Tag Archives: 2003 rewind

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Thirty-five

MINNESOTA 2, TEXAS 0 IN TEXAS

Date:  Saturday, August 30.

Batting star:  Corey Koskie returned to the lineup and was 2-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  Johan Santana pitched six shutout innings, giving up five hits and no walks and striking out four.  Juan Rincon struck out two in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.  Eddie Guardado pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Mark Teixeira was 3-for-4 with two doubles.  Mickey Callaway pitched six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and no walks and striking out four.

The game:  The Rangers had men on first and third with two out in the first but did not score.  Michael Young had a one-out double in the third and Shane Spencer reached on a two-base error in the fourth.  Those were the only men to be in scoring position for either team in the first five innings.

In the sixth, however, A. J. Pierzynski led off with a single, Denny Hocking followed with a double, and Shannon Stewart delivered a two-run single, putting the Twins up 2-0.

And that was all the scoring in the game.  Teixeira led off the bottom of the sixth with a double but stayed on second.  Jacque Jones hit a two-out double in the seventh but had a similar fate.  Teixeira had another double with two out in the eighth and again was stranded.  The Twins put men on first and second with none out in the ninth, but again the score remained 2-0.  Texas went out in order in the bottom of the ninth.

WP:  Santana (9-3).  LP:  Callaway (1-5).  S:  Guardado (31).

Notes:  Hocking was at short in place of Cristian Guzman, who would not return to the lineup until September 2.  Jones was in left and Stewart in right.  Dustan Mohr replaced Stewart in right field in the ninth.

Stewart was 1-for-4 and was batting .313.  Jones was 1-for-4 and was batting .308.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 0-for-3 and was batting .301.

Santana lowered his ERA to 2.72.  He made six starts in the month of August and went 5-0, 1.07, 0.95 WHIP.  He struck out 44 in 42 innings, giving up 30 hits and 10 walks.  His ERA went from 3.49 to 2.72.

LaTroy Hawkins retired the only man he faced to drop his ERA to 2.09.

I remember Mickey Callaway as a manager and pitching coach, and of course he's been in the news lately for other reasons.  But I have no memory of him as a pitcher.  This was his first start as a Texas Ranger--he had been released by the Angels in late July.  Over half his major league appearances came in 2003--he appeared in 40 games, 23 of them this season.  He did not justify it:  he went 1-7, 6.68, 1.78 WHIP.  This was one of the few good games he pitched in his career, and he still didn't get a win for it.  For his career, he went 4-11, 6.27, 1.71 WHIP.  He made 20 starts in his 40 games and pitched 130.2 innings.  His only major league "success" came in 2002, when he made six starts for the Angels at the end of the season and went 2-1, 4.19.

The Twins had won three in a row and five of six.  The White Sox won and Kansas City didn't play (presumably a rainout), so the Twins moved into a tie for second place.

Record:  The Twins were 71-64, tied for second with Kansas City in the American League Central, a half game behind Chicago.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Thirty-four

MINNESOTA 8, TEXAS 5 IN TEXAS

Date:  Friday, August 29.

Batting stars:  Doug Mientkiewicz was 4-for-5.  Shannon Stewart was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs, and two RBIs.  Matthew LeCroy was 1-for-3 with a home run (his fifteenth) and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Carlos Pulido pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and striking out one.  Grant Balfour pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.  LaTroy Hawkins struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up two hits.  Eddie Guardado pitched a perfect inning and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Mark Teixeira was 2-for-4 with a triple.  Todd Greene was 2-for-4.  Hank Blalock was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Laynce Nix was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer (his fifth) and a walk.

The game:  LeCroy had the game's first hit in the second inning and it was a home run, putting the Twins up 1-0.  The Rangers tied it in the bottom of the second when Teixeira hit a two-out triple and scored on Greene's single.  Texas took a big lead in the third.  Michael Young led off with a double, went to third on a ground out, and scored on a sacrifice fly.  With two out and none on, Rafael Palmeiro doubled, Shane Spencer walked, and Nix hit a three-run homer to put the Rangers ahead 5-1.

The Twins started their comeback in the fifth.  Singles by Torii Hunter and Cristian Guzman were followed by a ground out, putting men on second and third with two down.  Stewart delivered a two-run single, cutting the lead to 5-3.  The Twins sent just three men to the plate in each of the sixth and seventh innings, however, leaving the score 5-3 as we went to the eighth.

