Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years
June 1, 2013
Royals 4 - Twins 0
WP - K. Davies (2-1), LP - C. Christopher (2-3), SV - N/A
HR - N/A
As sloppy as we played this game, I'm surprised we didn't lose 14-0. We committed four errors, including two errors by CC.
POTG - KCR K. Davies 8.1 IP, 6 H, BB, 0 ER, 4 K
June 2, 2013
Royals 2 - Twins 3
WP - Z. Greinke (6-4), LP - K. Gibson (3-6), SV - J. Mijares (13)
HR - KCR B. Butler (11), E. Hosmer (5)
Kyle Gibson and Zack Greinke, two pitchers that were traded for each other three seasons ago, faced off in this game. Greinke got the better of Gibson, but not by much. Greinke went seven innings and allowed only two runs, while Gibson went 6.1 and allowed three runs.
POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 3 K
June 3, 2013
Royals 2 - Twins 5
WP - T. Lincecum (6-1), LP - A. Crow (5-4), SV - J. Mijares (14)
HR - MIN C. Headley (9), H. Pence (10), J. Lopez (6)
Jose Lopez hit his sixth homer of the season to help us win the game. With the home-runs and doubles and RBI's he's getting, you'd have no idea he's actually in the midst a horrible season and is pushing the Mendoza line.
POTG - T. Lincecum 7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 5 K
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 35-20
7.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
June 4, 2013
Twins 1 - White Sox 4
WP - D. Hudson (2-6), LP - J. Peavy (5-5), SV - M. Thornton (9)
HR - CHW R. Howard (19), D. Viciedo (16)
The White Sox continue to hit home-runs at an alarming rate, As they're now at 82 homers on the season. Only four other teams in the league have even broken 70. They are the Reds (71), Tigers (71), A's (73), and Yankees (70). Interestingly, none of those teams are division leaders and only one (the A's) is a realistic playoff contender.
POTG - CHW D. Hudson 7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 0 ER (1 R), 6 K
June 5, 2013
Twins 6 - White Sox 10
WP - C. Torres (1-1), LP - A. Burnett (3-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN H. Pence (11), CHW J. Phegley 2 (19), R. Howard (20), J. Weeks (3), J. Mitchell (9)
Yeah, those homers. I've been pretty good at keeping the opposing team in the yard this season, and they're still hitting them out left and right.
POTG - CHW J. Phegley 4-5, 4 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI
June 6, 2013
Twins 11 - White Sox 0
WP - C. Christopher (3-3), LP - K. Heckathorn (3-5), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Span (4), J. Lopez (7), C. Parmelee 2 (9)
CC had his best start of the season, going 8.2 innings of shutout ball, before getting pulled for Jorge Julio. Julio, by the way, has been awesome in limited time since we signed him to fill in for injuries. He's got a 1.29 ERA in 7 innings of work.
POTG - MIN C. Parmelee 3-4, BB, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 36-22
6.0 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
June 8, 2013
Twins 4 - Indians 3
WP - S. Romo (2-2), LP - J. Smith (1-3), SV - J. Mijares (15)
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (10)
Greinke had a phenomenal start in the first game of this three-gamer with the Indians. It couldn't get him the win, but the bullpen was able to keep the game locked down and we were able to pull out the win.
POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 7 Ip, 5 H, 0 BB, 2 ER (3 R), 7 K
June 9, 2013
Twins 4 - Indians 5
WP - A. White (3-4), LP - T. Lincecum (6-2), SV - C. Perez (12)
HR - MIN H. Pence (12), CLE J. Hamilton (8)
The Indians even up the series by beating Lincecum and getting four RBI off the bat of LF Josh Hamilton.
POTG - CLE J. Hamilton 3-3, BB, HR, 4 RBI
June 10, 2013
Twins 1 - Indians 3
WP - N. Hagadone (5-5), LP - J. Peavy (5-6), SV - C. Perez (13)
HR - MIN T. Neal (8), CLE J. Kipnis (4)
Nick-effing-Hagadone. He always seems to decide to pitch like Randy Johnson against us. This time he went seven innings, allowed just one earned run, and struck out nine. Meanwhile the Indians scored all three of their runs on Jason Kipnis' three-run homer in the first inning.
