TEXAS 1, MINNESOTA 0 AT TEXAS

Date:  Friday, June 26.

Batting stars:  Tom Brunansky was 0-for-1 with two walks and two stolen bases (his fifth and sixth).  Roy Smalley had the only Twins hit, going 1-for-3.

Pitching star:  Frank Viola took a complete game loss, pitching eight innings and giving up one run on seven hits and a walk with six strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Bobby Witt pitched eight shutout innings, giving up one hit and six walks with seven strikeouts.  Scott Fletcher was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  Jerry Browne was 1-for-4 with a run and a stolen base, his twelfth.

The game:  The game's lone run scored in the first, when Browne led off with a single and scored on Fletcher's double.  Smalley got the only Twins hit, a two-out single in the second.  Brunansky was the only Twin to get past first base, getting as far as third in the eighth when he walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a fly ball to right.  Dan Gladden hit a foul fly to right field to end the inning.

Of note:  Kirby Puckett was 0-for-3 with a walk, making his average .335.

Record:  The Twins were 42-30, in first place, 3.5 games ahead of Oakland.

Notes:  Al Newman was again at shortstop in place of Greg Gagne and again batted second.  He was 0-for-3 with a walk, making his average .201.

Player profile:  Dale Mohorcic pitched the ninth inning of this game, getting his tenth save.  An undrafted free agent signed out of an independent league, Mohorcic spent time in the Toronto and Pittsburgh organizations before coming to the Rangers as a free agent in May of 1985.  He was already twenty-nine by then, but he pitched well in AAA Oklahoma City and did so again in 1986, and at the end of May of 1986 he was in the big leagues.  He pitched quite well, posting a 2.51 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP with seven saves.  In 1987 he was the nearest thing the Rangers had to a closer, posting sixteen of the twenty-seven Texas saves (Mitch Williams (at age twenty-two), 6; Jeff Russell, 3; Mike Loynd, 1; Steve Howe, 1). He had an excellent season, going 7-6, 2.99, 1.08 WHIP.  He had a poor year for the Rangers in 1988, though, and was traded to the Yankees at the August deadline for Cecilio Guante.  He did fairly well the rest of that season for the Yankees, but did not do well in 1989.  He went to Montreal for 1990, had a decent but unspectacular season there, and his career was over.  For an undrafted free agent who didn't get to the majors until age thirty, though, he did pretty well:  16-21, 33 saves, 3.49 ERA, 1.31 WHIP.

MINNESOTA 4, CLEVELAND 3 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, June 25.

Batting stars:  Roy Smalley was 3-for-4 with a home run, his fifth.  Dan Gladden was 2-for-4 with a home run, his fourth.  Kent Hrbek was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his eighteenth.

Pitching stars:  Bert Blyleven pitched six innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and five walks with four strikeouts.  Jeff Reardon struck out four in two perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  Phil Niekro pitched a complete game, giving up four runs eight hits and a walk with four strikeouts.  Niekro was in his last year in the majors at age forty-eight.  Chris Bando was 2-for-4 with a home run (his third) and three RBIs.  Julio Franco was 2-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases (his fifteenth and sixteenth).

The game:  Gladden hit a solo homer and Hrbek a two-run shot in the first inning, putting the Twins up 3-0.  Bando singled in a run in the second, but Smalley homered leading off the fourth to give the Twins a three-run lead again at 4-1.  In the sixth, Blyleven left a pitch up to Bando, who hit a two-run homer to make it 4-3.  The Indians did not get a hit after that, though, as George Frazier pitched a scoreless inning, giving up only a walk, and Reardon gave up absolutely nothing in the last two innings.

Of note:  Kirby Puckett was 1-for-4 with a run and was batting .338...Reardon got his ERA below six for the first time since May 7, at 5.79.

Record:  The Twins had won four in a row and were 42-29, in first place, 4.5 games ahead of Oakland.

Notes:  Al Newman was at shorstop, replacing Greg Gagne, and batted second.  He went 0-for-4, making his average .205.

