Minnesota Nice: 2009

16 June 2009

Movin' On Up.

Redirect thine self to this humble URL:

Minnesota Nice, MLBlogs

Have a pleasant day.

11 June 2009

Touch 'em all? Not today.

Blackburn is doing pretty well already. Scoreless game as of the top of the 4th.

TOP O' THE FOURTH:

Mauer grounds out and Morneau is up. Both have been a bit lackluster the past few games, although Morneau had that nice homer two nights ago. Morneau hits it, and it's caught.

Kubel is up. I saw a post-game interview with him last night and almost lost it; he's so adorably bad on camera. He's walked.

CREDE HITS A THREE-RUN HOMER! It's 3-0. I love life.

BOTTOM O' THE FOURTH:

Tolbert and Buscher get a nice double play, keeping the A's from scoring.

TOP O' THE FIFTH:

Two walks from Blackburn, and Anderson takes a little quick trip out to the mound. SHITE!

Daric (Barton)? Really? I've seen Derek, Derrick, Deryck, but DARIC? Wow.

The third double play for the Twins this afternoon, and the inning's over.

BOTTOM O' THE FIFTH:

AHAHAH, no idea why the radio announcer was talking about how quiet and respectful the Twins players are, especially Mauer, Morneau, and Kubel, and then all the sudden is like, "Now Jason Kubel, married with a child; Morneau just got married; and Joe Mauer is, of course, single. But they all get along." WEIRDEST QUOTE EVER!

And then nothing happened this inning BYE.

Okay, and then during the commercial break, Morneau is repping Continental Diamonds, talking about how he just got married. Okay, um ... weird.

TOP O' THE SEVENTH:

The sixth inning was really boring.

Near-miss homer by Young; second out. Dude, Delmon is stepping it up a bit more the past few games. I'm digging it.

1-2-3 inning. Boooor-ing.

BOTTOM O' THE EIGHTH:

Triple by the A's, followed by a base hit, and they score 1. Also, the 7th was boring too.

And a homer ties it. Oh. Jesus.

FINAL: 4-3, A's. Oh, don't worry, we let two players walk, and then Rajai Davis got a nice hit up the right baseline. THE VERY END of the 9th inning.

California knows how to party.

Won, 6-3.

Scored 3 in the 9th to pass up the A's when we were at 3-3.

Kubel had a nice homer; Morneau did some good work ; Crede was there, which is hot, and hit a nice triple; Span is still out, being checked out back in Florida; Young had a couple RBIs.

Tomorrow's game isn't telecast,which grosses me out. Buuuut, if I can find it on the radio, it may be time for another live-blog-a-ganza, because I live with my parents now and don't have a job or friends. WOOOO, JOIN THE PARTY!

And WHOA, when did Breslow jump ship to the A's?? I almost cried when I saw him pitching tonight.

10 June 2009

Oakland A-Holes!

Oh. My. God.

We managed to get a 10-0 lead against the A's, until someone decided it was a good idea to let Baker try to close the game as well as open it.

What happened?

Two runs, bases loaded, three walks that were TOTALLY unnecessary thanks to Mijares THAT BIG JERK, aaaaand then Joe Nathan swoops in with a basket of awesome.

Game ends, 10-5. BUT:

Despite my bitching about Young, guy managed three RBI's tonight to help us with our 10 runs. Uh, sorry Delmon. I'll buy you a Dome Dog the next time I'm in town.
Morneau hit a beautiful homer!
I fell asleep as we scored like 4 runs. BOO!
I think it was Kubel or uh someone that hit in three runs one time during my aforementioned nap.
Casilla dropped two balls hit to him that could've saved us a few runs in that nasty 9th inning.
Span was out way at the beginning thanks to wooziness/dizziness/equilibrium troubles. He was replaced by Gomez.
Crede got beaned in the left forearm, and is now day-to-day, but it didn't hit bone. Just PILES OF MUSCLE. AND IRON. (he's bionic??)
Apparently today, draft day, we picked up like 4 pitchers. I AM OKAY WITH THAT. EVIDENCE: TONIGHT.
Tolbert took the #2 spot on the batting order.
RBIs: Morneau (2), Gomez (2), and Kubel (3 - thanks to that choice hit).
RUNS: Tolbert (1), Mauer (1), Morneau (2), Kubel (1), Crede (1), Cuddyer (2!), Harris (1), and Young (1).
Cust, player for the A's, was at bat with the bases loaded in the 9th. He hits it just foul, a ball's width right of the right foul line, and Dicks laughs to Bert, "Cust? That's what you might've done if that had made it in!" Bert is all like AW HELL NAW! And Dick's like, "How does that work out for you?" and Bert is like, "Not very well. I don't want any time off right now," as Dick laughs his ass off. Oh man.
I also just noticed I've been spelling "Bert" like "Burt" this whole time. Even the tag is wrong. I'm a moron.