POTG - CLE N. Hagadone 7 IP, 3 H, 6 BB, ER, 9 K + CLE J. Kipnis 1-4, GW 3-R HR
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 37-24
4.5 GA of Kansas City Royals for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
June 11, 2013
[I]Pirates 8 - Twins 6 (in extras)[I]
WP - J. Ascanio (3-0), LP - J. Mijares (1-2), SV - J. Frasor (10)
HR - MIN T. Neal 9, PIT P. Alvarez 2 (11)
I think it's safe to say that Blackburn's case of mistaken identity is solved and he remembers who he is, unfortunately for me. In his last three starts he's gone only 15.0 innings and allowed 15 earned runs. It wasn't his fault we lost this game, however. It was the defense's. Pete Kozma committed an error that allowed two runs to score in the top of the 11th inning.
POTG - PIT P. Alvarez 2-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI
June 12, 2013
Pirates 1 - Twins 2 (in extras)
WP - J. Mijares (2-2), LP - J. Frason (4-3), SV - N/A
HR - MIN J. Lopez (8)
Another extra-inning squeaker. Jose Lopez provided the highlight of the night, crushing the walk-off homer to lead off the 10th inning.
POTG - MIN J. Lopez 2-4, walk-off HR
June 13, 2013
Pirates 3 - Twins 6
WP - Z. Greinke (7-4), LP - P. Maholm (8-5), SV - N/A
HR - PIT A. Iwamura (1), C. D'Arnaud (4)
Chase Headley is building off his break-out season from last season. Although he's slightly off his home-run pace from last season, he already has 22 doubles this season, 51 RBI, a .336 BA (1st on the team and 5th in the AL), and is matching his OPS from last season with a .929 mark.
POTG - MIN C. Headley 4-5, R, RBI
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 39-25
5.5 GA of Kansas City Royals for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
June 15, 2013
Braves 1 - Twins 4
WP - T. Lincecum (7-2), LP - D. Delgado (6-3), SV - J. Mijares (16)
HR - MIN J. Lopez (9)
Although the offense only scored four runs, I think it was a good at the plate for the team. We got 10 hits, including three doubles, a triple, and a homer, drew four walks, and everyone but Neal and Salazar got a hit.
POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 7 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, ER, 6 K
June 16, 2013
Braves 0 - Twins 2
WP - J. Peavy (6-6), LP - J. Hoover (1-9), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (11)
Peavy hasn't looked this good since he was in San Diego! He pitched the 4th shutout of his career, his first since he pitched 3 in '05 and made the All-Star team.
POTG - MIN J. Peavy CG, SHO, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K
June 17, 2013
Braves 9 - Twins 6
WP - J. Teheran (7-2), LP - N. Blackburn (7-3), SV - K. Medlen (15)
HR - MIN C. Headley (10), ATL B. McCann (12)
Okay, Blackburn didn't pitch well (3 ER in 4 IP), but I'm putting this loss on the bullpen. In five innings they allowed six runs, including a five run seventh inning. Alex Burnett, who had an ERA of half a run a week or two ago, allowed four earned runs in just 0.2 innings of work.
POTG - ATL B. McCann 2-4, 2B, BB, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 41-26
6.5 GA of Kansas City Royals for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thoughts
We keep winning, despite getting bombarded with injuries. Fortunately we've avoided major injuries to our big contributors like Pence, Neal, Headley, etc., but just about every one in the line-up had missed a few games with minor nics and scratches.
I'm about to officially put an end to the Kurt Suzuki experiment in Minnesota. He's making almost 4 million dollars a year and putting up an OPS under .600. I'm gonna shop him with a couple mid-level prospects and try to get a young, cheap guy with a good glove. I am a little worried about messing with my team while it's playing so well, though.
Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years
Twins swap prospects, catchers with Giants
We were able to agree to a trade that sends C Kurt Suzuki 79, along with prospects SS Miguel Sano 63/86, and 1B Kevin Watson 68/80 to San Fran'. In exchange we get former #12 overall pick C Ezra Ravina 81/86.
With Buster Posey entrenched as the Giants backstop for the foreseeable future, the Giants had a great trade chip in Ravina, and we couldn't help but bite with Suzuki's performance since coming to the Twins from Oakland. Ravina is far superior to Suzuki as an offensive catcher, and is roughly equal, maybe even better, defensively. I had very little confidence in Sano and Watson's ability to develop into major league players. This is a relatively low-risk reward for the Giants due to Posey's presence, and potentially high-reward due to the possibility of Sano and Watson becoming solid major league ball players.
Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years
June 18, 2013
Giants 10 - Twins 8
WP - W. Joaquin (3-2), LP - D. Farquhar (2-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN E. Ravina (1), C. Headley (11), H. Pence (13), SFG J. Bowker (10), C. Dominguez (1), C. Quentin (7)
Ezra Ravina got off to a fast start with us, going 3-5 with a homer, a double, two runs scored, and three RBI in his first game as a Twin. Unfortunately it still wasn't enough for a win.
POTG - MIN E. Ravina 3-5, 2 R, HR, 2B, 3 RBI
June 19, 2013
Giants 1 - Twins 3
WP - Z. Greinke (8-4), LP - Z. Wheeler (3-4), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Headley (12)
Another gem in the books for Zack Greinke. Zack Wheeler put up a decent fight as the opposing starter, but it's hard to beat the best.
POTG - MIN Z. Greinke CG, 3 H, 0 BB, ER, 5 K
June 20, 2013
Giants 7 - Twins 5
WP - E. Surkamp (7-3), LP - T. Lincecum (7-3), SV - B. Wilson (13)
HR - SFG B. Crawford (8)
Lincecum had another sub-par start, surrenduring five runs in three innings. The offense was pretty stagnant as well.
POTG - SFG E. Surkamp 7 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 ER, 6 K
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 42-28
5.5 GA of Kansas City Royals for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
June 22, 2013
Twins 8 - Nationals 3
WP - J. Peavy (7-6), LP - B. Morrow (5-6), SV - N/A
HR - MIN P. Kozma (1)
We get Neftali Feliz back following this win. Kerry Wood goes down for him. Luke Gregerson is almost healthy again as well, and when he comes back Julio will be going down.
POTG - MIN J. Peavy 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, ER (3 R), 5 K
June 23, 2013
Twins 3 - Nationals 4
WP - J. Carlson (2-4), LP - J. Mijares (2-3), SV - N/A
HR - WAS C. Marrero 2 (9), R. Zimmerman (10)
After we were able to rally for two runs in the top of the ninth to tie it, Jose Mijares gives it right back when Marrero hit his second homer of the game.
POTG - WAS C. Marrero 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, walk-off HR in 9th
June 24, 2013
Twins 0 - Nationals 1
WP - G. Hicks (5-4), LP - Z. Greinke (8-5), SV - N/A
HR - WAS M. Burgess (5)
Graham beat Greinke on this day, pitching a six-hit, complete game shutout.
POTG - WAS G. Hicks CG, SHO, 6 H, BB, 4 K
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 43-30
5.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
June 25, 2013
Twins 2 - Marlins 0
WP - T. Lincecum (8-3), LP - C. Volstad (6-6), SV - J. Mijares (17)
HR - MIN T. Neal (10)
Lincecum confounds me. One game he can't even make it through four innings, and then the next he pitches 8.2 innings of shutout baseball and strikes out 12.
POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 8.2 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 12 K
June 26, 2013
Twins 6 - Marlins 3
WP - J. Peavy (8-6), LP - R. Nolasco (4-6), SV - J. Mijares (18)
HR - MIN J. Lopez (10), H. Pence (14)
Hunter Pence is continuing to hit like a machine this season. He went 2-4 with a home-run in this game, and brings him to .298/.340/.502 with 14 HR, 55 RBI, and 91 hits on the season.
POTG - MIN H. Pence 2-4, HR, 2 RBI
June 27, 2013
Twins 0 - Marlins 6
WP - B. Maddux (5-2), LP - N. Blackburn (7-4), SV - N/A
HR - N/A
I can only assume based on his performance in this game that Basil Maddux is in someway related to former Brave/Cub great Greg Maddux.
POTG - FLA B. Maddux CG, SHO, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 45-31
5.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
June 28, 2013
Twins 3 - Tigers 8
WP - J. Verlander (5-7), LP - C. Christopher (3-4), SV - N/A
HR - DET R. Doumit (12), B. Hall (8), R. Streiby (7), L. Spell (1)
The Tigers smacked us around pretty well in this one, hitting four homers off us. CC actually didn't pitch that badly all things considered, he allowed only four runs over six innings despite giving up three homers.