Player profile:  Sal Bando's brother, Chris Bando had a fairly substantial career as a part-time catcher.  The Indians drafted him in the second round in 1978.  He came to the big leagues in August of 1981 and was there to stay with the exception of a couple of months in 1984.  Oddly, 1984 would be his best year, as he batted .291/.377/.505 with twelve home runs, more than double the number he hit in any other season and nearly half of his career total.  He would usually have between 150 and 250 at-bats in a season, with his highest total being 254 in 1986.  He was with the Indians until August of 1988, when he was released.  He would play two more games in the majors, one with Detroit in 1988 and the other with Oakland in 1989.  He was a minor league manager for ten seasons and also has coached in college, spending several seasons at San Diego Christian College.  At last report, he was helping coach at Southwestern College and was coaching the Action Baseball Club.  He also is the founder of Athletes Abroad for Christ, whose goal is to "glorify God through the arena of athletics, by preaching the Gospel and encouraging a faithful commitment to a local church”.

MINNESOTA 14, CLEVELAND 8 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, June 24.

Batting stars:  Kirby Puckett was 3-for-4 with a triple and a walk, scoring three times and driving in two.  Al Newman was 2-for-3 with a double and two walks, scoring four times and driving in two.  Sal Butera was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring twice and driving in two.

Pitching star:  Juan Berenguer pitched two shutout innings, giving up three hits and no walks while striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Tony Bernazard was 3-for-6 with a two-run homer (his eleventh) and a stolen base (his fifth), scoring twice.  Julio Franco was 3-for-5 with a triple and walk, scoring once.  Mel Hall was 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs.

The game:  Kent Hrbek hit a three-run homer in a four-run fourth that put the Twins ahead 4-1.  Hall's two-run triple in the fifth made it 4-3, but Puckett had an RBI triple and later scored in the bottom of the fifth to put the Twins back up by three at 6-3.  Gary Gaetti had a two-run double in a three-run seventh that put the game out of reach at 9-3.  A five-run eighth made it 14-5 before the Indians scored three in the ninth to make the final score look better.

Of note:  Dan Gladden was 2-for-5 with a double and a run...Puckett raised his average to .339...Gene Larkin was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run, making his average .324...Greg Gagne was 2-for-4 with a run...Les Straker started and struck out six in five innings, but gave up three runs on nine hits and a walk...Berenguer lowered his ERA to 2.93...Cleveland starter (and future Twin) Greg Swindell pitched five innings, allowing six runs on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts.  Swindell had not yet pitched a full season in the majors, and he would not this year, either.  In fact, he would make only one more start before going to AAA for the rest of the season.  In 1988, though, he would become a star, going 18-14, 3.20, 1.15 WHIP in 242 innings.

Record:  The Twins were 41-29, in first place, four games ahead of Oakland.

Notes:  Newman started at second base in place of Steve Lombardozzi.  He batted second...Gaetti was back in the starting lineup and batted fourth...Larkin was the DH in place of Roy Smalley.

MINNESOTA 9, CLEVELAND 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, June 22.

Batting stars:  Gary Gaetti was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fifteenth) and a double, driving in four.  Tom Brunansky was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer (his sixteenth) and a walk, scoring twice.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs.

Pitching star:  George Frazier pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up no hits and three walks while striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Tony Bernazard was 2-for-4 with two home runs (his ninth and tenth) and three runs.  Brett Butler was 1-for-3 with two walks.  Julio Franco was 1-for-5 with a triple and an RBI.

The game:  With a man on first and two out in the third, Al Newman tripled, Kirby Puckett doubled, Hrbek walked, and Gaetti doubled to make the score 4-1 Twins.  The Indians cut the lead to 5-3, but Gaetti hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to put the Twins up 7-3.  Bernazard homered in the seventh to make it 7-4, but Brunansky hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to round out the scoring.

Of note:  Puckett was 1-for-4 to make his average .333...Roy Smalley was 1-for-4 and was batting .315...Mike Smithson pitched 6.1 innings, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts...Cleveland starter Tom Candiotti lasted only 3.1 innings, allowing five runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out two...Greg Gagne hit a home run, his eleventh.

