DETROIT 10, MINNESOTA 8 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, August 26.

Batting stars:  Kent Hrbek was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring three times and driving in one.  Greg Gagne was 2-for-4 with a home run (his sixth) and three RBIs.  Tom Brunansky was 2-for-5 with a home run, his twenty-seventh.

Pitching star:  Keith Atherton pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Chet Lemon was 3-for-5 with two home runs, scoring three times and driving in four.  Jim Morrison was 1-for-5 with a three-run homer, his thirteenth).  Dan Petry struck out four in four innings of relief, giving up one run on four hits and no walks.

The game:  I don't specifically remember this game, but it must have felt like a devastating loss at the time.  Sacrifice flies in each of the first two innings put the Twins ahead 2-0.  Morrison hit a three-run homer in the fourth to give Detroit a 3-2 advantage.  Brunansky homered in the bottom of the fourth to tie it and Gagne delivered an RBI single later in the inning to put the Twins up 4-3.  Kirby Puckett drove in a run with a single in the fifth to make it 5-3.  Lemon homered in the sixth and Alan Trammell had a run-scoring single in the seventh to tie it 5-5.  Gagne then homered in the eighth to again put the Twins up 6-5 and Jeff Reardon, who hadn't given up a run since August 9, came in to pitch the ninth.  A walk, a strikeout, a walk, a fly out, and an infield single loaded the bases with two down.  Matt Nokes then lined a single to bring home two runs and Lemon hit a three-run homer, and Detroit was ahead 10-6.  To the Twins credit, they came back to score twice (despite having a runner thrown out at the plate trying to score from second on a single) and had the bases loaded with two out before Willie Hernandez came in to get Al Newman to pop up and end the game.

Of note:  Newman led off and played second in place of Steve Lombardozzi.  He was 3-for-6 with a run and two stolen bases (his fifteenth and sixteenth)...Mark Davidson batted second and played left in place of Dan Gladden...Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, batting .318...Frank Viola started and pitched seven innings, giving up five runs on eleven hits and no walks with six strikeouts...Detroit starter Frank Tanana lasted only four innings, allowing five runs on eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins were 67-62, in first place by a half game over Oakland.  They had now lost eight out of their last nine games and five of their last six to the Tigers.

We hope to get back to player profiles yet this week.

DETROIT 5, MINNESOTA 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, August 25.

Batting stars:  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Kirby Puckett was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run.  Steve Lombardozzi was 1-for-4 with two runs.

Pitching stars:  Juan Berenguer struck out three in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up only a walk.  Keith Atherton pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Chet Lemon was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.  Kirk Gibson was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.  Darrell Evans was 0-for-2 with three walks, a run, and a stolen base, his fifth.

The game:  Lemon had a two-run double in a three-run third to give Detroit a 3-0 lead.  The Twins scored two in the fourth to make it 3-2, but Gibson's two-run single in the sixth put the Tigers up 5-2.  Hrbek singled home a run in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 5-3.  In the eighth, Randy Bush delivered an RBI triple to make it 5-4 and put the tying run on third base with one out, but the last five Twins were retired to end the game.

Of note:  Dan Gladden was again out of the lineup.  Lombardozzi led off, with Bush batting second and playing right field.  Brunansky was in left...Puckett's average went to .316...Twins starter Joe Niekro pitched 5.2 innings, giving up five runs on only four hits but seven walks with four strikeouts...Detroit starter Doyle Alexander pitched 7.1 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins were 67-61, in first place by one game over Oakland.

We will try to get back to player profiles later in the week.

MINNESOTA 5, DETROIT 4 IN MINNESOTA

Batting stars:  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with two doubles and a walk, driving in one.  Kent Hrbek was 1-for-2 with three walks, scoring once and driving in one.  Al Newman was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run.

