Twins 2007 Season Highlights

Highlights

16-4 Win vs. Detroit Tigers at the Metrodome (May 13, 2007)
Highlights: Bonser finally gets his first win; HR: T Hunter 2 (8, 1st inning off V Vasquez 2 on, 1 Out; 7th inning off W Ledezma 1 on, 0 Out); M Redmond (1, 7th inning off W Ledezma 0 on, 1 Out); M Cuddyer (3, 8th inning off J Mesa 2 on, 0 Out)
Record: 18-19 (4th place in Central Division)
Minnesota 12, Chi White Sox 0 By ANDREW SELIGMAN, AP Sports Writer July 7, 2007
" Minnesota Twins' Justin Morneau celebrates with teammates after hitting his third home run of the second game of a baseball doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox, during the seventh inning Friday, July 6, 2007, in Chicago. The Twins won 12-0, after taking the first game 20-14.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Justin Morneau took a swing at history, but settled for a career game.
Morneau homered three times in the second game of a day-night doubleheader and the Minnesota Twins capped a huge day on offense by routing the Chicago White Sox 12-0 on Friday night.
"Those are just days you put in your memory bank and don't expect them to happen," Morneau said.
Morneau became the fourth Twins player to hit three home runs in a game, and Minnesota hit six in all in the nightcap to complete the sweep. The Twins won 20-14 in the opener.
It was the most runs scored by one team in a doubleheader since the Boston Red Sox totaled 35 in a sweep of the Philadelphia Athletics on July 4, 1939, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Morneau hit a three-run drive in the first, a solo shot in the third and a two-run homer in the seventh, giving him 23 this year. He became the first Twins player to hit three in a game since Tony Oliva against Kansas City on July 3, 1973, and he joined a group that also includes Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew.
Morneau had a shot at tying the major league record in the eighth but fell one homer shy. He unleashed a big swing and missed the first offering, then flied to left five pitches later.
"He just missed that last one," teammate Torii Hunter said. "He popped it up, hit it high. We hadn't had anyone do that in 34 years, Tony Oliva, so that's a big honor for him."
Morneau watched a video of his hits from last season on Thursday night and responded with his first three-homer game at any level.
"I was trying to get something good in my mind before I went to bed, and it ended up working," he said.
Hunter added a solo shot in the third after going deep in the early game, Michael Cuddyer hit a solo homer in the fifth and pinch-hitter Jeff Cirillo had a three-run homer in the seventh.
That came after a day game that featured more runs than any contest in more than eight years. The 34 runs were the most since May 19, 1999, when Cincinnati beat Colorado 24-12, according to Elias.
Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan, right, celebrates with catcher Joe Mauer after the Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 12-0 in the second game of a baseball doubleheader Friday, July 6, 2007, in Chicago. The Twins beat the White Sox 20-14 in the first game.
But a major scare tempered the good vibe for Minnesota.
Twins catcher Mike Redmond sustained a bloody gash on his head after Chicago's Jim Thome accidentally hit him in the head with his bat in the first inning of the second game.
Thome fouled off a pitch and lost control of the bat on the backswing, sending it flying into the right side of Redmond's helmet. Redmond took seven stitches at the ballpark but said he's fine.
Designated hitter Joe Mauer went in to catch for the Twins, meaning starting pitcher Matt Garza became the first pitcher to hit in an American League game since Boston's Hipolito Pichardo at Seattle on July 31, 2000.
Garza (1-0) pitched six shutout innings, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out six in his first start and second appearance this season since being called up from Triple-A Rochester.
Gavin Floyd (0-1) allowed six runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings. He also walked four in his first appearance for the White Sox. Acquired from Philadelphia in the Freddy Garcia trade last December, Floyd was called up from Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday.
"It was hard to watch, hard to feel that way," Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said. "You can do nothing about it."
Morneau and Hunter hit consecutive shots in the third -- the third time the Twins did that this year. It was Morneau's fourth multihomer game this season and the eighth of his career.
Morneau became the fourth big league player to connect three times in a game this season, joining Houston's Carlos Lee (April 13), the Chicago Cubs' Alfonso Soriano (June 8) and Texas' Brad Wilkerson (July 3).
It was fitting given what happened in the first game.
Minnesota Twins' Justin Morneau hits a three-run home run against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning in the second game of a baseball doubleheader Friday, July 6, 2007, in Chicago.
Hunter homered, Jason Kubel hit a grand slam, and the Twins handed Chicago's Jon Garland one of the worst beatings of his career.
The Twins scored their most runs since piling up 23 against Cleveland on June 4, 2002. The White Sox had not allowed 20 since April 2, 1998, against Texas.
Garland (6-6) tied a career high by allowing 12 runs, 11 earned. He gave up 11 hits, tying a season high, walked three and did not strike out a batter.
He did all that in just 3 1-3 innings, his earliest exit since lasting 2 2-3 innings against Detroit on Aug. 19, 2004. But that was enough time for his ERA to leap from 3.15 to 3.92.
Garland's day ended when Kubel hit the second grand slam of his career to make it 12-4 -- even though things had gotten ugly long before that.
"The result was absolutely terrible," Garland said. "I'm embarrassed by it."
Scott Baker (3-3) got the win despite allowing seven runs and nine hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked one.
Chicago set season highs for runs and hits (18). It was the most runs for the White Sox since scoring 20 against St. Louis on June 20, 2006.
"I didn't know we were going to play a football game," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Kubel drove in a career-high seven runs. Mauer had four hits and tied a career high with five RBIs. Hunter, Luis Castillo, Jason Bartlett and Morneau each had three hits, and Minnesota banged out 21 in all -- one shy of its season high.
Hunter delivered a highlight reel play in the third inning of the first game when the center fielder raced into the gap to snag Juan Uribe's drive to left-center. He leaped as he backhanded the ball, avoiding a collision with Kubel. ... The White Sox placed reliever Mike MacDougal on the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation and activated right-hander Dewon Day (sore back).
Updated on Saturday, Jul 7, 2007 1:27 am EDT