So there's that. That game took waaaaay too long considering we had it in the bag until like two batters into the 9th. Oh well - a win is a win, especially on the road!

09 June 2009

Only the good die Young.

Re-posting this because A. It's so true; B. DeLand is a gangster; C. SCTimes will probably take the story down in like 3 days:

DeLand column: Baseball's trade winds can be tricky
JUNE 7, 2009
In baseball circles, their names are jointly synonymous with serendipity and disaster, with a heist and a giveaway, with a well-intentioned trade that went astoundingly right for one team and horribly wrong for the other.
Lou Brock. Ernie Broglio. There were other insignificant parts of the equation, but that was the crux of the June 15, 1964 deal: Brock for Broglio, which turned out to be perhaps the worst trade in major league history — or the best, depending on your vantage point.
And now, the Minnesota Twins find themselves living with the residue of a deal that’s starting to take on the same sort of stench: Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza for Delmon Young, Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie.
If you’re a Tampa Bay Rays fan — fresh off a trip to the World Series, thanks largely to two of the best young players in baseball — the trade makes you indescribably giddy.
If you’re a Twins fan — aghast at watching Delmon strike out and stumble around in left field — you’re shaking your head (or something).
This sort of thing just doesn’t happen to your team. Didn’t used to, anyway.
The concept of being involved in a lopsided blockbuster deal is relatively new to the Twins, who didn’t have a whole lot of blockbusters during their first four-plus decades. Most of the ones they did have — Bert Blyleven to the Rangers in 1976, Rod Carew to the Angels in 1979, Frank Viola to the Mets in 1989 — end up generally being a wash.
Until the last decade, that is. One can easily make a case that the Twins’ two biggest trading heists and two biggest blunders in franchise history all happened since 1999 — and the results of those deals are splayed all over their current roster.
Those deals still have a ways to go to match the impact of Brock for Broglio — a trade that, on the day it was made, was widely perceived as a steal for the Chicago Cubs, and a blunder by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Broglio was a 21-game winner for the Cards in 1960, and won 18 in 1963. Brock — just 21/2 years removed from the St. Cloud Rox — had ordinary seasons with the Cubs in 1962 and 1963, and was batting .251 52 games into the 1964 season when the trade was made.
What happened subsequently, of course, was the baseball equivalent of Manhattan Island for $24 worth of beads and mirrors.
Brock hit .348 over the rest of the ‘64 season and led the Cards to a World Series championship. He went on to surpass 3,000 career hits, set the all-time single-season and career stolen base records and enter the Hall of Fame as a first-ballot selection in 1985.
And Broglio? He spent 21/2 seasons with the Cubs, went 7-19 with a 5.40 ERA and was out of baseball by the end of 1966.
It was a ridiculously lopsided deal, one that stands virtually alone in baseball annals in terms of its inequality. But the Twins’ 2007 deal with Tampa Bay is edging toward that level.
Bartlett — voted MVP of the AL Champion 2008 Rays — is leading the majors with a .373 batting average, and is on pace for 20 homers, 87 RBI and 41 stolen bases. (The Twins’ regular shortstop, Nick Punto, is batting .187 with no homers, and his fielding percentage is significantly worse than Bartlett’s).
Garza — who pitched the Rays into the World Series with a masterpiece in Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS — is 4-4 with a 3.67 ERA and ranks seventh in the league in strikeouts. (The Twins have three starters in their rotation with ERAs in excess of 5.36).
In return, the Twins got Harris, a passable hitter with no speed, little defensive prowess and no real position; Pridie, a minor-league outfielder with no future; and Young, the supposed centerpiece slugger in the deal.
Young is batting .231 with one homer, two extra-base hits (two!?!), five walks and 41 strikeouts in 117 at-bats. His slugging percentage (.265) and on-base percentage (.272) are comically low, and his fielding percentage is the second-worst in the league among regular outfielders (only Cleveland’s Shin-Soo Choo is worse).
Add up Young’s numbers, and you have absolutely the worst player in the majors.
Add up Bartlett’s, and you have one of the best. Throw in Garza, who’s only 25 years old, and the deal gets worse.
So, how does this trade rate in Twins’ annals? Well, these are the best:
Twins’ Top 3:
No. 3 — Feb. 3, 1987: Pitchers Al Cardwood, Neal Heaton, Yorkis Perez and catcher Jeff Reed to the Montreal Expos for pitcher Jeff Reardon and catcher Tom Nieto. The acquisition of stopper Reardon was the missing puzzle piece that carried the Twins to their first World Championship.
No. 2 — Nov. 14, 2003: Catcher A.J. Pierzynski and cash to the San Francisco Giants for pitchers Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser. This looked even better before Liriano hurt his arm, but Nathan alone makes this one a steal.
No. 1 — Dec. 13, 1999: Pitcher Jared Camp to the Florida Marlins for pitcher Johan Santana and $500,000 cash. Camp never made it to the majors, and was out of baseball in 2002 after 34 minor-league wins. Santana was 93-44 for the Twins, won two Cy Young Awards and has been the best pitcher in baseball since 2004.
And these are the worst:
Twins’ Bottom 3
No. 3 — Dec. 12, 1969: Third baseman Graig Nettles, outfielder Ted Uhlaender and pitcher Bob Miller to the Cleveland Indians for pitchers Luis Tiant and Stan Williams. Nettles went on to a near-Hall of Fame career; Tiant did the same, but not for the Twins (they released him in 1970).
No. 2 — Feb. 2, 2008: Pitcher Johan Santana to the New York Mets for outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra. There’s time for this one to get better, but Santana is still the best pitcher in baseball. Humber, Mulvey and Guerra are all in the minors, and Gomez probably should be.
No. 1 — Nov. 28, 2007: Shortstop Jason Bartlett and pitcher Matt Garza to the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielders Delmon Young and Jason Pridie and infielder Brendan Harris. This trade just looks worse every day.
It has been frequently noted that the Twins’ two worst deals were both engineered by general manager Billy Smith, who has had the job for all of 20 months. It hasn’t been an auspicious start, to say the least.
But hopefully, two stinkers won’t make Smith gun-shy and prevent him from trying to bolster the Twins’ raggedy bullpen.
Because that’s the thing about trades: Sometimes they make you look smart, and sometimes they don’t. But you have to keep trying — they’re not all going to turn out to be Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio.
This is the opinion of Times sports editor Dave DeLand. Contact him at 255-8771 or by e-mail at ddeland@stcloudtimes.com

