Tag Archives: random rewind

Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 1980, Game Eighty-one

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 6, SEATTLE 3 IN SEATTLE

Date:  Friday, July 11.

Batting stars:  Rick Sofield was 3-for-4 with a home run (his seventh) and two runs.  Rob Wilfong was 3-for-4 with a triple, a walk, and two runs.  Ken Landreaux was 2-for-5 with a home run (his fourth) and three RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Darrell Jackson struck out eight in 7.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks.  Doug Corbett pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit.

Opposition stars:  Leon Roberts was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his seventh), a stolen base (his fifth), and a walk.  Larry Milbourne was 1-for-3 with a walk.

The game:  The Twins got a run in the first when Wilfong tripled and scored on a Landreaux single.  In the second Glenn Adams singled, was bunted to second, went to third on an error, and scored on a squeeze bunt (yes, Gene Mauch was the manager) to make it 2-0.

The Mariners loaded the bases with two out in the third but did not score.  It stayed 2-0 until the sixth, when Milbourne singled, Bruce Bochte hit an RBI double, and Roberts delivered a two-run homer, putting Seattle up 3-2.  The lead only held until the first batter of the seventh, when Sofield hit an inside-the-park home run to tie it 3-3.

The Twins took the lead back in the eighth, when Wilfong walked and Landreaux hit a two-run homer to make it 5-3.  They added one more in the ninth when Sofield singled, went to second on a ground out, and scored on a Wilfong single.  The Mariners got only one hit after their three-run sixth.

WP:  Jackson (7-4).  LP:  Glenn Abbott (7-4).  S:  Corbett (9).

Notes:  Pete Mackanin was at shortstop, replacing Roy Smalley, who was apparently out with a minor injury.  Mike Cubbage, who played third most of his career, was apparently part of a platoon at first base with Ron Jackson.  Glenn Adams was the DH as part of a platoon with Jose Morales.

Morales pinch-hit for Adams in the eighth and Jackson pinch-hit for Cubbage in the eighth.  Dave Edwards pinch-ran for Morales in the eighth.

Jackson was 5'10", 150 pounds.  Herb Carneal's partner at the time, Joe McConnell, used to refer to him as "the little lefthander".  This was by far the best season of his career--he went 9-9, 3.87, 1.34 WHIP.  He had injury troubles after that and never had a good year again.

The Twins really didn't have a bad rotation in 1980.  In addition to Jackson, they had Jerry Koosman (16-13, 4.03), Geoff Zahn (14-18, 4.41), and Roger Erickson (7-13, 3.25).  It's not the 1990s Braves, but it's not bad.  They struggled for a fifth starter, with Pete Redfern (5-5, 4.56) and Fernando Arroyo (6-6, 4.68) usually filling the role.  We think of the Twins not having any pitching at that time, or at least I do, but that's not an awful rotation at all.

They sure didn't have any power, though.  The team hit just ninety-nine home runs in 1980.  The team leaders was John Castino, with thirteen.  Smalley was the only other batter in double figures, with twelve.  Their cleanup batter in this game was Wynegar, who finished the season with five home runs.

I recall Sofield being fairly highly touted as a future star.  Obviously, it didn't happen.  He hit .328 with 27 homers in 1977 in Class A Visalia, but that was the only year he showed any power.  He was the Twins' starting right fielder in 1979 on the strength of a solid but not outstanding year in AA.  He was batting just .241 with an OPS of .582 (although with an OBP of .323) when he was sent down in mid-May.  He came back as a September call-up and batted .400 in 42 plate appearances.  He was again in the starting outfield in 1980, his only full season in the majors.  He batted .247 with an OPS of .661.  He was with the Twins as a reserve for most of 1981, but didn't hit.  The inside-the-park home run in this game may well have been the highlight of his career.

The Twins leading batter at this point of the season was Morales at .347.  He would finish at .303.  Adams was batting .315.  He would finish at .286.

This was the fourth game of a six-game winning streak for the Twins.

Record:  The Twins were 37-44, in fourth place in the American League West, 11.5 games behind Kansas City.  They would finish 77-84, in third place, 19.5 games behind Kansas City.

The Mariners were 35-47, in sixth place, fourteen games behind Kansas City.  They would finish 59-103, in seventh (last) place, thirty-eight games behind Kansas City.

Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 1982, Game Thirty-three

3 Comments

MINNESOTA 10, BOSTON 6 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, May 11.

Batting stars:  Gary Ward was 3-for-4 with a home run (his third) and three runs).  Bobby Mitchell was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs.  Butch Wynegar was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two runs.  John Castino was 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Dwight Evans was 3-for-5 with two triples and three RBIs.  Dave Stapleton was 2-for-5 with three RBIs.  Tony Perez was 2-for-5 with a double.  Carney Lansford was 2-for-5.

The game:  The Twins took the lead in the second.  Kent Hrbek led off the inning with a single and Ward had a one-out single-plus-error, putting men on second and third.  A wild pitch scored one run and a sacrifice fly scored another, putting the Twins up 2-0.

The Red Sox got on the board in the fourth, but missed a chance for a big inning.  Jim Rice reached on an error, and singles by Perez and Lansford loaded the bases with one out.  Stapleton delivered an RBI single, but Twins starter Brad Havens escaped further damage by retiring Glenn Hoffman and Gary Allenson on foul popups and striking out Reid Nichols.  It appeared to be just a temporary reprieve, however, as Boston scored three in the fifth to take the lead.  Jerry Remy led off with a single, and with one out Rice walked and Perez had an RBI double.  Lansford struck out, but Stapleton came through with a two-run single, giving the Red Sox a 4-2 advantage.

But the Twins came right back in the bottom of the fifth.  Wynegar led off with a double, Mitchell had a one-out RBI single, and Castino delivered a two-out run-scoring double, tying it 4-4.  The Twins took the lead in the sixth.  Their first two batters were retired, but they then put together six consecutive singles, by Ward, Wynegar, Randy Bush, Mitchell, Ron Washington, and Castino, producing five runs and giving the Twins a 9-4 advantage.  Ward hit a solo homer in the seventh to make it 10-4.

Boston must have been stunned.  They scored a pair of runs in the eighth, when Rick Miller and Remy walked and Evans hit a two-run triple, but that was it.  The Twins took the 10-6 victory.

WP:  Bobby Castillo (1-1).  LP:  Bob Ojeda (1-3).  S:  None.

Notes:  It was kind of a strange lineup for the Twins.  Washington was at second base, with Castino playing left field, one of five times in his career that he played there.  The DH was Jesus Vega.  Mitchell had taken over center field from Jim Eisenreich.  Ward, normally in left, moved to right.

Havens pitched 5.2 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits and two walks and striking out four.  Red Sox starter Ojeda pitched 5.2 innings as well, allowing six runs on seven hits and a walk and striking out five.

Bush pinch-hit for Lenny Faedo in the sixth inning.  He then went to left field, with Castino moving to second base and Washington going to shortstop.

The leading batter in the Twins lineup was Vega, who was batting .349.  He would end the season at .266.  Hrbek was batting .314.  He would end at .301.  Washington was batting an even .300.  He would finish at .291.

On the other end of the scale, Mitchell was batting .164.  He would finish at .249.  Faedo was batting .196.  He would end up at .243.

Ojeda was not the Bob Ojeda he would become.  He was twenty-four, but had still not had a full season in the majors.  He would finish this season 4-6, 5.63, 1.58 WHIP in 22 games, 14 starts.  He'd had ten solid starts in 1981, which had gotten him third place in the Rookie of the Year voting (behind Dave Righetti and teammate Rich Gedman).  He would improve from 1982, but would not really become a star until his trade to the Mets after the 1985 season.

The Twins win snapped a five-game losing streak.  They had lost nine of ten before this game.

Record:  The Twins were 11-22, in sixth (not last) place in the American League West, 9.5 games behind California.  They would finish 60-102, in seventh (last) place), thirty-three games behind California.

The Red Sox were 21-10, in first place in the American League East, three games ahead of Detroit.  They would finish 89-73, in third place, six games behind Milwaukee.

Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 2010, Game Twenty-six

4 Comments

MINNESOTA 10, DETROIT 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Monday, May 3.

Batting stars:  Wilson Ramos was 3-for-4 with two doubles.  J. J. Hardy was 2-for-4 with a double.  Justin Morneau was 2-for-4.  Denard Span was 2-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs.  Michael Cuddyer was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer (his fourth), a walk, and two runs.

Pitching star:  Scott Baker pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks and striking out six.

