Tag: Minnesota Twins

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MLB General

The Full Count: Jake Peavy makes his Cy Young case


1. King of the Hill: Jake Peavy faced Rich Hill in a promising pitching matchup on Tuesday. But this one wasn’t close, as Hill continued his recent struggles while Peavy kept his major league leading ERA. Hill allowed five runs in six innings, the third start in a row he’s given up four or more runs. He allowed four homeruns to the Padres, all of them solo. Meanwhile, Peavy gave up just one run to improve to 6-1 with a 1.63 ERA. If the season ended right now, he would win the Cy Young in a landslide. On offense, Adrian Gonzalez hit his 11th homer and Mike Cameron hit two out to triple his season total. The Padres are just a half game back of the Dodgers now.

2. Twin Powers: The Twins’ three best players–Johan Santana, Justin Morneau, and Torii Hunter–all dominated in a 7-1 win over the Rangers. Santana had one of his best starts of the season, with 13 strikeouts and one run allowed in seven innings. He only surrendered a homer to Sammy Sosa, who now has 598 on his career. Morneau powered the offense with two homers, five RBIs, and three hits. With 13 homers, he is now second only to A-Rod in the AL in that category. Torii Hunter also continued his recent hot streak, with another homer and two ribbies. In his last nine games, Hunter has 5 homers and 17 RBIs. The Rangers, followed up back-to-back 14-run outings with 18 strikeouts on offense.

3. Youth over experience: For the second time in six days, Tim Lincecum of the Giants took on Roy Oswalt of the Astros. Last time, both pitchers were even and the game was decided in extras. On Tuesday, Lincecum got the better of the two-time All Star. Lincecum pitched a career-high eight innings and gave up two runs, lowering his ERA to 3.08. After a poor debut, Lincecum has made three straight quality starts. Oswalt gave up four runs in the loss but is still 6-3. Also worth noting for the Giants is how Barry Bonds has completely struggled lately. Since his last homer on May 8, he has no RBIs, just 5 hits, and a .191 slugging percentage. His OPS has fallen from 1.311 to 1.121, though that’s still good enough to lead the NL.

Player of the Day: Kyle Davies, Braves: 8 innings, 1 run, and three RBIs in an 8-1 win over the Mets.

Stat of the Day: After only recording three RBIs in the first 32 games this year, Felipe Lopez of the Nationals has 13 RBIs in his last 13 games, including a 6-RBI effort on Tuesday in a win over Cincinnati.

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Minnesota Twins

Torii Hunter takes a pitch to the choppers

Anybody who has played baseball at any level has probably felt the pain of a fastball shot to the body. And for an unlucky few of you out there, you’ve even felt the sting of a ball to the head. Well, add Minnesota outfielder Torii Hunter to that list.

In the second inning of yesterday’s game against the Royals Hunter took a nasty pitch to face from Zack Greinke. For a second it looks like Hunter is ready to rumble over the beaning but as he heads to the mound the pain must have reached the neurons and receptors in his brain and he did a pretty little pirouette before dropping to his hands and knees. It was all very Wile E. Coyote-ish. But Hunter shook it off and walked off the field under his own power before getting three stitches to repair a cut on the left side of his mouth. Are you learning anything from this, D-Wade?


Bonus photo of Torii Hunter after the doctor stitched him up afterr the jump.

Continue reading “Torii Hunter takes a pitch to the choppers”
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College Football

Odds and Ends: Florida Gators boosters are doing a poor job


You’d think that a national football and college basketball championship would have the Florida boosters in fine form. But this story about a robbery is an excellent example of how they are just dropping the ball:


On Saturday, a UF student was taking kegs out of his truck when [five] men approached him. One 6-foot-4, 280-pound man attempted to steal his keg, cutting his neck in the process, according to the report. The cut was 5 to 6 inches long, the report states, and it appeared to be the result of a fingernail or ring.

The suspect was a Gator football player who had to be restrained from attacking the victim a few times by four of his teammates. Look at the travesty here. Why does a Florida Gator football player feel the need to rob a man of his keg? Shouldn’t the football players have unlimited access to the local beer distributor? After all, they are champions! For shame, Gator boosters, for shame. (Hat tip: Loserwith socks)

In other news…

[Fish stripes]: Dontrelle Willis pitches as his wife prepares to give birth

[Deseret News]: Andrei Kirilenko and Jerry Sloan just lost in translation

[Ben Maller]: Tigers Sean Casey comes home from a road trip to find his car on cinder blocks at the airport

[The Offside]: A book sheds more light (eccchhhh) on Wayne Rooney nailing a 48 year old grandmother/prostitute

[Can’t Stop the Bleeding]: Toriiiiii Hunter almost suspended three years for giving champagne

[Lopez@Large]: Yao Ming needs a strong postseason to define his legacy

[WBRS Sports]: The Orioles to offer groupies free mustache ride

And finally, if the Kansas City Royals adopted the My Name is Earl scratch and sniff episode promotion, would it just smell like garbage?