I'm going to go cry now while we lose to the A's (SHIT!) again.

03 June 2009

Running Bear, young Indian brave.

10-1. Oh, gross.

At least GoGo got to stir up some trouble.

You and me need to go to your teepee.

I was going to make a racially insensitive remark about, you know, beating a team last night called the "Indians," but then I decided that is probably not the best idea. THE INTERNETS HAS EYES!

So last night at the Metrodome we beat the Injuns (DAMN IT! MY FINGERS SLIPPED!) 4-3. it came pretty close in the 8th and 9th, but thankfully Nathan held it down and got himself a save.

I wonder if there were a lot of scalpers outside selling tick-- SHIT! AGAIN!

Anyway, Casilla and Gomez, although not entirely solid, did some pretty decent fielding and batting last night. Mauer had yet another home run. What is that, like number 43,592? IN A MONTH?? And Slowey really, really held it together for the 100 or so pitches he threw last night:

Slowey has been one of the more consistent Twins starters of late, having won four straight starts and allowing no more than three earned runs in each of his last six starts.
The Twins right-hander scattered just four hits through six innings before giving up a two-out single to Luis Valbuena in the seventh.

Good to hear. Here's hoping we win tonight, since we need to get up there in the AL Central. Maybe we could trade some wampum for som-- AGH!! NEVERMIND!

31 May 2009

Florida: America's wang.

I've refused to write about the first two of the three games against the Rays, because honestly our playing was ludicrous. For the past month, the Twins have had a LOT of trouble getting wins on the road, as evidenced by their 6-16 road record - the worst in baseball. But luckily they got over it enough to squeak by the Rays today, winning 3-2:

"For whatever reason, we can't get going on the road," catcher Mike Redmond said. "I could come up with a million excuses, it doesn't really matter. We're just not getting it done on the road. So, we're going to have to eventually win some ballgames on the road. Today was a great effort toward that."

Thanks for that incredibly redundant breakdown, Reddy ... ON THE ROAD.

