Tag Archives: no offense

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Fifty-one

MINNESOTA 5, CHICAGO 3 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Saturday, September 19.

Batting star:  Brant Alyea was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Tom Hall struck out nine in seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks.  Stan Williams pitched two shutout innings, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Luis Aparicio was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer (his fifth).  Tommy John pitched seven innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits and four walks and striking out one.

The game:  The White Sox had men on first and second with one out in the first but did not score.  In the second Alyea doubled and scored on a Rick Renick single to put the Twins up 1-0.

Chicago took the lead in the third when Syd O'Brien walked and Aparicio hit a two-run homer, making it 2-1 White Sox.  The Twins had two on with two out in the fifth and did not score.  In the sixth Duane Josephson doubled and scored on Ken Berry's single to make it 3-1 Chicago.

The Twins came back in the eighth.  Walks to George Mitterwald and Danny Thompson were followed by a Bob Allison RBI single.  An error tied the score and a walk to Leo Cardenas loaded the bases.  Harmon Killebrew hit a sacrifice fly to put the Twins ahead and Alyea hit a run-scoring single to make it 5-3 Minnesota.

Josephson drew a leadoff walk in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate.  The next three batters went out, however, and the Twins had the win.

WP:  Hall (9-6).

LP:  Tommy John (11-16).

S:  Williams (15).

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

Rick Dempsey pinch-ran for Mitterwald in the eighth.  Tom Tischinski came in to catch.  Allison pinch-hit for Hall in the eighth, with Herman Hill pinch-running for Allison.  Jim Holt pinch-ran for Alyea in the eighth and stayed in the game in center field, with Cesar Tovar moving to left.  Rich Reese went to first base in the eighth, replacing Killebrew.  Frank Quilici went to third base in the eighth, with Renick coming out as part of a double switch.

Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 and was batting .318.  Tovar was 0-for-5 and was batting .300.  Alyea was batting .300, his first time at .300 since May 17.  Hall had an ERA of 2.58.  Williams had an ERA of 1.99.

I couldn't figure out a quick way to find this out, but I suspect this is one of a very few times in his career that Rick Dempsey was used as a pinch-runner.  I had assumed, when I first saw that, that he was chosen to pinch-run so he could go in to catch, but then Tischinski went in to catch instead.  Surely, with expanded rosters, the Twins had a better pinch-runner than Dempsey available.

You look at Tommy John's 11-16 record, and you think he must had had a bad year.  But he had an ERA of 3.27 with a 1.31 WHIP.  He had ten complete games and three shutouts.  The White Sox had a poor offense that year, and one assumes that they simply didn't score very many runs for him.

The Athletics defeated California 2-1, so the Twins were only able to take one game off their magic number.

Record:  The Twins were 91-60, in first place in the American League West, 7.5 games ahead of Oakland.  Their magic number was four.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty-eight

NEW YORK 2, MINNESOTA 1 IN MINNESOTA (GAME 2 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Friday, August 28.

Batting star:  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Pitching star:  Luis Tiant pitched seven innings, giving up one run on four hits and five walks and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Mike Kekich pitched a complete game, giving up one run on five hits and three walks and striking out seven.  Jim Lyttle was 0-for-0 with three walks.

The game:  There were no hits on either side until the third, when Horace Clark singled.  He stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, and score on Frank Baker's single to put the Yankees up 1-0.

The Twins got their first hit in the fifth, when Rich Reese singled.  He went to second on a ground out and scored on a George Mitterwald single, tying the score at 1-1.

It stayed 1-1 through eight.  Killebrew led off the ninth with a double.  Tony Oliva was intentionally walked and the strategy worked, as the next three batters went out.  In the bottom of the ninth Bobby Murcer reached on an error and was bunted to second.  Danny Cater was intentionally walked.  A ground out moved Murcer to third and he scored on a wild pitch to end the game.

WP:  Kekich (4-3).

LP:  Ron Perranoski (7-6).

S:  None.

Notes:  Oliva was again in center with Cesar Tovar in left and Brant Alyea in right.  Jim Holt went to center in the seventh, with Oliva going to right and Alyea leaving the game.  There's no obvious reason for the move.  Alyea popped up to third in the top of the inning--he may have injured himself, or Bill Rigney may have decided to substitute for him because he wouldn't be batting again for a couple of innings.