Pitching stars:  Bert Blyleven struck out eight in eight innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and six walks.  Jeff Reardon pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Darrell Evans was 2-for-3 with a home run (his twenty-fifth) and two walk, scoring twice.  Jim Morrison was 2-for-5 with a double and a run.  Chet Lemon was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

The game:  Gary Gaetti's two-run single in the first gave the Twins a 2-0 lead.  Darrell Evans homered in the second to make it 2-1, but the Twins got the run back in the third on Puckett's RBI double.  In the sixth, the Tigers got three singles and a walk to cut the lead to 3-2 and Tom Brookens followed with a two-run single to put Detroit in front 4-3.  Steve Lombardozzi delivered an RBI single in the seventh to tie it up.  Lombo opened the ninth with a single, went to second on a bunt, and took third on Newman's single to left.  Puckett was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Hrbek lined a single to right to win the game and snap the six game losing streak for the Twins.

Of note:  Dan Gladden was apparently still bothered by an injury.  He started the game, but in the third inning he singled, stole second, and was replaced by pinch-runner Randy Bush.  One suspects Bush did not make a lot of appearances in his career as a pinch-runner...Newman batted second and started at shortstop in place of Greg Gagne...Lou Whitaker was also apparently injured or ill.  He led off the game, was called out on strikes, and then was replaced by Brookens...Detroit starter Walt Terrell struck out eight in 6.2 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and three walks.

Record:  The Twins were 67-60, in first place, by two games over Oakland.

We hope to resume player profiles later in the week.

BOSTON 6, MINNESOTA 4 IN BOSTON

Date:  Sunday, August 23.

Batting stars:  Roy Smalley was 1-for-3 with a home run (his eighth) and a walk.  Kent Hrbek was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his thirty-first.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with two doubles.

Pitching star:  Juan Berenguer pitched 3.1 innings, giving up one run on one hit and two walks with two strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Don Baylor was 2-for-3 with a grand slam (his sixteenth homer) and a hit-by-pitch.  Dwight Evans was 1-for-4 with a home run, his twenty-ninth.  Wade Boggs was 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs.

The game:  It looked good early.  Gary Gaetti and Roy Smalley led off the second with back-to-back home runs to put the Twins up 2-0.  Hrbek hit a two-run homer in the third to make it 4-0.  Twins starter Steve Carlton walked in a run in the fourth, but a double play got him out of the inning and the Twins still led 4-1.  In the fifth, however, Boston loaded the bases again and this time Baylor unloaded them with a grand slam, putting the Red Sox in front 5-4.  Dwight Evans also homered in the inning to make it 6-4.  The Twins got only one hit after the fourth inning, a two-out double by Puckett in the eighth.

Of note:  Puckett raised his average to .315...Gaetti was 1-for-4 with a home run, his twenty-seventh...Carlton pitched 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks with two strikeouts...Boston starter Jeff Sellers struck out ten in 7.1 innings, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk.

Record:  The Twins were 66-60, in first place by two games over Oakland.  This was their sixth consecutive loss.

Player profile:  His win in this game was one of thirteen career wins for Jeff Sellers.  He was born in Compton, California, went to high school in Paramount, California, and was drafted by Boston in the eighth round in 1982.  He had an excellent year in AA in 1985 and got a September call-up that season, going 2-0, 3.63 in four starts.  He spent the next three seasons going back and forth between Pawtucket and Boston, sometimes doing well in AAA but never showing much in the big leagues.  In 1986 he made 14 appearances (13 starts) for the Red Sox, going 3-7, 4.94.  In 1987 he made 25 appearances (22 starts), going 7-8, 5.28.  In 1988 he made 18 appearances (12 starts), going 1-7, 4.83.  He was still only twenty-four at that point, but the Red Sox gave up on him and traded him to Cincinnati.  He pitched in AAA for the Reds, the Yankees, and the Rangers through 1992, but never got back to the big leagues.  His strikeout numbers got better as his big-league career went along--in 1988 he struck out 7.4 batters per nine innings.  One wonders if he might have done well in the bullpen, but he never really got a chance there.  His son, Justin Sellers, was an infielder for the Dodgers and Indians from 2011-14.

BOSTON 6, MINNESOTA 5 IN BOSTON

Date:  Saturday, August 22.

Batting stars:  Gary Gaetti was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer, his twenty-sixth.  Dan Gladden was 2-for-5 with a stolen base (his twenty-second) and two runs.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run.

