September 8, 2020

Twins take early lead and hold on to it for 6-2 win

The Twins scored first and the bullpen didn’t waver as the team took four of five games from the Detroit Tigers with a 6-2 win on Monday.

Starter Michael Pineda was once again impressive. He made a strong 2020 debut and was even better on Monday, giving the Twins seven innings with eight strikeouts. Reliever Cody Stashak pitched a scoreless inning, then Taylor Rogers, finally looking like the closer we know he can be, struck out the side on 14 pitches.

Run support came from the Twins’ youth movement in the form of five extra-base hits. Rookie LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a double, fellow rookie, Ryan Jeffers, hit a home run, Byron Buxton chipped in with one of each and Eddie Rosario hit a two-bagger and drove in three runs.

Jose Berrios gets the ball in Game 1 of Tuesday’s doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals, followed by Randy Dobnak in Game 2. With that pitching, the Twins have a good chance to take both games.

Extra innings…

-The Twins need to sweep the Cardinals so they’re in the best position to tackle the next 10 games against the Indians, White Sox and Cubs. Those games, I feel, will decide the outcome of the season for the Twins.

-Big Mike’s story is pretty amazing. He pitched well for the Twins last season, then suffers the professional disappointment of being suspended for using a banned substance, and then pitches this season like nothing ever happened. He hasn’t missed a beat. Pineda allowed two runs over seven innings with two walks and eight strikeouts on Monday. He’s now 1-0 on the season with a 2.77 ERA.

-The Twins are 18-5 at home this season.

-And then there was this:

COMMENTS

Hi, I’m Rolf Boone, Twins fan.

I became a fan of the Minnesota Twins after a friendly wager in the early 1980s. I survived Ron Davis, the meltdown in Cleveland, Phil Bradley at the Kingdome and then marveled at a rising generation of stars and two World Series wins in 1987 and 1991. Brad Radke made the 1990s bearable, while Kirby Puckett’s eye injury, exit from the game and eventual death made it almost too much to bear. The new century ushered in more talent — Joe Mauer, Johan Santana, Joe Nathan, Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau — and consecutive seasons of playoff baseball, followed by consecutive seasons of losing baseball. A winning season returned in 2015. So here we are. Go Twins.