Tag Archives: Brad Radke

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Fifty-seven

SAN FRANCISCO 4, MINNESOTA 3 IN SAN FRANCISCO

Date:  Wednesday, June 4.

Batting star:  Torii Hunter was 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Brad Radke pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk and striking out two.  LaTroy Hawkins pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Ray Durham was 2-for-3 with a double and two walks.  Barry Bonds was 2-for-4 with a triple, a walk, and two RBIs.  Jerome Williams pitched 6.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks and striking out six.

The game:  The Twins took the lead in the first on doubles by Jacque Jones and Hunter.  They increased their lead in the third.  With one out, Cristian Guzman doubled and scored on Corey Koskie's single.  Hunter doubled to put men on second and third and a ground out scored one, making it 3-0 Twins.

The Giants got on the board in the fourth when Durham walked and scored on Bonds' triple.  Each team put a man into scoring position in the sixth, but neither could take advantage of it, so it stayed 3-1 through seven.

In the eighth Jose Cruz singled and scored from first on a Marquis Grissom double.  That knocked Radke out of the box and brought J. C. Romero into the game. Durham singled to put men on the corners and Hawkins came in.  Rich Aurilia hit a ground-rule double, tying it 3-3.  An intentional walk loaded the bases with none out, but Hawkins retired the next three men to leave the score tied.

Juan Rincon came in to pitch the ninth.  Jose Cruz walked with one out and went to second on a wild pitch.  With two out Durham was intentionally walked and Aurilia was accidentally walked, loading the bases.  Walking someone to face Barry Bonds was not usually a good idea, and that proved to be true in this case.  Bonds singled to end the game.

WP:  Tim Worrell (2-2).  LP:  Rincon (1-2).  S:  None.

Notes:  Matthew LeCroy pinch-hit for Luis Rivas in the ninth.  Denny Hocking came in to play second base.

Everyone reading this knows about Radke's first-inning struggles, but it was not the case in this game.  He only allowed one hit through three innings, a single by Marvin Benard with one out in the third.  He got through seven innings allowing just one run on four hits before apparently tiring in the eighth.  He threw 88 pitches.  Still, his ERA was 5.53 after this game.

Hawkins lowered his ERA to 1.23.  Rincon gave up a run in two-thirds of an inning to make his ERA 2.55.

There were seven doubles in the game.  The Twins had four and the Giants three.

Some guy named Joe Nathan came in for San Francisco to retire the only batter he faced in the seventh.  I'm not sure whatever happened to him after 2003.

Record:  The Twins were 32-25, in first place in the American League Central, 3.5 games ahead of Kansas City.

 

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Fifty-two

SEATTLE 10, MINNESOTA 6 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, May 29.

Batting stars:  Jacque Jones was 2-for-3 with a home run, his fifth.  Luis Rivas was 2-for-4 with a double.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 1-for-4 with a home run, his fifth.  Torii Hunter was 1-for-2 with a home run (his eighth) and a walk.  A. J. Pierzynski was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his fifth.

Pitching star:  Johan Santana pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Carlos Guillen was 4-for-6 with two doubles, two runs, and two RBIs.  Edgar Martinez was 3-for-5 with two RBIs.  Bret Boone was 3-for-6 with a home run (his fourteenth), two doubles, two runs, and four RBIs.  Mike Cameron was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a stolen base, his fifth.  John Olerud was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Ichiro Suzuki was 2-for-5 with a walk, a stolen base (his tenth) and three runs.

The game:  Seattle scored two in the first inning.  Suzuki led off with a single and scored from first on Cameron's double.  Martinez then hit a one-out RBI single to make it 2-0.

Jones homered leading off the bottom of the first to make it 2-1.  It stayed there until the fifth, when the Mariners struck again.  Suzuki again started the rally with a single, and Boone hit a one-out two-run homer.  With two out, Olerud and Cameron hit back-to-back doubles to increase the lead to 5-1 Mariners.

Mientkiewicz led off the bottom of the fifth with a homer to make it 5-2, but Seattle again added to its lead in the sixth inning.  Walks to Mark McLemore and Suzuki were followed by a wild pitch, putting men on second and third with one out.  Guillen singled in a run and Boone doubled in another, increasing the lead to 7-2.

Hunter led off the seventh inning with a home run, making the score 7-3.  The Mariners again added to their lead in the eighth.  Back-to-back one-out doubles by Guillen and Boone brought home one run and Martinez singled in another.  Olerud singled and Cameron walked, loading the bases.  With two out Mark McLemore singled home one more run, making the score 10-3.

