Tag Archives: losing streak

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty-three

WASHINGTON 11, MINNESOTA 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, August 23.

Batting star:  Charlie Manuel was 1-for-1.

Pitching star:  Dick Woodson pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and two walks and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Aurelio Rodriguez was 3-for-4 with a triple, a walk, a stolen base (his tenth), and two runs.  Del Unser was 2-for-3 with a three-run homer (his fifth), a walk, and two runs.  Ed Brinkman was 2-for-5.  Ed Stroud was 2-for-6 with two runs.  Frank Howard was 1-for-5 with a three-run homer, his thirty-sixth.  Dick Bosman pitched a complete game, giving up one run on six hits and no walks and striking out three.

The game:  Stroud and Unser opened the game with singles and Howard followed with a three-run homer, putting the Senators up 3-0 three batters into the game.  Washington then loaded the bases with two out, but did not score any more in the first.  In the third, however, Mike Epstein walked, Rodriguez singled, and Jim French hit a two-run triple.  A ground out scored French to make it 6-0 Senators through three.  In the sixth Bosman and Stroud singled and Unser hit a three-run homer to increase the lead to 9-0.

Meanwhile, the Twins managed just three hits, all singles, through those six innings.  They finally got on the board in the seventh.  With two out Jim Holt doubled and Leo Cardenas singled him in.  That was as good as it got, though.  With two out in the eighth Epstein walked, Rodriguez hit an RBI triple, and Brinkman had a run-scoring single to bring the final score to 11-1.

WP:  Bosman (13-9).

LP:  Jim Perry (18-11).

S:  None.

Notes:  Danny Thompson remained at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Holt was in center, with Cesar Tovar in left and Brant Alyea on the bench.

Paul Ratliff came in to catch in the sixth as part of a double switch, with George Mitterwald going to the bench.  Bob Allison went to left field in the seventh in place of Tovar.  Manuel went to right in the seventh in place of Tony Oliva.  Rick Renick pinch-hit for Woodson in the seventh.  Frank Quilici went to third base in place of Harmon Killebrew in the eighth.

Oliva was 1-for-3 and was batting .319.

Pete Hamm allowed three runs in three innings and had an ERA of 6.08.

Perry started but lasted just 2.1 innings, allowing six runs on six hits and three walks and striking out two.  By game scores this was his worst game of the season, and it was his second-shortest start.  He would bounce back to throw complete games in his next two starts.

Hamm would go back to AAA after this game, and would not pitch in the majors again until September 26.

Luis Tiant made his only relief appearance of the season, allowing two runs in two innings.

The Twins lost two out of three in the series and had lost five of their last six games against the last-place Senators.  They would now host Boston for three games.

Record:  The Twins were 73-50, in first place in the American League West, five games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Sixteen

BOSTON 11, MINNESOTA 7 IN BOSTON (GAME 2 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer (his nineteenth), a walk, and two runs.  Brant Alyea was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his tenth.

Pitching star:  Dick Woodson struck out three in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up a walk.

Opposition stars:  Carl Yastrzemski was 3-for-4 with a home run (his thirty-third), a walk, and three runs.  George Thomas was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second), a double, a walk, three runs, and three RBIs.  Billy Conigliaro was 2-for-4 with a triple and a double.  Reggie Smith was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer (his sixteenth), a double, and two runs.  John Kennedy was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.  Gary Wagner pitched three shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

The game:  Mike Andrews led off with a walk and Smith and Yastrzemski followed with back to back homers, giving the Red Sox a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first.  In the third, two-out walks to Danny Thompson and Harmon Killebrew were followed by a three-run homer by Oliva, tying it 3-3.

The Twins took the lead in the fourth.  With one out, Leo Cardenas and George Mitterwald walked, Bob Allison had an RBI double, and a ground out scored a second run, putting the Twins up 5-3.  With one out in the fifth, Oliva walked and Alyea homered, making the score 7-3 Twins.

But it was all Boston after that.  In the bottom of the fifth Conigliaro tripled and Thomas homered, cutting the lead to 7-5.  In the seventh Smith led off with a double and Yastrzemski walked.  Rico Petrocelli followed with an RBI single.  A bunt advanced the runners and a fielder's choice with no one retired loaded the bases.  RBI singles by Kennedy and Jerry Moses put the Red Sox in the lead and a walk to Andrews made it 9-7 Boston.  The Red Sox added two runs in the eighth.  Yastrzemski led off with a double.  He was still at second with two out, but then Thomas drove him in with a double and Kennedy followed with an RBI single, bringing the score to 11-7.