Record:  The Twins were 40-29, in first place, 3.5 games ahead of Kansas City.

Notes:  Newman played second base in place of Steve Lombardozzi and batted second...Ex-Twin Rich Yett was the mop-up man for Cleveland in this one, going four innings.  Yett, who made his major league debut with the Twins in 1985, spent most of 1986-89 in the big leagues with Cleveland.  He came back to the Twins in 1990, appearing in four games in April before finishing the season and his playing career in AAA Portland.  He was never all that good, even in AAA, but he kept getting chances.  For his career he was 22-24, 4.95, 1.53 WHIP.  He appeared in 136 games, starting 49 of them, and pitched 414.1 innings.  He was a high school coach in the Phoenix area at last report.

MINNESOTA 8, CHICAGO 6 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, June 21.

Batting stars:  Tom Brunansky was 3-for-4 with a home run (his fifteenth) and a double, scoring twice and driving in three.  Gary Gaetti was 1-for-4 with a home run (his thirteenth) and three runs.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a home run, his thirteenth).

Pitching star:  Juan Berenguer retired all five men he faced, striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Ivan Calderon was 3-for-5 with three doubles, scoring once and driving in two.  Gary Redus was 3-for-5 with a home run (his sixth) and a stolen base (his twenty-first), scoring three times.  Tim Hulett was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

The game:  The Twins led 3-1, 4-2, and 5-4, but Chicago kept coming back.  It was tied 5-5 after seven, but the Twins finally took the lead to stay in the eighth.  Brunansky had an RBI double, Roy Smalley drove in a run with a single, and Greg Gagne doubled home one more.  Jeff Reardon gave up a two-out pinch-hit homer to Harold Baines in the ninth but otherwise escaped unscathed.

Of note:  Dan Gladden hit a home run, his third.  Puckett raised his average to .335.  Gene Larkin walked in a pinch-hit plate appearance, so he was still batting .324.  Smalley entered the game as a pinch-hitter and was 1-for-2 with an RBI, making his average to .317.  Frank Viola started and pitched six innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and no walks with two strikeouts.  Chicago starter Floyd Bannister pitched 5.1 innings, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks with one strikeout.

Record:  The Twins were 39-29, in first place, three games ahead of Kansas City.

Notes:  Al Newman started at third base, with Gaetti at DH and Smalley out of the lineup to start the game.  Newman batted second...Future Twin Fred Manrique hit a home run for the White Sox, one of four he would hit for the season and one of twenty for his career.  He came to the Twins in 1990 and started sixty games at second base.  The story goes that, while playing for the Twins, he was asked what the team needed.  He responded, "A second baseman."

CHICAGO 10, MINNESOTA 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, June 20.

Batting stars:  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a home run (his twelfth) and a double, scoring twice.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4 with a home run, his sixteenth.  Randy Bush was 1-for-3 with a home run (his fourth) and a walk.

Pitching star:  Randy Niemann pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Daryl Boston was 2-for-4 with two home runs (his seventh and eighth) and four RBIs.  Ozzie Guillen was 2-for-5 with a stolen base (his third), scoring twice and driving in one.  Greg Walker was 2-for-5 with a double and a run.

The game:  The White Sox led 2-0 after six, then had an eight-run inning that put the game out of reach.  The Twins made two errors with two out in the inning, so all but one of the runs were unearned.  The Twins got two in the seventh and three in the ninth but did not threaten to get back into the game.

Of note:  Puckett raised his average to .332.  Roy Smalley was 1-for-4 with a run and was batting .314.  Gene Larkin was 1-for-1 with an RBI as a pinch-hitter and was batting .324.  Bert Blyleven pitched 6.2 innings and gave up eight runs (three earned) on seven hits and four walks with three strikeouts.  Chicago starter Jose DeLeon pitched eight innings and gave up four runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins were 38-29, in first place, two games ahead of Kansas City.

