2024 Game 121: Rangers vs. Twins

After sweeping the White Sux to start the month, the Twins have only managed to play .500 ball in their last ten games, the same record as Cleveland which is riding a five-game winning streak. So we're not getting much help from other teams in our quest to top the division, but we're not helping ourselves enough, either. Still, at less than five games back if we can gain a game a week on the Guardians we'll catch them by mid-September. At any rate, we have ourselves a pennant race. The pitching staff is depleted and we're missing a franchise player, but  the young guns have stepped up in key spots to help  keep this race close. So while the rest of the Twins' season may not be brilliant, it's not likely to be dull, either.

Bailey Q.S. Ober will ascend the mound tonight for the Twins. He's been as solid as a sequoia and just as tall. With 22 games under his belt this year he's notched 12 wins and 5 losses, pitching to a 3.52 ERA, a .97 WHIP and a .201 OBA. He's struck out 137 batters and walked only 31.  The Rangers counter with lefthander Cody Bradford in his 14th major league start since his debut last year. He's pitched well this season, an ERA of 3.60, WHIP of .93 and a .209 OBA. The closeness of those numbers is kind of striking and I have no idea what it might mean if anything.

Play ball!

 

Minor Details: Games of August 14

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS 6, ST. PAUL SAINTS 5 IN INDIANAPOLIS

St. Paul led 5-0 after three, but that was as good as it got.  It was 5-4 after five and Indianapolis scored two in the ninth to win it.  Liover Peguero singled home the deciding run.

Multi-hit games:  Jair Camargo was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two runs.  Diego Castillo was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Chris Williams 2 (32).

Stolen bases:  Williams (3); Camargo (2).

Pitching prowess:  Caleb Baragar struck out four in three shutout innings, giving up two hits.  Nick Wittgren struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Loss:  Diego Castillo (0-3).

Opposition standout:  Nick Yorke was 3-for-5 with a double.

Record:  St. Paul is 18-23, in ninth place, 8.5 games behind Columbus.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 8, ARKANSAS TRAVELERS 4 IN WICHITA

Arkansas scored three in the top of the seventh to tie it 4-4, but Jorel Ortega homered in the bottom of the seventh and Wichita scored three in the eighth.

Multi-hit games:  Carson McCusker was 4-for-4 with three doubles and two runs.  Dalton Shuffield was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  Ortega (9); Ricardo Olivar (1).

Multi-RBI games:  Ortega 2 (35).

Stolen bases:  Ortega (8).

Pitching prowess:  Cory Lewis struck out seven in 5.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits and three walks.  Miguel Rodriguez struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Win:  Regi Grace (1-3).

Save:  Rodriguez (5).

Opposition standout:  Cole Young was 3-for-4 with a triple and a walk.

Record:  Wichita is 17-24, in fifth (last) place, eight games behind Springfield.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 5, IOWA CUBS 2 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Cedar Rapids scored two in the second to break a 1-1 tie.

Multi-hit games:  Nate Baez was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Gabriel Gonzalez was 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs.  Nick Lucky was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Gonzalez 2 (24).

Pitching prowess:  Ricky Castro struck out eight in six innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks.  Gabriel Yanez pitched a perfect inning.

Win:  Castro (1-2).

Loss:  Yanez (9).

Opposition standout:  Andy Garriola was 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, a walk, and two runs.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 22-22, tied for third with Peoria, 4.5 games behind Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 6, LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS 3 IN FORT MYERS

Lakeland scored one in the seventh and two in the eighth to tie it 3-3, but Fort Myers scored three in the bottom of the eighth to win it.  Daniel Pena singled home the go-ahead run.

Multi-hit games:  Brandon Winokur was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Caden Kendle was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Kendle 2 (5).

Stolen bases:  Winokur (16); Kyle DeBarge (7).

Pitching prowess:  Charlee Soto pitched five shutout innings, giving up four hits and two walks and striking out four.  Julio Bonilla pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Juan Mercedes retired all five men he faced, striking out three.

Win:  Mercedes (1-0).

Opposition standout:  Garrett Apker pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Record:  Fort Myers is 27-13, in first place, four games ahead of Lakeland.

DSL METS BLUE 12, DSL TWINS 6 AT TWINS

It was 5-5 after six, but the Mets Blue scored four in the seventh and three in the eighth.

Multi-hit games:  Nestor Urbina was 3-for-3 with a double.  Ricardo Paez was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  Urbina (7); Paez (4).

Pitching prowess:  Daniel Manzueta pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a walk.

Loss:  Aaron Carranza (1-1).

Opposition standout:  Yensi Rivas was 2-for-4 with two walks and two RBIs.

Record:  The DSL Twins are 27-24, in fourth place, 8.5 games behind the DSL Rangers Red.

TODAY'S TILTS

10:00  DSL Rockies at DSL Twins
6:05  Lakeland at Fort Myers (Ricardo Olivares, 2-1, 2.90)
6:05  St. Paul (Aaron Rozek, 0-1, 6.38) at Indianapolis
6:35  South Bend at Cedar Rapids (TBD)
7:05  Arkansas at Wichita (C. J. Culpepper, no record)

Happy Birthday–August 15

Charles Comiskey (1859)
Doggie Miller (1864)
Jack Warner (1872)
Bill Sherdel (1896)
Jim Snyder (1932)
Joey Jay (1935)
Jose Santiago (1940)
Cap Peterson (1942)
Duffy Dyer (1945)
Joe Lis (1946)
Billy Conigliaro (1947)
Tom Kelly (1950)
Joe Cowley (1958)
Randy Johnson (1958)
Jeff Huson (1964)
Scott Brosius (1966)
Chris Singleton (1972)
Oliver Perez (1981)
Jarrod Dyson (1984)

Today would have been Mom and Dad A's seventy-eighth  wedding anniversary.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–August 15

2024 Game 120: Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins

Cole Ragans
vs
Louie Varland

Final home game against the Royals. They play one more series in three weeks in Kansas City. Last night's win was their seventh against the Royals and guaranteed an overall season win. I recommend the Twins not lose the remaining four games however.

