Tag Archives: Everyday Micheal Nakamura

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Sixty-eight

KANSAS CITY 9, MINNESOTA 8 IN KANSAS CITY

Date:  Monday, June 16.

Batting stars:  Matthew LeCroy was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 3-for-5.  Lew Ford was 2-for-2 with a three-run homer (his second), a double, a walk, and two runs.  Corey Koskie was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs.

Pitching star:  Micheal Nakamura pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.

Opposition stars:  Carlos Beltran was 2-for-2 with a double, a stolen base (his seventeenth), three walks, and two runs.  Mike Sweeney was 2-for-4 with a home run (his twelfth), a walk, two runs, and five RBIs.  Angel Berroa was 2-for-4 with a double.  Michael Tucker was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.  Raul Ibanez was 2-for-5.

The game:  It was all Royals early.  Beltran's two-out RBI double put Kansas City up 1-0 in the first.  It stayed 1-0 until the fourth, when Aaron Guiel hit a run-scoring single to make it 2-0.

Then the Royals really took control.  Sweeney hit a three-run homer in the fifth to take the lead to 5-0.  In the sixth a double and two walks loaded the bases, a ground out scored one, and Sweeney's two-run single made it 8-0 Kansas City.

Then the Twins mounted a comeback.  With one out in the seventh, Ford's double, a Mientkiewicz single, and a walk to Dustan Mohr loaded the bases.  A. J. Pierzynski singled to get the Twins on the board and a ground out made it 8-2.  In the eighth an error, a Koskie single, and Ford's three-run homer cut the lead to 8-5.  The Twins started the ninth with consecutive singles by Jacque Jones, Cristian Guzman, and Koskie to score one run and LeCroy doubled home to more to tie the score.  The Twins had the go-ahead run on second with none out, but could not take the lead.

It cost them.  Beltran walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth and went to second on a wild pitch.  Ibanez then singled him home for the deciding run.

WP:  Mike MacDougal (3-3).  LP:  Eddie Guardado (0-2).  S:  None.

Notes:  Ford pinch-hit for Torii Hunter in the seventh, leading one to think Ron Gardenhire had probably given up on the game at that point.  He stayed in the game in center field.  Bobby Kielty pinch-hit for Luis Rivas in the seventh.  Denny Hocking went to second in the eighth.  Justin Morneau pinch-hit for Hocking in the eighth.  He stayed in the game at first base, with Mientkiewicz moving to second.  Tom Prince pinch-ran for LeCroy in the ninth, which probably tells you all you need to know about LeCroy's speed.

Ford raised his average to .500.  Morneau was 0-for-1 and was batting .333.  Jones was 1-for-5 and was batting .307.  LeCroy was batting .305.  Pierzynski was 1-for-4 and slipped back below .300 at .299.

Kyle Lohse started for the Twins.  He did okay for four innings, but his line is five innings, five runs, eight hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.  His ERA went up to a still good 3.23.  Guardado gave up a run without retiring anyone, so his ERA went up to 2.83.

Nakamura had been on the team for nine games and had appeared in seven of them.  The Twins already had "Everyday Eddie"--was he "'Most every day Micheal"?

This was actually the second time Prince had been used as a pinch-runner this season.  The other time was on May 13, when he also ran for LeCroy.  I could not quickly find if he had any other pinch-running appearances in his career.

While the Twins were a good team, one thing that is becoming clear as we go through these games is how much they benefited from playing in a weak division.  I know it was commented on at the time, too, but the Twins' winning percentage would have put them in third place in four of the other five divisions.

Record:  The Twins were 38-30, in first place in the American League Central, three games ahead of Kansas City.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Sixty-three

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MINNESOTA 7, COLORADO 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, June 11.

Batting stars:  Corey Koskie was 4-for-4 with two doubles and a walk.  Justin Morneau was 3-for-4 with a walk.  Jacque Jones was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs.  Luis Rivas was 2-for-4 with a double.  Cristian Guzman was 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Kyle Lohse struck out seven in six innings, giving up one run on six hits and a walk.  LaTroy Hawkins struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.  Eddie Guardado pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Preston Wilson was 3-for-5.  Jay Payton was 2-for-5 with a home run (his eighth), two runs, and two RBIs.  Todd Helton was 2-for-5.  Larry Walker was 2-for-5.

The game:  Guzman singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Morneau's single to put the Twins on the board in the first inning.  It went to 4-0 in the third.  Rivas led off the inning with a single, Jones doubled, Guzman delivered a two-run single, Koskie singled, and Torii Hunter knocked in a run with a ground out.

Payton homered leading off the fourth to cut the lead to 4-1.  The Twins put two on with two out in the bottom of the fourth, but did not score.  In the fifth, however, the Twins started the inning with consecutive singles by Koskie, Morneau, Hunter, and Doug Mientkiewicz, plus a wild pitch, taking a 6-1 lead.

The Rockies loaded the bases with two out in the sixth but did not score.  The Twins added a run in the bottom of the sixth on doubles by Jones and Koskie to go ahead 7-1.

Colorado came back in the seventh.  Charles Johnson walked, Juan Uribe hit a one-out double, and Payton singled to drive in a run.  Helton also had an RBI single, and Walker delivered a two-out single, cutting the lead to 7-4.

But that was as close as the Rockies would come.  They got a single in each of the last two innings, but did not bring the tying run to the plate.

WP:  Lohse (6-4).  LP:  Aaron Cook (2-6).  S:  Guardado (18).

Notes:  Morneau was again at DH.  There were no in-game lineup substitutions.

Morneau made an immediate impact, going 5-for-8 in his first two games for a .625 batting average.  Jones raised his average to .312.

Lohse lowered his ERA to 2.91.  This was the last time it would be under three--within a month it would be over four and in about six weeks it would be over five.  He sure kept the rotation afloat for the first two and a half months of the season, though.

Micheal Nakamura pitched again, so he started his career pitching in four consecutive games.  I wonder if that's close to some kind of record.  I'm sure it would take more time to figure that out than I'm willing to take, but if someone wanted to do the work, it would be appreciated.

Hawkins lowered his ERA to 2.35.  Guardado cut his ERA to 2.60.

I had forgotten that there was a pitcher named Nelson Cruz.  He pitched in parts of six seasons, 1997 and 1999-2003.  He was pretty good for two of those seasons, going 5-2, 3.07, 1.27 WHIP for Detroit in 2000 and 3-3, 4.15, 1.17 WHIP for Houston in 2001.  This was his last season, and he was not very good:  3-5, 7.21, 1.42 WHIP.  He gave up a run in two innings in this game.

Despite going 3-for-5, Preston Wilson did not drive in a run in this game.  I mention that simply because he led the league in RBIs in 2003, with 141.

Cook was the starter for Colorado.  He pitched four innings, giving up six runs on eleven hits and three walks and striking out two.

Justin Speier finished the game on the mound for the Rockies.  He is the son of Chris Speier, who played for the Twins briefly in 1984.

Record:  The Twins were 36-27, in first place in the American League Central, 4.5 games ahead of Kansas City.