Pitching star:  George Frazier pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Mike Greenwell was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fifteenth) and a triple, driving in two.  Dave Henderson was 2-for-4 with a home run (his eighth) and two RBIs.  Wade Boggs was 1-for-3 with a home run (his twenty-first) and a walk.

The game:  The Red Sox built a 5-1 lead through five innings.  The Twins battled back, scoring without a hit in the sixth and then getting a three-run homer from Gaetti in the seventh to tie it 5-5.  With two out and none on in the seventh, starter Les Straker gave up a home run to Boggs to put the Bostons back in front.  The Twins did not threaten after that.

Of note:  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-5 with an RBI to raise his average to .313...Al Newman was again at shortstop, although Greg Gagne came in late in the game when Newman was removed for a pinch-hitter...Straker pitched 6.2 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts.  It seems strange that he was still in the game in the seventh.  On the other hand, the Twins were coming off some short starts, they didn't exactly have a shutdown bullpen, and Straker had retired five in a row before the Boggs homer, and Boggs hadn't hit the ball out of the infield prior to his home run.  It's hard to say, thirty years later, that it was the wrong decision.  It does seem unusual, though.

Record:  The Twins were 66-59, in first place by two games over Oakland, and had lost five in a row.  I don't specifically remember, but it seems like Twins fans were probably starting to get pretty nervous at this point.

We hope to resume player profiles later this week.

BOSTON 11, MINNESOTA 3 IN BOSTON

Date:  Friday, August 21.

Batting stars:  Tom Brunansky was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his twenty-sixth.  Roy Smalley was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4 with a double.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Roger Clemens struck out nine in 6.2 innings, giving up one run on six hits and three walks.  Mike Greenwell was 3-for-5 with a triple, scoring once and driving in three.  Dwight Evans was 3-for-4 with a walk, scoring once and driving in two.

The game:  RBI singles by Evans and Greenwell put Boston up 2-0 in the first.  The Red Sox opened the fourth with four singles, which produced three runs and made the score 5-0.  Gary Gaetti singled in a run in the sixth to get the Twins on the board, but Boston got three in the seventh to put the game out of reach.

Of note:  Randy Bush was once again in the leadoff spot, this time in left field replacing Dan Gladden...Kirby Puckett was 1-for-5 with a run, making his average .312...Al Newman was at shortstop, replacing Greg Gagne and batting ninth...Frank Viola started for the Twins, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts...This was the fourth loss in a row by the Twins, all of them by big scores.  The Twins were outscored 37-6 over the four games.

Record:  The Twins were 66-58, in first place by three games over Oakland.

We hope to resume player profiles next week.

DETROIT 8, MINNESOTA 0 IN DETROIT

Date:  Thursday, August 20.

Batting stars:  Steve Lombardozzi was 2-for-3.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4.  Roy Smalley was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching star:  George Frazier pitched two shutout innings, giving up only a walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Doyle Alexander pitched eight shutout innings, giving up five hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  Pat Sheridan was 3-for-5 with a home run (his sixth), a double, and a stolen bases (his thirteenth), scoring twice and driving in two.  Chet Lemon was 1-for-2 with a double, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch, scoring once and driving in two.

The game:  The Tigers scored single runs in the first and third and took control in the fourth, when they scored four times.  Jim Morrison had an RBI single, Lemon hit a two-run double, and Sheridan drove in one with a single.  The closest the Twins came to scoring was in the eighth, when singles by Lombardozzi and Dan Gladden put men on first and third with one out.  Greg Gagne was caught looking and Kirby Puckett lined to center to end the threat.

Of note:  Puckett raised his average to .313...Twins starter Joe Niekro, back from his suspension, lasted only 3.1 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts...The Tigers swept the three-game series between division leaders, winning each game by a big score.  This was probably one of the reasons Detroit was made the prohibitive favorite when the two teams met in the Division series.

Record:  The Twins were 66-57, in first place by four games over Oakland.