The Twins had only two hits after the fifth and did not have more than one man on base.

WP:  Wagner (3-1).

LP:  Ron Perranoski (7-5).

S:  None.

Notes:  Thompson was again at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Rick Renick was at third base, with Killebrew moving to first and Rich Reese on the bench.

Bob Allison pinch-hit for Woodson in the fourth.  Frank Quilici replaced Renick in the seventh and went to second base, with Thompson moving to third.  Reese pinch-hit for Mitterwald in the eighth, with Tom Tischinski going behind the plate.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Perranoski in the eighth.

Oliva was batting .320.  Tom Hall allowed three runs in three innings and had an ERA of 2.99.  Perranoski allowed three runs in one inning and had an ERA of 2.48.

Pete Hamm allowed two runs in one inning and had an ERA of 6.00.

Bert Blyleven started but faced just five batters, retiring only one.  He gave up a walk, two home runs, recorded a strikeout, gave up a double, and was removed from the game.  He was apparently not injured or ill, as he would come back to pitch the next day.  It was apparently just a quick hook.  Maybe that's what you do when you've lost eight straight games.

When you saw the Twins had scored seven runs, you may have thought, well, they finally got their bats going.  Well, not really.  They hit two home runs, but only had five hits.  They drew eight walks and took advantage of some of them, but other than that their offense was no better than it had been.

George Thomas would play briefly for the Twins in 1971, at the end of his career.  This was the last home run he would hit in his career.

This was the ninth consecutive loss for the Twins.  I wonder what the record is for most consecutive losses in a season where you win 98 or more games.  It seems like it can't be a lot more than nine.

This game was the make-up of a rainout on June 3.

Record:  The Twins were 69-47, in first place in the American League West, 3.5 games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fifteen

BOSTON 5, MINNESOTA 3 IN BOSTON (GAME 1 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Saturday, August 15.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  None.

Opposition stars:  Reggie Smith was 3-for-3.  Rico Petrocelli was 3-for-4 with a home run (his twentieth) and two RBIs.  Mike Andrews was 2-for-4.  Billy Conigliaro was 2-for-4.  Sonny Siebert pitched a complete game, giving up three runs on eight hits and two walks and striking out three.

The game:  With one out in the first Rich Reese singled and scored on an Oliva double to put the Twins up 1-0.  They had a chance for more, loading the bases with one out, but did not add to their lead.  In the bottom of the first singles by Andrews and Smith put men on first and third with none out and a double play tied the score.

The Twins went back in front in the second.  Danny Thompson singled, was bunted to second, and scored on a Tovar single.  Tovar took second on the throw home and scored on an Oliva single to give the Twins a 3-1 lead.  The Red Sox got one back in the bottom of the inning when Petrocelli led off with a homer, making the score 3-2.

The Twins had men on second and third with one out in the third but failed to score.  From there, neither team threatened until the sixth.  With one out, Smith singled and an error put men on first and second.  With two out, RBI singles by Petrocelli and Conigliaro gave Boston its first lead at 4-3.  They got an insurance run in the seventh when Tom Satriano singled, went to third on Andrews' single, and scored on a sacrifice fly.

The Twins did not threaten after the third inning, getting only two singles and not advancing a man past first base.

WP:  Siebert (13-6).

LP;  Jim Perry (17-10).

S:  None.

Notes:  Rick Renick was at third base, with Harmon Killebrew given a rare game off.  Thompson remained at second in place of Rod Carew.  Jim Holt pinch-ran for Brant Alyea in the eighth and stayed in the game in left field.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Stan Williams in the ninth.

Oliva was batting .318.  Williams gave up a run in 2.1 innings and had an ERA of 2.11.

Perry pitched 5.2 innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits and no walks and striking out three.

Bill Rigney had, for several games, started Holt in center field and moved Tovar to left.  In recent games, he put Alyea back in left and moved Tovar back to center, presumably trying to get more offense into a slumping lineup.  But here, when he used Holt as a defensive substitute, he put him in left and left Tovar in center.  Interesting.

The Twins had now lost eight in a row.  They had scored fifteen runs in those eight games and had been scored 38-15.  In their last eleven games they had scored twenty-two runs.