Notes:  Roy Smalley was again at third base in place of Gary Gaetti, although Gaetti was used as a pinch-hitter and singled.  Randy Bush was the DH.  Bush batted second, with Steve Lombardozzi dropping to the seventh spot...This was Randy Niemann's last appearance in the major leagues.  He spent the rest of the year at AAA Portland and became a free agent after the season.  He signed with the Mets, but made only nine appearances with AAA Tidewater before ending his playing career.

MINNESOTA 7, CHICAGO 6 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, June 19.

Batting stars:  Kent Hrbek was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his fifteenth) and a walk, scoring twice.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base (his seventh), scoring once and driving in one.  Roy Smalley was 1-for-3 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  Les Straker pitched five innings, giving up one run on six hits and no walks with one strikeout.  Jeff Reardon pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Greg Walker was 4-for-4 with a double and a hit-by-pitch, scoring twice.  Jerry Hairston was 1-for-1 with a pinch-hit three run homer, his second.  Donnie Hill was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring once.

The game:  Hrbek hit a two-run homer in a three-run first.  The Twins led 4-1 after five, but Chicago scored four in the sixth to take the lead.  Randy Niemann came in to start the inning and gave up two walks and a hit batsman, loading the bases.  He got Daryl Boston to hit into a force out at home, but George Frazier then came in and, after allowing a run to score on a wild pitch, gave up a three-run homer to pinch-hitter Hairston to make it 5-4 White Sox.  In the sixth, Randy Bush delivered a pinch-hit two-run single to give the Twins the lead back, but a sacrifice fly by Ozzie Guillen in the eighth tied it 6-6.  Tim Laudner settled things by leading off the ninth with a walkoff home run.

Of note:  Laudner's home run came was his seventh and came in his only at-bat, as he entered the game after Bush pinch-hit for Sal Butera.  Puckett raised his average to .330.  Smalley was batting .316.  Gene Larkin went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run to make his average .313.  Chicago starter Richard Dotson pitched 5.1 innings, giving up six runs on six hits and four walks with two strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins were 38-28, in first place by three games over Kansas City and Oakland.

Notes:  Gaetti was out of the lineup for his third straight game.  Smalley was at third base with Larkin at DH...This would be the next-to-last of Niemann's six appearances with the Twins.

Player profile:  1987 was the last good year Greg Walker would have.  Drafted by Philadelphia in the 20th round in 1977, he came to the White Sox after the 1979 season in the Rule 5 draft.  He hit very well in the White Sox' organization and made his major league debut as a September call-up in 1982.  He started 1983 with Chicago and was there to stay.  He had a solid rookie season, but his best year was 1984, when he batted .294/.346/.532 with 24 home runs.  He hit 24 homers again in 1985 but his other numbers were down, though still respectable.  He missed some of 1986 due to injury, but posted an OPS of over .800 both in that year and in 1987.  He was having a down year in 1988, then suffered a life-threatening seizure at the end of July, ending his season.  He came back in 1989 but wasn't very good and was released in April of 1990.  He signed with Baltimore but was released again in early July, ending his playing career.  He was a long-time minor and major league coach after his playing career ended.  In 2015 he was a special assistant the the general manager of the Atlanta Braves, but he is not currently listed as such on their website.  For his career, Greg Walker batted .260/.326 /.449 with 113 home runs in 3,177 at-bat.  Not bad for a twentieth round draft choice.

MILWAUKEE 8, MINNESOTA 5 IN MILWAUKEE

Date:  Wednesday, June 17.

Batting stars:  Gene Larkin was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second) and a double, scoring once and driving in three.  Al Newman was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, driving in one.  Dan Gladden was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Robin Yount was 3-for-5 with a home run (his seventh) and three RBIs.  B. J. Surhoff was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer (his fourth) and a walk.  Juan Castillo was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

The game:  Newman had an RBI double in the third and Larkin had a two-run double in the fourth to put the Twins ahead 3-0.  In the bottom of the fourth, however, Surhoff hit a three-run homer and Castillo singled in a run later in the inning to give the Brewers a 4-3 lead.  The Twins battled back, as Gladden doubled in a run in the fifth to tie it and Larkin homered in the sixth to give the Twins a 5-4 advantage.  It was short-lived, though, as Yount hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to put Milwaukee on top 6-5.  Yount struck again in the eighth, delivering a two-run single that gave the Brewers some insurance runs.  The Twins did not get a hit after the Larkin homer in the sixth.