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MLB General

Oct 24 in Sports History: Albert Belle goes storm chasing



Be verrrry quiet, I’m hunting reporters

In 1995: Albert “Don’t call me Joey” Belle, who had his own legacy of douche baggery, went on a pre-game tirade and chased NBC reporter Hannah Storm out of the Indians dugout. He was fined $50,000. Belle, who was one of the best sluggers of the 90’s, was more well-known for drilling a fan in the chest with a baseball, being suspended for seven games for using a corked bat, chasing kids down for egging his house, throwing another baseball at a photographer, and being suspended for three games for chucking an elbow at tiny Fernando Vina for standing in the base path. Other than that he was a pretty class guy.

In 1972: Almost exactly 27 years to the day he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson died of heart disease at the age of 53. Robinson was the first black player in the 20th Century, and he played his first game in 1947. In 1997, his number was retired throughout baseball by Commissioner Bud Selig and in 2001, April 15 (the day of his debut) was declared “Jackie Robinson Day.”

In 1987: The Minnesota Twins, powered by a Kent Hrbek grand slam, overcame a 5-2 deficit and defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 11-6 to tie the World Series at three games apiece. It was the last afternoon game ever played in a World Series. Each home team won all seven games, with the Twins winning their first ever title.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Twins win the AL Central


1. Center of attention: After a season of leading the AL Central division, the Tigers couldn’t keep their lead on the last day of the season. They fell in extra innings to the Royals while the Twins won to take the division. Detroit was winning 6-0 in the third inning but couldn’t keep their lead, even against the awful Royals offense. The game was tied 8-8 heading into extra innings, when the Tigers decided to send in starter Kenny Rogers. This seems like a stupid decision to us, and it backfired when Rogers allowed the game-winning runs. Detroit lost to finish the year at 95-67. Meanwhile, the Twins ousted the White Sox 5-1 to take the division title. They finished with a 96-66 record, and their players had numerous achievements. Joe Mauer went 2-4 and won the AL batting title at .347. He became the first catcher ever to win the title. Johan Santana, though he didn’t pitch yesterday, finished as the American League leader in wins, strikeouts, and ERA to take the Triple Crown. He led virtually every pitching category there is. And Justin Morneau, the sudden MVP candidate, hit an RBI in the finale to finish with a robust 130. The Twins roll into the playoffs.

2. Backing in: The St. Louis Cardinals lost but still clinched the NL Central division for the third year in a row. Though the Brewers beat them 5-3 and they finished at a middling 83-78. They lost 9 of their last 12 games and will be the coldest team entering the postseason. This is almost the opposite of the past two years, when the team finished with over 100 wins each year. But they’ll still make the postseason, and Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter have played like MVP and Cy Young candidates again. Pujols posted career-best numbers in homeruns (49) and RBIs (137), while Carpenter was second in the league in ERA. They’ve been the only real reasons this team is even close to the playoffs.

3. 1-2 punch: Remember how alarmingly awful the NL West division was last year? The Padres barely finished with a winning record yet still made the playoffs. But this year, this division is home to the Wild Card winner as well and both teams look dangerous. The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers both finished at 88-74, and both will make the postseason. Both teams are among the hottest in baseball, and both won yesterday. The Padres won their second straight West title because of a tiebreaker: they went 13-5 against the Dodgers this season. The Padres seemingly have their number, and that will come in handy if the teams face each other in the NLCS.

4. Not this year: The Astros had made the playoffs for two straight seasons, making an incredible run at the end of each year. This year, they played like animals in September once again. But they won’t be seeing any more postseason play. Houston lost to the Braves two out of three times over the weekend, ending their aspirations of overtaking the Cardinals. John Smoltz’s 16th win yesterday actually tied him for the National League lead. Six pitchers have that exact amount, which is one of the lowest league-leading totals ever. Anyway, the Stros are out of October play this year.