  • Hunter's heroics at plate win it for Twins Baker strikes out seven, allows one run in 6 2/3 innings By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com 08/15/2007 7:19 PM ET

  • "SEATTLE -- Torii Hunter belted his third grand slam of the season in the ninth inning on Wednesday afternoon to give the Twins a 6-1 victory over the Mariners.
    The homer came one inning after Hunter had delivered an RBI single to break up a tie 1-1 game. Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn had loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth inning before exiting the game. Hunter then hit the first pitch from Brandon Morrow into right field to score Alexi Casilla from third base.
    The Twins wouldn't add any more runs in the inning as back-to-back strikeouts by Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer were followed by Rondell White's groundout to first baseman Richie Sexson.
    The late-inning comeback came after Scott Baker gave up a solo home run to Raul Ibanez with one out in the bottom of the sixth to knot the game at 1. It was the only run that Baker allowed over his 6 2/3 innings. He gave up eight hits and struck out seven in the outing.
    The Twins had taken a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning. Rondell White delivered his first home run of the season, belting a 2-2 pitch from Washburn over the left-field fence with one out in the inning.
    Minnesota would have opportunities to add to that lead in the sixth. Jason Bartlett led off the inning with an infield single and Joe Mauer walked to put runners at first and second with no outs.
    But after three straight outs by the Twins to end the inning without a run scoring, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected by home-plate umpire Gary Cederstrom. Morneau had appeared to be upset about a third strike call earlier in the inning, and after Cuddyer struck out following two more questionable called strikes, Gardenhire ran out to the field and started arguing with Cederstrom. It was Gardenhire's third ejection this season and the 31st of his career.
    The Twins also suffered an injury in the win, as Bartlett left the game following his single in the sixth. It appeared that Bartlett injured his left leg while running to first base. The injury was diagnosed as a left hamstring strain and he is listed as day-to-day.
    Kelly Thesier is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs."

    Thursday, August 15th 2007-"Hunter pushes across second run in seventh.."
    Minnesota (60-60) Won 2

    Minnesota 6, Seattle 1 SEA
    Seattle (66-52)
    Lost 2
    August 15, 2007
    Box Score 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
    Minnesota 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 6 10 0
    Seattle - - 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 8 1
    Standings thru 8/15/07 | Gameday
    Minnesota AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
    Casilla, 2B 5 1 1 0 0 0 3 .260
    Bartlett, SS 3 0 2 0 0 1 0 .266
    1-Punto, PR-SS 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .204
    Mauer, DH 2 1 0 0 3 1 1 .305
    Hunter, CF 5 1 2 5 0 0 3 .296
    Morneau, 1B 5 0 1 0 0 2 6 .282
    Cuddyer, RF 4 0 1 0 0 3 5 .277
    White, LF 4 1 1 1 0 0 5 .164
    Tyner, LF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .279
    Redmond, C 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 .287
    Watkins, 3B 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 .250
    Totals 36 6 10 6 4 7 25

    1-Ran for Bartlett in the 6th.
    BATTING
    2B: Bartlett (17, Washburn).
    HR: White (1, 5th inning off Washburn, 0 on, 1 out), Hunter (24, 9th inning off Green, 3 on, 2 out).
    TB: Casilla; Bartlett 3; Hunter 5; Morneau; Cuddyer; White 4; Watkins 2.
    RBI: White (7), Hunter 5 (84). 2-out RBI: Hunter 4.
    Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Morneau; Cuddyer; White 2.
    S: Punto.
    GIDP: White.
    Team LOB: 8.
    FIELDING
    Outfield assists: Hunter (Burke at 2nd base).
    DP: (Bartlett-Casilla-Morneau).

