Tag: Minnesota Twins

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MLB General

The Full Count: Yankees show em who’s boss


1. One-sided rivalry: Everyone said the Yankees-Red Sox series would tell us a lot about where these two clubs stand. And it has. The Yankees are clearly much better than the Red Sox. New York over Boston was the result all weekend as the Yankees won 4 games in 3 days. This series has showed just how good the Bronx Bombers are: they have scored 47 runs in the four games, including three double-digit games to get the series rolling. Last night the result was 8-5 in 10 innings of Sunday Night Baseball, and the game was decided by their bullpens rather than the Schilling-Mussina pitching matchup. Derek Jeter hit an RBI single off Jonathan Papelbon in the 9th to tie up the game, while Jason Giambi and Jorge Posada homered in the 10th to win the game. Giambi’s homer gave him 2 on the day as he drove in 5 runs. David Ortiz hit his 44th homer of the season for the Red Sox and Manny Ramirez hit his 100th RBI. But it wasn’t enough as the Yankees extended their divisional lead to 5.5 games.

2. The wins keep on comin’: If Roy Halladay can do anything, it’s win ballgames. While no NL pitcher has even won 14 games, Halladay captured his 16th of the year yesterday. He was perfect through five innings but eventually allowed two runs as the Blue Jays defeated the Orioles. He is now 16-3 on the season, giving him a league-leading win percentage in addition to his second-best WHIP and innings pitched totals. Could Halladay win 20 games and a Cy Young? He’ll have to defeat this next guy to do that:

3. It’s easy to be dominant: Or at least it is for Johan Santana. The pitcher won his 6th consecutive decision last night as the Twins beat up on the ChiSox. It was his 15th win of the season as he allowed just one run in 7 innings. He now leads the American League in ERA, innings pitched, strikeouts, and WHIP and could capture his second career Cy Young award. It will be a great duel to the finish between him and Halladay, but as of now Johan is leading. He ranks better than Roy at everything but wins and, as described last week, is an animal down the stretch. The Twins won the 20th game in a row he started at the Metrodome, a modern record according to ESPN.com. The Twins took the series and now are just one game back from Chicago in the divisional and Wild Card races. This one could get nasty down the stretch.

4. No signs of fading: The Cincinnati Reds have held the NL Wild Card lead for a long time, and despite increased challengers they keep on winning. Yesterday they topped the Pirates 5-1 in front of their home crowd, as Aaron Harang easily shut down the opposing offense. Harang struck out 9 and allowed just a solo Jason Bay homerun to Pittsburgh while winning his 13th game of the year. That ties him with multiple players for the National League lead. Adam Dunn (37) and Scott Hatteberg (12) both homered in the third to give the home team an early cushion. Dunn is now only 3 away from his third consecutive 40-homerun season and has been a machine for the Reds in every offense category but batting average, strangely enough. Cincy now has a two-game WC lead and is only two games back of the division-leading Cardinals. The Astros, at 7.5 back, have yet to make a push.

5. Pitching problems: Pitcher after pitcher has gone down recently. The A’s and Reds will face bullpen problems over the next few weeks, as both Huston Street and Eddie Guadardo will be put on the DL. Street was feeling groin pain and will be temporarily replaced by Ron Flores, who was called up from Triple-A and has already had three stints with the A’s this season. Guadardo, who had saved 8 of 10 chances since being acquired by Cincy, was also put on the 15 day list and has forearm problems. But both those pitchers got off easily compared to Tom Glavine. He is being examined for a blood clot and could either return next week or miss the rest of the season. The Mets could be without their top two starters, Glavine and the 15-day DL Pedro Martinez, for a while.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Can Johan Santana pull off the Pitching Triple Crown?