5. Matchups: Here are the playoff matchups, as finalized yesterday. In the American League, the Twins play the A’s and the Tigers face the Yankees. In the National League, the Mets take on the Dodgers while the Cardinals and Padres face off. This should make for a wildly entertaining postseason.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Only the Loney can play



9 RBI day

1. The “Lone” Leader: The Los Angeles Dodgers, simply put, are on a roll. With another win yesterday, they increased their Wild Card lead to two games over the Phillies. With just three games left to go in the season, that is huge. Thursday’s win over the Rockies was, well, unique. LA won 19-11 in the highest scoring game the majors has seen this season. Their win was prompted by a previously unheard-of name: James Loney. Loney drove in a team-record 9 RBIs, more than anyone in a single game this season. He broke the NL rookie record for single game RBIs. Loney hit two homeruns, a grand slam and a two-run shot, as well as a two-run double. His efforts gave the Dodgers their 15th win in 19 games against the Rockies this season. Taking away those games, this team is only .500.

2. Twin Leaders: The Minnesota Twins, who have been so good the second half of the season, have done what once seemed impossible. They tied the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central division lead. The Tigers, once easily the best team in baseball, have fallen off while the Twins have won game after game. Two months ago on this day the Twins were 10.5 games back while the Tigers were in command. But since that date Detroit has gone 25-31 while the Twins have posted a 36-21 record. Yesterday the Tigers fell 8-6 to the Blue Jays as Kenny Rogers had his worst start in a month. But the Twins, fueled by a ninth-inning homerun by Joe Mauer to tie it up, won in extras against the Royals. That handed Kansas City its 100th loss of the season. The Devil Rays are the only other team that mathematically can reach that mark.

3. It’s getting closer: The St. Louis Cardinals need a wake-up call. The team has virtually wrapped up the division title by mid-September, but with a bevy of losses lately they’ve forfeited this lead. They lost again yesterday, and they only have a half-game lead over the Astros, who have won nine games in a row. They lost 9-4 to the pitiful Brewers yesterday, with Jason Marquis’ ERA increasing to over 6.00. This team needs to win their next three games, all against Milwaukee, or they’ll be in big trouble.

4. SD keeps their lead: The Padres needed a win to avoid a tie at the top of their division, and they got it. San Diego beat Arizona 12-4, keeping their one-game lead. Their offense got three homers and Jake Peavy struck out 7.

5. Pedro out for the year: First it was the toe, then it was the hip, then it was the right calf. And now, finally the left calf is the injury that will keep Pedro Martinez out of the postseason. He has a torn tendon in his left calf that does not require surgery but will keep him out of the lineup for the playoffs.

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MLB General

The Full Count: The Cardinals pull one out

Pujols for MVP?

1. A season-saving homerun?: The Cardinals looked like they were done. They came into yesterday’s game having lost seven in row, and it looked like they were going to end up losers once again. San Diego starter Chris Young had pitched excellently and the Padres got out to a 2-1 lead through seven innings. But no lead is safe when your opponent has Albert Pujols in the lineup. Pujols jacked a three-run homerun in the eighth to lift the Cardinals 4-3. Not only did this win the game, it might have saved the season for the previously reeling Cardinals. Now St. Louis has kept their 1.5 game lead with 5 games left to play. The Padres gave up some ground in the division to the Dodgers.
 

2. Untouchable: The Houston Astros, who seemed all but out of the playoff hunt a week ago, seemingly decided to start winning. There is no other explanation for their incredible 8 game winning streak. Though the Cardinals finally won, the `Stros kept their streak going yesterday. They defeated the hapless Pirates in 15 innings. Somehow Houston has a knack for playing (and winning) long games like these. They did it again, though even getting to extras was difficult this time around. Houston was down 6-1 after five innings but then rallied back to tie up the game. Brad Ausmus’ sac fly in the 15th sealed the deal. There is a negative consequence to playing all these long games like the Astros have. Their pitching staff has pitched the most innings among every major league team, meaning they might seem more fatigued than some of the other teams as Houston heads down the stretch.
 

3. Extra! Extra!: The Houston game wasn’t the only extra-inning game involving playoff contenders yesterday. The Phillies and Nationals couldn’t decide their game after nine innings either. They ended up going a whopping 14 innings, and Philly ended up winning. The Wild Card contenders won 8-7 as their offense looked excellent. Jimmy Rollins, perhaps the most underrated shortstop in baseball, went 3-8 with 4 RBIs, including the game winner. Chase Utley hit a homerun early on, and leads all second basemen with 32 homers and 102 RBIs on the year. The Phils currently stand one game behind the Wild Card-leading Dodgers.
 