Bob Allison pinch-hit for Tiant in the eighth.  I'm not really questioning the move, but I can't help pointing out that Tiant was 1-for-2 in the game and was batting .419 for the season, while Allison was batting .200.

Frank Quilici pinch-ran for Killebrew in the ninth and stayed in the game at second base.  Danny Thompson, who was still at second base in place of Rod Carew, moved to third.

Tiant as stated above, was 1-for-2 and was batting .419.  Oliva was 0-for-3 and was batting .320.  Perranoski gave up an unearned run in 1.2 innings and had an ERA of 2.34.

In the two games of the doubleheader, the Twins scored one run and had just eight hits.

This was easily Kekich's best start of the season.  He had a game score of seventy-seven.  His next highest was sixty-three on September 12.  This was his only complete game of the season and one of eight in his career.

The Twins had lost five of their last seven games.

Record:  The Twins were 75-53, in first place in the American League West, three games ahead of California.  This was their smallest lead since June 29.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty-seven

NEW YORK 6, MINNESOTA 0 IN NEW YORK (GAME 1 OF DOUBLEHEADER)

Date:  Friday, August 28.

Batting star:  Rich Reese was 2-for-3 with a double.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Fritz Peterson pitched a complete game shutout, giving up three hits and one walk and striking out four.  Thurman Munson was 3-for-4 with two doubles.  Peterson was 2-for-3 with a double.  Gene Michael was 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

The game:  Cesar Tovar led off the game with a walk and Reese followed with a single, putting men on first and second with none out.  But Harmon Killebrew grounded into a double play and Tony Oliva bounced back to the pitcher, taking the Twins out of the inning.  The Twins would get only two more hits and only once again get a man to second, when Reese doubled with two out in the ninth.

The Yankees were held scoreless until the fifth.  Ron Woods led off that inning with a double and scored on Michael's single.  Peterson then singled.  With one out, Munson hit an RBI single and runners went to second and third on the throw home.  A wild pitch plated a run and a sacrifice fly brought home another, giving New York a 4-0 lead.  They added two in the sixth.  Bobby Murcer singled, John Ellis walked, and a bunt moved runners to second and third.  Michael then delivered a two-run single to make it 6-0.

And that was that, as they Yankees took a 6-0 victory.

WP:  Peterson (15-9).

LP:  Jim Kaat (10-10).

S:  None.

Notes:  Oliva was in center field, with Tovar in left and Brant Alyea in right.  Danny Thompson remained at second base in place of Rod Carew.  Bob Allison and Rick Renick pinch-hit for pitchers.

Tony Oliva was 0-for-3 and was batting .321.  Tom Hall retired both men he faced and had an ERA of 2.90.

The Twins had just three hits in the game.

I assume the configuration of Yankees stadium led Bill Rigney to change his outfield alignment.

I had forgotten that Munson was already the regular catcher for the Yankees in 1970.

In some ways, this was Peterson's best year.  He went 20-11, 2.90, 1.10 WHIP (leading the league), and made his only all-star appearance.  Arguably, though, he was better in 1969--he went 17-16, but with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP, which also led the league.  He also led the league in walks per nine innings and strikeout/walk ratio in both years.  For his career, he was 133-131, 3.30, 1.19 WHIP.  It was his misfortune to come to the Yankees in their worst years, or his won-lost record would be much better.

Record:  The Twins were 75-52, in first place in the American League West, 3.5 games ahead of California.

Keeping Track

1970 Rewind: Game One Hundred Twenty-four

BOSTON 1, MINNESOTA 0 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, August 25.

Batting stars:  Danny Thompson was 2-for-4.  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Bill Zepp pitched seven shutout innings, giving up four hits and three walks and striking out three.  Ron Perranoski pitched a scoreless inning, giving up three hits.

Opposition stars:  Rico Petrocelli was 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk.  Billy Conigliaro was 2-for-3.  Tony Conigliaro was 1-for-4 with a home run, his twenty-fifth.  Vicente Romo pitched four shutout innings, giving up three hits and a walk and striking out three.  Ken Brett struck out five in four shutout innings, giving up four hits and no walks.

The game:  There were no threats in the first three innings, then each team threatened in the fourth.  With two out Petrocelli and George Scott singled and Billy Conigliaro walked, loading the bases.  Tom Satriano grounded out to end the inning.  In the bottom of the inning, Thompson led off with a single.  Oliva hit into a force out and was picked off, but reached second on an error.  Rich Reese then drew a two-out walk, but Rick Renick struck out to end the inning.