Opposition stars:  Brad Thomas pitched 3.2 scoreless innings of relief, giving up four hits and striking out one.  Austin Jackson was 3-for-5 with a triple and a double.  Miguel Cabrera was 2-for-3.  Brennan Boesch was 2-for-4 with a double.

The game:  The Twins took control of this one early.  With one out in the first, Orlando Hudson singled, Morneau walked, Jim Thome had an RBI single, and Cuddyer hit a three-run homer, giving the Twins a 4-0 lead.  In the second Ramos singled, Nick Punto walked, Span hit a two-run triple, and an RBI ground out made the score 7-0 Twins.

The Tigers tried to get back into it.  In the fourth Cabrera singled and scored from first on Boesch's double.  In the fifth Ramon Santiago walked, Jackson singled, a wild pitch moved them to second and third, and a pair of RBI ground outs made it 7-3.

That was as close as Detroit would come.  With one out in the fifth Cuddyer and Jason Kubel walked, Hardy had an RBI single, Ramos hit a run-scoring double, and Punto contributed a sacrifice fly, giving the Twins a 10-3 advantage.

The final Tigers run came in the ninth, when Santiago walked and scored on Jackson's two-out triple.

WP:  Baker (3-2).  LP:  Max Scherzer (1-2).  S:  None.

Notes:  This was the second game of Ramos' career.  With a 3-for-4 day, his batting average dropped from .800 to .778.  He was playing due to an injury to Joe Mauer.  He would play just seven games for the Twins, go back to AAA, and then be traded in late July with Joe Testa for Matt Capps.

Kubel was in left, with Cuddyer in right and Morneau at first base.  Morneau would be injured and miss the second half of the season, so the regular alignment would then be Cuddyer at first, Kubel in right, and Delmon Young in left.

Punto was still the regular third baseman, as Danny Valencia would not be called up for another month.

Morneau was leading the team in batting at .356.  He would be at .345 when he got hurt.  Cuddyer was batting .308.  He would finish at .271.  Hudson was batting .306.  He would finish at .268.

Scherzer lasted just 4.1 innings and allowed all ten runs on eight hits and four walks and struck out one.  He was just twenty-four, and in his second full season.  He was not what he would become, but he was still a solid pitcher already.  He went 12-11, 3.50, 1.25 WHIP in 2010.  By game scores, this would by far be the worst game he had this season.

Record:  The Twins were 17-9, in first place in the American League Central, 1.5 games ahead of Detroit.  They would finish 94-68, in first place, six games ahead of Chicago.

The Tigers were 16-11, in second place in the American League Central, 1.5 games behind Minnesota.  They would finish 81-81, in third place, thirteen games behind Minnesota.

Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 1982, Game Sixteen

SEATTLE 8, MINNESOTA 4 IN SEATTLE

Date:  Thursday, April 22.

Batting stars:  Gary Ward was 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs.  John Castino was 2-for-4.  Jim Eisenreich was 2-for-5 with two doubles.  Randy Johnson was 2-for-5 with a double.

Pitching star:  Fernando Arroyo pitched four innings of relief, giving up one run on four hits and four walks.  Bobby Castillo retired all five men he faced.

Opposition stars:  Mike Stanton pitched three shutout innings of relief, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Richie Zisk was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs, and two RBIs.  Jim Essian was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Manny Castillo was 2-for-5.

The game:  The Twins put two on with two out in the first, but nothing came of it.  They again put two on with two out in the third, as Bobby Mitchell doubled and scored on Ward's single.  Ward went to second on the throw to the plate and scored on a Kent Hrbek single to put the Twins up 2-0.

The lead lasted all the way to the bottom of the third.  Jim Essian led off with a single.  Singles by Julio Cruz and Castlllo loaded the bases.  Bruce Bochte walked to force home a run and Zisk's two-run double put the Mariners ahead.  An intentional walk reloaded the bases.  Al Cowens singled home a run and a walk to Joe Simpson brought home another.  Twins starter Pete Redfern came out of the game, but Arroyo gave up a two-run single to Essian before finally getting out of the inning.  It was 7-2 Seattle, and they would lead the rest of the way.