POTG - DET B. Hall 2-3, BB, 2 R, HR, 2B, 3 RBI
June 29, 2013
Twins 4 - Tigers 5
WP - J. Weaver (2-1), LP - N. Feliz (1-3), SV - J. Soria (14)
HR - DET R. Strieby (8)
After getting Turner out before he recorded an out in the third inning, we couldn't touch Jered Weaver. He pitched six shutout innings of relief, and allowed only three hits and three walks.
POTG - DET J. Weaver 6 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 2 K
June 30, 2013
Twins 5 - Tigers 0
WP - T. Lincecum (9-3), LP - B. Villarreal (4-5), SV - N/A
HR - MIN T. Neal (11)
Lincecum seems to be making a run at Greinke's vicegrip on the AL Cy Young over the past two seasons. Lincecum went 8.1 innings, allowed zero runs, and struck out eight this time out. On the season Lincecum is 9-3 in 16 starts, with a 3.05 ERA, a BAA of only .188, 119 K's and 36 walks in 106.1 innings, and has surrendered only three home-runs.
POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 8.1 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, 0 ER, 8 K
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 46-33
4.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thoughts
Well, June definitely wasn't a great month for us, but it could have been worse. It marked our first month of the season of sub-.500 ball, as we went 13-14 (compared to 18-10 in May and 15-9 in April) and we lost a series for the first time in what seems like centuries. Regardless, though, we still hold a healthy lead over the Indians for the division. We have a relatively easy schedule before the break. We play the Angels (34-43), Tigers (36-42), and Yankees (33-44) for three games a piece, all at home.
HTML Code:
ERA Z. Greinke 2.76
Wins T. Lincecum 9
Saves J. Mijares 18
AVG D. Spam .312
HR H. Pence 14
SB D. Span 10
Stats
Batting
HTML Code:
Player Name Team AB H HR RBI Avg OBP SLG SB CS
Span, Denard MIN 324 101 4 24 .312 .375 .423 10 12
Pence, Hunter MIN 320 94 14 56 .294 .338 .494 4 3
Kozma, Pete MIN 309 77 1 25 .249 .329 .301 1 1
Headley, Chase MIN 294 91 12 57 .310 .372 .514 0 2
Lopez, Jose MIN 290 60 10 34 .207 .231 .355 2 0
Neal, Thomas MIN 273 76 11 43 .278 .396 .458 1 0
Cooper, David MIN 257 64 5 35 .249 .348 .377 0 0
Parmelee, Chris MIN 175 49 11 27 .280 .368 .503 0 0
Salazar, Oscar MIN 100 21 1 9 .210 .257 .290 0 0
Ravina, Ezra MIN 87 21 1 10 .241 .287 .356 1 0
Morales, Jose MIN 56 14 0 1 .250 .288 .321 0 0
Casilla, Alexi MIN 24 7 0 2 .292 .333 .417 0 1
Ross, Cody MIN 20 7 1 4 .350 .381 .600 0 0
Lincecum, Tim MIN 6 2 0 1 .333 .333 .333 0 0
Peavy, Jake MIN 5 1 0 0 .200 .200 .200 0 0
Greinke, Zack MIN 4 1 0 0 .250 .250 .250 0 0
Blackburn, Nick MIN 2 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Feliz, Neftali MIN 2 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
De Los Santos, Estarlin MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Christopher, Chad MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Romo, Sergio MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Burnett, Alex MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Gregerson, Luke MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Pitching
HTML Code:
Player Name Team Starts W L ERA IP K SV CG OBA
Lincecum, Tim MIN 16 9 3 3.05 106.1 119 0 1 .188
Peavy, Jake MIN 15 8 6 3.45 88.2 66 0 1 .248
Greinke, Zack MIN 17 8 5 2.76 114.1 116 0 3 .210
Blackburn, Nick MIN 16 7 4 4.47 98.2 42 0 3 .269
Feliz, Neftali MIN 1 1 3 4.75 36.0 32 0 0 .286
Christopher, Chad MIN 12 3 4 4.59 68.2 47 0 0 .276
Mijares, Jose MIN 0 2 3 2.89 28.0 28 18 0 .248
Romo, Sergio MIN 0 2 2 2.53 42.2 50 0 0 .219
Burnett, Alex MIN 0 3 1 3.12 34.2 24 0 0 .223
Gregerson, Luke MIN 0 1 0 1.13 16.0 15 1 0 .219
Farquhar, Daniel MIN 2 2 1 3.93 36.2 31 0 0 .252
Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years
July 2, 2013
Angels 5 - Twins 9
WP - J. Peavy (9-6), LP - F. Liriano (2-4), SV - N. Feliz (1)
HR - LAA M. Izturis (1), F. Sandoval (5)
Liriano makes his return to Minnesota, and gets appropriately applauded... before allowing six runs in 2.2 innings.