Player profile:  Perhaps the second most important Jim Morrison in history, this one played in the majors for parts of twelve seasons.  He was born in Pensacola, Florida, attended South Georgia College and Georgia Southern University, and was drafted by Philadelphia in the fifth round in 1974.  He reached AAA in 1976.  From 1976-79 he hit .295/.366/.475 in AAA but played in only 58 games for the Phillies and got just 115 at-bats.  His problem, of course, was that his primary position was third base, and Philadelphia had a guy named Mike Schmidt playing there.  No matter what Morrison did he wasn't going to beat out Mike Schmidt, so in July of 1979 the Phils sent him to the White Sox.  He played both second and third for the White Sox for the remainder of the season, then moved to second for the entire 1980 season.  It was his first season as a regular and he made the most of it, batting .283/.329/.424 and playing in all 162 games.  One suspects the White Sox found him defensively challenged at second, though, because they moved him back to third in 1981.  He had a poor year offensively and was traded to Pittsburgh the following June.  He was a reserve for the Pirates through 1985, playing mostly third base behind Bill Madlock.  In 1986, though, Madlock was gone and Morrison became the regular more-or-less by default.  It was really only the second time he'd been given a chance as a regular and he again made the most of it, batting .274/.334/.482 with a career-high twenty-three home runs.  He again couldn't sustain it, although he wasn't doing too badly when he was traded to Detroit on August 7 of 1987.  He didn't do much for the Tigers that season and did even less in 1988, getting released in early June.  He signed with the Braves and stayed there the rest of the season, but that ended his playing career.  He is currently the manager of the GCL Rays.  For his career he hit .260/.305/.419--not awful, but not great.  He played in over a thousand major league games, though, and played in the post-season twice.  All in all, not such a bad career.

DETROIT 7, MINNESOTA 1 IN DETROIT

Date:  Wednesday, August 19.

Batting stars:  Steve Lombardozzi was 2-for-2 with a home run (his sixth) and a walk.  Randy Bush was 2-for-4.  Tim Laudner was 1-for-3 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Dan Schatzeder struck out four in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  George Frazier pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Walt Terrell pitched a complete game, giving up one run on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  Pat Sheridan was 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base (his twelfth), scoring once and driving in three.  Johnny Grubb was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.

The game:  With a man on first and two out in the second, the Tigers went single, double, single, double, producing four runs and a 4-0 lead.  Lombardozzi homered leading off the third, but that was as good as it got.  The Tigers scored two in the fourth and one in the fifth to put the game out of reach.

Of note:  Bush was again leading off and in right field, with Tom Brunansky in left and Dan Gladden out of the lineup...Gene Larkin was the DH...Kirby Puckett was 0-for-4, dropping his average to .312...Laudner raised his average to .201, the first time he was over .500 since July 24...Twins starter Bert Blyleven lasted only 4.1 innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits and two walks with two strikeouts.  He left a pitch up to Darrell Evans in the fourth and to Kirk Gibson in the fifth.  The solo home runs didn't hurt him, because the game was pretty much gone by then...This was the second straight game where the only Twins runs came on solo home runs.

Record:  The Twins were 66-56, in first place, four games ahead of Oakland.

Player profile:  You know how we have players that we just kind of take a liking to for no particular reason?  Catcher Matt Nokes was one of those players for me.  He was born and raised in San Diego and was drafted by the Giants in the twentieth round in 1981.  He spent two years in Class A and two more in AA, got a September call-up in 1985, was in AAA for most of 1986, getting another September call-up, and finally was in the big leagues to stay in 1987.  He was no longer a Giant by then, obviously, having been traded to Detroit after the 1985 season in a trade that included Juan Berenguer.  He was their mostly-regular catcher in 1987-88, sharing the position with Mike Heath.  He was very good in 1987, batting .289/.345/.536 with thirty-two homers.  He made the all-star team that year, won a Silver Slugger award, and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting behind Mark McGwire and Kevin Seitzer.  When you look at Nokes' career, that season sticks out like a sore thumb--he never came anywhere close to his .880 OPS in any season other than 1994, when he had only 79 at-bats.  In 1989 he lost the catching job to Heath, and by June of 1990 he'd been traded to the Yankees.  He was the Yankees regular catcher in 1991-92 and did provide some power for them, hitting a total of 46 home runs in those two seasons.  It wasn't enough, though, and in 1993 he lost the job to Mike Stanley.  He was injured much of 1994, played briefly for Baltimore in 1995 and for Colorado in 1996.  That was the end of his big league career, but he played in independent ball through 2002.  He never lived up to the promise of his rookie season, but he hit .254/.308/.441 with 136 home runs.  He now has a website, mattnokes.com, which gives advice on both the physical and mental aspects of baseball.