    Minnesota IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
    Baker 6.2 8 1 1 2 7 1 4.53
    Neshek (W, 7-2) 1.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.20
    Nathan 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1.87

    IBB: Mauer (by Washburn), Mauer (by Green).
    Pitches-strikes: Baker 86-65, Neshek 14-10, Nathan 15-9, Washburn 102-68, Morrow 1-1, Sherrill 4-4, Green 41-25.
    Ground outs-fly outs: Baker 7-5, Neshek 1-2, Nathan 1-0, Washburn 5-11, Morrow 0-0, Sherrill 0-0, Green 4-0.
    Batters faced: Baker 28, Neshek 4, Nathan 4, Washburn 30, Morrow 1, Sherrill 1, Green 9.
    Inherited runners-scored: Neshek 2-0, Morrow 3-1, Sherrill 3-0, Green 3-0.
    EjectionsMinnesota Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire ejected by HP umpire Gary Cederstrom. (6th).
    Umpires: HP: Gary Cederstrom. 1B: Lance Barksdale. 2B: Jim Reynolds. 3B: Tim Welke.
    Weather: 73 degrees, partly cloudy.
    Wind: 3 mph, L to R.
    T: 2:37.
    Att: 42,921.

    Box score official statistics approved by Major League Baseball Office of the Commissioner

    Santana fans 17 Rangers in finale Twins ace sets club strikeout record in eight shutout innings, By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com 08/19/2007 4:30 PM ET
    "MINNEAPOLIS -- Johan Santana struck out a career-high 17 batters and held the Rangers scoreless for eight innings to help carry the Twins to a 1-0 victory over Texas on Sunday afternoon at the Metrodome.
    The 17 strikeouts set a new club record for the Twins. Five pitchers had previously recorded 15 strikeouts, the last being Bert Blyleven, who accomplished the feat on Aug. 1, 1986, vs. the Oakland A's.
    Santana's previous career high had been 14 strikeouts, which he had done three times in his career.
    Santana allowed only two hits in his outing and did not give up a hit until the fifth inning. Sammy Sosa led off the fifth with a single to left field. Sosa recorded the only other hit of the day off Santana when he tallied a double to left in the seventh.
    Santana's dominance was required as the Twins offense could manage only one run off Rangers starter Kevin Millwood.
    Michael Cuddyer put the Twins on the board in the second inning. Cuddyer led off the inning with his 12th home run of the year, a 425-foot solo shot over the left-center-field wall.
    Kelly Thesier is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs."

    Minnesota ------IP H R ER BB SO H R ERA
    Santana (W, 13-9) 8.0 2 0 0 0 17 0 2.88
    Nathan (S, 27) ----1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.80