POTG - MIN T. Neal 2-4, BB, R, 2B, 4 RBI
July 3, 2013
Angels 3 - Twins 9
WP - N. Blackburn (8-4), LP - F. Francisco (2-2), SV - S. Romo (1)
HR - LAA F. Sandoval (6), L. Nix (21)
Denard Span continues the recent trend of hitting like it's going out of style. He doubled and tripled, walked once and scored three times. In his last ten games he is now hitting .381/.422/.571/.993, which has raised his season line to .316/.379/.437. That puts him on pace for arguably the best season of his career.
POTG - MIN D. Span 2-3, BB, 3 R, 2B, 3B
July 4, 2013
Angels 3 - Twins 4 (in extras)
WP - S. Romo (3-2), LP - H. Bell (2-2), SV - N/A
HR - LAA L. Nix (22)
CC pitched seven innings of three run ball (two earned), but the offense couldn't do any better than to keep the game tied while he was in there. Fortunately for us, we have one of the premier relievers in game in Sergio Romo and he was able to hold back the Angels and help us complete the three-game sweep.
POTG - MIN S. Romo 3 IP, H, BB, 3 K, W
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 49-33
6.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
July 5, 2013
Yankees 1 - Twins 0
WP - C. Sabathia (7-8), LP - Z. Greinke (8-6), SV - N/A
HR - N/A
Sabathia actually showed why the Yankees gave him that enormous contract several seasons ago, a contract I'm sure the Yankees and their boss, Robot Steinbrenner, severly regret now.
POTG - NYY C. Sabathia CG, SHO, 7 H, 0 BB, 10 K
July 6, 2013
Yankees 3 - Twins 5
WP - T. Lincecum (10-3), LP - A. Brackman (3-9), SV - J. Mijares (19)
HR - MIN H. Pence (15)
Our 50th win of the season. I don't think we won our 50th game last season until August.
POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 7 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 7 K
July 7, 2013
Yankees 5 - Twins 9
WP - J. Peavy (10-6), LP - P. Hughes (2-2), SV - J. Mijares (20)
HR - MIN E. Ravina (2), T. Neal 2 (13), C. Ross (2), NYY A. Rodriguez (13; 704 career), E. Beskas 2 (16)
We bounce back from losing the first game to take the last two of the series. Our last opponent before the All-Star break will be Detroit. Hopefully we can kick the Tigers ass and go into the break on a high note.
POTG - MIN T. Neal 3-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 51-34
5.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
July 9, 2013
Tigers 0 - Twins 10
WP - N. Blackburn (9-4), LP - J. Turner (3-8), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (12)
Denard Span returns from a hip pointer with a big game. He went 4-5 with his 9th triple of the season, scored two runs, and drove in four more.
POTG - MIN D. Span 4-5, 2 R, 4 RBI, 3B
July 10, 2013
Tigers 5 - Twins 6
WP - A. Burnett (4-1), LP - C. Satterwhite (3-2), SV - J. Mijares (21)
HR - N/A
We win a game started by Greinke for the first time since June 19th against the Giants. Over that timeframe Greinke allowed more than one earned run in a start only once, when he allowed four to these same Tigers on the 29th in Detroit.
POTG - MIN T. Neal 1-3, 2B, 3 RBI
July 11, 2013
Tigers 7 - Twins 5
WP - J. Sborz (1-0), LP - D. Farquhar (2-2), SV - J. Soria (17)
HR - DET M. Cabrera (17), L. Spell (3)
We couldn't complete the sweep, but we still manage to go into the break on a high-note by taking 2 of 3 from the Tigers, and winning 7 of our first nine games in the month of July.