In the eighth, Stewart doubled, but was still on second with two out.  Mientkiewicz had an RBI single to make the score 5-4.  Walks to LeCroy and Jacque Jones loaded the bases and a Dazzle Special (wild pitch) tied the score.  Hunter was then intentionally walked to load the bases and A. J. Pierzynski was hit by a pitch to put the Twins up 6-5.  Twins Baseball!!!!

Texas put men on first and third in the eighth but did not score.  In the ninth, Chris Gomez and Luis Rivas singled to put men on first and second.  Mientkiewicz then came through again, getting a two-run single-plus-error to give the Twins an 8-5 lead.  The Rangers went down in order in the ninth.

WP:  Balfour (1-0).  LP:  John Thomson (12-11).  S:  Guardado (30).

Notes:  Denny Hocking remained at third in place of Corey Koskie.  Jones was in left and Stewart in right.

Michael Ryan pinch-hit for Guzman in the eighth.  Gomez went in at shortstop in the ninth.  Dustan Mohr pinch-ran for LeCroy in the eighth.

Ryan was 0-for-1 and was batting .375.  Stewart was batting .314.  Jones was 0-for-3 and was batting .308.  Mientkiewicz raised his average to .303.

Joe Mays lasted just three innings, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks and striking out one.  His ERA was 6.37.  This was his last start of the season.  He would make just one more appearance, then be shut down for the rest of the season.  The bullpen bailed the Twins out, pitching six shutout innings and giving up five hits and a walk and striking out five.

This was Pulido's first appearance in the majors since 1994, a gap of nine years.  In between he played for a few different organizations and also played in Japan, Taiwan, and independent ball.

This was Balfour's first major league win.  In a pennant race, Ron Gardenhire used two pitchers who people had no reason to have much confidence in, and they rewarded him with four shutout innings and a win.

Pulido's ERA was zero.  Balfour's ERA was 1.76.  Hawkins had an ERA of 2.10.

Kansas City and Chicago both lost, so the Twins gained ground on both.

Record:  The Twins were 70-64, in third place in the American League Central, a half game behind both Chicago and Kansas City, who were tied for first.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Thirty-three

MINNESOTA 6, ANAHEIM 1 IN ANAHEIM

Date:  Thursday, August 28.

Batting stars:  Luis Rivas was 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs, and two RBIs.  Jacque Jones was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his thirteenth.

Pitching stars:  Kyle Lohse pitched 6.2 innings, giving up one run on five hits and five walks and striking out three.  LaTroy Hawkins pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Eddie Guardado pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk and striking out one.

Opposition star:  Jeff DaVanon was 3-for-4 with a stolen base, his thirteenth.

The game:  There was no scoring until the third.  Chone Figgins walked, stole second and third, and scored on a Garret Anderson single to give the Angels a 1-0 lead.  The Twins did little on offense for the first five innings.  Anaheim loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth, but did not score.

It cost them, as the Twins took the lead in the sixth.  Cristian Guzman singled, Rivas hit a two-out double, and Matthew LeCroy delivered a two-run single to make it 2-1 Minnesota.  The Twins took control in the eighth.  Guzman reached on an error and Shannon Stewart was hit by a pitch.  Rivas then hit a two-run double to make it 4-1.  With two out, Jones hit a two-run homer to increase the lead to 6-1, and that's how it ended.

WP:  Lohse (11-10).  LP:  Ramon Ortiz (15-11).  S:  None.

Notes:  LeCroy was behind the plate in place of A. J. Pierzynski.  Denny Hocking remained at third in place of Corey Koskie.  Shannon Stewart was in left, with Dustan Mohr in right and Jones at DH.

Stewart was 1-for-3 and was batting .313.  Jones was batting .311.

By game scores, this was Lohse's best start in over two months.  He got his ERA below five at 4.85.  Hawkins dropped his ERA to 2.13.

Future Twin Ortiz started for the Angels and pitched seven innings.  He allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk and struck out three.

Kansas City won but Chicago lost, so while the Twins remained in third they moved closer to first.

Record:  The Twins were 69-64, in third place in the American League Central, 1.5 games behind Chicago and Kansas City, who were tied for first.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Thirty-two

ANAHEIM 5, MINNESOTA 4 IN ANAHEIM

Date:  Wednesday, August 27.