1. After-break ace: Johan Santana, always an ace after the All Star break, is at it again. He improved to 5-0 after the break this year with a win last night over the Indians. He had a fantastic game, tossing 8 innings of shutout ball against one of the league’s toughest offenses. Santana struck out 9 to elevate his major league-leading total to 187. With a 14-5 record and 3.10 ERA to go along with those strikeouts, Johan has a realistic shot at the Pitching Triple Crown. He is 3rd in ERA (with two rookies ahead of him) and trails only Roy Halladay in wins. He helped the Twins roll along to 20 games above .500.

2. Detroit wins Duels: With the Tigers’ outstanding pitching and efficient offense, they can win just about any game in a pitchers’ duel. That remained true last night, when they ousted the Red Sox 3-2. Jeremy Bonderman and Curt Schilling each pitched very well for their teams. Strikeout specialist Bonderman mowed down 8 Sox in seven innings while only allowing 2 runs. Schilling didn’t walk anybody but allowed 9 hits and 2 runs in seven. The game wasn’t decided until the ninth inning, when Mike Timlin–who was oddly in the game instead of closer Jonathan Papelbon–allowed an RBI single to Craig Monroe. Then Todd Jones was able to save his 16th save chance in a row without blowing one. He has 33 on the year. The Tigers moved to 6.5 games ahead of the White Sox (who lost), while the BoSox fell to 3 games back of the Yankees (who won). Both teams will play their main rivals later this week.

3. Enough of 18: You could call the Houston Astros the most worn-out team in baseball, or you could call them the most dramatic. Whatever the case is, they always seem to be playing in extremely long games. Yesterday they went 18 innings against the Cubs, their third game of such length in the past year. Houston’s Roger Clemens, who has been an automatic quality start so far this year, allowed a season-high 5 runs but still almost got a win. The only reason he didn’t was because of the Cubs’ Matt Murton, whose homerun in the ninth tied the game at 6. it stayed there for a while, for 8 more innings in fact. The tie was finally broken in the 18th, when it was Murton who drove in the winning runs. So the Cubs won, but it is Houston and their sense to play in extremely long games that has us puzzled. Their pitching staff has now thrown an MLB-high 1081 innings on the year, about thirty more than most teams. Could this wear and tear affect them as they try to make another run down the stretch? We’ll see.

4. Another 18: In one of most coincidental twists in the entire MLB this year, another 18-inning game was played yesterday. It was the first time that two games of this length had ever been played on the same day. The other victims were the Diamondbacks and Rockies, who played the longest game in the history of Coors Field. It lasted almost 5 and a half hours and featured 15 pitchers (still short of the Astros-Cubs’ whopping 18). This one was lower scoring from the get-go. The Rockies’ Jason Jennings had another great start with 8 innings pitched and just one run allowed. Miguel Bautista of the D-Backs pitched 6 and also allowed one. That set the stage for an enormous drought in scoring. For a mind-blowing 12 straight innings, neither team put a single run on the board. The 1-1 tie was finally broken in the 18th, when Luis Gonzalez delivered his only hit in 8 at-bats: a single that drove in the winning run. So that was the second 18-inning game on the same day! This might never happen again.

5. LA Law: Los Angeles is “laying down the law” on opposing teams, with 17 wins in their last 18 games. The streak is now reaching the historic. They are only one of two teams in the last 100 National League seasons to have a streak of such magnitude. According to baseball-reference.com, the streak is better than any in Dodgers history over an 18-game period. It is better than any run since the A’s magical 20-game win streak in 2002, a record that might never be broken. LA now leads by 3.5 games in the NL West, and they have the best home record (39-25) in the National League. Can they keep it up? Considering their weak division, yes.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Liriano hits the DL


1. Unlucky Liriano: The Twins just put 12-win ace Francisco Liriano on the 15-day DL. Liriano reported forearm stiffness and had his worst start of the season on Tuesday. He will be temporarily replaced in the rotation by another young stud, Matt Garza. In five Triple A starts Garza has reported a 1.89 ERA and .79 WHIP. So the second-place Twins might be one of the only teams in baseball that has the luxury of replacing one rookie ace with another. But the important thing for them is the severity of Liriano’s injury. Will he stay on the DL for more than 15 days? Let’s just hope he’s not another Kerry Wood or Mark Prior.