The Twins got one back in the eighth when Rivas doubled and Denny Hocking singled.  They added two in the ninth to make the final score look better.  Dustan Mohr doubled and Pierzynski hit a two-run homer, bringing us to the final score of 10-6.

WP:  Gil Meche (7-2).  LP:  Brad Radke (5-5).  S:  None.

Notes:  Kielty was again at DH.

Lewwwwwww Ford made his major league debut in this game, replacing Hunter in center field in the eighth inning.  He had his first major league at-bat in the ninth and lined a single to right.

Hocking pinch-hit for Jones in the eighth and stayed in the game in left field.  Matthew LeCroy pinch-hit for Kielty in the eighth.

Jones raised his average to .339.  Mohr was 1-for-4 and was batting .314.  LeCroy was 0-for-1 and was batting .300.

Radke pitched five innings, giving up five runs on eleven hits and no walks and striking out three.  His ERA was 5.71, as he continued to struggle.  Tony Fiore allowed two runs in one-third of an inning, raising his ERA to 5.55.

Juan Rincon allowed three runs in two innings, raising his ERA to 2.31.  Santana lowered his ERA to 2.75.  It was the first time in five games that he had not given up a run.

The Twins batted 1.000 with men in scoring position.  Unfortunately, that was only 2-for-2.

Gil Meche started for Seattle and pitched seven innings, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk and striking out four.

Coming into this game, Shigetoshi Hasegawa had allowed only one earned run all season (27.2 innings).  He allowed two in the ninth here, raising his ERA to 0.94.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak by the Twins.

Record:  The Twins were 31-21, in first place in the American League Central, 4.5 games ahead of Kansas City.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Forty-seven

SEATTLE 5, MINNESOTA 2 IN SEATTLE

Date:  Friday, May 23.

Batting stars:  Dustan Mohr was 3-for-4 with two doubles.  Torii Hunter was 2-for-4.  Jacque Jones was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  Tony Fiore pitched three shutout innings, giving up one walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Mark McLemore was 2-for-3 with a home run (his second), a walk, and two runs.  John Olerud was 2-for-4.  Jamie Moyer pitched five innings, giving up two runs on four hits and three walks and striking out three.  Bert Blyleven's favorite pitcher, Shigetoshi Hasegawa, struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up two hits.

The game:  The Twins had men on first and second with two out in the first, but did not score.  The Mariners jumped on Brad Radke for three runs in the first inning, although the defense did not help him any.  Ichiro Suzuki reached on an error, Carlos Guillen walked, and Edgar Martinez hit a one-out single, loading the bases.  Olerud then hit a potential double play ball, but Cristian Guzman missed the throw at second base, allowing two runs to score.  Mike Cameron hit an RBI double, making it 3-0 Seattle after one.

The Twins got one back in the second, but missed a chance for more.  Todd Sears led off with a single and Mohr doubled, putting men on second and third with none out.  A ground out scored one, but a strikeout and a fly out ended the inning.  The lead went back to three in the bottom of the second, as McLemore led off with a home run to make it 4-1.  It went to 5-1 in the fourth on singles by McLemore and Dan Wilson, a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly.

The Twins scored in the fifth, but again missed a chance for more.  Luis Rivas and Jones opened the inning with singles, putting men on first and third with none out, but a ground out scored the only run they got, making the score 5-2.  And that was it.  The Twins got a man to second a couple of times, but never got the tying run up to bat.

WP:  Jamie Moyer (7-2).  LP:  Radke (5-4).  S:  Kazuhiro Sasaki (7).

Notes:  Sears was at first base in place of Doug Mientkiewicz.  Bobby Kielty was the DH.

Jones was batting .343.  Mohr was batting .320.

Radke pitched five innings, giving up five runs (two earned) on nine hits and two walks and struck out none.  His ERA was 5.43.

The Twins were 0-for-7 with men in scoring position and stranded eight.

This was the only season in which Moyer made the all-star team.  He went 21-7, 3.27, 1.23 WHIP.  He finished fifth in Cy Young voting that year, one of three times he finished in the top six.  He was age forty in 2003, so he would only play eight more seasons.

Record:  The Twins were 27-20, in first place in the American League Central, 1.5 games ahead of Kansas City.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Thirty-six

MINNESOTA 9, BOSTON 8 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, May 11.

