Tag Archives: .500 team

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty-two

MINNESOTA 9, KANSAS CITY 2 IN KANSAS CITY

Date:  Friday, August 15.

Batting stars:  Jacque Jones was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs.  Corey Koskie was 3-for-5 with a double.  Cristian Guzman was 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs.  Matthew LeCroy was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Luis Rivas was 2-for-5 with a home run (his fifth) and two runs.  Dustan Mohr was 2-for-5 with a double.  Torii Hunter was 1-for-5 with a three-run homer, his twenty-second.

Pitching star:  Kenny Rogers pitched eight innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and a walk and striking out seven.

Opposition star:  Mendy Lopez was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

The game:  The Twins opened the second with two singles but did not score.  In the third, the first two batters went out.  Then, however, Rivas singled, Koskie hit an RBI double, LeCroy walked, Jones had a run-scoring single, and Hunter hit a three-run homer, putting Minnesota up 5-0.  It went to 8-0 in the fifth.  LeCroy singled, Jones doubled, and A. J. Pierzynski was intentionally walked, loading the bases.  Guzman delivered a single-plus-error that cleared the bases.

The Royals got on the board in the fifth when Joe Randa reached on an error and scored on a Lopez single.  The Twins got the run back in the sixth when Rivas homered.  Kansas City got their final run in the ninth when Raul Ibanez doubled and scored on another Lopez single.

WP:  Rogers (10-6).  LP:  Jimmy Gobble (2-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  LeCroy was at first base in place of Doug Mientkiewicz.  Shannon Stewart was in left, Mohr in right, and Jones at DH.  Michael Restovich pinch-hit for Jones in the eighth.

Restovich was 1-for-1 and was batting .325.  Jones raised his average to .311.  Stewart was 0-for-6 and was batting .310.  Koskie raised his average to .301.

By game scores this was the best game Rogers had in 2003.  The only one that came close was when he threw eight shutout innings in Detroit on April 17.

J. C. Romero gave up a run in an inning to make his ERA 5.06.

This was the third start of Jimmy Gobble's career.  He had done really well in the first two, giving up just one run in 12.1 innings.  Obviously, that came crashing down in this game, as he allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk in three innings.  He's another pitcher who kept getting chances long after it was clear that he wasn't good enough.  In seven seasons he had two in which his ERA was under five and two in which it was over seven.  He had just one year in which his ERA was under four.  He was a reliever that year, and his WHIP was 1.47, so the chances are he was allowing a lot of other people's runs to score.  For his career he was 22-23, 5.29, 1.49 WHIP.  He pitched 435.2 innings in 247 games, 43 of them starts.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak and moved the Twins back to two games above .500.

Record:  The Twins were 62-60, in third place in the American League Central, three games behind Kansas City.  They were one game behind second-place Chicago.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty-one

CLEVELAND 8, MINNESOTA 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, August 14.

Batting stars:  Matthew LeCroy was 3-for-4 with a home run, his twelfth.  Cristian Guzman was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Joe Mays pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Brian Anderson pitched 8.1 innings, giving up one run on six hits and two walks.  Travis Hafner was 4-for-5 and hit for the cyle, including his eighth home run.  He scored three times and drove in two.  Ben Broussard was 3-for-5 with a double.  Jhonny Peralta was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs.  Angel Santos was 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base.  Casey Blake was 2-for-5 with a home run (his fourteenth), a double, and three RBIs.

The game:  Hafner homered in the second to put the Indians up 1-0.  In the second, Peralta and Blake doubled to make it 2-0.

It stayed 2-0 until the seventh, when Cleveland took control.  Hafner had an infield single-plus-error, was bunted to third, and scored on Peralta's double.  Santos then doubled to make it 4-0.  With two out, Blake hit a home run to make it 6-0.

The Indians added to their lead in the eighth.  Broussard singled, Hafner had an RBI triple, and Josh Bard had a run-scoring single to increase the lead to 8-0.

The Twins avoided the shutout in the ninth.  LeCroy hit a one-out home run.  Jacque Jones doubled, Michael Restovich had an infield single, and a sacrifice fly made it 8-2.  An error put men on second and third and Guzman singled home a run to conclude the scoring.