Batting stars:  A. J. Pierzynski was 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch.  Torii Hunter was 2-for-4 with a double.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  J. C. Romero pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Chone Figgins was 3-for-5 with a triple.  Scott Spiezio was 2-for-4 with a home run, his thirteenth.  Eric Owens was 2-for-4 with a double.  Robb Quinlan was 2-for-4.  Bengie Molina was 1-for-4 with a home run, his twelfth.

The game:  The Twins played catch-up all night and could never quite get the lead.  In the bottom of the first Figgins led off with a triple and scored on Owens' single-plus-error.  Owens went to third on a ground ball and scored on a sacrifice fly, putting the Angels up 2-0.

The Twins scored one in the second when Hunter doubled and Pierzynski singled.  Anaheim got the run back in the third when Tim Salmon walked, went to second on an infield out, and scored on Shawn Wooten's single.  The Twins again cut the lead to one in the fifth as Pierzynski was hit by a pitch, went to third on an error and scored on a ground out.  They tied it up in the sixth when Matthew LeCroy singled, went to second on a ground out, and scored on Hunter's single.  But the tie lasted only for two batters, as Molina homered in the bottom of the sixth to put the Angels back up 4-3.

The Twins again tied it in the seventh.  Denny Hocking walked, went to third on a single-plus-error by Cristian Guzman, and scored on a ground out.  This time the tie lasted for three batters, as Spiezio homered in the bottom of the seventh to make it 5-4 Anaheim.

And that's where it stayed.  The Twins loaded the bases in the eighth and got a one-out single in the ninth, but the score did not change.

WP:  Ben Weber (4-1).  LP:  Juan Rincon (3-6).  S:  Troy Percival (28).

Notes:  Hocking was at third base in place of Corey Koskie, who would not return until August 30.  Jacque Jones was in left with Shannon Stewart in right.  Michael Ryan pinch-hit for Hocking in the eighth and Chris Gomez went to third base in the ninth.

Michael Ryan was 0-for-1 and was batting .429.  Stewart was 1-for-5 and is batting .313.  Jones was 1-for-4 and is batting .311.  Pierzynski got back up over .300 at .301.

Kenny Rogers started for the Twins and pitched 5.2 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on eleven hits and a walk, striking out none.  Aaron Sele started for the Angels and also pitched 5.2 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk and striking out four.

Chicago and Kansas City both won big, so the Twins lost a game to both of their rivals.

Record:  The Twins were 68-64, in third place in the American League Central, 2.5 games behind Chicago.  They were 1.5 games behind second-place Kansas City.

 

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Thirty-one

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 3, ANAHEIM 0 IN ANAHEIM

Date:  Tuesday, August 26.

Batting stars:  Jacque Jones was 3-for-4 with a home run (his twelfth) and two runs.  Denny Hocking was 2-for-4.  Luis Rivas was 2-for-5 with a home run (his eighth) and a double.  Shannon Stewart was 2-for-5.

Pitching stars:  Brad Radke pitched a complete game shutout, giving up five hits and a walk and striking out four.  He threw 98 pitches.

Opposition stars:  Scott Spiezio was 2-for-3.  Garret Anderson was 2-for-4 with a double.  John Lackey pitched eight innings, giving up three runs on ten hits and one walk and striking out five.

The game:  The Angels got a two-out double in the first but did not score.  In the second, the Twins got consecutive singles from Jones, Torii Hunter, A. J. Pierzynski, and Hocking, but only scored once, as Hunter was thrown out trying to score on Hocking's hit.  It was 1-0 Twins after two.

Anaheim again got a man to second in the second inning, this time with one out, but again did not score.  They put men on first and second with one out in the fourth, but a double play took them out of the inning.  Jones led off the sixth with a home run to make it 2-0.  Rivas homered with two out in the seventh to make it 3-0.  The Angels got one more threat, putting two on with one out in the ninth.  Tim Salmon came up representing the tying run, but he hit into a double play to end the game.

WP:  Radke (10-10).  LP:  Lackey (8-13).  S:  None.

Notes:  Hocking was at third base in place of Corey Koskie.  Jones was in left and Stewart in right.  Dustan Mohr pinch-ran for DH Matthew LeCroy in the eighth.

Stewart was batting .314.  Jones was batting .312.

This was the only shutout of the season for Radke.  It was one of ten for his career.  He had a high of two in 2001.  He got his ERA below five for the first time since opening day, at 4.78.  His game score of 80 was easily his best of the season--the next-highest was 69, back in April.