Batting stars:  Luis Rivas was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs.  Jacque Jones was 3-for-5 with a triple, three runs, and two RBIs.  Matthew LeCroy was 2-for-4 with a double.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 2-for-4 with a double.  A. J. Pierzynski was 2-for-4 with two runs.  Dustan Mohr was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Jeremy Giambi was 4-for-4 with two home runs, his third and fourth.  Manny Ramirez was 2-for-5 with a double.  Todd Walker was 2-for-5.  Nomar Garciaparra was 2-for-5.  Jason Varitek was 1-for-4 with a home run, his fifth.  Bill Mueller was 1-for-5 with a home run, his third.  Ramiro Mendoza pitched two shutout innings, giving up three hits and a walk.

The game:  Jones led off the bottom of the first with a single and scored on LeCroy's double.  They took a commanding lead in the second.  With one out, Mohr and Pierzynski singled, Luis Rivas had an RBI double, Jones hit a two-run triple, and a ground out scored another run.  It was 5-0 Twins after two.

The lead increased in the fourth.  Pierzynski, Rivas, and Jones all singled, loading the bases with one out.  An error scored two runs and a sacrifice fly brought home a third, making the score 8-0 after four.

Mueller homered in the fifth to get the Red Sox on the board, but it was still 8-1.  And the Twins got the run back in the bottom of the fifth when Torii Hunter and Mientkiewicz singled and a ground out brought the run home, so it was 9-1 after five.

Then the Red Sox started their comeback.  It started slowly, with one run in the sixth on singles by Walker, Garciaparra, and Trot Nixon.  With one out in the seventh Giambi and Varitek homered, Johnny Damon and Walker singled, and Ramirez hit a ground-rule double to cut the lead to 9-5.  Giambi homered again in the eighth to make it 9-6.

Then came the ninth.  The first two Boston batters went out.  Garciaparra and Ramirez singled.  Kevin Millar walked, loading the bases.  Shea Hillenbrand delivered a two-run single, making the score 9-8 and putting men on first and second.  But Bill Mueller grounded to short, and the Twins held on for the win.

WP:  Brad Radke (4-3).  LP:  Derek Lowe (3-3).  S:  Eddie Guardado (8).

Notes:  Denny Hocking replaced Corey Koskie at third base in the seventh.

Jones raised his average to .353.  LeCroy was batting .308.

Hocking was 0-for-1 and was batting .105.

Radke pitched well for six innings, but his line is 6.1 innings, five runs, ten hits, no walks, and two strikeouts.  His ERA went to 5.85.

LaTroy Hawkins gave up one run in 1.2 innings to raise his ERA to 1.84.  Guardado gave up two runs in one inning to raise his ERA to 1.84.

Record:  The Twins were 20-26, in second place in the American League Central, 2.5 games behind Kansas City.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Twenty-six

MINNESOTA 8, TAMPA BAY 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, April 30.

Batting stars:  Jacque Jones was 3-for-5 with a double and two runs.  Torii Hunter was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer (his third) and a walk.

Pitching star:  Johan Santana struck out three in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Carl Crawford was 2-for-4 with a triple, a double, a walk, and three runs.  Rey Ordonez was 2-for-4.  Rocco Baldelli was 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, and five RBIs.  Travis Harper pitched two perfect innings of relief.

The Devil Rays opened the game with back-to-back doubles by Crawford and Baldelli to take a 1-0 lead.  The Twins responded with four in the bottom of the first.  Jones led off with a single, Corey Koskie hit a one-out single, Todd Sears contributed an RBI double, and Hunter hit a three-run homer, making the score 4-1 Minnesota.

The Twins added two more in the second.  Tom Prince was hit by a pitch.  Luis Rivas had an RBI triple and scored on a Jones single, increasing the Twins' lead to 6-1.  Tampa Bay got back into the game in the third.  Ordonez singled, Crawford walked, and Baldelli hit a three-run homer to cut the margin to 6-4.

The Twins got some insurance in the fourth.  Rivas walked and Jones doubled, putting men on second and third with none out.  Koskie's fielder's choice plated one run and a ground out brought home another, making the score 8-4.

The Devil Rays threatened in the sixth, as with two out they loaded the bases on two hit batsmen and a walk, but Ordonez flied to right to end the inning.  They got a run in the ninth when Crawford tripled and scored on a ground out, but never got the tying run as far as the on-deck circle again.