    Baker spins one-hitter after near no-no Young right-hander takes perfect game into ninth vs. KC By Leslie Parker / MLB.com 09/01/2007 1:43
    " ...He fanned nine and threw 111 pitches -- 81 for strikes -- in the 5-0, Twins victory, which lasted just two hours and 16 minutes. It was his first career nine-inning shutout. Baker had the crowd on its feet, cheering for the first time with two outs in the seventh inning, and it pretty much stayed that way for the rest of his performance.
    "I was just enjoying the moment like everyone else," Gardenhire said. "You don't want to do anything. You don't want to change your seat. I was getting a drink of water about twice per inning, and I didn't want to change that either, so I'm full of water now. I just kept trying to do the same thing over and over again and not talking to anybody. We kept looking at each other, going '[T]his is good stuff.' That's very exciting."
    The 25-year-old walked John Buck on five pitches to lead off the ninth inning, ending his chance to pitch the 18th perfect game in Major League history. He got the next batter, Esteban German, to ground into a force out.
    But it was Mike Sweeney, the face of the Kansas City franchise, who kept the Royals from being a footnote in baseball history. Sweeney, who was only activated from the disabled list prior to the game, came in as a pinch-hitter, and, after taking a fastball for a strike, jammed the second pitch he saw into short left-center field to break up Baker's chance at immortality....
    ... Baker, never overly emotional and always deflecting credit, was gracious when speaking of Sweeney after the game.
    "He's a quality hitter -- he has been for a long time. I guess if there's one guy that could do it, it's him," Baker said. "I made the right pitch. It might have been a little up and he put a decent swing on it, and it worked out for him."
    Eschewing superstitions, Baker said he was never worried or nervous. He did not sit by himself in the dugout between innings in silence -- as is customary for pitchers working on no-hitters -- he was actually seeking out companions.
    "I really wasn't worried, to be honest. If it's in God's will, it's in God's will. If it's not, it's not. I was just trying to do the best I can. Make quality pitches, and leave it up to them."
    Before Sweeney's single, Baker had retired 38 consecutive Kansas City batters dating back to his last start on July 30 at the Metrodome.
    The usually-reserved pitcher broke into a huge smile at the end of the game, hugged all his teammates and coaches, and even took his cap off and energetically waved to the roaring fans as he walked off the field.
    It's just another chapter in the metamorphosis of Baker, who signed with the Twins in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft. In his first two Major League seasons, Baker was known for losing focus and shaking off his catchers.
    "I've come to appreciate everything that happens to me, because everything happens for a reason," Baker said of his previous struggles. "If you never go through things, how will you learn to persevere or overcome things? I appreciate everything that's happened to me in my career so far, because there's no doubt it's made me stronger -- spiritually and mentally."
    Gardenhire has seen a different Baker out there on the mound since the beginning of this season. It's something the manager has commented on all season, believing that confidence was the key all along for Baker.
    "He's learned a lot. Even in Spring Training, he said he was going to quit worrying about everything. He was going to get the ball, look to the glove, and throw it," Gardenhire said. "I think he shook off one time in the first four innings. You used to see him out there and the game dragged. It's not there anymore. He understands the game, trusts the catchers, and trusts his pitches."
    And those pitches delivered for Baker on Friday. He used his reliable fastball, but his saving grace was being able to get his breaking pitches over for strikes.
    "He kept guys off balance. It was close. I could feel it," Twins catcher Mike Redmond said. "He got some guys to swing at some borderline, marginal pitches, which is what enables him to be out there in the ninth. It was a good job."
    It was the closest either in the tandem has been to perfection. Baker said he thinks he may have gotten close in Double-A ball, but never has been this perfect. Redmond has been close, but this was the first no-hitter he'd caught going into the ninth inning.
    "He just kept breezing, getting some quick outs," Redmond said. "To walk out there in the ninth with the chance at a no-hitter, that was pretty amazing. That doesn't happen too often."
    The gem was the Twins' 15th one-hitter, the 13th by a different pitcher. Baker became the first Twins pitcher to have a no-hitter broken up in the ninth inning since Steve Luebber had his no-hitter broken up by Roy Howell of the Rangers on Aug. 7, 1976.
    The game earned the Twins a split in the doubleheader after they floundered through the first game with three errors and eight runs allowed by starter Matt Garza.
    "I think we just went from the worst game we played all year, to almost perfect," Gardenhire said after Baker's performance. "That's pretty good going in one day."

    Twins Games I Attended

    Friday, August 31st of 2007 vs. Kansas City-Royals at the Metrodome

    I went with my mom, which was our fist going to a game together since I was younger. We were planning to buy the cheap seats (upper deck outfield), but we met a scalpter selling $22 value Upper Deck tickets behing 1st base for only $15. We thought it was a good deal. I ended up sitting behind the dugout (14th row behind) by the top of the 8th inning, which was the closest since going to a game years-years ago (some special game after a regular Twins game)

    This was a make-up game from Thursday, August 2nd, which is the day after the unfortunate Bridge Collapse.

    Early hole sinks Garza, Twins in opener Rough first inning, throwing error in the sixth unravel starter By Leslie Parker / MLB.com 08/31/2007 6:57 PM ET
    "MINNEAPOLIS -- A season-low 15,736 fans turned out to watch the Twins make up their postponed Aug. 2 game against the Royals on Friday afternoon at the Metrodome.
    With the way the Twins played, they may be OK with not having a sellout crowd to witness their 9-4 loss.
    To start things off, Matt Garza put the Twins in an early hole, when he gave up three runs in the first inning.
    But the Twins chipped away at Royals starter Kyle Davies to keep the game close. Torii Hunter put the Twins on the board with his 27th home run of the year, a solo shot, in the first. Hunter's home run put him in a tie with Justin Morneau for the team lead in RBIs with 95.
    Minnesota scored two in the fourth, on RBI singles from Jason Kubel and Jason Tyner. Tyner's hit extended his hitting streak to 13 games, a career high.
    "We got behind early," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We got back in the ballgame. Got some bunts down, still didn't get them in enough, but we got some bunts down and did some things to get men out there."
    Garza seemed to get his pitching back on track after the shaky first inning, but defensive miscues in the sixth put the game out of reach for good.
    Emil Brown reached first on what was originally ruled an error on third baseman Brian Buscher. The call was changed to a base hit, but Buscher admitted if he hadn't been so slow, it would have been an out. The next batter, Tony Pena bunted the ball up the middle and just out of Garza's reach for a single.
    Those two plays could have been erased, but Garza's error on the next play opened the floodgates to what ended up a five-run inning.
    Garza cleanly fielded Joey Gathright's bunt down the third-base line, but then threw it away into the Twins bullpen allowing two runs to score and Gathright to slide safely into third.
    "They came out and said, 'We need a bunt down the third base line, can you get there?' I said, 'Yea, I can get there.' I got there. I just threw it away," Garza said. "That one's going to haunt me for awhile. It's one of those plays you do over and over so many times in this game and in the Minor Leagues, and you get your big chance and you throw it away. That one hurt the worst."
    Hunter also made an error in the inning, just his second of the season, and Buscher made an error in the seventh, to give the Twins three errors in the game -- tying their season high.
    "You've got a five-run inning there and that just shows you that you can't give people extra outs in this ballgame. If they're giving you the outs, you've got to get the outs," Gardenhire said. "A routine ground ball and two bunt plays are supposed to be outs and we didn't get any of them, and now you've got a five-run inning and we're out of the ballgame. That just tells you a little bit about the game of baseball. You can't not field your position and you have to understand the quickness of a Major League baseball game."
    It was Garza's 10th career start at the Metrodome and he remained winless, with an 0-9 record and a 6.40 ERA.
    The Twins got an almost immediate chance to rebound from the loss, with the nightcap of the doubleheader beginning almost exactly three hours after the final out of Game 1.
    "You've got to come out and forget about it," Gardnehire said. "That's the game of baseball. You can't do anything about that one now. We pretty much screwed that one up, so now we have to come back, and try to win the second one, and split the doubleheader and turn around, and play another one [Saturday] at 11 in the morning."
    Leslie Parker is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