The Twins managed to not score in the fifth despite getting doubles from Eisenreich and Ward, as Eisenreich was only able to get to third on the Ward double.  They got one run in the sixth when Castino singled, went to second on a Lenny Faedo walk, and scored on Eisenreich's single.  They got one more in the seventh on walks to Ward and Hrbek and a single by Johnson, cutting the margin to 7-4.  The Mariners got one of the runs back in the bottom of the seventh when Zisk singled, Jim Maier walked, and Simpson delivered an RBI single.  That made it 8-4, and that's where it stayed.

WP:  Mike Moore (1-2).  LP:  Redfern (1-2).  S:  Stanton (3).

Notes:  Mitchell was in right field, as Tom Brunansky had not been brought to the majors yet.  Later in the season Mitchell would take over in center field because of the struggles of Eisenreich.

The Twins didn't really have a full-time DH.  Johnson played the most games there with 66.  Others to see significant time at DH were Jesus Vega (39),  Mickey Hatcher (29), Randy Bush (26), and Dave Engle (20).

Castino was a second baseman at this point, due to back trouble and to the presence of Gary Gaetti.

This was Redfern's last major league season.  He had been decent from 1979-1981, but in 1982 he was awful, going 5-11, 6.58, 1.83 WHIP.  It says much about the Twins pitching staff that he still made 13 starts and appeared in relief 14 times.

This would be Arroyo's last appearance as a Twin.  Despite pitching pretty well in this game, he had an ERA of 5.27 and a WHIP of 1.68 at this point.  He was released and claimed by Oakland, for whom he was not a lot better.  After this season he would make only one more major league appearance, for the Athletics in 1986.  He would walk all three batters he faced and be done in the majors for good.

The Twins went 5-for-14 with men in scoring position, but still stranded eleven men.

Hrbek was leading the team in batting at this stage of the season at .323.  Eisenreich was batting .321.

On the other end of the scale, Mitchell was batting .160 and Butch Wynegar was at .167.

Record:  The Twins were 6-10, in seventh (last) place in the American League West, five games behind Chicago.  They would finish 60-102, in seventh (last) place, thirty-three games behind California.

The Mariners were 7-9, in sixth place in the American League West, four games behind Chicago.  They would finish 76-86, in fourth place, seventeen games behind California.

Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 2004, Game Thirty-one

MINNESOTA 7, SEATTLE 6 IN MINNESOTA (11 INNINGS)

Date:  Tuesday, May 11.

Batting stars:  Luis Rivas was 3-for-5 with a triple and a double.  Doug Mientkiewicz was 3-for-6.  Cristian Guzman was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.  Torii Hunter was 1-for-2 with a two-run homer (his third), a walk, and a hit-by-pitch.

Pitching stars:  Carlos Silva pitched seven innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on eleven hits and no walks and striking out four.  Joe Roa pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits and a walk.  Aaron Fultz pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Joel Piniero pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk and striking out three.  Randy Winn was 3-for-5.  Dan Wilson was 3-for-5.  Jolbert Cabrera was 2-for-2 with a stolen base.  Rich Aurilia was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Scott Spiezio was 3-for-6 with a triple and three RBIs.  Bret Boone was 2-for-6.

The game:  It was actually a pitchers' duel most of the game.  In the top of the first Ichiro Suzuki reached on an error, went to second on Boone's single, and scored on an Edgar Martinez single to put the Mariners up 1-0.  The Twins tied it in the bottom of the first on singles by Guzman and Mientkiewicz and a ground out by Corey Koskie.

Seattle got a pair of one-out singles in the second, but it stayed tied until the fourth, when singles by Aurilia, Winn, and Spiezio put the Mariners up 2-1.  The Twins tied it in the sixth when Hunter homered to make it 2-2.

J. C. Romero came on to start the eighth.  John Olerud singles and was bunted to second.  Singles by Wilson, Winn, and Suzuki made it 4-2.  Roa then came on and gave up a two-run triple to Spiezio to give Seattle a 6-2 lead.

It looked bad for the Twins, but they came right back in the bottom of the eighth.  Bert Blyleven's favorite pitcher, Shigatoshi Hasegawa, came in to pitch.  Guzman and Mientkiewicz led off with singles, followed by walks to Michael Cuddyer and Hunter.  Mike Myers came in and hit Jacque Jones with a pitch, making the score 6-4.  J. J. Putz came in.  Lew Ford hit a sacrifice fly and with two out Rivas singled home the tying run.