Record:  The Twins were 69-46, in first place in the American League West, four games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fourteen

BOSTON 8, MINNESOTA 1 IN BOSTON

Date:  Friday, August 14.

Batting stars:  Brant Alyea was 2-for-4 with a home run, his ninth.  Cesar Tovar was 2-for-5 with a stolen base, his twenty-second.

Pitching star:  Bill Zepp pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and five walks and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Mike Andrews was 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and three runs.  Carl Yastrzemski was 2-for-2 with a home run (his thirty-second), three walks, and three RBIs.  Rico Petrocelli was 2-for-3 with a home run (his nineteenth), two walks, and two runs.  Reggie Smith was 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, and two RBIs.  Jerry Moses was 2-for-4.  Ray Culp pitched a complete game, giving up one run on nine hits and three walks and striking out eight.

The game:  The Twins had two on with one out in the first but did not score.  In the bottom of the first Andrews led off with a walk and Smith doubled him home to get the Red Sox on the board.  The Twins had two on with none out in the second but did not score.  In the bottom of the second two-out singles by Moses, Culp, and Andrews made it 2-0 Boston.

Alyea homered leading off the fourth to make it 2-1.  The Twins had two on with two out in the fifth but did not score.  Petrocelli got the run back for the Red Sox with a homer leading off the sixth.

The Twins loaded the bases in the seventh but did not score.  In the bottom of the seventh, Boston took control of the game.  Andrews singled and Yastrzemski hit a two-run homer to make the score 5-1.  Later in the inning, a walk and two errors made it 6-1.  The Red Sox added two more in the eighth on back-to-back doubles by Andrews and Smith and an RBI single by Yastrzemski.

WP:  Culp (13-10).

LP:  Zepp (6-2).

S:  None.

Notes:  Danny Thompson was at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Tom Tischinski was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Tovar was back in center, with Alyea in left.

Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Zepp in the seventh.  Jim Kaat then pinch-ran for Manuel.  Paul Ratliff pinch-hit for Tischinski in the eighth and stayed in the game at catcher.  Rick Renick pinch-hit for Pete Hamm in the ninth.

Tony Oliva was 1-for-5 and was batting .316.  Zepp had an ERA of 2.97.  Tom Hall allowed five runs (four earned) in 1.1 innings and had an ERA of 2.78.

This was the Twins' seventh consecutive loss, and their offensive drought continued.  They had scored just twelve runs in the seven losses, being outscored 32-12.  In their last ten games, the Twins had scored just nineteen runs.

Record:  The Twins were 69-45, in first place in the American League West, four games ahead of Oakland.  This was the smallest the Twins' lead had been since July 21.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Thirteen

5 Comments

WASHINGTON 1, MINNESOTA 0 IN WASHINGTON

Date:  Thursday, August 13.

Batting stars:  None.  The Twins had only one hit.

Pitching star:  Jim Kaat pitched an eight-inning complete game, giving up an unearned run on five hits and two walks and striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Dick Bosman pitched a complete game shutout, giving up one hit and one walk and striking out seven.  Wayne Comer was 2-for-4.  Frank Howard was 1-for-1 with two walks.

The game:  Cesar Tovar led off the game with a bunt single, and that would turn out to be the only Twins hit.  With one out in the bottom of the first, Comer laid down a bunt and reached third on a single-plus-error.  Howard was intentionally walked and Rick Reichardt hit into a force out, scoring Comer.

That was it for the scoring.  The Twins had only one other baserunner.  Kaat walked with one out in the sixth and was erased on a double play.  The unearned run in the first held up and Washington won 1-0.

WP:  Bosman (12-8).

LP:  Kaat (10-9).

S:  None.

Notes:  Jim Holt was again in center, with Tovar in left and Brant Alyea on the bench.  Danny Thompson was again at second in place of Rod Carew.  Tom Tischinski was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.

Rick Renick pinch-hit for Tischinski in the ninth.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Kaat in the ninth, but then Alyea pinch-hit for Manuel despite the fact that there was no pitching change.  The only explanations I can think of are that Manuel got hurt during the at-bat or that Bill Rigney thought there was a pitching change when there wasn't.  We note that Manuel was used as a pinch-hitter again the next day, so if he was injured it wasn't very serious.  But those are the only things I can think of for why you would do that.

Tony Oliva was 0-for-3 and was batting .318.

Tischinski was 0-for-2 and was batting .182.