4. Central Supremacy: The race for the Central between the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins is the only important thing going on in the AL. Detroit was one game back heading into Wednesday, and they remain that way after both teams lost yesterday. The Tigers lost to the Blue Jays 7-4 in a game that featured seven combined homers by both teams. Meanwhile, the Twins fell to the pitiful Royals, who barely avoided their 100th loss of the season. The second and third best teams in baseball by record won’t play each other the rest of the season. The Tigers have one game left against the Blue Jays and a three-game set with the Royals. The Twins will face the Royals again and then the White Sox for three. And all of this, by the way, is just a race to see who will play the Yankees (wild card winner) or the A’s (division winner).
 

5. Bonds will be back: To the surprise of few, Barry Bonds announced that he’ll play in the 2007 season. Bonds has hit 26 homeruns this season to move him within 21 of Hank Aaron’s prestigious record. He should break that record next year if he could avoid a major injury. The big question is which team Bonds will play for. Of course right now Bonds is acting like he’ll stay with the Giants, but everyone thinks that he’ll end up as a DH for an American League team, likely the A’s or Angels.

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MLB General

The Full Count: A’s finally clinch


1. All in: In the National League only one team has clinched a playoff berth. But in the AL, all four playoff teams are already in. They are the Yankees, Tigers, Twins, and after last night, the A’s. Oakland won 12-3 against Seattle to finally clinch the AL West after four days of trying. Rich Harden pitched well and improved to 4-0 this year. Harden, who has been injured most of the year, will certainly help the A’s in the playoffs. So the A’s, at 91-66, are in. That means that the Angels are outta here. Anaheim/LA had made a remarkable comeback after starting off the year in last place. They were just unable to hold off the superior A’s.

2. They just can’t win: The Cardinals have looked absolutely horrendous this past week. While all they’ve needed to do is just cruise and win half their games to make the playoffs, the Cards have lost 7 in a row. Yesterday was seemingly a good situation for a St. Louis victory, with Cy Young candidate Chris Carpenter on the mound. But Carpenter blew a three-run lead in the seventh in what was his worst outing of the month. The opposing Padres took advantage by winning 7-5 and keeping their two-game lead in the NL West. If the Cardinals can’t win, the Astros will be more than happy to take their division title. Houston has won seven in a row.

3. Chase for the title: The Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers are both in the playoffs already. But they both are continuing to win in the quest for the AL Central title. Each team has won 4 games in a row, including yesterday. The Tigers handled the Blue Jays by a count of 4-3, with Jeremy Bonderman earning his 14th victory. Detroit stands at 95-62. Meanwhile, the Twins edged the Royals 3-2. Johan Santana went eight innings to advance to 19-6. He maintains the lead in each Pitching Triple Crown category, and currently would be leading the National League as well. The Twins are just one game back at 94-63.

4. Great player, extraordinary season: David Ortiz is having one of the best unaided seasons of our era. Ortiz, despite the Red Sox’s elimination from playoff contention, is still mashing the ball. He has 5 homers in the past week alone, and 54 on the season. He leads the AL in homers and RBIs, with 137. He manages to get on-base at a .407 clip despite the infamous “Ortiz shift” by the opposing team. Just so you know, he’s recorded the 18th-most homers of any player ever in a single-season, though taking out the clear roiders he’s in the top 10. Will this be enough for an MVP? Somehow, probably not.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Twins in, White Sox out


1. Twins are in: The Minnesota Twins became the third AL team to clinch a playoff berth. With an 8-1 victory over the Royals, they secured at least the Wild Card title. They could still win the overall division title, though that really wouldn’t do much for them. The 93-63 Twins continue to win even with injuries to stud starters Francisco Liriano and Brad Radke. That’s because of a dominant Johan Santana, a resurgent offense, and a capable bullpen. Joe Nathan has been the most underrated closer in baseball this season, with 35 saves, 6 wins, and a 1.65 ERA. On offense, players like Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau have been getting most of the attention, and they deserve it. But Torri Hunter and Michael Cuddyer have really stepped up the second half. Cuddyer in fact is having the most unknown 100-RBI season in baseball this year, while Hunter is having a career best season with 30 and 95. It’s all the little pieces that keep the Twins going and that make them the most dangerous team heading into the playoffs.

2. Unable to defend: The White Sox have gone from the best team in baseball to completely out of the playoff race. The Twins’ clinching of a spot yesterday meant that the ChiSox were eliminated from postseason contention. They got blown out 14-1 by the Indians in their final meaningful game of the season. The White Sox’s downfall was starting pitching. Contreras, Buehrle, Garcia, and Garland have all gone from ERA’s in the 3s last year to plus-4 ERA’s this season. While their offense has been one of the best in baseball, that hasn’t been enough to produce wins down the stretch. The team’s collapse even cost Jermaine Dye an MVP award. Expect to see a vastly different White Sox team take the field next season.