    Friday, July 20th of 2007 vs. California-Anaheim Angels at the Metrodome

    I (Sal) went to my first game of the season with 2 folks I work with at a group home. It was an awesome game to go!

    {Photo Gallery}

    Game Wrap Up

    Scoreboard 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
    LA Angels 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 10 2
    Minnesota 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 X 7 12 2

    Game Wrap Up
    LA Angels AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
    Figgins, 3B 3 2 1 1 1 0 0 .317
    Cabrera, SS 5 1 1 0 0 1 2 .312
    Guerrero, DH 4 1 2 0 0 0 1 .326
    Anderson, LF 4 0 1 2 0 0 2 .291
    Matthews, CF 3 0 1 1 1 0 0 .281
    Kotchman, 1B 3 0 0 0 1 0 3 .287
    Izturis, 2B 4 1 1 0 0 2 1 .238
    Napoli, C 4 0 3 0 0 0 1 .254
    Willits, RF 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .304
    Totals 33 5 10 4 3 4 12

    BATTING
    2B: Figgins (13, Silva), Anderson (15, Silva), Izturis (7, Silva).
    TB: Figgins 2; Cabrera; Guerrero 2; Anderson 2; Matthews; Izturis 2; Napoli 3.
    RBI: Matthews (48), Anderson 2 (19), Figgins (29).
    2-out RBI: Matthews.
    Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Cabrera.
    S: Willits.
    SF: Figgins.
    GIDP: Willits; Kotchman.
    Team LOB: 6.

    FIELDING
    E: Cabrera (6, fielding), Napoli (6, throw).
    Outfield assists: Willits (McDonald at home).

    Minnesota AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
    Castillo, 2B 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 .307
    Bartlett, SS 5 2 2 0 0 0 1 .261
    Mauer, C 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .306
    Morneau, 1B 4 2 2 3 0 0 1 .291
    Hunter, CF 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 .298
    Kubel, LF 3 1 3 2 1 0 0 .257
    McDonald, RF 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 .000
    a-Tyner, PH-RF 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .276
    Jones, DH 3 0 0 0 1 1 4 .136
    Punto, 3B 4 0 1 2 0 0 1 .212
    Totals 35 7 12 7 3 4 13

    a-Struck out for McDonald in the 7th.

    BATTING
    3B: Bartlett (1, Lackey), Kubel (1, Lackey).
    HR: Morneau (26, 3rd inning off Lackey, 1 on, 1 out).
    TB: Castillo; Bartlett 4; Mauer; Morneau 5; Hunter 2; Kubel 5; Punto.
    RBI: Morneau 3 (81), Kubel 2 (40), Punto 2 (20).
    2-out RBI: Morneau; Kubel 2; Punto 2.
    Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: McDonald; Jones; Tyner.
    Team LOB: 7.

    BASERUNNING
    SB: Kubel (3, 2nd base off Lackey/Napoli).
    CS: Jones (1, 2nd base by Speier/Napoli).

    FIELDING
    E: Punto (6, throw), Bartlett (18, throw).
    DP: 2 (Silva-Bartlett-Morneau, Castillo-Bartlett-Morneau).