Each team again threatened in the seventh.  For Boston, Scott walked and Billy Conigliaro singled.  A bunt moved them to second and third with one out, but Scott was out at home on a fielder's choice and a ground out ended the inning.  For the Twins, Reese singled and Renick reached on an error, but a popped up bunt resulted in a double play a strikeout ended the inning.

The game's lone run scored in the eighth when Tony Conigliaro hit a two-out home run.  The Twins threatened in the ninth when Oliva led off with a single and Reese drew a one-out walk, but pinch-hitter Jim Holt hit into a double play to end the game.

WP:  Brett (4-7).

LP:  Tom Hall (6-6).

S:  Gary Wagner (3).

Notes:  Renick was in left field in place of Brant Alyea.  Alyea pinch-hit for Stan Williams in the eighth.  Frank Quilici then pinch-ran for Alyea.  Holt pinch-hit for Renick in the ninth.

Oliva was batting .321.  Zepp had an ERA of 2.94.  Hall gave up a run in two-thirds of an inning and had an ERA of 2.92.  Williams retired the only man he faced and had an ERA of 2.05.  Perranoski had an ERA of 2.39.

Romo was normally a reliever, but he was in the Red Sox rotation for about six weeks from mid-July through the end of August.  This is one of two starts in which he had a game score over fifty, which may be why Boston decided to pull him after four innings.

Brett was a starter most of his career, but he was primarily a reliever in 1970 and 1971.

Sparky Lyle was the Red Sox' closer in 1970, but he was going through a bit of a rough patch.  In his last three appearances, he had faced five batters and four of them had gotten on base (three hits and a walk), resulting in two blown saves and in him briefly being taken out of the closer role.  Wagner took his place and did well, but as soon as Boston thought Lyle was straightened out he went back to being the closer.  Wagner had a solid season in 1970, but it was his last major league season.  He developed some sort of arm problem--I could not quickly find out what--and made only ten minor league appearances in 1971, ending his playing career.

After a brief offensive resurgence, the Twins went back into a slump.  They had scored just fifteen runs in their last six games.

Record:  The Twins were 73-51, in first place in the American League West, 3.5 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 One Hundred Eight

OAKLAND 3, MINNESOTA 0 IN MINNESOTA (GAME 1)

Date:  Sunday, August 9.

Batting star:  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  Tom Hall struck out seven in five shutout innings of relief, giving up only a walk.  Ron Perranoski struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Chuck Dobson pitched a complete game shutout, giving up four hits and two walks and striking out six.  Don Mincher was 3-for-4 with a double, a stolen base (his fourth) and two RBIs.

The game:  With two out in the first Tommy Davis singled and scored on Mincher's double.  Sal Bando followed with a single to give the Athletics a 2-0 lead.  The Twins drew a pair of walks in the bottom of the first but did not score.  In the third, Bert Campaneris doubled and scored on Mincher's single to make it 3-0.

And that was it for the scoring.  The Twins did not get a hit until the fifth.  The first inning was the only time they had more than one man on base.  The only other time they got a man past first was in the ninth.  Killebrew led off with a single, and pinch-runner Frank Quilici got to third on a pair of ground outs.  But a third ground out ended the game.

WP:  Dobson (14-10).

LP:  Bert Blyleven (3-3).

S:  None.

Notes:  Jim Holt was back in center, with Cesar Tovar moving to left.  Danny Thompson remained at second in place of Rod Carew.  Paul Ratliff pinch-hit for Blyleven in the third.  Charlie Manuel pinch-hit for Hall in the eighth.  Quilici pinch-ran for Killebrew in the ninth.

Tony Oliva was 0-for-4 and was batting .326.  Blyleven had an ERA of 2.99.  Hall had an ERA of 2.49.  Perranoski had an ERA of 2.19.

In their last four games, the Twins had scored seven runs and given up six.

Blyleven pitched just three innings, giving up three runs on five hits and no walks and striking out three.  It seems like a really quick hook.  The Twins did have a rested bullpen, though.

The Twins had only four hits, all singles.

Record:  The Twins were 69-40, in first place in the American League West, 7.5 games ahead of California.