WP:  Anderson (9-9).  LP:  Brad Radke (8-10).  S:  None.

Notes:  LeCroy was behind the plate in place of A. J. PIerzynski.  Denny Hocking was at first base in place of Doug Mientkiewicz.  Chris Gomez was at second base in place of Luis Rivas.  Shannon Stewart was in left, Dustan Mohr in right, and Jones at DH.

Michael Ryan replaced Stewart in left in the ninth.  Michael Restovich went to right in the ninth, with Mohr moving to center and Torii Hunter coming out of the game.  Rivas pinch-ran for Jones in the ninth.

Ryan made an out for the first time all year and was batting .667.  Stewart was 0-for-4 and was batting .314.  Restovich was 1-for-1 and was batting .308.  Jones was 1-for-4 and was batting .307.

Radke pitched pretty well for six innings, but his line was 6.1 innings, five runs, nine hits, no walks, and three strikeouts.  His ERA was 5.09.  James Baldwin allowed three runs in one inning and his ERA went to 5.40.  Mays lowered his ERA to 6.33.

Rick Reed made his first relief appearance of the season, pitching two-thirds of an inning and giving up no runs.

Santos' stolen base was the only one of his major league career.  An infielder, he appeared in 41 games and had 99 plate appearances.  He batted .207/.245/.370.

With a three-game losing streak, the Twins were in danger of dropping back to .500.

Record:  The Twins were 61-60, in third place in the American League Central, four games behind Kansas City.  They were two games behind second-place Chicago.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty

CLEVELAND 5, MINNESOTA 0 IN MINNESOTA (14 INNINGS)

Date:  Wednesday, August 13.

Batting star:  Jacque Jones was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Johan Santana struck out eight in eight shutout innings, giving up four hits and a walk.  LaTroy Hawkins struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Eddie Guardado pitched two perfect innings, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Jason Davis struck out six in six shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks.  Rafael Betancourt struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Terry Mulholland pitched four shutout innings, giving up two hits and striking out two.  Ben Broussard was 3-for-5 with a double and a stolen base, his fourth.  Jhonny Peralta was 2-for-5 with a walk and a stolen base.  Jody Gerut was 2-for-6.

The game:  This is what you would call a pitchers' duel.  Neither team even put two men on base until the seventh, when the Twins got two-out singles from Jones and Torii Hunter.  Neither team got a man to third until the eighth, when Michael Ryan doubled and went to third when Cristian Guzman reached on an error.  That was the closest the Twins came to scoring:  they had men on first and third with none out.  But Shannon Stewart grounded out, Luis Rivas hit into a fielder's choice with Ryan thrown out at the plate, and Corey Koskie grounded out.

It remained scoreless until the fourteenth, when it all fell apart for the Twins.  Juan Rincon was in his second inning of work.  He gave up consecutive singles to Casey Blake, Gerut, and Ryan Ludwick, with the last one bringing home the first run of the game.  J. C. Romero came in.  A bunt moved the runners up, Tim Laker was intentionally walked, Travis Hafner was hit by a pitch to bring in a run, Peralta singled home two, and a ground out brought home the fifth run.  The Twins got a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourteenth, but that was all.

WP:  Mulholland (2-2).  LP:  Rincon (3-5).  S:  None.

Notes:  Stewart was again in left, with Dustan Mohr in right and Jones at DH.  Ryan pinch-hit for Mohr in the eighth, with MIchael Restovich going to right field.  Denny Hocking pinch-ran for Jones in the ninth.

Ryan had his second consecutive pinch-hit hit and was batting 1.000.  Stewart was 1-for-6 and was batting .317.  Jones was batting .307.  Koskie was 1-for-5 and was batting .301.

Santana lowered his ERA to 2.96.  His game score of 81 was his best of the season.  He now had back-to-back eight-inning starts without giving up an earned run.  It's almost like they should've put him in the rotation sooner or something.

Hawkins lowered his ERA to 2.25.

By games scores, this was tied for Jason Davis' best game of the season.  He equaled his score of 72 of June 18, when he allowed one run in a complete game against Detroit.  For the season, he would go 8-11, 4.68, 1.33 WHIP.  It was the best season of his career, although he did have a decent year pitching out of the bullpen for the Indians in 2006.  For his career, he was 22-26, 4.82, 1.52 WHIP in 461 innings.  He appeared in 144 games, 56 of them starts.