Game one, on Friday, resulted in a 3-5 loss, and Saturday we fell behind 2-5. The problem I could see on both these days was our insistence on leaving SO MANY RUNNERS on base. Prime example, today: Span is walked, loading the bases with 2 out in the top of the 9th. Casilla bats: does he get a grand slam? No. Does he even get a hit? No. Not even a hit. He's out, stranding three runners. Take this scenario and repeat it about 20 times ... that was our gameplan this series with the Rays.

Also, WHY ARE ALL THE PLAYERS BROKEN?? Crede comes back from a nasty bruised hand and then immediately f's up his knee;

Crede fouled a ball off his left knee during his at-bat in the third inning. He was able to go back out on defense for the bottom of the third, but he said after the club's 5-2 loss to the Rays that the amount of swelling in his leg was hampering his ability to field his position.

Kubel's knee is also bothering him; Punto had a nagging groin (teehee), Mauer gets smacked in the shin by a foul yesterday and beaned like every time he turns his head, Cuddyer leaves today's game with a screwed up finger ... WHAT'S THE DEAL?!

"It's been crazy," Mike Redmond added. "We're getting guys really banged up. I know we played a lot of games in a row, but usually you don't have the injuries amount like this."
...
It's the same finger that Cuddyer dislocated last April on a slide into third base. But Cuddyer said that he didn't believe this injury had anything to do with that one.
"I don't think it's going to be a major issue," Cuddyer said. "We'll see what happens after the off-day. I'm going to keep some compression on it and try to get the swelling out."
...
With Cuddyer out of the game, Gardenhire had just two healthy players on his bench -- Joe Mauer and Matt Tolbert. And Gardenhire was trying to avoid using Mauer, who had taken a beating both at the plate and behind it on Saturday night.
Third baseman Joe Crede was considered unavailable for the contest after bruising his left knee on Saturday night when he fouled a ball off the knee. ... "He's still limping around pretty good," Gardenhire said.

Redmond also got clipped by a ball, much like what happened to Mauer. And Punto's groin is still acting up. Haha. Sorry, I'm approximately 8 years old. Anyway, because of it, he's on the DL:

Punto missed his second straight game on Friday due to his sore groin. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said the club originally hoped it could get through the weekend without Punto to give him a few extra days to heal. But with Punto likely needing at least a couple days before he was ready to play, Gardenhire realized he couldn't wait that long without having an extra middle infielder on his bench.

Heeerrree coooomeess CASILLA!

Casilla, who began the year as the club's starting second baseman, will join the club in time for Saturday's game vs. the Rays.
Since being demoted to Rochester on May 6 after he made his fair share of mental mistakes in the field with the Twins, Casilla has hit .316 (25-for-79) with three triples, eight RBIs and six stolen bases in 20 games for the Red Wings.
Gardenhire said that the reports on Casilla have been better and he'll give Casilla the opportunity to prove that he has learned from his earlier mistakes.

Gardy: Stern. Stern ... but fair.

Next up: A day off on Monday before we take on the Cleveland Indians, or as I like to politically incorrectly call them: Injuns.

29 May 2009

Two catchers and two managers walk out of a game ...

The tossing of both catchers and managers of the Twins and Sawx was all over the news today. Apparently for an ump, being 32 is young and he has a short fuse:

The 32-year-old Tichenor, up from the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, gave the boot to both catchers and both managers during a wild seventh inning that ended with Red Sox starter Josh Beckett giving a dismissive wave toward home plate in disgust.

What I didn't understand at the time was how Redmond could've been tossed, since the man had approximately 2 seconds to say anything to the ump. I saw no f-bombs, just like ... two words. Like, "excuse me, my dear umpire, but I believe perhaps I had tagged this young gentleman before he had extended his limb upon the home plate." Alright, maybe not that polite, but this is how Redmond put it:

"I couldn't believe he threw me out, honestly," Redmond said. "I don't go out there, ever, to get thrown out. Especially knowing that Joe's DHing. I can't get thrown out. I really can't get thrown out. I didn't swear at him. I didn't do anything. He just had a short fuse I guess."

Redmond, after trying to say he tagged the runner before he hit the base, got tossed. And that's when Gardy, who's been tossed 40-plus times, came in:

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire jumped out of the dugout to defend Redmond and was ejected himself.

"I just thought he had a quick gun there," Gardenhire said. "He just pulled the trigger too quick, and I went out to defend and he threw me out too."