Each team put two on with one out in the ninth, but the game went to extras.  In the bottom of the eleventh, Shannon Stewart walked and was bunted to second.  Mientkiewicz then delivered an RBI single to win the game for the Twins.

WP:  Fultz (1-1).  LP:  Ron Villone (3-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  Hunter was at DH, with Lew Ford in center field.  The Twins didn't really have a regular DH in 2004.  Jose Offerman had the most games there, with 39.  Matthew LeCroy had 30, Ford 26, Stewart 21, and a variety of others with eleven or fewer.

This was the year Joe Mauer was injured most of the season, so Henry Blanco was the regular catcher.

Corey Koskie started the game at third base but came out in the fourth inning, replaced by Cuddyer.  He apparently was injured, as he would not play again until May 27.

Michael Ryan pinch-ran for Hunter in the eighth.  Offerman pinch-hit for Blanco in the eighth.  LeCroy came in to catch in the ninth.

It was kind of a typical Sliva game--two runs, eleven hits, no walks.  He threw 104 pitches.

Romero was a good reliever most of the time in 2004, but he had a few major meltdowns, and this was one of them.  Four earned runs in one-third of an inning.  Roa didn't help him, obviously, but Romero didn't help himself, either.

The teams combined to strand twenty-three runners.  The Twins were 2-for-15 with men in scoring position.

Record:  The Twins were 18-13, tied for first in the American League Central with Chicago.  They would finish 92-70, in first place, nine games ahead of Chicago.

The Mariners were 12-20, in fourth (last) place in the American League West, 9.5 games behind Anaheim.  They would finish 63-99, in fourth (last) place, twenty-nine games behind Anaheim.

Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 1966, Game One Hundred Thirty

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 1, CHICAGO 0 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Saturday, August 27.

Batting stars:  Rich Rollins was 3-for-4.  Ted Uhlaender was 2-for-3.

Pitching star:  Jim Kaat pitched a complete game shutout, giving up three hits and two walks and striking out seven.

Opposition star:  Gary Peters pitched eight innings, giving up one run on eight hits and three walks and striking out five.

The game:  Rollins hit a one-out single in the second.  With two down, Bob Allison and Uhlaender hit back-to-back singles to bring home a run and put the Twins up 1-0.

And that was the only run there was.  The only real White Sox threat came in the second, when Jerry Adair and John Romano hit consecutive one-out singles.  Jim Hicks struck out and Lee Elia popped up, and Chicago did not get another hit the rest of the game.  They did get a pair of two-out walks in the seventh, but Hicks grounded out to end the inning.  The Twins got two on in the seventh and again in the eighth, but they did not score and Kaat made sure they didn't need to.

WP:  Kaat (20-9).  LP:  Peters (11-10).  S:  None.

Notes:  Cesar Tovar was at second base.  Bernie Allen is listed as the starting second baseman, but he only played eighty-nine games there compared to Tovar's seventy-four, so it looks like the two basically shared the position.  Of course, Tovar could play pretty much anywhere on the field.

Rollins was at third base with Harmon Killebrew at first.  The normal lineup was for Don Mincher to be at first and Killebrew at third.  It looks like the Twins essentially used a platoon, with Rollins at third and Killebrew at first against left-handers and Mincher at first and Killebrew at third against right-handers.

Tony Oliva was leading the team in batting at .314.  He would end the season at .307.

Kaat would finish the season 25-13, 2.75, 1.07 WHIP.  He led the league in wins, starts (41), complete games (19), and innings (304.2).  Had there been separate AL and NL Cy Young Awards back then, he surely would've been in the running.  As it was, though, there was only one Cy Young Award, and it went to Sandy Koufax, who was 27-9, 1.73, 0.99 WHIP and had 27 complete games.

Remarkably, Kaat had only three no-decisions all year.

I wonder when the last time was someone had twenty wins before September.  Bob Welch in 1990 comes to mind, but there certainly may have been someone since then.

The Twins stranded ten men and went 1-for-9 with men in scoring position.

The Twins had nine hits and Chicago had three.  All the hits were singles.

Record:  The Twins were 69-61, in third place in the American League, fourteen games behind Baltimore.  They would finish 89-73, in second place, nine games behind Baltimore.

The White Sox were 66-64, in sixth place in the American League, seventeen games behind Baltimore.  They would finish 83-79, in fourth place, fifteen games behind Baltimore.

Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 2010, Game Forty

3 Comments

BOSTON 3, MINNESOTA 2 IN BOSTON

Date:  Wednesday, May 19.

Batting star:  Denard Span was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Scott Baker pitched six innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and and one walk and striking out four.  Brian Duensing retired all four men he faced, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Clay Buchholz pitched eight innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk and striking out seven.  Adrian Beltre was 2-for-4.  Victor Martinez was 2-for-4.  David Ortiz was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his eighth.

The game:  The Red Sox put two in the first, but other than that there were no threats until the fourth.  Span led off the top of the fourth with a double and scored on Joe Mauer's one-out double.  In the bottom of the inning, however, Martinez singled and Ortiz hit a two-out two-run homer to put Boston up 2-1.

In the sixth, the first two Red Sox were retired.  But then Beltre, Jeremy Hermida, and Bill Hall hit consecutive singles to give Boston a 3-1 lead.

The Twins tried to rally in the ninth.  Span led off with an infield single, went to second on defensive indifference, and scored on a pair of ground outs to cut the lead to 3-2.  Justin Morneau then walked and Michael Cuddyer singled, moving the tying run to second base with Jim Thome up to bat.  The dramatic ending fizzled, though, as Thome grounded to second and the game was over.

WP:  Buchholz (5-3).  LP:  Baker (4-4).  S:  Daniel Bard (1).

Notes:  Brendan Harris was at shortstop in place of the injured J. J. Hardy.  Nick Punto was holding down third base, as Danny Valencia had not yet been called up from AAA.  Jason Kubel was in left and Cuddyer in right, with Delmon Young on the bench.

Morneau was leading the team in batting at .365.  He would finish at .345, but would have his season cut short in early July due to injury.  Mauer was batting .356.  He would finish the season at .327.

Boston's closer was Jonathan Papelbon, but as he had pitched in two consecutive games, Bard was asked to come in and close.  This was one of only three saves he had in 2010 and one of only five he had in his career.  He was a solid reliever from 2009-2011, but then developed injury problems, and despite repeated comeback attempts he was never effective again.  His brother, Luke Bard, was a Twins farmhand.

Record:  The Twins were 24-16, in first place in the American League Central, one game ahead of Detroit.  They would finish 94-68, in first place, six games ahead of Chicago.

The Red Sox were 21-20, in fourth place in the American League East, 8.5 games behind Tampa Bay.  They would finish 89-73, in third place, seven games behind Tampa Bay.

Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 2013, Game Forty-one

6 Comments

ATLANTA 5, MINNESOTA 1 IN ATLANTA

Date:  Monday, May 20.

Batting stars:  Justin Morneau was 2-for-4.  Josh Willingham was 1-for-3 with a home run, his sixth.

Pitching stars:  Ryan Pressley pitched two shutout innings, giving up a walk and striking out one.  Caleb Thielbar struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Julio Teheran pitched 8.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk and striking out four.  Juan Francisco was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Justin Upton was 2-for-4.  Dan Uggla was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer, his eighth.

The game:  With one out in the bottom of the first, the Braves got consecutive singles from Jason Heyward, Upton, and Freddie Freeman to go ahead 1-0.  Gerald Laird flied out, but Uggla hit a three-run homer to put Atlanta up 4-0.

The game was basically over at that point, but of course they played it out.  The Twins put two on with one out in the fourth but did not score.  In the fifth, Francisco doubled and Melvin Upton walked.  A bunt moved them to second and third and Andrelton Simmons hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0 Braves.

The Twins got on the board in the ninth when Willingham hit a home run.  They tried to get back into it, getting one-out singles from Trevor Plouffe and Chris Parmelee, but a pair of fly balls ended the game.

WP:  Teheran (3-1).  LP:  Kevin Correia (4-4).  S:  Cody Gearrin.

Notes:  The Twins used pretty much their standard lineup, without a DH because they were in Atlanta.  Wilkin Ramirez pinch-hit for Correia in the fifth.  Eduardo Escobar went into the game at shorstop in the seventh, replacing Pedro Florimon as part of a double switch.  Ryan Doumit pinch-hit for Thielbar in the ninth.  Oswaldo Arcia pinch-hit for Aaron Hicks in the ninth.