The Twins had put together back-to-back wins.  Could they make it three in a row?

Record:  The Twins were 68-63, in third place in the American League Central, 1.5 games behind Chicago.  They were a half game behind second-place Kansas City.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Thirty

MINNESOTA 8, KANSAS CITY 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, August 24.

Batting stars:  Matthew LeCroy was 3-for-5 with three RBIs.  Shannon Stewart was 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base (his fourth, a walk, and three runs.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 1-for-2 with a double and three walks.  Torii Hunter was 1-for-3 with a home run (his twenty-third) and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Johan Santana struck out ten in six innings, giving up one run on six hits and two walks.  J. C. Romero struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Juan Rincon struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Joe Randa was 2-for-4 with a double.  Desi Relaford was 1-for-4 with a home run, his eighth.

The game:  Relaford homered in the second to give the Royals a 1-0 lead.  The Twins got the run back on Hunter's homer in the bottom of the second.  The Twins took the lead in the third.  Walks to Stewart and Luis Rivas and a double steal, putting men on second and third with none out.  LeCroy hit an RBI single, Corey Koskie had a sacrifice fly, Hunter walked, and Jacque Jones delivered an RBI single to make it 4-1 Minnesota.  It went to 5-1 in the fourth when Stewart singled, Mientkiewicz walked, and LeCroy hit another RBI single.

Kansas City loaded the bases in the fifth but did not score.  In the bottom of the fifth Cristian Guzman singled, stole second, went to third on a ground out, and scored on Rivas' squeeze bunt to make it 6-1.  The Twins added two in the eighth.  A. J. Pierzynski singled and Stewart doubled, putting men on second and third.  Rivas hit a sacrifice fly and LeCroy had another RBI single to bring the final score to 8-1.

WP:  Santana (8-3).  LP:  Graeme Lloyd (1-4).  S:  None.

Notes:  Jones was in left and Stewart in right.  Dustan Mohr pinch-ran for Jones in the fifth and went to right field, with Stewart moving to left.

Stewart was batting .313.  Jones was at .308.  Mientkiewicz climbed back to an even .300.

Santana lowered his ERA to 2.85.  In his last five starts he had pitched 36 innings.  He had given up six runs (five earned) on 25 hits and 10 walks while striking out 40.

Royals starter Kevin Appier pitched just two innings, giving up one run on one hit and two walks and striking out one.  He was removed due to injury and would not pitch any more in 2003.  He had been signed by Kansas City in early August to bolster their rotation to make a playoff run, but he was able to make only four starts for them in 2003.

It was a needed win over a team ahead of them in the standings, but the Twins were still in third place as they headed west for a road trip.

Record:  The Twins were 67-63, in third place in the American League Central, 1.5 games behind Chicago.  They were a half game behind second-place Kansas City.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty-nine

KANSAS CITY 4, MINNESOTA 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, August 23.

Batting stars:  Corey Koskie was 3-for-4.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 2-for-4 with two doubles.  Matthew LeCroy was 2-for-4.  A. J. Pierzynski was 2-for-4.  Luis Rivas was 1-for-4 with a home run, his seventh.

Pitching star:  Grant Balfour struck out four in four shutout innings, giving up two hits and no walks.

Opposition stars:  D. J. Carrasco struck out four in four shutout innings, giving up three hits and no walks.  Aaron Guiel was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer (his eleventh), a double, and two runs.  Raul Ibanez was 2-for-4.

The game:  It started well.  With one out in the first Rivas hit a home run.  Mientkiewicz followed with a double and scored on LeCroy's single to give the Twins a 2-0 lead.  In the third, singles by LeCroy, Koskie, and Jacque Jones made it 3-0 Twins.

The Royals got on the board in the fourth.  Guiel doubled and scored on a Joe Randa single to make it 3-1.  In the fifth, Desi Relaford and Angel Berroa singled and Guiel hit a three-run homer to make it 4-3 Kansas City.

And that was it.  The best the Twins could do was put the tying run on third with two out in the seventh.

WP:  Carrasco (5-4).  LP:  Joe Mays (8-8).  S:  Mike MacDougal (26).

Notes:  Chris Gomez was at short in place of Cristian Guzman.  Michael Ryan pinch-hit for Gomez in the ninth and Guzman then came in as a pinch-runner.

Jones was in left with Stewart in right.