Bosman was a pretty good pitcher from 1968-1972.  He spent much of 1968 in the bullpen and went 2-9, but with a 3.69 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.  It was the Year of the Pitcher, so maybe you don't think that's too impressive, but in 1969 he led the league in ERA at 2.19, going 14-5 with a WHIP of 1.01.  In this year, 1970, he was 16-12, 3.00 ERA, 1.23 WHIP.  He was not quite as good in the next two seasons, but he still was a combined 3.70 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.  He didn't do much the next two years, but bounced back in 1975 to go 11-6, 3.63, 1.17 WHIP.  For his career, which went from 1966-1976, he was 85-82, 3.67, 1.26 WHIP.  He's certainly not a Hall of Famer, and he never even made an all-star team.  But still, a very respectable career.

The Twins were swept by the last-place Senators.  It was their sixth consecutive loss.  They had scored eleven runs in those six games and been shut out twice.  In their last nine games they had scored only eighteen runs.  They would now go to fourth-place Boston for a four-game series.

Record:  The Twins were 69-44, in first place in the American League West, five games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twelve

WASHINGTON 5, MINNESOTA 3 IN WASHINGTON

Date:  Wednesday, August 12.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 1-for-1.  Luis Tiant was 1-for-2 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Stan Williams pitched a perfect inning.  Dick Woodson pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.  Tom Hall pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.

Opposition stars:  Frank Howard was 2-for-3 with a home run (his thirty-first), a double, a walk, two runs, and three RBIs.  Mike Epstein was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer (his fifteenth).  Jim Hannan pitched 7.1 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks and striking out five.

The game:  Ed Stroud led off with a single and Howard hit a two-run homer to give the Senators a 2-0 lead.  The Twins got a run back in the second, but missed a chance for more.  Frank Quilici led off with a single and Tiant doubled, putting men on second and third with none out, but all the Twins could manage was an RBI ground out, cutting the lead to 2-1.

The Twins did tie it in the sixth.  Leo Cardenas led off with a double.  He was still on second with two out, but then an error brought him home, making the score 2-2.

It only stayed tied until the next time Washington batted.  Lee Maye reached on an error and scored on Howard's double.  Epstein then hit a two-run homer to give the Senators a 5-2 lead.  The Twins got one back in the eighth when Cesar Tovar singled, Harmon Killebrew drew a one-out walk, and Oliva followed with a pinch-hit RBI single.  The Twins had the tying run on base with one out, but a strikeout and a ground out ended the inning.

Danny Thompson led off the ninth with a single and Bob Allison singled with one out, again putting the tying run on base.  But Tovar grounded into a double play and the game was over.

WP:  Hannan (8-5).

LP:  Tiant (7-2).

S:  Joe Grzenda (5).

Notes:  Charlie Manuel was given a rare start in right field, with Oliva given a rare day out of the lineup.  Rick Renick was at third base, with Killebrew moving to first and Rich Reese on the bench.  Paul Ratliff was behind the plate in place of George Mitterwald.  Frank Quilici was at second in place of Rod Carew.

Jim Holt pinch-hit for Williams in the seventh.  Oliva pinch-hit for Manuel in the eighth and stayed in the game in right field.  Thompson pinch-hit for Ratliff in the ninth.  Allison pinch-hit for Hall in the ninth.

Tiant was batting .429.  Oliva was batting .320.  Williams had an ERA of 2.06.  Hall had an ERA of 2.41.

Manuel was 0-for-3 and was batting .189.  Allison was 1-for-1 and was batting .185.

Tiant pitched five innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits and no walks and striking out three.

The Twins had lost five in a row and had scored eleven runs in those five games, being outscored 24-11.  They had scored eighteen runs in their last eight games.  Obviously, the losing streak was causing their lead in the AL West to shrink.

Record:  The Twins were 69-43, in first place in the American League West, five games ahead of Oakland.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game Fifty-nine

KANSAS CITY 5, MINNESOTA 3 IN KANSAS CITY

Date:  Saturday, June 20.

Batting stars:  Rod Carew was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, his fourth.  Rich Reese was 2-for-4.  The Twins only got one other hit.