After winning four in a row, the Twins had now dropped two straight and were falling back toward .500.

Record:  The Twins were 61-59, in third place in the American League Central, 3.5 games behind Kansas City.  They were two games behind second-place Chicago.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Sixteen

MINNESOTA 8, DETROIT 4 IN DETROIT (10 INNINGS)

Date:  Saturday, August 9.

Batting stars:  Jacque Jones was 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs, and three RBIs.  Corey Koskie was 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs.  A. J. Pierzynski was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Torii Hunter was 2-for-5 with a home run (his twenty-first), a stolen base (his fifth), and four RBIs.

Pitching star:  Juan Rincon pitched two shutout innings, giving up three hits and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Alex Sanchez was 3-for-5 with a stolen base, his thirty-fourth.  Warren Morris was 2-for-3.  Brandon Inge was 2-for-4.  Bobby Higginson was 1-for-5 with a home run (his ninth) and three RBIs.  Matt Roney pitched five innings, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks and striking out one.

The game:  It was all Tigers early.  In the first Sanchez singled, stole second, was bunted to third, and scored on a ground out.  In the third Inge singled, was bunted to second, and scored on a Sanchez single.  Later in the inning Higginson hit a two-run homer to make it 4-0 Detroit.

The Twins started their comeback in the fourth.  Doug Mientkiewicz doubled and Koskie walked.  RBI singles by Jones and Pierzynski cut the lead to 4-2.  In the sixth Koskie singled, Jones doubled, and Hunter delivered a two-run single to tie it 4-4.

The Tigers had two singles and a walk in the seventh, had men on first and third in the eighth, and got two singles in the ninth, but could not bring a run across.  In the tenth Mientkiewicz and Koskie walked, Jones hit a two-run double, and Hunter hit a two-run homer, putting the Twins up 8-4.  Detroit got a single in the tenth, but that's all.

WP:  Rincon (3-4).  LP:  Chris Mears (0-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  Stewart was in left, Michael Restovich in right, and Jones at DH.  Dustan Mohr pinch-ran for Jones in the tenth.

Stewart was 1-for-6 and was batting .318.  Restovich was 0-for-2 with three walks and was batting .313.  Jones was batting .309.  Pierzynski was batting .304.  Koskie was batting .303.

Brad Radke started for the Twins and pitched 7.1 innings.  He gave up four runs on eight hits and a walk and struck out three.  His ERA was 5.01.

LaTroy Hawkins retired the only man he faced to drop his ERA to 2.37.

The Twins finally got two games above .500.  Tom Kelly used to say that you can't talk about the pennant race until you get above .500.  We'll see if the Twins could stay above .500 and get into the pennant race.  Although really, given that no one in the division was playing all that well, they were already in the pennant race.

Record:  The Twins were 59-57, in third place in the American League Central, 2.5 games behind Kansas City.  They were two games behind third-place Chicago.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fifteen

MINNESOTA 4, DETROIT 3 IN DETROIT

Date:  Friday, August 8.

Batting stars:  A. J. Pierzynski was 2-for-4 with a double.  Shannon Stewart was 2-for-4 with a stolen base, his second.  Matthew LeCroy was 1-for-4 with a home run, his tenth.

Pitching stars:  Johan Santana pitched eight innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and three walks and striking out five.  He threw 118 pitches.

Opposition stars:  Craig Monroe was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his twelfth) and a walk.  Mike Maroth pitched eight innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk and striking out two.

The game:  In the third, Pierzynski led off with a double and scored on a Michael Restovich triple.  A sacrifice fly made it 2-0.  Stewart then singled and stole second.  Luis Rivas reached on an error.  Stewart was caught on the front end of a double steal, but Rivas went to second and scored on Doug Mientkiewicz' single to make it 3-0 Twins.  LeCroy homered in the fourth to increase the lead to 4-0.

The Tigers got on the board in the fifth.  Monroe walked and Carlos Pena singled, putting men on first and second with none out.  An error brought home a run, but a double play took away the chance for a bigger inning for Detroit.