Varland is back with the Twins officially. He was the 27th man on the roster for the doubleheader, was "sent" back to St. Paul where he made zero appearances, and now pitches again for the Twins.

Minor Details: Games of August 13

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS 5, ST. PAUL SAINTS 4 IN INDIANAPOLIS

St. Paul led 4-1, but Billy Cook hit a grand slam in the seventh to put Indianapolis ahead to stay.

Multi-hit games:  None.  St. Paul had four hits.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. (27); Diego Castillo (9).

Pitching prowess:  Andrew Morris pitched six innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk and striking out two.  Giovanny Gallegos pitched a perfect inning.

Loss:  Jeff Brigham (0-2).

Opposition standout:  Billy McKinney was 1-for-2 with a home run and a walk.

Record:  St. Paul is 18-22, in ninth place, nine games behind Columbus.

ARKANSAS TRAVELERS 8, WICHITA WIND SURGE 3 IN WICHITA

Arkansas scored three in the first inning and led 6-2 after three.

Multi-hit games:  Tanner Schobel was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Andrew Cossetti 3 (33).

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Jarret Whorff struck out five in 3.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks.  Kyle Bischoff struck out five in two shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks.

Loss:  Taylor Floyd (3-3).

Opposition standout:  Ben Williamson was 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, two runs, and two RBIs.

Record:  Wichita is 16-24, in fifth (last) place, eight games behind Springfield.

SOUTH BEND CUBS 4, CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 1 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Cristian Hernandez had an RBI single in the third to give South Bend a 2-1 lead and added single runs in the fifth and sixth.

Multi-hit games:  Rixon Wingrove was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Rubel Cespedes was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  Wingrove (1).

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Darren Bowen pitched four innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks and striking out two.  Rafael Marcano struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.  Juan Mendez pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

Loss:  Bowen (2-8).

Opposition standout:  Grant Kipp pitched 4.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit and three walks and striking out four.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 21-22, in fourth place, 4.5 games behind Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 6, LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS 2 IN FORT MYERS

Derek Bender hit a three-run homer in the second and Fort Myers added three more in the fifth.

Multi-hit games:  Bender was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs.

Home runs:  Bender (1).

Multi-RBI games:  Bender 3 (4); Kyle DeBarge 2 (7).

Stolen bases:  DeBarge (6).

Pitching prowess:  Cesar Lares pitched five shutout innings, giving up seven hits and striking out two.  Cleiber Maldonado struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Jack Noble struck out the side in a perfect inning.

Win:  Lares (3-3).

Opposition standout:  John Peck was 3-for-4.

Record:  Fort Myers is 26-13, in first place, three games ahead of Lakeland.

DSL TWINS 6, DSL RANGERS RED 4 AT RANGERS RED

Carlos Silva hit a two-run homer in the second to give the Twins a 4-1 lead.

Multi-hit games:  Silva was 2-for-4 with three RBIs.  Eduardo Beltre was 2-for-4 with a double.  Daiber De Los Santos was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs.

Home runs:  Silva (1).

Multi-RBI games:  Silva 3 (21).

Stolen bases:  De Los Santos 2 (16); Merphy Hernandez (34); Yandro Hernandez (8); Beltre (6); Silva (2).

Pitching prowess:  According to milb.com, Santiago Rojas struck out eleven in a complete game, giving up four runs on seven hits and six walks.  I have to think that's wrong.  Twins Daily says he only pitched 3.1 innings and gave up all four runs.  According to Twins Daily, Anderson Ramos then pitched 3.1 scoreless innings and Alberson Ventura pitched 2.1 scoreless innings.  I've always trusted milb.com completely, and while anyone can make a mistake, it makes me wonder how many other mistakes might have been made that I have no idea about.

Opposition standout:  Rashawn Pinder was 2-for-4 with a triple and a double.

Record:  The DSL Twins are 27-23, in fourth place, 7.5 games behind the DSL Rangers Red.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:00  DSL Mets Blue at DSL Twins (completion of suspended game)
12:35  St. Paul (Caleb Baragar, 0-1, 4.11) at Indianapolis
6:05  Lakeland at Fort Myers (Charlee Soto, 1-4, 5.15)
6:35  South Bend at Cedar Rapids (Ricky Castro, 0-2, 5.25)
7:05  Arkansas at Wichita (TBD)

Happy Birthday–August 14

Paul Dean (1912)
Earl Weaver (1930)
Joel Horlen (1937)
Bert Cueto (1937)
Mark Fidrych (1954)
Don Carman (1959)
Mark Gubicza (1962)
Mike Cook (1963)
Mark Loretta (1971)
Juan Pierre (1977)
Clay Buchholz (1984)
Jeremy Hazelbaker (1987)
David Peralta (1987)
Tim Tebow (1987)

Earl Weaver was the long-time manager of the Baltimore Orioles.

Mark Gubicza was an analyst on for FSN on Twins pre-game and post-game shows in 2004.

Quarterback Tim Tebow played minor league baseball in the Mets organization from 2016-2019.

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to sean's son.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–August 14

Remodeled basement. Same half-baked taste.