Ryan drew a walk and was batting .500.  Stewart was 1-for-5 and was batting .312.  Jones was 1-for-4 and was batting .307.

Mays pitched five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and no walks and striking out three.  It was Mays' first start since August 12 and only his second start since July 5.  He pitched well other than the three-run homer, but of course the three-run homer is what put the Royals ahead to stay.

Balfour lowered his ERA to 2.03.

Jose Lima started for Kansas City.  He pitched four innings, allowing three runs on ten hits and no walks and striking out one.

The Twins were blowing a chance to move up in the standings, losing two of three to the Royals at home.  They would have one more chance the next day.

Record:  The Twins were 66-63, in third place in the American League Central, 2.5 games behind Chicago.  They were 1.5 games behind second-place Kansas City.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty-eight

KANSAS CITY 3, MINNESOTA 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, August 22.

Batting stars:  Shannon Stewart was 3-for-5 with a double.  Jacque Jones was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Kyle Lohse pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk and striking out three.  J. C. Romero struck out two in two perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  Brent Mayne was 2-for-4 with a double.  Joe Randa was 2-for-4.  Darrell May pitched 6.2 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks and striking out five.

The game:  The Twins put men on first and third with two out in the first but did not score.  In the third the Royals scored three, which was all they needed.  Angel Berroa was hit by a pitch, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Mayne's double.  Randa singled Mayne home.  Mike Sweeney walked and Carlos Beltran had an infield single, loading the bases.  Raul Ibanez hit a sacrifice fly to put Kansas City up 3-0.

The Twins got on the board in the fifth but missed a chance for more.  Jones led off with a single and Stewart hit a two-out single.  Luis Rivas doubled to score Jones, but Stewart was thrown out trying to make it a two-run double.  The score remained just 3-1.

The Twins got one more in the seventh, but again had a man thrown out at the plate.  Jones led off with a double and scored on Cristian Guzman's one-out single.  Stewart singled to put men on first and third.  Denny Hocking then hit a grounder to first, with Guzman thrown out at home.  Another ground out ended the inning.  The Twins did not get a hit after that.

WP:  May (7-6).  LP:  Lohse (10-10).  S:  Jeremy Affeldt (2).

Notes:  Doug Mientkiewicz was back at first base.  Jones was in left, Stewart in right, and Matthew LeCroy was the DH.

Hocking pinch-hit for Rivas in the seventh and stayed in the game at second base.  Dustan Mohr pinch-hit for Guzman in the ninth.

Stewart went up to .313.  Jones was up to .307.

Lohse's ERA went to an even 5.00.

It feels like Darrell May started about every other game the Royals played against the Twins.  In fact, he made five starts against the Twins in 2003.  He went 2-0, 2.73, 1.18 WHIP.  He struck out 20 in 29.2 innings.  For the season, he was 10-8, 3.77, 1.19 WHIP and struck out 115 in 210 innings.  It was the best season of his career and the only one in which he had an ERA under five.  For his career he was 4-3, 3.92, 1.36 WHIP against the Twins.

After one day in second, the Twins slipped back into third place.

Record:  The Twins were 66-62, in third place in the American League Central, 1.5 games behind Chicago.  They were a half game behind second-place Kansas City.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty-seven

MINNESOTA 4, KANSAS CITY 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, August 21.

Batting star:  Shannon Stewart was 2-for-4 with a home run (his thirteenth) and four RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Kenny Rogers pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on nine hits and three walks and striking out three.  LaTroy Hawkins pitched a perfect inning.  Eddie Guardado pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.

Opposition stars:  Joe Randa was 3-for-4 with two doubles.  Brent Mayne was 1-for-3 with a home run (his fifth).

The game:  It did not look good early.  Aaron Guiel led off with a single and scored from first on Randa's double.  Mayne homered leading off the third to make it 2-0 Royals.  In the third Carlos Beltran singled, Raul Ibanez walked, and Ken Harvey singled to increase the lead to 3-0.

Kansas City left the bases loaded, however, and it cost them.  The Twins did not get a hit for the first five innings.  In the sixth, however, Dustan Mohr got an infield single, Cristian Guzman walked, and Stewart hit a three-run homer.  That quickly, it was tied 3-3.  The Twins went into the lead in the seventh.  A. J. Pierzynski led off with a double and Mohr walked.  A bunt moved the runners up and Stewart again came through, delivering an RBI single to put the Twins up 4-3.  The Royals did not get a baserunner in the last two innings, and the game went to the Twins.

