2011 Twins Game Recaps, Minnesota Twins, MLB

Game 138, Injury 139: Angels 10, Twins 6

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Ho-hum. Another day, another injury.

This game went far too long, so I'll keep it short.

It's truly amazing how much injury this team has gone through. And then it seems like all the injuries seem to pile up in one part of the team. The Twins trade Delmon Young because they have too many outfielders, but suddenly Joe Mauer has to play right field. In the first part of the season, the rotation was the one part of the team that wasn't hurt much by injury, just ineffectiveness. Now the Twins have three members of the rotation on the DL and Duensing is probably headed there as well. What would a Yankee fan say if he was told that Carl Pavano was the only member of the rotation to stay healthy?

And finally, is it me or does every former Twin have like a 1.500 OPS against the Twins this year?

2011 Twins Game Logs

Game 138: Twins at Angels

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Of all the things I thought September would bring, runs wasn't exactly one of them. I'm not complaining, it's just that I wish they could try scoring some during games that I watch. Still, any lineup that insists on batting both Nishioka and a player with a OBP forever hovering around .300 can't complain about any runs they might score along the way.

Duensing takes on Weaver tonight. Normally, that would sound like a sure-fire loss, but Weaver's ERA has jumped up a half run since last month (still league leading at 2.28), and lately a lot more of his pitches have been turned into souvenirs (9 in his last 47 1/3 innings). Besides, Duensing was mostly watchable, and the Angels' lineup usually features at least one lefty... so...

Yeah, it's still pretty bleak.

2011 Twins Game Recaps, Minnesota Twins

2011 Game 137 Recap: Gemini 13, Cherubim 5

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Weather: 74 degrees, clear
Wind: 3 mph, out to CF
Time: 3:23
Attendance: 37,198

BOX SCORE
FANGRAPHS

The dog days of summer were not good to the Twins this year. The team posted its worst monthly record ever in August, winning just seven games while losing 21. If Target Field weren't such a lovely place, and if Minnesotans weren't so gosh darn polite, you'd probably see a lot of empty seats in the stands for home games after a month like that. For my own part, I knew going into the season that August would be a lost month for me as far as watching baseball goes. Major product launch at work, family road trip vacation, getting ready to send Elder daughter to college. I just figured back in April that August would be a lost cause. I was more right than I could have known.

But those hot August nights are behind us now, and the Twins/Red Wings want to finish the season strong. At this point, that basically means staying out of last place in the worst division in baseball. For a team that's never been in first place this year, or even above .500 this year, even that may prove to be a tall order.

So what can you say about a meaningless road win in September? Well, you can say its better than a meaningless road loss in September. You can say Carl Pavano pitched an okay game, giving up four runs, just three of them earned, in six and three-quarters innings. You can say the Twins were facing a rookie pitcher who struggled with his control, and that the Angels bullpen resembled nothing more than the Twins bullpen, allowing seven runs in five innings. And you can say that it was the Twins, not the Angels, who played like they were only a few games out of first place going into the home stretch of the season.

You could probably say a lot more if you actually watched the whole game instead of just the last couple of innings.

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of 9/2

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Syracuse 10, Rochester 9 in Rochester.  The Red Wings scored seven in the seventh to take an 8-5 lead, but the Chiefs scored three in the seventh to tie and won with two in the ninth.  Brandon Roberts and Dustin Martin each had two singles and a triple, with Martin driving in three.  Aaron Bates singled and doubled, making his average .314.  Starter Dusty Hughes allowed four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five in four innings.  Jake Stevens pitched the ninth and took the loss.

Trenton 4, New Britain 1 in New Britain.  The Thunder scored three in the first.  The Rock Cats had only one hit, a home run by Evan Bigley.  Pat Dean pitched well other than in the first, giving up three runs on nine hits and a walk in six innings.  Reading defeated Binghamton 4-2 to move a half game ahead of the Rock Cats in the race for the last playoff spot.  The Rock Cats play a doubleheader with Trenton today beginning at 4:05 Central.

Ft. Myers 10, Jupiter 4 (Game 1--Scheduled 7 innings).  The Miracle scored seven in the third to take an 8-3 lead.  James Beresford had three hits and drove in three.  Reggie Williams and Danny Rams each singled and doubled.  Steve Liddle had two hits.  Starter Matthew Tone allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in three innings.  Cole Nelson got the win in relief, giving up a run on six hits and a walk in four innings.

Jupiter at Ft. Myers (Game 2).  Postponed.

Peoria 4, Beloit 2 in Beloit.  The Snappers scored in each of the first two innings, but that was it.  The Chiefs scored three in the fifth to take the lead.  The Snappers had only four hits and made three errrors.  Ryan O'Rourke struck out eight in seven innings, giving up all four runs (two earned) on seven hits and no walks.

Bluefield 11, Elizabethton 7 in Bluefield.  The Twins led 3-2 after one, but the Blue Jays scored three in the third and three in the fifth to take an 8-3 lead.  The Twins came back with four in the sixth to make it 8-7, but that was as close as they would come.  A three run eighth put it away for Bluefield.  Eddie Rosario singled and tripled.  Miguel Sano and Matthew Koch each singled and doubled, with Koch driving in four.  Matt Parker hit a home run.  Derek Christensen surrendered five runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings.  Steven Gruver worked two shutout innings of relief, giving up one hit.  The loss ends the season for Elizabethton.  Bluefield will go on to play Johnson City in a best-of-three series for the league championship.

Remodeled basement. Same half-baked taste.