POTG - DET bullpen (J. Sborz + E. Gonzalez + J. Soria) 6 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, ER, 4 K
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 53-35
5.0 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years
Minnesota Twins ASB Review
Thoughts
I don't think I could realistically be happier with the team at this point. We've got a healthy lead in the division, we've managed to avoid any serious injuries, and basically everyone on my team is performing at, or above, my expectations. As long as we can carry this into the second half of the season we should coast into the post-season, and possibly go in as World Series favorites.
High Points
- The line-up has been pretty consistent up and down.
- Jose Lopez is the only player in the starting line-up with a BA below .270 (that has spent the majority of the season in the line-up).
- Lopez, Kozma, and Cooper are the only players in the line-up with an OPS below .800.
- Our pitching has been fan-freaking-tastic.
- Our 3.42 ERA is the lowest in the AL, and second lowest in all of baseball.
- The highest ERA in the starting rotation belongs to CC with a respectable 4.40 mark.
- The highest ERA in the bullpen belongs to Neftali Feliz at 4.83.
- We've even managed to restock the farm system quite a bit.
- We have 2 prospects at or above a 90 peak.
- We have 3 prospects between an 84 and 89 peak.
- We have 5 prospects between an 80 and 83 peak.
Low Points
- The only real low point we've had have been minor injuries. Players missing a game or two or three every now and then. Otherwise, I have nothing to complain about.
Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years
NL comes out on top of All-Star Game Again
The National League won the All-Star Game again. For the second or third year in a row. After losing every game for almost a decade straight.
Ryan Braun was the star of the show, going 2-2 with two runs, a homer, and two RBI. Mat Latos very nearly made himself the goat, as he allowed three runs in just one inning of work to let the AL back into the game.
Hunter Pence was named to the team as one of the starting outfielders and went hitless in four at-bats. Zack Greinke pitched two innings and allowed a run on four hits. Tim Lincecum was the only other Twin named to the team, but did not appear in the game.
HTML Code:
American League American League at National League National League
July 13, 2013
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + R H E
American League (AL) 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 4 6 0
National League (NL) 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 x 5 12 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
Melky Mesa (RF) 4 1 0 1 1 2 1 0 .290
Grant Green (SS) 4 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 .313
Dayan Viciedo (3B) 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 .337
Chris Carter (1B) 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 .354
Josh Phegley (C) 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .278
Hunter Pence (CF) 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .301
Sean Rodriguez (2B) 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 .241
Nick Markakis (LF) 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .292
James Shields (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200
Joe Mauer (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .345
Michael Pineda (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333
Billy Butler (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .317
Zack Greinke (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
Miguel Cabrera (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .326
David Price (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Matt LaPorta (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .299
TOTALS 33 6 3 4 3 4 8 0
2B: Chris Carter, Nick Markakis
HR: Dayan Viciedo, Grant Green, Melky Mesa
ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
James Shields 2.0 3 0 0 2 2 0 37 2.56
Michael Pineda 2.0 2 0 1 1 1 0 30 3.43
Zack Greinke 2.0 4 1 0 1 1 2 51 2.85
David Price 2.0 3 0 1 1 1 2 31 2.73
TOTALS 8.0 12 1 2 5 5 4 149
NATIONAL LEAGUE ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
Emmanuel Burriss (2B) 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .314
Hector Gomez (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .316
Jayson Werth (CF) 4 2 0 2 1 1 1 1 .292
Starling Marte (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .328
Wilkin Ramirez (LF) 4 1 0 1 0 1 2 1 .325
Cameron Maybin (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .316
Neftali Soto (3B) 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .330
Ryan Braun (RF) 2 2 0 2 1 2 0 0 .331
Buster Posey (C) 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 .320
Kyle Blanks (1B) 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .302
Jimmy Rollins (SS) 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .289
Stephen Strasburg (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .114
Brian McCann (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .271
Jordan Lyles (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .162
Mat Latos (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .140
David Wright (P) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .294
Julio Teheran (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .057
Aramis Ramirez (P) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .318
Jonathan Broxton (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
James McDonald (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
TOTALS 34 12 1 5 2 5 4 2
HR: Ryan Braun, Jayson Werth
HBP: Ryan Braun
ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
Stephen Strasburg 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 16 2.15
Jordan Lyles 2.0 3 1 1 1 1 2 41 2.72
Mat Latos 1.0 3 1 2 3 3 1 21 3.27
Julio Teheran 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 3.54
Jonathan Broxton 2.0 0 1 0 0 0 1 25 0.81
James McDonald 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 1.44
TOTALS 9.0 6 3 3 4 4 8 122
WP: Jonathan Broxton
LP: David Price
SV: James McDonald
Temperature: 94F
Wind: 4 MPH (in from center)
Attendance: 50,000
Time: 2:41
Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years
July 16, 2013
Twins 7 - Royals 2
WP - J. Peavy (11-6), LP - S. Burnett (1-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN P. Kozma (2)
Kyle Gibson's struggles this season continue. He lasted only 3.2 innings and gave up two runs, causing his ERA to swell to 5.35. Meanwhile Peavy pitches an excellent game en route to his 11th win of the season.