WP:  Brad Radke (2-3).  LP:  Seth McClung (2-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  Prince was behind the plate, replacing A. J. Pierzynski.  Bobby Kielty was in right field.  Sears was the DH.  There were no in-game lineup substitutions.

Jones raised his average to .326.  Kielty was 0-for-3 and fell to .324.

Radke pitched well other than the three-run homer, but his line was 5.2 innings, four runs, seven hits, one walk, and three strikeouts.  His season ERA was 6.29.  It would not be that high again the rest of the season, but it would be a long time before he got it below five.

Santana lowered his ERA to 0.95.  Tony Fiore gave up one run in one inning to make his ERA 6.59.

McClung started for Tampa Bay, but lasted just 1.1 innings.  He allowed six runs on six hits and no walks and struck out one.

Sears had hit very well in AAA Edmonton for two seasons, but had the misfortune to be a first baseman who was ready for the majors when the Twins already had Doug Mientkiewicz and had Justin Morneau coming up.  As a result, he only got seventy-seven at-bats with the Twins, fourteen of them as a pinch-hitter.  He batted .260/.326/.390 in that time.  The Twins traded him to San Diego in September.  He bounced around for several years before his playing career ended after the 2007 season.

Record:  The Twins were 12-14, in third place in the American League Central, six games behind Kansas City.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–October 27

Joe Mulvey (1858)
Patsy Dougherty (1867)
Shad Berry (1878)
Ralph Kiner (1922)
Del Rice (1922)
Pumpsie Green (1933)
Lee Stange (1936)
Mike Lum (1945)
Pete Vuckovich (1952)
U. L. Washington (1953)
Barry Bonnell (1953)
Tom Nieto (1960)
Bill Swift (1961)
Bip Roberts (1963)
Brad Radke (1972)
Jason Johnson (1973)
Martin Prado (1983)
Kyle Waldrop (1985)
Jason Wheeler (1990)

Bill Swift was drafted by Minnesota in the second round in 1983, but he did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–October 27 →

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Twenty-one

KANSAS CITY 2, MINNESOTA 1 IN KANSAS CITY

Date:  Thursday, April 24.

Batting stars:  A. J. Pierzynski was 2-for-3.  Torii Hunter was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Brad Radke pitched an eight-inning complete game, giving up two runs on four hits and one walk and striking out four.

Opposition stars:  Chris George pitched six innings, giving up one run on five hits and two walks and striking out three.  Jason Grimsley pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Carlos Febles was 2-for-3 with a stolen base.  Mike Sweeney was 1-for-2 with a home run (his fourth) and a stolen base.

The game:  The Twins got a pair of one-out singles in the first but did not score.  Neither team threatened after that until the fourth, when Sweeney hit a two-out home run to put the Royals up 1-0.  The Twins tied it in the sixth with a two-out rally:  Bobby Kielty walked and singles by Corey Koskie and Hunter plated the run.

Kansas City went back in front in the bottom of the sixth.  Febles led off with a single and scored from first on a one-out double by Joe Randa.

And that was it.  The Royals did not get a man on base after the sixth, but it didn't matter.  The Twins got a couple of singles, but never advanced a man past first base.

WP:  George (3-1).  LP:  Radke (1-3).  S:  Mike MacDougal (9).

Notes: Michael Cuddyer was again in right field.  Kielty was again the DH.  There were no in-game lineup substitutions.

Kielty was 1-for-3 with a walk and was batting .340.  Cuddyer was 0-for-3 and was batting .193.

Radke lowered his ERA to 6.28.  This was the first of three complete games Radke had in 2003.  He had 37 for his career.  By game scores this was his second-best game of the season, topped only by a complete game shutout on August 26.

After a lowpoint of .111 on April 11, Hunter finally climbed above the Mendoza line to stay at .216.  It seems like he was pretty hot-and-cold in 2003, posting averages by month of :.217, .269, .273, .229, .233, and .284.  On thinking about it, though, I wonder just how unusual that really is.  Everyone bounces up and down over the course of a season--how much variance is "normal" and how much is "unusual"?  I don't really know.

I kind of remember Joe Randa as a Twins killer, but he really wasn't.  He batted .275/.315/.404 for his career against the Twins and .264/.293/.431 against them in 2003.  His overall career numbers are .284/.339/.426, so he actually was worse against the Twins than against the rest of MLB.  Maybe I just remember a few big hits he got or something.