BAM. Then Varitek and Francona got booted:

Things escalated in the bottom of the inning when Beckett threw a pitch that Varitek tried to frame for strike three on Brendan Harris. When he didn't get the call — replays showed that it appeared to be outside — Beckett seethed. Varitek stood up to intervene, turned around and got in Tichenor's face.

Generally, I think it's in your best interests, Mr. Catcher, to not TURN AROUND to FIGHT with the UMPIRE. I could just be wrong. Oh wait, no I'm not. Well, then ejection numero quattro came to fruition:

"I just said it was uncharacteristic of him," said Beckett, giving the clean version. "It was all caused by me."
Then it was Francona's turn to defend his player.
See ya.

Too funny. Well, at least Crede had a homer:

Joe Crede hit a home run in his return from a three-game absence because of a bruised hand, but Beckett (5-2) was too much for the Twins. He allowed one run on three hits with four walks and eight strikeouts in seven innings.

In other news, Punto had a sore, nagging crotch (teehee); Baker is likely starting tonight; and we're in Florida tonight to play some Rays. Heh, Rays. The Tampa Bay Sea-Bugs.

28 May 2009

Oh my Gawd!

The 7th just ended, and so far:

Score: 3-1, Sawx

Tossed out: Both catchers and managers for the Twins and Sawx (Redmond/Gardy, Varitek/Francona)

HRs: One, thanks to Crede

27 May 2009

Get your brooms.

Before the third game against the SAWX tonight, I need to touch on this weekend's badass sweep of the Brewers.

Since graduating recently from a Wisconsin university, after spending 5 years hearing about HOW AWESOME PRINCE FIELDER BRAUN HARDY OMG BREWERS ARE SO GREAT, I'd have to say this weekend was the highlight of the season so far.

Friday's game, which I watched care of mlb.com because all I had in my house was my computer and a bottle of vodka, was too glorious for words. Despite the 11-3 score, thanks to a cycle hit by Cuddyer, all my friends who were Brewers fans made sure to tell me it was just a fluke and the Twins would get their asses handed to them the next two games.

Well, let's take it to Saturday's game. I was actually there with a bunch of friends from school, about half of which were rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth Brew Crew members. After sipping vodka out of a Ziploc bag the entire game, I hazily remembered the killer performances by Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer, Crede, and new guy Swarzak:

"I heard the crowd start to yell, 'Brewers, Brewers' and then I heard the Minnesota Twins fans start coming back," Swarzak said. "I threw that strike in there, and they went crazy. That was a good feeling. I'll never forget the roar of the crowd as long as I live."
Many of the Twins (21-23) won't forget this night either, considering the performance that Swarzak delivered. With a group of 16 family members and friends from his home town of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., including his mom and stepfather, in the crowd, he retired 16 of the first 20 batters he faced and scattered just five hits over the course of his seven innings. He struck out three Brewers (26-17) and walked two while throwing 98 pitches in his seven innings.
...
Since Gardenhire shifted Mauer to the second-spot in the lineup on Thursday, the Twins offense has found no trouble scoring runs. It was once again the 2-3-4 combination of Mauer, Justin Morneau and Cuddyer who came up with three of the club's five RBIs on the night.
...
Mauer also was the catalyst for the club being able to take a 3-0 lead in the third. The first Twins run scored on Mauer's RBI single that he was able to hit through the hole to left field with runners on first and second. A throwing error by left fielder Ryan Braun on the play allowed a second run to score and Mauer to advance to third. He then scored on Morneau's sac fly to left.
Joe Crede added a solo home run in the fourth, his seventh of the season and his sixth in his past 19 games. Crede then drove in the Twins' last run with an RBI grounder in the seventh.

And how about the fierce battle of the managers out on the mound? I also remember the score: 6-2. Let me assure you this one thing: this win at our home field would not shut up a Brewers fan. STILL.

I think by the end of Sunday, they may have learned their lesson. See you at Miller Park, a-holes!

On to the last Sawx game tomorrow ...

EDIT:

Tonight we won 4-2. Holler!

26 May 2009

No-Maaahhhr!

1B: Morneau

2B: Tolbert

3B: Harris

SS: Punto

RF: Cuddyer

CF: Span

LF: Young

Ca: Mauer

PITCHING:

Blackburn

Guerrier

Nathan

TOP O’ THE FIRST:

Looks like Crede’s hand is still all messed and he won't be playing.