Of note:  Kirby Puckett was 1-for-4 with a run and was batting .326.  Larkin raised his average to .328.  Roy Smalley pinch-hit and was 0-for-1, making his average .316.  Neither starter lasted long.  Mike Smithson pitched well for three innings, but his line is 3.1 innings, four runs, nine hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.  John Henry Johnson didn't do a lot better, going 4.1 innings and allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins were 37-28, in first place by two games over Oakland.

Notes:  It was an unusual lineup.  Newman was at third base in place of Gary Gaetti and led off.  Greg Gagne batted second, Gladden third, and Puckett fourth.  Larkin was the DH, with Smalley out of the lineup, and Sal Butera caught in place of Tim Laudner.

Player profile:  Juan Castillo was the more-or-less regular second baseman for Milwaukee in 1987, the only season he would see that much playing time.  He came from the cradle of shortstop, San Pedro de Macoris, and signed with the Brewers in 1979.  He never hit much, even in the minors.  His best season was 1984, when he batted .288 with an OPS of .736 for AA El Paso.  He started 1986 in the majors as reserve infielder but was not used much, playing in only 26 games in half a season and batting just .167.  He was the most regular of the second basemen Milwaukee had in 1987, starting 81 games, as Jim Gantner missed about half the season.  He did not take advantage of his chance, batting .224 with an OPS of .613.  He was back to a reserve role in 1988 and after the 1989 season he was a free agent.  He was in AAA for Cleveland in 1990, in AAA back with Milwaukee in 1991, and played sporadically in the Mexican League through 1998.  His major league numbers were .215/.282/.279 in 469 at-bats (199 games).  At last report, Juan Castillo was living in Miami.

MINNESOTA 7, MILWAUKEE 3 IN MILWAUKEE

Date:  Tuesday, June 16.

Batting stars:  Greg Gagne was 3-for-4 with a triple and two doubles, driving in four.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-5 with a home run, his fourteenth.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching star:  Frank Viola struck out six in 6.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on four hits and no walks.

Opposition stars:  Chuck Crim pitched 6.1 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts.  Bill Schroeder was 2-for-4 with a run.  Dale Sveum was 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.

The game:  Gagne hit a two-run triple in the second to open the scoring.  Milwaukee got one back in the fifth, but the Twins broke it open with three in the eighth and two in the ninth.  Hrbek opened the eighth with a home run and Gagne delivered a two-run double later in the inning.  Milwaukee rallied in the ninth, scoring twice on four singles and bringing Jeff Reardon into the game.  He threw a wild pitch but then retired Rick Manning on a fly ball for one of the easier saves of his career.

Of note:  Roy Smalley was 2-for-4 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one, to make his average .317.  Puckett raised his average to .327.  Gene Larkin was 0-for-5, dropping his average to .318.  Viola's ERA was 3.30.

Record:  The Twins were 37-27. in first place, two games ahead of Oakland.

Notes:  Smalley played third base, with Larkin at DH and Gary Gaetti out of the lineup.

Player profile:  This was one of only six career starts Chuck Crim made.  Five of them were in June of 1987, with this being his fourth.  It was his rookie year--he started it in the bullpen and moved into the rotation on June 2.  Two of his starts were fairly good, but as a starter he was 1-4, 5.17, 1.58 WHIP.  He was pretty good as a reliever, though, and stayed pretty good through 1990.  He led the league in appearances in 1988 and 1989 and came close in 1990, averaging over 100 relief innings in those three seasons.  The workload may have taken a toll, though, because he never had a good season after 1990.  He was with California from 1992-93, but was released at the end of May of 1993.  He missed the rest of the season, came back with the Cubs in 1994, but then his playing career was over.  He was never the closer, but for his career he was 47-43, 45 saves, 3.83, 1.35 WHIP.  He was a coach for many years, most recently as the bullpen coach of the Dodgers from 2013-15, but does not appear to have a job in baseball at the moment.