Joe Mauer was batting .333.  He would finish at .324.  Justin Morneau was batting .304.  He would finish at .259.  He would also finish in Pittsburgh, as he was traded at the August deadline for Alex Presley and a player to be named later (Duke Welker).  Not one of the Twins' best trades.

Aaron Hicks was batting .144 at this point.  As you probably remember, the Twins had traded Denard Span during the off-season and handed the job to the twenty-three-year-old Hicks on the strength of a good year in AA.  He clearly wasn't ready, although he did improve his average to .192 by the end of the season.

Correia settled down after the first inning, but still allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk in four innings.  He did not strike out anyone.

Parmelee is listed as the starting right fielder in 2013, but he played just sixty-eight games there.  Doumit, Arcia, and Chris Herrmann also saw significant time in right field.

Record:  The Twins were 18-23, in fifth (last) place in the American League Central, seven games behind Cleveland.  They would finish 66-96, in fourth place, twenty-seven games behind Detroit.

The Braves were 26-18, in first place in the National League East, 3.5 games ahead of Washington.  They would finish 96-66, in first place, ten games ahead of Washington.

Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 1976, Game One Hundred Twenty-four

2 Comments

MINNESOTA 6, DETROIT 4 IN DETROIT (12 INNINGS)

Date:  Sunday, August 22.

Batting stars:  Mike Cubbage was 3-for-5 with a home run (his second), a walk, and two RBIs.  Lyman Bostock was 3-for-6 with a double, two runs, and two RBIs.  Rod Carew was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Butch Wynegar was 2-for-6 with a double.  Larry Hisle was 2-for-6.

Pitching stars:  Dave Goltz pitched eight innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits and five walks and striking out one.  Tom Johnson pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Bill Campbell struck out three in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Vern Ruhle pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on nine hits and a walk and striking out four.  Rusty Staub was 2-for-5 with a double, a walk, and a stolen base (his third).  Ron LeFlore was 2-for-6 with a double.

The game:  With two out in the first, the Twins got consecutive singles from Carew, Wynegar, and Bostock to take a 1-0 lead.  It stayed that way, with no particular threats, until the bottom of the fifth.  With one out, Mark Wagner singled, Chuck Scrivener reached on an error, LeFlore singled home a run, and Ben Oglivie delivered a two-out two-run single to put the Tigers up 3-1.

The Twins got one back in the sixth on singles by Carew, Bostock, and Hisle.  They tied it in the seventh on singles by Steve Braun and Roy Smalley and Carew's sacrifice fly.  Cubbage homered in the eight to give the Twins a 4-3 advantage, but the Tigers tied it back up in the bottom of the eighth.  Staub led off with a double, Aurelio Rodriguez drew a one-out walk, and Bill Freehan singled to load the bases.  Alex Johnson hit a sacrifice fly, but that was all Detroit could do.

The Twins put men on first and second in both the ninth and tenth.  The Tigers put men on first and second in the tenth and got a one-out double in the eleventh.  Then came the twelfth.  Wynegar and Bostock led off with consecutive doubles and Cubbage contributed an RBI single to give the Twins a 6-4 lead.  The Tigers went down in order on three ground balls and the Twins had the win.

WP:  Campbell (13-3).  LP:  John Hiller (11-7).  S:  None.

Notes:  Braun was the DH and batted leadoff.  I'd forgotten this, but Braun was often used as the leadoff batter that year, batting first sixty-two times.

Tony Oliva pinch-hit for second baseman Bobby Randall in the seventh.  It was his last season and he was used primarily as a pinch-hitter, getting an occasional start at DH.  Jerry Terrell went in to play second base in the bottom of the seventh.

Steve Brye went to right field to replace Dan Ford in the tenth.  Ford had doubled in the top of the inning--perhaps he tweaked something running the bases.  He would not miss any games.

Craig Kusick pinch-hit for Braun in the eleventh.

Carew was batting .322 after this game.  He would end the season at .331.  Bostock was batting .321.  He would end the season at .323.

This was the year Campbell won seventeen games, all out of the bullpen.  He would become a free agent and sign with Boston.  His "closer" role would be filled by Johnson, who would win sixteen games, all out of the bullpen, the next year.

Goltz was the Twins' ace, to the extent they had one, at this point of the season.  Bert Blyleven had started the season with the Twins, but had been traded to Texas by this point.  Goltz had a pretty good year, going 14-14, 3.36, 1.32 WHIP.  He would win twenty games for the only time in his career in the following season.