I didn't actually go through his whole career to check, but this has to be one of the best games Chris George ever pitched.  By game scores it was the second-best of the season, topped only by his first game of the season, when he pitched 6.2 innings and also gave up one run on five hits.  He made eighteen starts in 2003 and had an ERA of 7.11 with a WHIP of 1.75.  Somehow he went 9-6, which is probably why he was allowed to make 18 starts.  It's not like this was just a bad year--for his career he was 14-20, 6.48, 1.66 WHIP in 237.1 innings (47 games, 44 starts).  His "best" season was his first one, 2001, when he went 4-8, 5.59, 1.37 WHIP in 13 starts.  In his defense, he was rushed to the majors at age 21 on the strength of 18 AA starts in which he went 8-5, 3.14, but with a WHIP of 1.47.  He was on the Omaha/Kansas City shuttle from 2001--2004, spent all of 2005 in Omaha, then became a free agent.  He was with several organizations after that, but never made it to the majors.  Would more time in the minors when he was younger have helped?  It's hard to say.  It wouldn't have hurt, but at the same time, his career AAA numbers are 66-73, 4.95, 1.52 WHIP in 1223 innings.  It seems more likely that he just was never that good in the first place.

This made six losses in a row for the Twins, and was the seventh series sweep they'd been involved in at the start of the season.

Record:  The Twins were 9-12, in third place in the American League Central, eight games behind Kansas City.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Six

TORONTO 8, MINNESOTA 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, April 6.

Batting stars:  Jacque Jones was 2-for-4 with a double.  Chris Gomez was 2-for-4.  Bobby Kielty was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Juan Rincon struck out six in five shutout innings of relief, giving up one hit.  Tony Fiore pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Cory Lidle struck out seven in seven innings, giving up one run on six hits and a walk.  Frank Catalanotto was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.  Carlos Delgado was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second), two runs, and four RBIs.  Chris Woodward was 2-for-4 with two runs.  Shannon Stewart was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs.

The game:  In the first inning Catalanotto singled and Delgado hit a two-run homer, giving the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead.  Not to worry:  Brad Radke was pitching, and we expect him to give up a couple of runs in the first, then settle down.  Unfortunately, this day he did not settle down.

He got Toronto out in order in the second.  In the third, however, the Blue Jays started the inning with singles by Woodward, Stewart, and Catalanotto, loading the bases.  Vernon Wells walked to force in a run.  Delgado delivered a two-run single.  The next two batters went out, but Greg Myers singled home a run to make it 6-0.

The fourth was no better for Radke.  Woodward singled, Stewart doubled, and Catalanotto hit a two-run double to put Toronto up 8-0.  At that point, Ron Gardenhire pulled Radke and brought in Rincon, who brought some order to the game.  He actually pitched very well, but it was simply too late/

The Twins did little offensively.  Their lone run came in the sixth, when Jones doubled and Gomez singled him home.  The Twins had two on with none out in the seventh and loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but could not dent the plate either time.

WP:  Lidle (1-1).  LP:  Radke (1-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  Gomez was at shortstop in place of Cristian Guzman.   Kielty was in left, with Jones at DH.  Dustan Mohr was in center in place of Torii Hunter.  Michael Cuddyer was in right.

Denny Hocking went to third base in the seventh inning in place of Corey Koskie.

Koskie was 1-for-3 and was batting .462.  Kielty was batting .375.  Jones was batting .360.

On the other end of the scale, Luis Rivas was batting .143.

Radke allowed eight runs on ten hits and a walk in just three innings.  He struck out two.  By game scores it was his worst game of the season.

On the other hand, Rincon pitched really well.  This was easily his longest outing of the season.  He had been a starter in the minors, though, and that's mostly where he had been prior to this season, so a five-inning appearance would not have been that strange to him at the time.

He didn't make a big deal out of it, but I think Herb Carneal really enjoyed saying the name "Frank Catalanotto".

After sweeping the Tigers on the road to start the season, the Twins were swept at home by Toronto.  Not to worry, though.  Their next series would be on the road against the Yankees.

Record:  The Twins were 3-3, tied for second with Chicago in the American League Central, 2.5 games behind Kansas City.

Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 2006, Game Twenty-two

1 Comment

DETROIT 9, MINNESOTA 0 IN DETROIT

Date:  Friday, April 28.

Batting star:  Shannon Stewart was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Matt Guerrier pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and three walks and striking out one.  Jesse Crain struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Nate Robertson struck out seven in seven shutout innings, giving up five hits and a walk.  Marcus Thames was 3-for-4 with a home run (his third), a double, and a walk, scoring twice and driving in two.  Ivan Rodriguez was 3-for-4 with a walk.  Placido Polanco was 3-for-5 with two runs.  Carlos Guillen was 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs.  Craig Monroe was 2-for-5 with two doubles.  Chris Shelton was 1-for-4 with a home run (his tenth) and a walk.