WP:  Rogers (11-6).  LP:  Al Levine (3-6).  S:  Guardado (29).

Notes:  Matthew LeCroy was at first base in place of Doug Mientkiewicz.  Mientkiewicz came in for defense in the ninth inning.

It was again Stewart in left, Mohr in right, and Jacque Jones at DH.

Stewart raised his average to .310.  Jones was 0-for-3 and went down to .305.  Pierzynski was 1-for-3 and got back up to .300.

Hawkins lowered his ERA to 2.17.

Ex-Twin Paul Abbott started for Kansas City.  He did very well for five innings, but his line ended up 5.2 innings, three runs, three hits, four walks, and four strikeouts.

Since his awful outing of July 13 (four runs in a third of an inning), Hawkins had appeared in 17 games and pitched 16.2 innings.  He had allowed just two runs on sixteen hits and three walks and had struck out twelve.

As mentioned above Stewart hit his thirteenth home run in this game.  He would set his career high in home runs in 2003.

With the win, the Twins finally climbed out of third place and into second.  Could they stay there?  Could they move up to first?

Record:  The Twins were 66-61, in second place in the American League Central, a half game behind Chicago.  They were a half game ahead of third place Kansas City.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty-six

MINNESOTA 4, CLEVELAND 3 IN CLEVELAND

Date:  Wednesday, August 20.

Batting star:  A. J. Pierzynski was 2-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  Brad Radke pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and no walks and striking out four.  Eddie Guardado struck out two in a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Jody Gerut was 3-for-4 with a double.  Ryan Ludwick was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer (his sixth) and a double.  Brian Anderson pitched seven innings, giving up four runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks and striking out five.

The game:  With one out in the first, Matt Lawton and Gerut singled and Ludwick hit a three-run homer, giving the Indians a 3-0 lead.  The Twins went down in order in the first two innings, but in the third, Pierzynski walked and Dustan Mohr reached on an error.  With one out Shannon Stewart reached on an error to bring home a run.  Luis Rivas had an infield single to drive home a second run, and with two out Matthew LeCroy delivered an RBi single to it 3-3.

Cleveland put men on second and third with one out in the third, but did not score.  That was the only threat until the seventh, when Hunter and Pierzynski led off the inning with singles.  Mohr' sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third.  Guzman then popped up to shallow center field.  It was caught by the second baseman, but Hunter tagged up and scored, giving the Twins a 4-3 lead.

The Indians got a two-out double in the seventh and again in the eighth but could do nothing with them.  They went down in order in the ninth and the victory was preserved for the Twins.

WP:  Radke (9-10).  LP:  Anderson (9-10).  S:  Guardado (28).

Notes:  LeCroy remained at first base in the absence of Doug Mientkiewicz.  Stewart remained in left, Mohr in right, and Jacque Jones at DH.  Denny Hocking replaced LeCroy at first base in the eighth inning.

Stewart and Jones were each 0-for-4 and each was batting .308.

Radke's ERA went to 5.04.  LaTroy Hawkins pitched a third of an inning without giving up a run and lowered his ERA to 2.20.

Ludwick was quite the Twins killer in 2003.  In 42 at-bats he batted .310/.356/.667 with four home runs and three doubles.  His total numbers that year were .247/.299/.438 with seven homers and eight doubles, meaning that more than half his home runs and nearly half his doubles came against the Twins.  For his career against the Twins he batted .264/.316/.560 with seven homers and six doubles in 91 at-bats.

On Guzman's sacrifice popup, the play-by-play simply says "Popfly: 2B/Sacrifice Fly (Short CF); Hunter Scores; Pierzynski to 3B"  I don't really know what happened.  It could be that Hunter simply made a heads-up baserunning play and caught Cleveland by surprise, and that Pierzynski alertly went to third when the Indians threw home.  Or, it could be that second baseman John McDonald made some sort of spectacular diving catch and could not get up in time to make a throw.  Or, it could be that he collided with center fielder Coco Crisp and couldn't make a throw.  I don't have time to look into it, and I certainly don't remember, but it would be interesting to know.

The Twins had a two-game sweep in Cleveland, giving them some "momentum" as they went into a big four-game series at home against first-place Kansas City.

Record:  The Twins were 65-61, in third place in the American League Central, a half game behind Chicago and Kansas City, who were tied for first.