DETROIT 11, MINNESOTA 2 IN DETROIT

Date:  Tuesday, August 18.

Batting stars:  Roy Smalley was 1-for-1 with a home run (his seventh) and a walk.  Randy Bush was 1-for-3 with a home run (his seventh) and a walk.  Greg Gagne was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  George Frazier pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up a walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Larry Herndon was 3-for-3 with two home runs (his seventh and eighth) and a double, driving in five.  Chet Lemon was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs.  Jack Morris struck out seven in seven innings, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks.

The game:  The Tigers jumped on Steve Carlton for six runs in the first inning.  Herndon hit a three-run homer and Tom Brookens a two-run homer in the inning.  Detroit added four in the fourth as Herndon hit a two-run homer.  The Twins runs came on solo homers by Bush in the third and Smalley in the seventh, but the solo homers didn't hurt Morris.

Of note:  Bush again led off and played right field, with Tom Brunansky in left and Dan Gladden out of the lineup.  Gladden did come in for defense late in the game...Gene Larkin was the DH, with Smalley used as a pinch-hitter and staying in the game to play third...Kirby Puckett was 0-for-3, dropping his average to .315...Carlton was again matched up against another team's ace, but this time he was not able to give the Twins innings.  He lasted only three, allowing nine runs (six earned) on eleven hits and one walk with two strikeouts...Roy Smith saved the bullpen by coming in to pitch 3.1 innings of relief, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk with one strikeout.  It's another example of how the game has changed--it's rare that someone comes in to pitch 3.1 innings of relief any more.

Record:  The Twins were 66-55, in first place by five games over Oakland.

Player profile:  Outfielder Larry Herndon has been largely forgotten, but he was a big-league regular for several years.  He was born in Sunflower, Mississippi, went to high school in Memphis, attended Tennessee State, and was drafted by St. Louis in the third round in 1971.  He was a base-stealer in the minors, stealing 41 bases in Class A in 1973 and 50 in AA in 1974.  This accounts for his odd line as a September call-up with the Cardinals:  He played in twelve games, scored three runs, but had only one at-bat (he singled).  He was used as a pinch-runner in the other eleven games.  Those 91 stolen bases in two minor league seasons are just one shy of the number he stole in a thirteen-year major league career.  St. Louis traded him to the Giants in May of 1975 and he became a regular outfielder for them from 1976 through 1981 with the exception of 1977, when he missed a lot of time due to injuries.  He was nothing special for them, really, batting .267/.310/.373.  His best year for San Francisco was his last one, when he batted .288.  The Giants then traded him to Detroit in a deal that involved Dan Schatzeder.  His next two years were the best of his career, as he batted .297/.341/.479 and slugged 43 home runs.  He batted .280 in 1984, but with only seven homers.  He was still a regular for the Tigers in 1985, but gradually lost playing time after that.  He had one more good year, though, batting .324/.378/.520 in 225 at-bats in 1987.  He was pretty much a platoon player at this point, as he hit left-handers much better than righties throughout his career.  He played one more season for the Tigers and then his career was over.  His career numbers are .274/.322/.409 in 4877 at-bats.  He was widely considered to provide leadership in the clubhouse, a phrase that gets tossed around carelessly but is still an important thing when it's real.  He served as a major and minor league batting coach for the Tigers for many years.  How good was he?  Well, he never made an all-star team and he never led the league in anything, but he was good enough that major league managers, including some pretty good ones, were willing to send him out there for over fifteen hundred major league games, and that's a lot of games.