The game:  The Twins put men on first and second with one out in the first, but did not score.  The Tigers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first on singles by Polanco, Rodriguez, and Magglio Ordonez, but could only get a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead.  The Twins got a two-out double from Michael Cuddyer in the second, but did not score.  Thames hit a home run with one out in the second to make it 2-0 Detroit.  The Twins opened the third with two singles, but did not score.

The Tigers then took control of the game.  Singles by Polanco and Rodriguez and a walk to Ordonez loaded the bases with none out.  Carlos Guillen hit a bases-clearing double.  The bases were literally cleared, because Guillen was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple.  Shelton then hit a home run and Monroe doubled, still all with none out.  The Monroe double finally chased starter Brad Radke from the game, but by then it was 6-0 Detroit.

After all their early scoring threats, the Twins only once got a man past first after that.  Tony Batista hit a one-out double in the seventh, but did not get past second base.  The Tigers scored three more in the seventh.  Doubles by Monroe and Thames plated one run.  Curtis Granderson walked, Polanco had an RBI single, and walks to Rodriguez and Ordonez forced home the ninth run.

WP:  Robertson (3-2).  LP:  Radke (2-3).  S:  None.

Notes:  Mike Redmond was behind the plate in place of Joe Mauer, who missed a couple of days.  Cuddyer was at first in place of Justin Morneau, who missed a couple of days.  Juan Castro was the starting shortstop at the beginning of the season, later to be replaced by Jason Bartlett.  Batista was the starting third baseman at the beginning of the season, later to be replaced by Nick Punto.  Stewart was the starting left fielder at the beginning of the season, but injuries would force him out of the lineup.  Lew Ford, who would take Stewart's place in left field, was in right in this game.  Right field, of course, was normally the province of Cuddyer.

Despite the lopsided score, the Twins made only one non-pitcher substitution.  Luis Rodriguez entered the game at first base in the eighth.  Cuddyer went to right, Ford went to center, and Torii Hunter came out of the game.

The Twins had some really good batting averages early in the season.  Redmond was batting .375--he would finish at .341.  Rodriguez was batting .368--he would finish at .235.  Castillo was batting .365--he would finish at .296.  Stewart was batting .356--he would finish at .293.  As alluded to earlier, he would also finish on the DL.  Mauer, who did not play in this game, would bat .321.

There were also a couple of really bad batting averages early in the season.  Rondell White was batting .145--he would finish at .246.  Hunter was batting .190--he would finish at .278.

The Twins would lead the league in batting average at .287.  They were next-to-last in home runs at 143.  Morneau led the team with 34.  Hunter had 31 and Cuddyer 24.  Mauer was the only other player in double digits, with 13.

This was Radke's last season.  He was no longer the ace of the staff, of course, but he was still usually a dependable pitcher.  Not in this game, obviously--this was his lowest game score of the season.  But he finished 12-9, 4.32, which you'll take in the rotation any time.  The ace was Johan Santana (19-6, 2.77).  Francisco Liriano joined the rotation in mid-May and pitched really well through the end of July, but then was able to make only two more starts.  He went 12-3, 2.16.  Boof Bonser joined the rotation in late May and went 7-6, 4.22.  Others who made double-digit starts were Carlos Silva (11-15, 5.94) and Scott Baker (5-8, 6.37).

2006, as you probably remember, was the season the Twins stumbled and bumbled early in the year, then got hot and came back to win the division by one game over Detroit.  It's really pretty amazing how they remade so much of the team on the fly, partly due to injuries and partly due to signing retreads who had to be replaced.

We haven't had a lot of rewind games where the Twins got blown out.  This was the first game of a four-game losing streak.  The Twins would get outscored in those four games 41-3.  Game-by-game, it was 9-0, 18-1, 6-0, and 8-2.  I suspect the game logs were not pretty.

Record:  The Twins were 9-13, in fourth place in the American League Central, six games behind Chicago.  They would finish 96-66, in first place, one game ahead of Detroit.

The Tigers were 14-9, in second place in the American League Central, 1.5 games behind Chicago.  They would finish 95-67, in second place, one game behind Minnesota.

Random rewind:  The Twins are 36-30 in Random Rewind games.