Pitching stars:  Dick Woodson struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Stan Williams pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Ed Kirkpatrick was 2-for-3 with a home run (his ninth), a double, and four RBIs.  Amos Otis was 2-for-4.  Jim Rooker pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks and striking out five.  Bob Johnson struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

The game:  In the first inning, the Twins loaded the bases with one out on a bunt single, a walk, and an error, but Leo Cardenas grounded into a double play to end the inning.  It cost the Twins, because the Royals scored four in the bottom of the first.  Cookie Rojas hit a one-out double and scored on Rojas' single.  An error put men on first and third and Joe Keough walked, loading the bases.  With two out, Kirkpatrick hit a three-run double, making it 4-0 Kansas City.

It stayed 4-0 until the fourth, when Kirkpatrick homered to make it 5-0.  Meanwhile, the Twins got only one hit in innings two through seven.  Bob Allison led off the eighth with a double.  Brant Alyea walked and Carew followed with a three-run homer to make it 5-3.  It killed the rally, however, as the next three batters went out.  Reese hit a one-out double in the ninth, bringing the tying run up to bat, but Charlie Manuel and Allison struck out to end the game.

WP:  Rooker (4-4).

LP:  Dave Boswell (2-6).

S:  Johnson (1).

Notes:  Rick Renick was in left field in place of Alyea.  Allison pinch-hit for Dave Boswell in the fifth and stayed in the game in center field as part of a double switch.  Alyea pinch-hit for Woodson in the eighth and Jim Kaat pinch-ran for Alyea.  Manuel pinch-hit for George Mitterwald in the ninth.

Carew was batting .376.  Tony Oliva was 0-for-4 and was batting .318.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-2 and was batting .307.  Woodson had an ERA of 2.35.  Williams had an ERA of 1.85.

Manuel was 0-for-1 and was batting .167.  Boswell gave up five runs (two earned) in four innings and had an ERA of 6.89.

This would be the last time Allison would play center field.  He had not done so since playing two innings there in 1968.

Oliva was 0-for-12 in his last three games.  Killebrew was 0-for-12 in his last four games.

This was Woodson's first appearance since June 2.  I assume he had gone to AAA Evansville during the interim.

This was the Twins' third consecutive loss, two to the Royals and one to the Senators.

Record:  The Twins were 38-21, in first place in the American League West, four games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Forty-Four

CHICAGO 8, MINNESOTA 6 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Tuesday, September 9.

Batting stars:  Corey Koskie was 3-for-3 with a double, two walks, and two runs.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Jesse Orosco pitched a scoreless inning despite giving up a hit and two walks.  He struck out one.

Opposition stars:  Carlos Lee was 3-for-4 with a home run (his twenty-eighth), a double, a stolen base (his seventeenth), two runs, and two RBIs.  Joe Crede was 2-for-4 with a double.  Magglio Ordonez was 2-for-5 with a home run (his twenty-seventh), two runs, and two RBIs.  Roberto Alomar was 1-for-4 with a home run (his fifth) and a walk.  Mark Buehrle pitched six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and three walks and striking out two.

The game:  The White Sox opened the scoring in the second inning.  Lee singled and Paul Konerko walked, putting two men on with one out.  Crede doubled home a run, a sacrifice fly brought in another, and Tony Graffanino singled in a third to make it 3-0 Chicago.

The Twins got back into it in the fourth.  Mientkiewicz and Koskie singled, Torii Hunter had an RBI double, and a ground out cut the lead to 3-2.  It went to 4-2 in the fifth when Ordonez homered.  The Twins had three baserunners in the sixth, but did not score because they lost two runners on the bases.

The White Sox took control in the seventh.  The first two batters went out, but then Alomar homered, Frank Thomas doubled, Ordonez had an RBI single, and Lee hit a two-run homer to give Chicago an 8-2 lead.

The Twins loaded the bases in the eighth but didn't score.  It cost them, because they did get back into the game in the ninth.  Lew Ford led off with a double, Denny Hocking had an RBI triple, and Justin Morneau drove in a run with a single.  With one out, walks to Koskie and Hunter loaded the bases.  A sacrifice fly made it 8-5 and Jacque Jones singled.  It was 8-6 with the tying run on base and the winning run at bat in Michael Cuddyer.  He struck out, however, and the game was over.

WP:  Buehrle (12-13).  LP:  Carlos Pulido (0-1).  S:  Tom Gordon (11).

Notes:  Chris Gomez was at second base in the continuing absence of Luis Rivas.  Shannon Stewart was in left with Dustan Mohr in right.