2. DeRosa sparks a DeRout: The list of former Braves performing well just keeps getting longer. The Rangers’ Mark DeRosa, who played his first seven seasons with Atlanta, has elevated himself to the level of best utility man in the game. Yesterday he led a 14-0 Rangers defeat of Oakland by hitting 2 three-run homeruns. His four hits upped his average to .327, good for 4th in the American League. DeRosa has played almost every position on the field, and he has excelled in all of them. Among the other Rangers to perform well yesterday, Carlos Lee had 4 hits, 4 runs, and his first homer in a Texas uniform. Texas is still 5.5 games back of Oakland for the West lead.

3. Shocked: The Tigers won Game 1 of their three game set against the Twins, but they dropped the second game on Tuesday. Then yesterday, the Tigers put themselves in the best position possible to win. They led the Twins 3-2 going into the eighth inning, with stud reliever Joel Zumaya in. But then Minnesota’s best hitter stepped up. Justin Morneau, who is having is somehow quiet yet monstrous season, hit his 30th homer to win the game for the Twins. Morneau, and all-around machine of a first baseman, is hitting .323 and is second in the AL with 101 RBIs. Even though teammate Joe Mauer has hit .369 and earned himself a Sports Illustrated cover, it is Morneau that is more valuable to the team. With the win the Twins passed Chicago and now lead the Wild Card race.

4. Back in town: In Mike Piazza’s second game back at Shea Stadium since leaving the Mets for San Diego, he showed fans once again why he will be a Hall of Fame catcher. Piazza hit two solo homeruns for the Padres, both off Pedro Martinez. He drew a curtain call after his first homerun, a rarity for a player on the road. But despite Piazza’s efforts, San Diego couldn’t stop the Mets. Jose Reyes stole his 48th base of the season and drove in a run. Reyes, though he has drawn criticism over the years for his somewhat low on-base percentage, has a career-high .350 OBP and contributes greatly in terms of runs scored (92, second in the MLB). Both teams are still in first place in their respective divisions.

5. Roundup: There were many more important happenings in the MLB yesterday. The Cardinals-Reds series had an exciting game that featured 7 homeruns by both teams. The Reds won on a Dan Ross walk-off two run shot. New York led Chicago 7-0 after six innings but barely inched by them 7-6. Bobby Abreu hit his first homerun in two months and is now hitting .412 as a Yankee. Back to the NL: the Astros crushed the Pirates 14-1, with 6 RBIs and two homers by Aubrey Huff. Starter Roy Oswalt also homered and picked up the win. Finally, the Dodgers lost at last, ending their 11-game winning streak.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Big Papi does it again


1. Mr. Walk off: David Ortiz has now easily established himself as one of the greatest clutch hitters of all time. Ortiz, just two days removed from a 4-5, 4 RBI performance complete with a game-winning single, hit a walk off three-run homer in the ninth to defeat Cleveland. His 4 RBIs gave him a whopping 105 for the year, bringing his pace to 164. The last player to drive in that many runs in a season was Ortiz’s teammate Manny Ramirez, who had 165 ribbies in 1999. Papi hit two homers on the day to once again bring back his major league lead (Ryan Howard had tied him at 35). Though Ortiz is 30 and only has 214 career homers, he will elevate himself to the level of the all-time great power hitters if he can keep this pace up.

2. Hey, it’s another rookie pitcher!: The American League class of rookie pitchers has dominated the headlines. Francisco Liriano, Jered Weaver, Jonathan Papelbon, and Justin Verlander have all performed above any level expected for a rookie. But one of the best rooks comes from the National League. He’s Josh Johnson, Florida’s youngster who has a 2.52 ERA. That is good for the NL lead, which means each league’s ERA leader is a rookie and it’s the end of July. That, needless to say, is the first time that’s ever happened. Johnson received plenty of run support and won his 9th game of the season yesterday against the Phillies. He allowed just one run and five hits, with one of the hits coming against the Phillies’ Chase Utley. That extends Utley’s hit streak to a whopping 32, the best since Jimmy Rollins’ 38 game streak that ended this April.

