September 29, 2021
Twins edge Tigers for 70th win of the season
Well, I’m struggling to find the enthusiasm to write about the Twins as the disappointing 2021 season winds to a close, but here goes nothing… Two sacrifice flies and a home run — Miguel Sano’s 30th — were the difference as the Twins topped the Detroit Tigers 3-2 on Tuesday before a home crowd of... Continue Reading »
July 27, 2021
Twins improve to 8-5 versus Tigers after extra-innings win
Old friend Robbie Grossman forced extra innings on Monday after he hit a two-run home run off long-suffering Twins reliever, Alex Colome, to tie the game at 5-5. But in the bottom of the 10th, Andrelton Simmons earned a free pass to first base, pitcher Kenta Maeda, of all people, replaced him as a pinch... Continue Reading »
May 9, 2021
For the Twins, a step forward and two steps back
The Twins won Game 1 of their three-game series against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, only to lose on Saturday. The Twins lost more than the game as well after the club announced that Byron Buxton has landed on the 10-day injured list. It also sounds as if rookie Alex Kirilloff’s wrist problem might be... Continue Reading »
April 5, 2021
Spring training really is meaningless, Part 2
The Twins appear to have put March and a lack of hitting behind them after they banged out 11 hits on Sunday in an 8-2 win and series win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Luis Arraez had a 3-for-3 day at the top of the order, plus Byron Buxton doubled, Mitch Garver and Miguel Sano homered,... Continue Reading »
January 20, 2020
Does Donaldson, plus Hill, plus Bailey, plus Clippard, equal a playoff win over the Yankees?
The Twins missed out on the top free agent pitchers this winter — and I’m still puzzled that the Toronto Blue Jays snagged Hyun-Jin Ryu — but the slugging, Twins-killing third baseman known as Josh Donaldson was still available, and after reports the club was “pessimistic” about landing the “bringer of rain,” the team finally... Continue Reading »
July 5, 2019
Twins, Tribe now separated by 6 games. Feel free to panic.
Despite 11 hits, the Twins still suffered from a serious lack of clutch hitting on Thursday. They left 11 men on base, were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and finally lost 7-2 and the series to the A’s. Meanwhile, Cleveland scored six runs in the seventh inning and came from behind to beat the... Continue Reading »
July 3, 2019
We have a race in the AL Central, folks
The Twins lost, Cleveland won and now the two teams are separated by seven games in the American League Central. A month ago I would’ve said this thing was sewn up for the Twins. Now, I’m not so sure. The Twins played extremely well through May, stumbled a bit in June and now have lost... Continue Reading »
December 1, 2018
It’s never too early to predict the Twins will win the AL Central
Wasting no time, the MLB.com website Cut 4 is predicting the Twins will displace the Cleveland Indians atop the American League Central and win the division in 2019. That’s fine with me, of course, but I should point out that many (OK, some) made that prediction in 2018 and look where it got them. But,... Continue Reading »
September 27, 2018
What I really want to talk about is the ‘opener’
Never mind that the Twins beat the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday — which is all fine and well, of course — because I’m more interested in the experiment that keeps on giving. Once again I’m talking about the “opener,” in which a reliever starts a game to tee up the primary pitcher for an effective... Continue Reading »