It was still 4-1 through eight, and it appeared the Twins had the game well in hand.  In the ninth, however, Dmitri Young hit a one-out double and Monroe followed with a two-run homer, cutting the lead to 4-3.  But a strikeout and a fly out ended the game with the Twins still on the right side of the score.

WP:  Santana (6-3).  LP:  Maroth (6-16).  S:  Guardado (26).

Notes:  Stewart was in left with Restovich in right.

Restovich was 1-for-3 and was batting .333.  Stewart raised his average to .320.  Pierzynski raised his average to .302.  Corey Koskie was 0-for-3 and was batting .300.

In his last two starts, Santana pitched fourteen innings and gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits and six walks, striking out twelve.  His season ERA was 3.19.

The Twins once again edged one game over .500.  Would they be able to stay over .500 this time?

Record:  The Twins were 58-57, in third place in the American League Central, three games behind Chicago.  They were 2.5 games behind second-place Kansas City.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fourteen

BALTIMORE 5, MINNESOTA 3 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Thursday, August 7.

Batting stars:  Shannon Stewart was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Luis Rivas was 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch.  Corey Koskie was 2-for-4 with a double.  Torii Hunter was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his twentieth.

Pitching star:  Rick Reed pitched an eight-inning complete game, giving up five runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out six.

Opposition stars:  Jeff Conine was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.  Jack Cust was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer.  Rodrigo Lopez pitched 6.2 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out six.

The game:  With two out in the first, Conine doubled and scored on a Jay Gibbons single to put the Orioles up 1-0.  The Twins took the lead in the second when Koskie doubled and Hunter hit a two-run homer.  They got an insurance run in the third when Stewart doubled and scored on a Rivas single.

It wasn't enough.  In the fourth Conine and Batista singled and Cust hit a three-run homer to give Baltimore a 4-3 lead.  They got an insurance run of their own later in the inning when Deivi Cruz doubled and scored on Larry Bigbie's single.

And that was it.  The Twins put men on first and second with one out in the fifth but did not score.  They also had men on first and third with two out in the seventh but did not score.  That was the last time they got the tying run on base.

WP:  Lopez (5-6).  LP:  Reed (5-11).  S:  Jorge Julio (27).

Notes:  Denny Hocking was at short in place of Cristian Guzman.  Stewart was in right field.

Jacque Jones was apparently injured, as Dustan Mohr replaced him in left field in the fourth inning.  He would miss one game, then be back in the lineup.  Chris Gomez pinch-hit for Mohr in the ninth.  Todd Sears pinch-hit for Hocking in the ninth.

Stewart was batting .318.  Jones was 0-for-2 and was batting .305.  Koskie was batting .302.  Doug Mientkiewicz and A. J. Pierzynski each slipped back to .299.

This was the last complete game of Reed's career.

This was Cust's first homer as a Baltimore Oriole.  It was only the second game he'd played for them.  It was also the second homer of his career, as he'd hit one for Colorado in 2002.  He would not become a regular player until 2007, when he went to Oakland.  He would end up with 105 career home runs.  He was a three true outcomes guy--he had over 90 walks three years in a row, leading the league once; he led the league in strikeouts three times, and he hit 84 homers over three seasons.  His final numbers were .242/.374/.439.  Even in his last season, when he batted just .213 with three home runs, he had an OBP of .344.

The Twins again failed to stay above .500.

Record:  The Twins were 57-57, in third place in the American League Central, 3.5 games behind Kansas City.  They were three games behind Chicago.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twelve

BALTIMORE 3, MINNESOTA 2 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Tuesday, August 5.

Batting star:  Shannon Stewart was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Kenny Rogers pitched seven innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on nine hits and a walk and striking out three.  Juan Rincon pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.

Opposition stars:  Brook Fordyce was 2-for-3 with two runs.  Jose Leon was 2-for-3.  Brian Roberts was 2-for-4.  Jason Johnson pitched six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks and striking out one.

The game:  The Twins put men on second and third in the first inning but did not score.  In the third Fordyce singled, Larry Bigbie walked, an error scored one run, Brian Roberts singled, and a ground out made it 2-0 Orioles.