    LA Angels IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
    Lackey (L, 12-6) 5.0 10 7 5 1 3 1 3.21
    Oliver 1.2 1 0 0 1 0 0 5.23
    Speier 1.1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1.86
    Minnesota IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
    Silva (W, 8-10) 6.2 10 5 4 2 1 0 4.60
    Reyes (H, 6) 0.2 0 0 0 1 0 0 3.42
    Rincon (H, 9) 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.68
    Nathan (S, 19) 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.09

    WP: Oliver.
    Pitches-strikes: Lackey 93-58, Oliver 26-15, Speier 17-9, Silva 97-68, Reyes 12-7, Rincon 11-6, Nathan 14-9.
    Ground outs-fly outs: Lackey 7-4, Oliver 4-1, Speier 0-2, Silva 11-8, Reyes 1-1, Rincon 0-1, Nathan 0-1.
    Batters faced: Lackey 26, Oliver 7, Speier 5, Silva 30, Reyes 3, Rincon 2,
    Nathan 3.
    Inherited runners-scored: Speier 2-0, Reyes 1-0, Rincon 1-0. Umpires: HP: Tony Randazzo. 1B: Charlie Reliford. 2B: Greg Gibson. 3B: Larry
    Vanover.
    Weather: 70 degrees, dome.
    Wind: Indoors.
    T: 2:39.
    Att: 35,794.

    " Box score official statistics approved by Major League Baseball Office of the Commissioner

    Articles

  • Twins snap three-game skid Morneau blasts two-run shot; Kubel delivers two-run triple By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com (7/21/07)

  • " MINNEAPOLIS -- Coming off a series where runs were difficult to come by, the task for the Twins didn't appear to get much easier Friday.
    With the Angels' All-Star pitcher John Lackey taking to the mound, the Twins knew that they could be facing yet another difficult test to produce offense.
    Yet after scoring just five runs over three games with the Tigers, the Twins emerged from their offensive slump to tag Lackey for seven runs over five innings in a 7-5 victory over the Angels at the Metrodome.
    Not exactly the result that anyone had expected.
    "It was kind of one of those crazy ones," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said after the victory. "You search the last three ballgames to try and score runs, and then tonight, we were coming around and scoring runs and they were scoring runs all over the place."
    Crazy might have been the only way to describe the contest that unfolded, at least in the early goings Friday. Neither starting pitcher could seem to find their stuff as Twins starter Carlos Silva was giving up his fair share of hits and runs, too.
    And it wasn't made easier for either team as the defense for both clubs seemed to be absent. Balls were flying all over the infield, with the two clubs combining to record five errors.
    "It was kind of weird; both teams were hitting the ball and the scoring was going back and forth," Torii Hunter said. "We both made some crazy mistakes out there, and it got kind of ugly. But we did what we had to do, and we did it off one of the best pitchers in the league right now."
    Capitalizing on Lackey's early struggles was big for the Twins. The right-hander, who got off to a tremendous start this season, has been a bit more fallible of late, going just 2-2 with a 4.85 ERA in his last six starts.
    But Lackey started to show his better form after giving up the seven runs through three innings. Still, at that point, the Twins had already done enough scoring to pick up the win.
    "Once he gets on a roll, he can do some tough damage to you, so it was fun to see guys come out swinging early," Gardenhire said.
    Even more surprising about the offensive outburst was that it came without the Twins' usual cleanup hitter. Michael Cuddyer was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained thumb earlier in the day.
    Gardenhire said before the game that it would take a group effort to make up for the loss of the 56 RBI- and 10-home run guy that solidified the middle of the lineup.
    And the Twins seemed to take the message seriously. It was a combination of a few guys in the lineup who helped end the team's three-game skid.
    Justin Morneau delivered three RBIs on the night, including two courtesy of his 26th home run of the year. Morneau's two-run shot over the center-field wall in the third inning off Lackey (12-6) carried 430 feet.
    Jason Kubel also continued his hot streak at the plate, tallying three hits for the second consecutive game. One of those included a two-run triple in the first inning that was less than a textbook play but got the job done.
    And in the end, the team was able to make due with the loss of Cuddyer for at least one night.
    "He's been one of our most consistent guys all year, so we just need to do what we did tonight, and that's get on base and get the runs in any way we can," Kubel said. "It's not going to be one person; it's going to be everybody that has to do it."
    The strong offense helped make up for a rare night where the Twins didn't get a quality start from Silva. But while it was a rough early going for Silva, giving up five runs over the first four innings, the right-hander settled down for the latter part of his outing. He retired eight of the final 10 batters he faced and lasted 6 2/3 innings.
    The game was then turned over to the bullpen who held down the two-run lead. Dennys Reyes and Juan Rincon combined for 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Joe Nathan picked up his 19th save of the season.
    And in the end, it was a victory to what has been a week of ups and downs for the club. A four-game sweep of the A's started the homestand for Minnesota, and was followed by the club getting swept in three by Detroit.
    The win was also big in that it allowed the Twins to pick up a game on the Tigers in the American League Central race.
    After dropping three straight to Detroit at home, the Twins had found themselves trailing the Tigers by nine games for the division lead. But Detroit's loss to Kansas City at home gave an opening for Minnesota to trim that deficit to eight.
    Making up ground is nice, but it was just more of a relief for the Twins to just finally be shaking hands at the end of a contest.
    "Coming off a tough series, a draining series against Detroit where we lost three one-run games like that, and to be able to bounce back against a good team and get a win was big for us," Nathan said. "Hopefully, now we can get on a roll. The last series against Detroit was tough, but it's not going to kill us."
    Kelly Thesier is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