Punto gets a piece of a throw by Mauer to stop a runner from stealing 2^nd. Guy still stole it, after being nailed and Punto getting a piece of the ricochet.

Youkilis is up. I’m scared of his beard. He is also dripping what I believe is sweat all over the place, even though it’s the start of the game.

BOTTOM O’ THE FIRST:

Mauer is up. Lookin’ pretty, Dreamyburns. Line drive goes to Pedroia and a double play results. 2 outs.

Morneau gets a hit, goes for second while the infielders chase after the ball, but is tagged out.

TOP O’ THE SECOND:

Not really sure what happened this inning, other than me running to grab some Windex to clean my laptop screen … and then ending up ramming my shin on a stair after tripping on air and consequently ramming my knee and slamming my head off the wall. BUT HEY, THE SAWX DIDN’T SCORE!

BOTTOM O’ THE SECOND:

Still 0-0, and Cuddyer leads off. Let’s talk about Cuddy for a second: you, sir, have become badass. Granted he was disabled like all of last year, but I’d say its sort of out of the blue that he’s suddenly the right-handed Mauer. Leadoff double with a line drive to deep left.

Kubel follows Cuddyer. Kubes hits a sacrifice, which moves Cuddyer to third.

Crede did end up having x-rays on his hand, but apparently didn’t break anything. He can’t grip a bat, so he had to skip batting practice today.

Deltron 3000 Young is up. Sadly, his mother just died and Burt said he’s been having a rough time playing since.

TOP O’ THE THIRD:

After three caught fly outs, the Sawx have another scoreless inning.

BOTTOM O’ THE THIRD:

Tolbert, aka NEW FISH, is up. This guy has a better batting average than Punto, which makes me sad. The Dirt McGirt Punto better make it rain, or he’s gonna be gone soon. And he’s thrown out at first.

Span is apparently “feeling woozy,” according to Dick. Takes a pitch to the ribs and chucks his bat. Steals second.

TOP O’ THE FOURTH:

Deltron makes a sick catch of a line drive out in left. Another scoreless inning!

[Boring chunk of game, busy icing my shin]

BOTTOM O’ THE FIFTH:

With Tolbert and Harris on 1 and 2, Punto gets a nice hit and sends Harris across home plate, with Punto on 2 and Tolbert on 3. 1-1.

Span is out at first, but hits in Tolbert, making it 2-1. NICE.

Mauer is walked, Punto still on third, and Morneau is up. MORNEAU HITS A THREE-RUN HOMER! Good Lord, the Twins better pay Mauer and Morneau in Aztec gold to keep them around. 5-1.

What was with the “Touch A Ball, Morneau” sign?? HAHHA! The camera was on it and then cut away really quickly. I totally thought Burt would say something inappropriate AND HILARIOUS.

TOP O’ THE SIXTH:

Boring.

BOTTOM O’ THE SIXTH:

Is it wrong to think Blackburn is quite the looker? Perhaps I have a thing for sideburns.

Three outs, and its still 5-1.

TOP O’ THE SEVENTH:

Guerrier and um someone else are warming up in the bullpen. Looks like Blackburn is doing fairly well still, though.

Sawx get one run, 5-2.

BOTTOM O’ THE SEVENTH:

Blackburn had 111 pitches and is done for the game. Foxy.

Punto charged with his fourth error. Up at bat, he hits a nice one into center and makes a beautiful slide into 2. Span sacrifices with a bunt to get Punto to 3.

Mauer strikes out, the second time in this game. Ew.

Oh, intentionally walking Morneau? SAWX, YOU SCURRRED?

Aw, shit. Cuddyer pops one up with two outs and it’s over.

TOP O’ THE EIGHTH:

Guerrier, the French Warrior, is pitching. Youkilis hits a huge, but nevertheless out, one in the stands.

A foul tip nails Mauer in the shoulder, but he seems to be still alright to play, and the crowd loves it. Youkilis, The Beard, is struck out.

BOTTOM O’ THE EIGHTH:

Harris is nailed by the Sawx pitcher. Much like the Brewer game on Sunday, that’s the second player to be beaned tonight.

TOP O’ THE NINTH:

Nathan is pitching. Horse puff count: 1, although I probably missed a few.

Two out, one on 1. Gomez chases a huge hit to center and catches it, ending the game.

FINAL: 5-2, Twins.

VERDICT: Pretty damn good. Our pitching held it together, and other than some small errors, we fielded well. Morneau had that sick three-run homer, and Punto had some redeemingly good hits, too.