The Twins got on the board in the fifth.  Jacque Jones singled, stole second, went to third on a ground out, and scored on Stewart's single to cut the lead to 2-1.  But Baltimore got the run right back in the bottom of the fifth when Fordyce singled, was balked to second, and scored on a Luis Matos single.

The Orioles loaded the bases in the sixth but did not score.  In the seventh, A. J. Pierzynski singled, Michael Restovich walked, and a bunt put men on second and third.  But all the Twins could do is score one on a ground out, cutting the margin to 3-2.  And that's where it stayed.  The Twins put a man on second with two out in the ninth, but a fly out ended the game.

WP:  Johnson (9-5).  LP:  Rogers (8-6).  S:  Jorge Julio (26).

Notes:  Stewart was again in left, Restovich in right, and Jones at DH.  Matthew LeCroy pinch-hit for Jones in the eighth.  Todd Sears pinch-hit for Cristian Guzman in the ninth.

Restovich was 1-for-2 and was batting .333.  Stewart was batting .317.  Jones was batting .309.  Pierzynski was 1-for-4 and was battinb .304.  Corey Koskie was 1-for-4 and was batting .301.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 0-for-2 and was batting .300.

Rogers lowered his ERA to 5.03.  The Twins really had a poor starting rotation in 2003.  And yet it took them until past mid-season to find room there for Johan Santana.

The Twins had gotten over .500, but couldn't stay there.  Would they get back over .500 tomorrow?  We'll see.

Record:  The Twins were 56-56, in third place in the American League Central, 4.5 games behind Kansas City.  They were 2.5 games behind second-place Chicago.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Ten

MINNESOTA 7, DETROIT 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, August 3.

Batting stars:  Luis Rivas was 3-for-5 with a triple and a stolen base, his eleventh.  Shannon Stewart was 2-for-4 with a home run (his tenth), a walk, and two runs.  Cristian Guzman was 2-for-4 with a stolen base, his thirteenth.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 2-for-5.

Pitching stars:  Johan Santana struck out seven in six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks.  J. C. Romero struck out three in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Eddie Guardado pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Warren Morris was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Craig Monroe was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Bobby Higginson was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his seventh.

The game:  The Tigers put men on first and second with two out in the first but did not score.  In the bottom of the first Stewart walked, Rivas tripled, and Mientkiewicz singled, giving the Twins a 2-0 lead.  Stewart homered in the second to make it 3-0.  In the third Torii Hunter and A. J. Pierzynski singled and Michael Restovich walked, loading the bases with none out.  A double play scored one run and Guzman singled home another, increasing the lead to 5-0.

Detroit got a leadoff double from Ben Petrick in the fifth but could do nothing with it.  They finally got on the board in the sixth when Morris singled and Higginson hit a two-run homer.  But that was as good as it got for the Tigers.  The Twins got the two runs back in the seventh.  Mientkiewicz and Jacque Jones singled and Restovich walked, loading the bases with two out.  Chris Gomez then doubled home two runs to make the score 7-2.  Detroit got men to second and third with two out in the eighth, but the score remained 7-2.

WP:  Santana (5-3).  LP:  Matt Roney (1-7).  S:  None.

Notes:  Gomez was again at third in the absence of Corey Koskie.  Stewart was in left, Restovich in right, and Jones at DH.

Restovich was 0-for-1 with three walks and was batting .381.  Stewart was batting .319.  Jones was 1-for-3 and was batting .309.  Pierzynski was 1-for-4 and was batting .304.

LaTroy Hawkins pitched two-thirds of an inning and was not scored on, making his ERA 2.50.

Roney was the Tigers starter.  He lasted just two innings and allowed five runs on six hits and four walks and struck out three.  He would finish the year 1-9, 5.45, 1.49 WHIP.  He would make just three major league appearances after the 2003 season, and those were with Oakland in 2006.

The Twins once again got back to .500.  Could they finally get back over the hump?  They would make the attempt in Baltimore.

Record:  The Twins were 55-55, in third place in the American League Central, 4.5 games behind Kansas City.  They were 2.5 games behind second-place Chicago.

Keeping Track

1991 Rewind: Game Thirty-nine

2 Comments

TEXAS 5, MINNESOTA 2 IN MINNESOTA (12 INNINGS)

Date:  Wednesday, May 22.