    Unmemorable Games

    Twins 'pen falls to Royals in 10th
    Kubel drives in two runs; Bonser solid through seven innings By Leslie Parker / MLB.com 08/02/2007 1:02 AM ET
    < " Boof Bonser gave up two earned runs on eight hits in seven innings, fanning four. (Paul Battaglia/AP)
    MINNEAPOLIS -- At times, it's important to remember that baseball is just a game -- a pasttime meant to serve as a distraction from the events of everyday life.
    The Twins received that jarring reminder less than an hour before Wednesday night's game against the Royals when news broke that the I-35W bridge, less than a mile from the Metrodome, collapsed to send around 50 cars plunging into the Mississippi River.
    The organization considered cancelling the game, but the Department of Public Safety urged the teams to play on, fearing that if the over 20,000 people in the Metrodome left, the traffic congestion would impede emergency vehicles on the scene.
    So play on they did, fighting through a see-saw battle that saw the Twins lose, 5-3, in 10 innings.
    But after the game, there was little talk about what happened between the lines.
    "The ballgame had to be played," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I don't think a lot of us really wanted to play, but it was the right thing to do to make sure that they could do their job out there and keep the fans in here."
    Gardenhire was disappointed with the team's play, which included two errors. Left fielder Lew Ford's throwing error in the eighth inning allowed Emil Brown to advance to third and eventually score the tying run on reliever Matt Guerrier's wild pitch.
    "We didn't play very well," Gardenhire said. "We pitched OK, we missed plays. We gave them every run they got. It was a disappointing night, as far as a baseball game goes, but there's a lot more going on to worry about."
    Juan Rincon came on in the 10th and gave up a one-out single to Brown. Rincon struck out the next batter, but before recording the third out he gave up a two-run home run to Alex Gordon to give the Royals the lead.
    Rincon has now given up eight earned runs over three innings in his last three appearances.
    Starter Boof Bonser went seven innings and gave up just two earned runs, but he did not factor into the decision. Bonser was made aware of the tragedy just before he was set to go to the bullpen to warm up. Bonser said it was difficult to focus, but once he received word that the game would go on, he felt like it was his job to serve as a distraction.
    "It's tough, because I just tried to focus on the game. I had to turn that switch on," Bonser said. "Obviously everybody knew what happened. It was almost like I had to take the minds off everybody thinking about that and, you know, put them toward the game."
    Royals starter Brian Bannister, who allowed three runs over seven innings, felt like the Twins were playing with extra emotion. He added that the Royals were hanging tough for their manager, Buddy Bell, who announced earlier Wednesday that he would leave his managerial post at the end of this season.
    "We knew about it all and I knew they were going to come out and play with intensity," Bannister said. "I know they were playing for their city, and we were playing for Buddy."
    Division rivals Detroit and Cleveland also lost on Wednesday, meaning Minnesota remains six games back in the division race and five games back in the Wild Card.
    The clubhouse was quiet after the game, as it usually is following a loss, but the somber attitudes and hushed tones made it obvious that the game was not what was weighing on the players' minds.
    "A lot of us are from here and have lived in this city. Not all of us are from here, but we live here during the season and we're part of this community," Mike Redmond said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out with the people who are affected. This is a tough time."
    During the game, the Twins announced that Thursday's series finale with the Royals would be rescheduled for a later date and the groundbreaking festivities for the new stadium that were set to occur after Thursday's game were postponed.
    Play is set to resume on Friday with the series opener against the Indians, but there were thoughts that the weekend's games may also be rescheduled.
    The Twins know it will take much longer than a few days to get back to normalcy, but maybe a baseball game would serve as a worthy distraction.
    "There's nothing more normal in America than a baseball game. So maybe it will be something that we will be able to help people cope with," Michael Cuddyer said. "One baseball game is not going to do anything, but hopefully for those three hours we'll be able to bring some type of normalcy back."

    All-Star Game Representatives

    2007: Johann Santana (P), Justin Morneau (1B)-homerun derby, Tori Hunter (CF), and Ron Gardenhire (asst. coach) played at (San Francisco, CA)

    Ground-Breaking Ceremony for New Stadium

    As a "big" Twins fan, I arrived at the sight of this special event early (around 3:30pm). There was a line already forming as I waited underneath the Garage B Parking Lot. Then we were finally able to get in...