The Twins used five pinch-hitters.  Michael Ryan pinch-hit for Gomez in the seventh, with Hocking going in to play second base.  Cuddyer pinch-hit for Cristian Guzman in the eighth and stayed in the game at second base, with Hocking moving to short.  Ford pinch-hit for Stewart in the ninth.  Morneau pinch-hit for Mientkiewicz in the ninth.  Jones pinch-hit for Mohr in the ninth.

Ryan was 0-for-1 and was batting .375.  Ford was 1-for-1 and was batting .333.  Stewart was 0-for-3 and was batting .311.  Mientkiewicz was batting .305.  Jones was 1-for-1 and was batting .305.  A. J. Pierzynski was 1-for-3 and was batting .302.

With various Twins starters either injured or ineffective, the Twins turned to Pulido for the start in this game.  He pitched three innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks and striking out one.  His ERA was 2.38.  Rick Reed came in and pitched three solid innings but fell apart in his fourth inning, so his line is 3.2 innings, three runs, four hits, and a walk.  His ERA was 5.08.  Orosco's scoreless inning lowered his ERA to 7.47.

The Twins scored their runs in the ninth off Jose Paniagua.  This was his only major league appearance in 2003 and the last of his career.  A sad way to end:  one-third of an inning, four runs, three hits, one walk.  He continued to pitch for several more years--in the minors, in winter ball, in independent ball, in foreign countries--not ending his playing career until 2008.  In his major league career, he went 18-21, 4.49, 1.52 WHIP.  He pitched 357 innings in 270 games (14 starts).

It came as a surprise to me that Carlos Lee had 125 stolen bases in his career.  He had 18 in 2003, one shy of his career mark of 19 in 2006.  He had double-digit stolen bases in seven seasons.

The Twins had dropped two in a row to the division leaders.  Kansas City lost again, so the Twins had no worries about dropping to third.

Record:  The Twins were 76-68, in second place in the American League Central, two games behind Chicago.  They were 2.5 games ahead of third-place Kansas City.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game One Hundred Five

BALTIMORE 7, MINNESOTA 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, July 29.

Batting stars:  Luis Rivas was 2-for-4 with a home run (his third), a walk, and three RBIs.  Shannon Stewart was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Michael Restovich was 2-for-4 with a double.

Pitching star:  James Baldwin pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Jay Gibbons was 2-for-3 with a home run (his sixteenth), a walk, and three RBIs.  Tony Batista was 2-for-4 with a home run, his nineteenth.  Jeff Conine was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.  Luis Matos was 2-for-5 with a stolen base (his thirteenth) and two runs.

The game:  The Orioles jumped out to a lead in the first inning.  Matos singled and scored from first on Conine's double.  Gibbons hit a two-out two-run homer, and it was 3-0 Baltimore before the Twins even came to bat.

The Twins got on the board in the third when Stewart hit a two-out double and Rivas followed with a two-run homer.  Batista homered leading off the fourth to make it 4-2.  The Twins got that run back in the bottom of the fourth but missed a chance for more.  Torii Hunter led off with a double and went to third on A. J. Pierzynski's single, but Jacque Jones hit into a double play.  It scored the run but took the Twins out of the inning, leaving the Orioles ahead 4-3.

The Twins tied it in the fifth when Chris Gomez singled, was bunted to second, and scored on a Rivas single.  But Baltimore went right back into the lead in the sixth when Matos singled, stole second, and scored on a Gibbons single.  The Twins tied it again in the seventh when Restovich led off with a double and scored on Cristian Guzman's single.

But in the eighth the Orioles went into the lead to stay.  Singles by Conine and Batista put men on first and third and a wild pitch scored a run.  They added an insurance run in the ninth on singles by Larry Bigbie and Deivi Cruz and an error.  The Twins put men on first and second with none out in the eighth and with two out in the ninth, but did not score.

WP:  Hector Carrasco (1-2).  LP:  LaTroy Hawkins (8-3).  S:  Jorge Julio (24).

Notes:  Gomez remained at third in place of Corey Koskie.  Stewart was in left, with Restovich in right and Jones as the DH.

Matthew LeCroy pinch-hit for Jones in the eighth but did not bat.  A pitching change prompted Ron Gardenhire to then bat Todd Sears for LeCroy.

This was Restovich's season debut.  He had appeared in eight games for the Twins in 2002.  After this game, he was batting .500.  Stewart raised his average to .311.  Jones was 0-for-3 and was batting .310.

