Category Archives: Gamelog Archive

Archive for game logs from previous seasons.

2012 Game 154: Evil Incarnate at Twins

First Pitch - 7:10 p.m. (set your digital watches)
Television - FSN

This late in the season, Time is not on our side. But with just over a week to go, we have a chance to at least play the Bandits and help our bretheren in Baltimore (including the Gentleman Masher) steal the American League East division title away from Evil. Of course, it won't be easy, but nothing is when your team has turned into a bunch of bumbling midgets that have stolen the map of all the holes in the Universe (like the one that sucked our starting rotation right into oblivion this season) and you're on the run from Bud Selig the Supreme Being.

On the hill tonight Liam Hendriks will face off against Andy Pettitte in a classic pairing of  rookie non-phenom versus veteran ace. In another time or place I might do a deep and thoughtful performance analysis of the two starters or the two lineups (probability level -99.7%), but honestly, today I feel  so mercifully free of the ravages of intelligence that I won't bother. Hell, gents, this thing only ends one way or the other. But it sure would be nice in the waning days of another lost season to have a hand in knocking the boys from the Bronx off their precarious one-game perch and forcing them into the playoffs as a wild card team instead of a division winner. And besides, you can never get enough of puppies this time of year.

Play ball!

 

 

Game 153: Twins 2, Tigers 1 (Game 2 of the day/night double header)

Twins sweep the day and come home for the final homestand of the 2012 season on a 2-game winning streak. Burton gets the win, Valverde gets the loss and all is right in the world...except Baby Jeebus went 0-5 in the nightcap, dropping his average to .323.

Fun fact: Twins were 1-7 with RISP and only had 1 RBI - Carroll's single in the 10th.

Perkins pitched a clean bottom half for his 14th save on the season. Walters managed to hold the Tiggers to 1 run on 5 hits over 6 innings and the bullpen held that up.

Game 152: Twins 10, Tigers 4 (Game 1 of the day/night double header)

With the win in today's first game, the Twins assured themselves of losing no more than 99 games this year. They are now 63-89 on the season with 10 games left to play - so there's that.

Scott Diamond got back to his winning ways allowing only 2 earned runs on 4 hits while striking out 5 in 7 innings of work. Fein and Burnett pitched the 8th & 9th respectively with the additional Detroit runs coming in the 9th following a Morneau error.

The key inning for Minnesota was the 6th when they sent 9 men to the dish and scored 5 runs. Mauer, Morneau, Plouffe! and Florimon batted runs in and Morneau scored on a third strike passed ball when Villareal covered home for the force but didn't tag Mountie.* I didn't see it, but I'll be honest - I wouldn't have known that rule either. Good on Justin for hustling home and forcing the issue...I think.

Mauer went 3-4 with 4 RBI on the day bringing his BA up to .326 (now .325) - 2nd place in batting average to Miguel Cabrera at .332 - and his RBI total to 83. There's an ouside chance he gets to 100 runs batted in and a good chance he surpasses his highest totals for all but his MVP season (96) in that category. He drove in 84 in '06 and 85 in '08.

*boy that was a tortured sentence.

game x, twins @ tigers

Deduno takes on Fister. This game is sort of a 'must win' for the Tigres, so i'd love to see them lose it. We'kre coming to the bitter end here. It's tremendously unlikely that the Hammer is going to gain another spot on th countup, so about the only things we have left are Mauer's hopeful batting title, and the chance to spoil other teams' playoff chances.

That's cool, too, I guess.

Game 149 Recap: Willinghammer

Twins 6, Indians 4
WP: Hendricks (1-7 5.88) LP: McAllister (5-8 4.31)
Save?!? Youbetcha. Perkins (13)

Holy cats. A save on a Wednesday is like the smell of napalm in the morning. I love it. The king of the savers race is heating up. We have three potential kings within 3 saves of each other. Of course they're all from the AL East, but we won't hold that against them. Or will we? Jim Johnson is holding the top spot with 45 saves recorded, but nipping at his heels is the absolutely dominant Fernando Rodney. That dude has been lights out this season, but the rules of the King of the Savers award dictate that player with the most number of saves recorded, no matter how ugly, is the champ. I'll feel for the Fernando if I have to crown someone else. Some other dude in NY has 42 saves.

 

The Willing hammer had a hell of a night at the dish. He went 4-5 with a home run racking up 4 rbi (at least one of them was of the 2 out variety). Meanwhile, Joe Mauer was content with a hit, a walk, and 3 runners left on base. puss. It didn't matter though, the hammer was willing and Liam got his grove back, and by grove I mean his first win evah(!). Congrats to the kid. Hendricks tossed 6 innings allowing two hits, walking two, striking out two, and surrendering 2 earned runs.

 

Culture Club: I promised a tour of the alternative spaces of New Orleans, so I guess that's what we should do. Way down St. Claude Street you'll find a bunch of young folks doing great and arty things. Before you get all the way down there I suggest you start with some pastries from Shake Sugary. I suggest the maple bacon sweet potato biscuits. Seriously. Really. Yeah. You'll likely need a nap, and after that you should start at the front. These young folks operate an excellent co-op art gallery featuring some great art from New Orleans and abroad. Across the street lies The Good Children Gallery who are also producing exhibitions of timely and engaging contemporary art from almost everywhere. As you head back towards the city I suggest stopping off at the New Orleans Healing Center which features art galleries, vendors, a co-op, cafe and good vibrations. Directly across the street from them lies the UNO art gallery which features the work relating to UNO's art department. Off the path a bit lies Press street and Antenna Gallery. From their site, the mission is to produce risk-taking solo and group exhibitions that engage and interact with the New Orleans community. I've really enjoyed the projects these folks have put together, and am anxiously awaiting the opening of their new facility later this fall. Press Street is a 501c3 set up to support visual a literary art in New Orleans. They've published poetry and prose, non-fiction, offer learn to be a dj classes, and host a 24 hour drawathon for arts education. Good folks, those. You're probably thirsty, and you're close (ish) to the quarter. I highly suggest you stop off almost anywhere on Frenchmans street, but my favorite is Snug Harbor. Stick around for the jazz and eat from the vendors, you won't be disappointed.