3. Almost perfect: The Twins just wrapped up their 61st win of the season, putting them eight games back of the Tigers (who lost). They absolutely ripped through the Texas Rangers, shutting them down 15-2. The Twins’ performance was almost perfect, as they collected 18 hits, with seven starters having multi-hit games. Carlos Silva, though he has been incompetent so far this year, pitched well to earn his seventh victory. His ERA stands at 6.49, and he is the weakest link of the Twins’ otherwise solid rotation. The stunned Rangers have suddenly moved into last place in the AL West.

4. Powerhouse: What got into the Arizona Diamondbacks last night? They pounded the Chicago Cubs for 15 runs, 10 extra base hits, and 6 homers in a rout. They were one of three teams (see above) that scored 15 runs last night, a rare occurrence for sure. Secondbaseman Orlando Hudson had a career effort, with 2 homers and 6 RBIs. Arizona moved to a game back of the Padres in the NL West, and they now stand at 54-51. Brandon Webb didn’t have his best stuff but rode his offense to his 12th victory of the year. The Diamondbacks are used to wild games like this; they have scored and allowed the most runs in their division.

5. More trading: Some of the trades that went down yesterday were revealed after FC was written. The Dodgers were probably the biggest winners, acquiring shortstop Julio Lugo from the Devil Rays and legend Greg Maddux from the Cubs. LA is Maddux’s third team, and will probably be his last. Meanwhile, the Mets got reliever Roberto Hernandez and Olivier “Remember 2004?” Perez from the Pirates. They dealed outfielder Xaiver Nady for those two pitchers. Those were likely the biggest two trades of the eight that went down yesterday, but the biggest news is who didn’t get moved. Alfonso Soriano and Miguel Tejada were rumored like crazy for a trade but will stand pat.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Johan Santana for Cy Young

1. Unhittable: Pitching in Minnesota, Johan Santana doesn’t get as much credit as he would if he played for a large-market team. But he deserves more, as he proved once again in yesterday’s 6-3 win over the Dodgers. Santana pitched seven shutout innings and only allowed two hits en route to improving to 9-4 on the year. Despite a slow start, he leads the AL in strikeouts, innings pitched, ERA, and WHIP. His 2.59/.96 in the latter two categories would be even better if he pitched in the National League, where there is no DH. Santana already has one Cy Young, and if continues this production he’ll have to expand his trophy case. Is there anyone out there who still thinks Chicago’s Jose Contreras should start in the All Star game for the AL?

2. Finally, a win: The St. Louis Cardinals hadn’t been able to buy a win in Interleague play, losing their first 8 games against the AL. They finally won one yesterday, defeating the Indians 5-4. Chris Carpenter followed a shaky start last week with a solid 7-inning, one run performance. But the bullpen blew it for him, allowing 3 runs in the eighth to let the Indians take the lead. But the Cardinals prevailed because of a Jhonny Peralta throwing error in the 9th inning. They escaped with the win and still have the NL Central lead.

3. A new homerun leader: Though the Phillies lost yesterday to the Orioles (twice), at least they got something out of it. Ryan Howard, their slugging first baseman, blasted two homeruns to up his total to 27 on the year. He passed Albert Pujols in the process for the major league lead, the first time since early April that Pujols didn’t have at least a share of the lead. The dual solo shots gave Howard 68 RBIs on the year; he is second to Lance Berkman’s 70 in that category. Howard will likely be one of four Phillies voted to the All Star game; teammates Bobby Abreu, Chase Utley, and Tom Gordon should all make the team.

4. Welcome back: The fans at Fenway Park gave a good greeting to Pedro Martinez, who hadn’t pitched there since leaving Boston in 2004. Unfortunately for the Mets, the Red Sox offense didn’t welcome him as well. Pedro was tagged for 8 runs in 3 innings in one of the worst performances of his lengthy career. Alex Gonzalez homered for the second straight game and Josh Beckett picked up his 10th win for the Red Sox. Boston has now won 11 games in a row and is undefeated against the National League. Both teams now have 47 wins and each leads their respective division.