    I went to the area around the pitching mound where they were going to do the shoveling. While waiting with some folks I had a chance to mingle with earlier in line prior to getting inside this venue, I was looking around this fetive area. One of the folks I was chatting with pointed to...


    Harmon Killibrew, who was being interviewed by some lady, which was a very akward photo opportunity.

    We still had over 2 hours to wait I first got autographs to kill some time before the ceremony officially started @6:30pm. It was an almost 87' flashback as I got autographs from:


    Juan Berenger
    *was partnered with Twins "great"-Frank Quilici
    Related Sites:
    Wikipedia
    "(born May 11, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former Major League infielder and manager with a five year playing career and a four year managing career. He played for the Minnesota Twins of the American League in 1965 and then 1967-1970. He attended Loras College and Western Michigan University.
    He played all infield positions at one time or another, but mostly was a utility second baseman and third baseman. He managed the Twins from 1972 to 1975 compiling a record of 280-287 (.494). He had replaced Bill Rigney as Twins manager. Gene Mauch came after him.
    In the 1965 World Series, Quilici had two hits in one inning, tying a record, off Hall-of-Famer Don Drysdale during a win in Game 1 for the Twins. The Twins would end up losing the series, 4-3, to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
    In his playing career, he batted .214 with 5 home runs and 53 RBIs. He had 146 career hits in 682 at bats. "


    Scott Leius and Tim Laudner
    *Rod Carew was sitting here 5 minutes earlier, which I just missed him!

    Twins break ground on new ballpark- Fans head out for official step toward outdoor baseball By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com 08/30/2007 10:17 PM ET
    "MINNEAPOLIS -- Outdoor baseball is now officially back in Minnesota. It took over a decade for the Twins to get a new outdoor ballpark approved, but on Thursday night, the first round of shovels finally dug into the ground as part of the official groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the ballpark set to open in 2010.
    For a franchise that has battled questions about its future in the state, and even faced the possibility of contraction, the day cemented the fact that the club will indeed be in Minnesota for many years to come. And the new ballpark will provide many fans with their first glimpse at outdoor baseball.
    "Today we are breaking ground for the next generation," said president and CEO of Twins Inc., Jerry Bell, who helped lead the fight for a new ballpark over the last 12 years. "So that they will experience baseball the way it's supposed to be played."
    A packed crowd gathered at the site of the new ballpark, which sits on the north edge of downtown between 5th and 7th Streets on 3rd Avenue N, and up until recently had been used as a parking lot. With grass sod laid down to represent exactly where the infield will be in the new park, the stage for the night's ceremony stood at the approximate position of home plate.
    "Today we celebrate the start of construction, and in April 2010, this unremarkable parking lot is going to be transformed into a great urban ballpark," Hennepin County commissioner Mike Opat told the crowd of fans. "And I can hardly wait."
    Twins radio and television announcers John Gordon and Dick Bremer emceed the event, which had been postponed from its original date on Aug. 2 due to the tragic I-35 W bridge collapse.
    Among those gathered to help take part in the ceremony Thursday were Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, Twins owner Carl Pohlad, manager Ron Gardenhire, some members of the Minnesota state legislature, a few of the Twins front office staff, as well as current and former Twins players including Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer, Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew.
    It was a day in which the group celebrated the Twins' past 25 years in the Metrodome, but more importantly looked forward to a future that includes outdoor baseball -- something the Twins haven't experienced at home since the Metrodome opened in 1982 and replaced old Metropolitan Stadium.
    The warm and sunny conditions Thursday gave an ideal glimpse as to just what will be in store for fans once the new stadium opens at the start of the 2010 season.
    And former Twins great Kent Hrbek even joked about how nice it will be to have weather conditions and not the faded white roof at the Metrodome play tricks on the players.
    "I'm looking forward to sitting here in the stands with my daughter and watch as someone pops it up in the air, and Joe Mauer runs back to catch it only to shade his eyes and watch it drop in front of him," Hrbek said. "And my daughter is going to look at me and ask what happened. And I'll say to her, 'No, he didn't lose it in the roof, the dang sun got in his eyes.'"
    "Just make sure you don't do that too often Joe," Hrbek chided Mauer, who was sitting on the stage behind him.
    The new ballpark officially became reality on May 26, 2006, when Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the ballpark legislation into law during a pregame ceremony at the Metrodome. Since then, a lot of work has gone into the planning for the new park and it was capped by seeing the actual building process finally take place Thursday.
    And while it was a special day for all those involved in the organization, the people that everyone seemed to focus on were those who gathered to celebrate with the team -- the fans.
    "It's great to see everyone out here supporting us," Gardenhire said to the crowd. "This is going to be a beautiful ballpark. And hopefully Opening Day in 2010 will be a fantastic day for all of you, because that's who it is for -- you the fans."
    Kelly Thesier is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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