New York was 18-19, in fourth place in the AL East, seven games behind Boston.  They would finish 79-83, in fifth place, sixteen games behind Milwaukee.

The Twins were 12-30, in seventh (last) place in the AL West, 15.5 games behind Chicago.  They would finish 60-102, in seventh place, thirty-three games behind California.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 38-43 (.469).

MINNESOTA TWINS 2, TEXAS RANGERS 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, August 19, 2022.

Batting stars:  Luis Arraez hit a home run, his seventh.  Jose Miranda hit a home run, his thirteenth.

Pitching stars:  Dylan Bundy pitched 5.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits and one walk and striking out two.  Trevor Megill pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.  Jhoan Duran pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.  Jorge Lopez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two walks and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Martin Perez struck out seven in six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks.

The game:  With two out in the first, Luis Arraez and Jose Miranda hit back-to-back homers to give the Twins a 2-0 lead.  That was all the Twins would do on offense, but it was enough.  They did threaten in the second when Max Kepler hit a one-out double, in the fifth, when Byron Buxton and Arraez drew walks, and in the sixth, when Jorge Polanco hit a one-out double, but they did not dent the scoreboard again. 

Texas only had one hit through the first five innings.  In the sixth, Bubba Thompson singled, stole second, and scored on a two-out single by Nathaniel Lowe to cut the lead to 2-1.

That’s where it stayed.  The Rangers threatened in the seventh, when Leody Taveras singled and Brad Miller walked with one out, but a ground out and a long fly ended the inning.  In the ninth, Jonah Heim and Taveras drew one-out walks, but Miller lined into a double play to end the game with the good guys winning.

WP:  Dylan Bundy (7-5).

LP:  Martin Perez (9-4).

S:  Jorge Lopez (22).

Notes:  Sandy Leon was behind the plate.  Gary Sanchez caught the most games with 91, with Ryan Jeffers following at 59.  Luis Arraez was at first base.  Jose Miranda played the most games there with 77, followed by Arraez at 65.  Gilberto Celestino, usually found in center, was in left, with Byron Buxton in center.  Nick Gordon played the most games in left with 62, with Jake Cave following with 45.  Jose Miranda was the DH.  Arraez had the most games at DH with 38, followed by Buxton with 35 and Sanchez with 33.

Luis Arraez was batting .335.  He would finish with a league-leading .316.

Jorge Lopez had an ERA of 1.90.  He would finish at 2,54.  Jhoan Duran had an ERA of 2.01.  He would finish at 1.86.  Trevor Megill had an ERA of 2.90.  He would finish at 4.80.

Martin Perez had pitched for the Twins in 2019.

This was the seventh game as a Twin for Jorge Lopez.  It was his third save against two blown saves.  He would get only one more save as a Twin, going 0-1, 4.37, 1.62 WHIP for Minnesota in 2022.  His 2023 was no better.  Among the players the Twins traded for him were Yennier Cano and Cade Povich.  A little less than a year later, they would trade him to Miami for Dylan Floro.

This was Dylan Bundy’s only year as a Twin and his last in the big leagues.  He went 8-8, 4.89 in 29 starts.  He seems rather emblematic of the kind of stop-gap starter the Twins have tended to acquire in recent years.

I guess solo home runs can hurt you, after all.

Record:  Texas was 53-66, in third place in the AL West, twenty-three games behind Houston.  They would finish 68-94, in fourth place, thirty-eight games behind Houston.

The Twins were 62-55, in second place in the AL Central, one game behind Cleveland.  They would finish 78-84, in third place, fourteen games behind Cleveland.  The Twins would go 16-29 after this game, the second-worst record in the league (just ahead of Texas) in that span.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 38-42 (.475).

KANSAS CITY ROYALS 8, MINNESOTA TWINS 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, June 9, 1982.

Batting stars:  Ron Washington was 3-for-5.  Tom Brunansky was 2-for-3 with a double and two walks.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourteenth) and three RBIs.  Mickey Hatcher was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Ron Davis pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Willie Wilson was 3-for-5 with a triple.  George Brett was 2-for-4 with a triple, a double, a walk, and two RBIs.  Frank White was 2-for-4 with a double.  John Wathan was 2-for-5 with a double and three runs.  Amos Otis hit a three-run homer, his fifth.

The game:  Kansas City took the lead in the first inning on a single, a stolen base, and a George Brett RBI double.  It went to 4-0 in the third when John Wathan doubled, Brett was intentionally walked, and Amos Otis foiled the strategy with a three-run homer.  It went to 5-0 in the fourth when Jerry Martin singled and scored from first on Frank White’s double.

The Twins got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Kent Hrbek led off with a home run.  But the Twins could get no more, and it stayed 5-1 until the seventh.

The first two Royals went out in the seventh, but Willie Wilson singled, stole second, and went to third on a wild pitch.  John Wathan singled him home and also stole second.  George Brett followed with a triple, and it was 7-1.

The Twins got back into it, kind of, in the eighth.  Larry Milbourne led off with a double and Ron Washington followed with an RBI single.  Singles by Tom Brunansky and Kent Hrbek plated a second run, and a sacrifice fly cut the deficit to 7-4.

That was as good as it would get.  In the ninth Frank White singled, stole second, and scored on a Willie Wilson triple.  The Twins didn’t give up.  In the bottom of the ninth, Jim Eisenreich singled, and with one out Ron Washington singled and Tom Brunansky walked, bringing Kent Hrbek up to the plate as the tying run.  All he could manage was a sacrifice fly, however, and the next batter ground out to end the game.

WP:  Paul Splittorff (5-4).

LP:  Albert Williams (2-4).

S:  Dan Quisenberry (15).

Notes:  Sal Butera was behind the plate.  Tim Laudner did most of the catching, 93 games, with Butera behind at 53.  Larry Milbourne was at second base in place of John Castino.  Castino was at third in place of Gary Gaetti.  Mickey Hatcher was in left in place of Gary Ward.  Tom Brunansky was in center in place of Bobby Mitchell.  Ward went to right, which was usually Brunansky’s spot.  Jesus Vega was the DH.  Randy Johnson played the most games there with 69, with Vega following at 39.

Kent Hrbek was batting .337. He would finish at .301.  Jim Eisenreich was batting .313.  He would finish at .303.

We assume everyone reading this is familiar with Jim Eisenreich’s story.  He would play only one more game for the Twins in 1982.  He remained with the Twins through 1984, but would play only fourteen more games for them.

Larry Milbourne would play seven more games for the Twins, then be traded to Cleveland.  Officially, he played for both the Twins and the Indians on this day, June 9.  Cleveland’s game on this date was suspended, and would be completed after he was traded.

Amos Otis is another fine player who’s been largely forgotten.  He made five all-star teams, won three Gold Gloves, and received MVP votes five times, finishing in the top ten four of those times.  He was very durable, playing over 140 games nine times.  He led the league in stolen bases once and in doubles twice.  Over seventeen seasons he batted .277/.343/.425 with 193 home runs and 341 stolen bases.  An excellent all-around ballplayer.

Record:  Kansas City was 32-21, in first place in the AL West, 1.5 games ahead of Chicago.  They would finish 90-72, in second place, three games behind California.

The Twins were 13-46, in sixth (last) place in the AL West, twenty-two games behind Kansas City.  They would finish 60-102 in sixth place, thirty-three games behind California.

Random Record:  The Random Twins are 37-42 (.468).