3. It’s not over–yet: Amazingly, the Houston Astros are still in the playoff hunt. After beating the Phillies yesterday in the opener of a pivotal series, the Astros improved to .500 for the first time in a long time. At 78-78, they are 2.5 games back from the division-leading Cardinals. Compare this to about a week ago, when they trailed the Cards by 8.5. Winning the division is about their only hope of making the playoffs, as they still trail by four games in the Wild Card hunt. Keep an eye on the Astros, but don’t expect much from this inconsistent team.

4. Will you win already?: The A’s have been sitting around with a magic number of 2 for the last few games. They have lost three in a row while the barely-alive Angels have won three in a row, meaning they still have to win to get in. While Oakland will still make the postseason barring an improbable collapse, it’s never good to be terrible at the end of the regular season. They allowed 21 hits yesterday in a 10-9 loss to Seattle. The Angels beat the Rangers, but are still five games back.

5. Junior ties Reggie: Ken Griffey Jr. tied Reggie Jackson at #10 on the all time HR list with three run pinch-hit dinger. At 563, he needs another 7 to pass Rafael Palmeiro for 9th place. The Reds have been out of the playoff race for some time now but it’s good to see Griffey reinforcing his stature as a Hall of Fame player.

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MLB General

The Full Count: NL Wildcard race is coming down to the wire



Phils try to sneak in

1. Still up for Grabs: While the Twins or Tigers have the American League Wild Card wrapped up, the National League’s Wild Card is still wide open. San Francisco, Atlanta, and Florida are all within striking distance, but really it is down to three teams: the Padres, Dodgers, and Phillies. Two of those teams will make the playoffs, as one will win the NL West, but the other will have to go home. Yesterday the Dodgers and Padres played while the Phillies were off. The Dodgers won 5-2 over the Pirates to put the pressure on the Phils with a half-game lead. Takashi Saito, LA’s unknown closer, saved his 20th game of the season and has only blown two. With 10 games left in the season and the Phils and Dodgers virtually tied, this race will come down to the finish line.

2. You shall not pass: The Minnesota Twins could have taken the AL Central lead last night. With a Tigers loss and Johan Santana on the mound, it seemed like they might have a good chance of doing so. But the Boston Red Sox, who are out of contention, outplayed them in every way. David Ortiz hit two homers, no. 51 and 52 on the season, and went 3-3 to lead the charge. Santana just lasted five innings, allowing four runs but only two earned. The unearned runs were off of Johan’s own throwing error. He was hit with his first loss since the All Star break, but is still 18-6 with a 2.79 ERA. The Twins offense could muster nothing against Josh Beckett on the night, and the team fell 6-0.

3. Leading but not leading: The San Diego Padres are still leading their division by a half-game. But their most important player is just shy of another lead. Trevor Hoffman saved his 41st game of the season last night, putting him within one of Lee Smith’s all time saves record. He has 477 career saves and should break the record by the time the season is over. Would that make Hoffman a Hall of Famer, even though Smith isn’t? He should make it in, though he probably won’t. By the way, the rest of San Diego’s schedule looks like this: Pittsburgh at home, then St. Louis and Arizona on the road.

4. An Underrated Player: At 5.5 games out of the Wild Card race, there is little chance Houston will make the playoffs. But the accomplishments of one player are worth stating. That player is Lance Berkman, and he has received little attention despite a monstrous campaign. Yesterday he hit two homers and four RBIs to single-handedly beat the Cardinals. This is nothing new to Berkman, who has carried the Astros offense the entire season. Berk’s hitting .315, with 43 homers and 126 RBIs. His OPS of 1.049 ranks third in the league. And, due to an outrageous number of walks, he’s done this in just 498 at-bats. What an incredible player. If Berkman played for a contending team, people might realize he’s been just as good with the bat this season as Albert Pujols.

5. The Race for #30: The playoff races are interesting as always this year. But how about this: the Devil Rays and Royals are tied for the honor of worst MLB team. While Kansas City seemingly had this wrapped up months ago, the D-Rays have fallen after a 1-9 skid. The Royals have been outscored 708-900, while the D-Rays are slightly better with a 647-808 margin. Both teams stand at 58-94, and both will likely reach 100 losses. With either of these franchises ever succeed? It’s hard to imagine a turnaround, though this year’s Tigers proved that is possible.