Record:  The Twins were 62-62, in third place in the American League West, fourteen games behind Kansas City.  They would finish 85-77, still in third place, but just five games behind Kansas City.

Detroit was 58-64, in fourth place in the American League East, fifteen games behind New York.  They would finish 74-87, in fifth place, twenty-four games behind New York.

Keeping Track

Random Rewind: 1988, Game One Hundred Fourteen

3 Comments

NEW YORK 6, MINNESOTA 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, August 12.

Batting stars:  Kirby Puckett was 3-for-5 with a home run, his seventeenth.  Brian Harper was 3-for-5.  Greg Gagne was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Randy Bush was 1-for-2 with a two-run homer, his twelfth.

Pitching star:  Charlie Lea pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  Tommy John pitched 5.1 innings, giving up one run on eight hits and three walks and striking out three.  Rickey Henderson was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and three stolen bases (his sixty-fifth, sixty-sixth, and sixty-seventh).  Rafael Santana was 2-for-4.  Ken Phelps was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer, his seventeenth.

The game:  Each team missed a chance in the first.  The Yankees put men on first and third with one out and the Twins had men on first and second with two out, but no one scored.  In the third Henderson had a one-out single, Don Mattingly drew a two-out walk, and Phelps hit a three-run homer, putting New York up 3-0.  The Twins opened the fourth with two singles, but a double play took them out of the inning.  They had men on first and third with two out in the fifth, but again could not score.

The Twins finally got on the board in the sixth.  With one out, Kent Hrbek walked, Gene Larkin singled, and John Christensen delivered an RBI double to make it 3-1.  There were still men on second and third with one out, but there they stayed.  Maybe they're still there, I don't know.  Puckett homered in the seventh to cut the lead to 3-2.  With two out in the eighth, Gagne singled and Bush hit a two-run homer, putting the Twins ahead 4-3.

Juan Berenguer, who had come in to start the eighth, remained in to start the ninth.  He retired Mike Pagliarulo on a fly ball, but walked Don Slaught.  That brought in Jeff Reardon.  He gave up consecutive singles to Jack Clark, Santana, Henderson, and Claudell Washington, putting the Yankees back in front 6-4.  The Twins didn't quit.  In the bottom of the ninth, Harper and Puckett singled.  Gary Gaetti was caught looking, but Hrbek walked to load the bases with one out.  But Larkin hit into a double play and the game was over.

WP:  Steve Shields (3-3).  LP;  Reardon (0-4).  S:  Dave Righetti (18).

Notes:  Tim Laudner was still the primary catcher in 1988, with Harper as his backup.  Christensen was in right field, where Bush had become the regular after the trade of Tom Brunansky.  Al Newman was at second base in place of the injured Tom Herr.

Bush pinch-hit for Newman in the sixth.  Steve Lombardozzi went to second base, with Bush going to right field.  Mark Davidson replaced Bush in right field in the ninth.  John Moses pinch-ran for Hrbek in the ninth.

I guess the Tom Kelly Twins were quite capable of blowing leads to the Yankees, too.

There are some names up there that I hadn't thought of for a long time outside of their birthday posts.

This was Lea's only season as a Twin, and the last season of his career.  He did okay in this game, but overall was not very good in this season, going 7-7, 4.85, 1.59 WHIP.  He'd been a fine pitcher for Montreal from 1982-1984, but he missed two seasons with injuries and was never the same pitcher again.

This was Christensen's third game as a Twin.  He went 1-for-3, making him 3-for-7 (.429).  For the season he was 10-for-38 (.263).  This would be his last major league season.

Other than Christensen, the best batting average among players who played in this game was .355 by Puckett.  The best OPS was Harper at .920, with Puckett right behind at .914,  Gary Gaetti at .902, and Hrbek at .892.

The Yankees used three pitchers in the ninth inning.  Shields started the inning and gave up the two singles.  Neil Allen came in and struck out Gaetti.  Righetti then came in to close it out.

Record:  The Twins were 64-50, in second place in the American League West, 8.5 games behind Oakland.  They would finish 91-71, in second place, thirteen games behind Oakland.

New York was 63-49, in third place in the American League East, four games behind Detroit.  They would finish 85-76, in fifth place, 3.5 games behind Boston.