Johan Santana's transition to the rotation was not going as hoped.  In four starts, he had allowed 14 runs in 24.1 innings.  In this game, he allowed five runs on six hits and no walks in 5.2 innings.  He did strike out seven.

Baldwin lowered his ERA to 2.00.  Hawkins gave up a run in one inning and had an ERA of 2.63.

Stewart was staying hot.  In his last ten games he was 20-for-42 with four doubles, a home run, and five walks.  He raised his average from .289 to .311.

Baltimore players with Twins connections included Tony Batista, Hector Carrasco, and Rick Helling.

The Twins had lost three games in a row and continued to sink more deeply into third place.

Record:  The Twins were 51-54, in third place in the American league Central, 6.5 games behind Kansas City.  They were 3.5 games behind second-place Chicago.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Ninety-three

ANAHEIM 8, MINNESOTA 3 IN ANAHEIM

Date:  Sunday, July 13.

Batting stars:  A. J. Pierzynski was 3-for-4.  Torii Hunter was 2-for-3 with a home run (his fourteenth), a walk, and two runs.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 2-for-4.  Chris Gomez was 2-for-5 with a triple.

Pitching star:  Juan Rincon struck out four in three shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Benji Gil was 2-for-3.  Garret Anderson was 2-for-4 with a home run (his twenty-second), a stolen base (his fifth), and two runs.  Bengie Molina was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Troy Glaus was 2-for-4 with two runs.  John Lackey pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks and striking out five.

The game:  The Twins got a pair of one-out singles in the second, but a double play took them out of the inning.  The Angels then got on the board in the third when Adam Kennedy walked, was bunted to second, and scored on a Scott Spiezio double.

The Twins took their only lead of the game in the fourth, when Bobby Kielty got a two-out single and Hunter followed with a two-run homer.  The lead lasted until the first batter of the next half inning, as Anderson led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run.  Later in the inning Glaus singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Molina's double.  Gil followed with an RBI single, and that quickly it was 4-2 Anaheim.

The Twins stayed in the game thanks to Rincon's fine relief pitching.  They got closer in the sixth, when Mientkiewicz singled, Hunter walked, and Pierzynski had an RBI single to cut the lead to 4-3.  Hunter was thrown out trying to go third on the single, however, so the inning ended with the Twins still trailing by a run.  In the seventh, the Twins managed to get a walk and three singles and not score.  Justin Morneau drew the walk leading off the inning but was erased by a double play.  Luis Rivas, Gomez, and Denny Hocking then got consecutive singles, but Rivas was thrown out trying to score on Hocking's single, so again the score remained 4-3.  The Twins put men on first and third with two out in the eighth, but again could not tie the score.

The Angels finally put the game away in the bottom of the eighth.  Singles by Tim Salmon, Anderson, and Glaus brought home one run.  Jeff DaVanon walked to load the bases, Molina singled home a run, a wild pitch brought home another, and a sacrifice fly brought the score to 8-4.  The Twins got a two-out triple in the ninth, but 8-4 was where it ended.

WP:  Lackey (7-8).  LP:  Kyle Lohse (6-8).  S:  None.

Notes:  Gomez was at short in place of Cristian Guzman.  Hocking was at third in the continued absence of Corey Koskie.  Dustan Mohr remained in left in the absence of Jacque Jones.  Bobby Kielty was in right.  Morneau was the DH.

Lew Ford pinch-ran for Morneau in the seventh and remained in the game at DH.  Matthew LeCroy pinch-hit for Ford in the eighth.  Guzman pinch-hit for Mohr in the ninth.

Ford was the only Twin with an average over .300, and he did not bat.

Lohse struck out four in four innings, but allowed four runs on five hits and a walk.  LaTroy Hawkins pitched just a third of an inning, but also allowed four runs.  His ERA jumped from 1.79 to 2.56.  He would eventually get it back below two, but it would take a couple of months.

This would be Kielty's last game as a Twin.  He would be traded to Toronto over the all-star break for Dave Gassner and Shannon Stewart.

There was probably no team happier to see the all-star break come than the Twins.  They had lost eight in a row and twelve of thirteen.  They had also finally fallen into third place.

Record:  The Twins were 44-49, in third place in the American League Central, 7.5 games behind Kansas City.  They were a half-game behind second-place Chicago.