Batting stars:  Kirby Puckett was 3-for-6.  Dan Gladden was 2-for-4 with two walks.  Brian Harper was 2-for-5.

Pitching stars:  Allan Anderson pitched seven innings, giving up one run on seven hit and no walks and striking out two.  Steve Bedrosian pitched a perfect inning.  Rick Aguilera pitched three innings, giving up one run on one hit and three walks and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Mario Diaz was 2-for-2 with a double.  Steve Buechele was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Brian Downing was 2-for-6.  Kevin Brown pitched six innings, giving up two runs on nine hits and two walks and striking out none.

The game:  Each team put men on first and second with two out in the first, and each team failed to score.  It stayed scoreless until the fifth, when Buechele singled, was bunted to second, and scored on Downing's two-out single.

The Twins had two on with none out in the fifth and did not score.  They got on the board in the seventh, but missed a chance for more.  They started the inning with singles by Chili Davis, Harper, Pedro Munoz, and Shane Mack, tying the score and leaving the bases loaded with none out.  The Twins could only get one more out of it, though.  Randy Bush hit a short fly ball, Gladden walked to force in a run.  Chuck Knoblauch hit into a force at home, and Puckett fanned, giving the Twins just a 2-1 lead.

It looked like it might be enough, as the score stayed 2-1 going to the ninth and Aguilera came in to pitch.  He walked Ruben Sierra and struck out Juan Gonzalez.  Sierra then stole second, leading to an intentional walk to Kevin Reimer.  Buechele drew an accidental walk to load the bases and Jack Daugherty hit a sacrifice fly to tie it up.

It stated tied until the twelfth.  Daugherty singled and was bunted to second.  Downing singled to put men on first and third.  Rafael Palmeiro doubled home the go-ahead run.  Later in the inning, Gonzalez delivered a two-run single to make it 5-2.  The Twins got one man on in the bottom of the twelfth, on catcher's interference, but that was it.

WP:  Gerald Alexander (2-0).  LP:  Carl Willis (1-1).  S:  Jeff Russell (10).

Notes:  Munoz started in right field in this game.  Mack and Bush were used as pinch-hitters for Mike Pagliarulo and Greg Gagne, respectively, in the seventh.  Neither stayed in the game, as Al Newman went to short and Scott Leius to third.

Harper raised his average to .369.  Munoz was 1-for-4 and was batting .321.  Puckett raised his average to .316.  Gagne was 0-for-2 and was batting .302.  Knoblauch was 0-for-5 and was batting .300.  Bedrosian lowered his ERA to 2.96.  Aguilera's ERA went up to 1.83.  Terry Leach gave up no runs in two-thirds of an inning to make his ERA 2.40.

Leius went 0-for-2 and was batting .162.  Bush was 0-for-1 and was batting .180.

This was "the" Kevin Brown, the one who was a six-time all-star and finished in the top six in Cy Young voting five times.  1991 was actually one of his worst years.  He went 9-12, 4.40, 1.53 WHIP.  He was a fine pitcher for Texas, leading the league in wins in 1992 with 21, but really became a star when he went to Florida in 1996 and led the league in ERA (1.89) and WHIP (0.94).  He finished second in Cy Young voting to John Smoltz that year, even though Smoltz' ERA was more than a full run higher--one suspects the fact that Smoltz had 27 wins to Brown's 17 was a major factor.  He had some fine years with the Dodgers, too.  For his career he was 211-144, 3.28, 1.22 WHIP.  An excellent pitcher in a career that spanned nineteen seasons (1986, 1988-2005).

This was one of six career wins for Gerald Alexander.  He appeared in 36 major league games, thirty of them in 1991.  He also appeared in three games in 1990 and three in 1992.  He went 5-3, 5.24, 1.58 WHIP in 1991,  For his career he was 6-3, 5.79, 1.69 WHIP.  But he pitched three shutout innings in this game, giving up no hits and two walks.  It had to be one of the best performances of his career.

Since April 26 the Twins had not been more than three games above or below .500.  Since May 4, they had not been more than two games above or below .500.

Record:  The Twins were 19-20, sixth in the American League West, four games behind Oakland.  They were a half game behind fifth-place Chicago.