Didn't catch much of the game yesterday (or at any point in the past 10 days...) due to moving. I did see Hicks was a HR short of the cycle and that rookie Chris Herrmann jacked his first career homerun. Doumit, Consensual Pork and Dozier also found the bleachers as the Twins combined for 16 hits.
A bit more after the jump.
The Twins missed a series sweep at Fenway by one game. According to someone, they last swept the BoSox in Boston in our World Championship year of 1991. They managed only 6 hits but recorded 3 runs in the top of the 9th (HR's by Willingham (28!) and Doumit (11)) to make the finale interesting.
Revere extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a single leading off the first - the longest hitting streak since ii made it to 23 games in 2007. He's currently batting .323/.354/.383 and is a staple in the lineup since being recalled from AAA, playing in 73 games for the Twins this season and starting in center on Sunday. He also had a really nice over-the-shoulder catch and completed a double play with his throw to second.
In other news, Blackburn wasn't very good - pitching 5 innings and allowing 9 hits and 4 earned runs while striking out 4.
Before the game, the Twins traded Danny Valencia to the Red Sox for outfielder and 21-year-old prospect Jeremias Pineda. Juicy was immediately sent to AAA Pawtucket. There are rumors that Nishioka has been recalled. I didn't really care to confirm.
Time is running out for Ben Revere. If he's going to hit an honest-to-God over the fence homerun, you'd have to figure it'd be here or New Yankee bandbox. The problem, of course, is that in his entire career, he's only hit four balls in the air out of the infield. Things look grim, but this is the ballpark that has walls just over 300 feet from the plate (seems gimmicky, but I've been assured that it's not) If he really got into one, and the wind was blowing out at about 30 miles an hour, and the fielder Canseco'd it, he might have a shot.
Cole DeVries takes the ball for the good guys today. I've mentioned it before, but I really thought that when DeVries was sent back down that first time that he was gone for good. Instead, he's pretty much become our second best starter. I like his strikeouts, such as they are*, I love his walk rate, if he can figure out how to avoid throwing two or three BP fastballs every single game, I'd be good with him the rest of the way. Good Lord, though, those home runs... he gets grounders on fewer than a third of the balls hit in play, and a full 15.8% of those fly balls leave the playing field. If he keeps this up, I don't know how we're going to be able to rely on him come playoffs.
Clay Buchholz is also pitching, but he's a thoroughly mediocre pitcher, and no one cares about him.
* Fun Fact: At 6.2 k/9, DeVries has the highest rate of any of our starters (including injured ones), and the third highest strikeout rate of any pitchers who are still with the team who have pitched more than 15 innings this year. How is that even possible??
Long balls v. no balls....long balls win.
Parker gets the win after his guys managed a cumulative 13 hits off of 5 different pitchers (out of 7 total used by the home club) including 4 more homeruns*.
Duensing gets the loss after a 41 pitch first and a total of 7 earned runs during his 2 completed innings. Poor shlub even walked in a run.
The Twins are now 36-52 (and a ghastly 17-28 at home) and 13 games behind the AL Central leading White Sox.
Good news:
Justin Morneau extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a single in the sixth.
Zach Parise threw out the first pitch before the game. That's right - the Wild signed a couple of amazing free agents this off season. Bring on the snow!