5. End of his career?: Brett Myers has plenty of problems to deal with right now to say the least. Myers, Philadelphia’s best pitcher, is charged with hitting his wife in the face. His court date is August 4, and it is unlikely he will be pitching anytime soon. Myers was placed on the inactive list and sent down to Class A Clearwater yesterday. He almost certainly won’t pitch for the minor-league team, but the move will allow Philly to add another pitcher to its roster. Righthander Adam Bernero, who has pitched in the majors for multiple teams in his career, has been called up and will probably start on Friday.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Liriano steals the show

1. Overshadowed: Roger Clemens, making his first start of the season, got all of the attention before and during last night’s game against the Twins. The home crowd loved him, and so did ESPN, as the network showed montage after montage of him before the game. But in the end, it was the pitcher Clemens was facing who should have got the attention. Francisco Liriano, the Twins’ fantastic rookie pitcher, continued his success this season. He threw 8 innings, allowing just 4 hits and 2 runs. Meanwhile, Clemens was just average. He allowed 2 runs in 5 innings, but was ineffective in working the count. The Rocket threw 100 pitches, three more than Liriano, just 59 of them for strikes. Meanwhile, Liriano improved to 7-1 this season with a 2.17 ERA. Unless he completely fails down the stretch, he should be a leading contender for AL Rookie of the Year. Oh by the way, the Twins won, 4-2.

2. The scoring stops here: The first two games of the White Sox-Cardinals series featured an outstanding 44 combined runs from both sides. How bout Game 3? Not so much on the offensive side. Cardinals pitcher Anthony Reyes, in just the third start of his career, shut down the White Sox the first 6 innings. He allowed no hits during that time to a team that had collected 40 hits the previous two games. But then one swing by Jim Thome changed everything, as he took a ball deep to right field for his 24th homer of the season. The hit was not only all the White Sox needed to win the 1-0 game, but it also was the only hit of the night for the team. Freddy Garcia and Bobby Jenks combined to shut out the Cardinals offense, which included Albert Pujols in the lineup for the first time in 20 days. Pujols went 0-4, and the Cardinals took a sweep from the defending World Champs.

3. A Royal-like performance: What hasn’t already been said about the Braves failures this year, as their recent horrendousness has been one of the top stories in all of baseball. This team just cannot find a way to win, as they have lost 10 in a row. Only the Cubs and Pirates have worse records among all NL teams, their bullpen is the worst in baseball, and only the Brewers, Royals, and Orioles have allowed more runs. And there is no end in sight to the Braves’ failures, at least for this year. They lost again last night to the Blue Jays, 3-2, as Mike Remlinger blew his third save of the year. Meanwhile, AJ Burnett returned to the mound for the first time since April, going 6 decent innings for the Jays. Toronto is only three games back of the Red Sox in the AL East, and if Burnett is successful that gap could close quickly.

4. Not a Royal-like performance: Okay, it’s hard to make anything out of a sweep of the 29th best team in baseball. Unless you’re the 30th best team in baseball. That’s right folks, the Kansas City Royals got a sweep over the Pirates. Now the Royals have won an astounding four games in a row, and their record has improved all the way to 22-49! Last night they won a sloppy 15-7 game over Pittsburgh, with 9 combined unearned runs and 4 combined errors. But at 25 games out of first place, we don’t think the Royals care how they win ballgames.

5. Due punishment: Ozzie Guillen has been out of control recently, to say the least. Not long after sending down a rookie pitcher for not hitting a batter, Guillen was suspended one game after another questionable beanball incident on Tuesday. Ozzie was also fined and sent to sensitivity training for his much-publicized slur against Jay Mariotti. Guillen has not apologized to Mariotti, and it doesn’t seem like he will anytime soon.