POTG - MIN J. Peavy 7 IP, 6 H, 0 BB, 2 ER, 5 K
July 17, 2013
Twins 11 - Royals 6
WP - N. Blackburn (10-4), LP - A. Crow (8-8), SV - N. Feliz (2)
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (13), KCR B. Butler (18)
Parmelee's third inning grand slam was the big hit of the game, but if not for some adamant work by Feliz out of the 'pen we would not have won this game.
POTG - MIN N. Feliz 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, ER, K
July 18, 2013
Twins 4 - Royals 0
WP - Z. Greinke (9-6), LP - N. Arguelles (6-6), SV - N/A
HR - MIN O. Salazar (2)
Zack Greinke and shutout have practically become synonymous with each other. Greinke twirled his third shutout of the year, this time giving up just three hits, walking one, and striking out six.
POTG - MIN Z. Greinke CG, SHO, 3 H, BB, 6 K
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 56-35
7.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
July 19, 2013
Rangers 5 - Twins 11
WP - T. Lincecum (11-3), LP - R. Ross (8-4), SV - J. Mijares (22)
HR - MIN J. Lopez (11), H. Pence (16), TEX E. Andrus (5), T. Teagarden (5)
We scored three runs in the fourth, fifth, and eighth innings to hit our way to the win.
POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 7 IP, 5 H, BB, 2 ER, 11 K
July 20, 2013
Rangers 3 - Twins 4
WP - S. Romo (4-2), LP - F. Rodriguez (1-7), SV - N/A
HR - MIN T. Neal (14)
We entered the 9th inning down 3-2, but were able to rally for two runs to win the game. The game ended on Chris Parmelee's RBI single to plate Hunter Pence.
POTG - MIN C. Parmelee 1-4, walk-off RBI 1B
Month day, year
Rangers 7 - Twins 5
WP - B. Beavan (2-3), LP - S. Romo (4-3), SV - F. Rodriguez (18)
HR - MIN H. Pence 2 (18)
Despite two homers and five RBI off the bat of Hunter Pence, we were unable to complete the sweep.
POTG - MIN H. Pence 2-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 58-36
7.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thoughts
Plain and simply - I think this is our year.
Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years
July 22, 2013
Orioles 7 - Twins 1
WP - C. Tillman (4-6), LP - C. Christopher (3-5), SV - N/A
HR - BAL B. Roberts (6), P. Florimon (8)
CC had a rough start, allowing seven runs (five earned) in 3.2 innings. If not for the bullpen locking it down and keeping us in the game, this would look a lot uglier.
POTG - BAL C. Tillman 7 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 0 ER (R), 3 K
July 23, 2013
Orioles 0 - Twins 7
WP - Z. Greinke (10-6), LP - B. Matusz (7-4), SV - N/A
HR - N/A
Greinke is making a strong push for his third consecutive Cy Young Award. After pitching eight shutout innings here against the Orioles, his record improves to 10-6 with an ERA of 2.51.
POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 8 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 6 K
July 24, 2013
Orioles 3 - Twins 7
WP - T. Lincecum (12-3), LP - B. Erbe (7-5), SV - S. Romo (2)
HR - MIN P. Kozma (3), H. Pence (19), BAL F. Pie (11)
That said, Lincecum is giving him a run for his money. Lincecum's seven inning, one-run, 10 strike-out game here improves him to 12-3 with an ERA of 3.14, and gives him 148 K's in 129 innings.
POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 7 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, ER, 10 K
July 25, 2013
Orioles 10 - Twins 9
WP - M. Hobgood (3-6), LP - D. Farquhar (2-3), SV - K. Mickolio (14)
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (14), BAL C. Joseph 2 (13), F. Pie (12), A. Jones (13)
David Cooper doubled three times to bring his season total to 26 in the losing effort. Coop' has really been hitting lately, improving his line over the last ten games to .410/.489/.564.
POTG - BAL C. Joseph 2-4, BB, 3 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 60-38
8.0 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
July 26, 2013
Twins 4 - Rays 5
WP - D. Wheeler (4-2), LP - A. Burnett (4-2), SV - R. Soriano (26)
HR - TBR E. Longoria (23)
One unearned run cost us dearly in this game, making the difference between extra innings and a chance to win, and a straight-up loss.
POTG - TBR C. Crawford 3-4, R, RBI, 3B, 2 SB
July 27, 2013
Twins 4 - Rays 1
WP - C. Christopher (4-5), LP - M. Moore (10-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN J. Lopez (12)
CC pitched the best game of his brief major league career. He pitched a complete-game two-hitter, striking out nine in the process and allowing only the one run.
POTG - MIN C. Christopher CG, 2 H, BB, ER, 6 K
July 28, 2013
Twins 1 - Rays 0
WP - Z. Greinke (11-6), LP - J. Shields (13-4), SV - J. Mijares (23)
HR - N/A
Ho-hum. Just another eight innings of shutout ball for Greinke. And he only did it against possibly the leading candidate for AL Cy Young. No big deal.
POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 8 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 12 K
July 29, 2013
Twins 2 - Rays 4
WP - J. Cruz (8-2), LP - T. Lincecum (12-4), SV - H. Bell (19)
HR - MIN D. Span (5), TBR M. Joyce (13)
We split the our second series in a row. This one, unlike the last one against the Orioles, has massive implications however. The Rays hold the best record in the American League and are our biggest roadblock on our road to the World Series.
POTG - TBR J. Cruz 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 4 K
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 62-40
8.0 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thoughts
We've finally built up a lead where I'm truly and completely comfortable with where we are. Barring a pretty epic negative turn-around we'll be winning our division, leaving the Indians battling with the Red Sox and A's/Rangers for the Wild Card.
HTML Code:
ERA Z. Greinke 2.38
Wins T. Lincecum 12
Saves J. Mijares 23
AVG D. Span .313
HR H. Pence 19
SB D. Span 14
Stats
Batting
HTML Code:
Player Name Team AB H HR RBI Avg OBP SLG SB CS
Pence, Hunter MIN 420 122 19 76 .290 .336 .481 4 4
Span, Denard MIN 409 128 5 32 .313 .376 .433 14 13
Kozma, Pete MIN 406 112 3 40 .276 .352 .342 2 1
Lopez, Jose MIN 379 89 12 54 .235 .271 .375 4 0
Headley, Chase MIN 357 109 12 59 .305 .378 .496 1 2
Neal, Thomas MIN 352 106 14 63 .301 .414 .483 1 0
Cooper, David MIN 343 89 5 47 .259 .358 .379 0 0
Parmelee, Chris MIN 239 66 14 41 .276 .362 .494 1 0
Ravina, Ezra MIN 129 30 2 12 .233 .291 .341 1 0
Salazar, Oscar MIN 127 26 2 13 .205 .243 .299 0 0
Morales, Jose MIN 98 26 0 6 .265 .311 .337 0 0
Ross, Cody MIN 34 10 2 7 .294 .314 .529 0 0
Casilla, Alexi MIN 29 10 0 4 .345 .400 .448 2 1
De Los Santos, Estarlin MIN 22 7 0 2 .318 .375 .364 2 0
Lincecum, Tim MIN 6 2 0 1 .333 .333 .333 0 0
Peavy, Jake MIN 5 1 0 0 .200 .200 .200 0 0
Greinke, Zack MIN 4 1 0 0 .250 .250 .250 0 0
Blackburn, Nick MIN 2 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Feliz, Neftali MIN 2 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Christopher, Chad MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Romo, Sergio MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Burnett, Alex MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Gregerson, Luke MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0
Pitching
HTML Code:
Player Name Team Starts W L ERA IP K SV CG OBA
Greinke, Zack MIN 22 11 6 2.38 151.1 157 0 4 .203
Lincecum, Tim MIN 21 12 4 3.23 133.2 153 0 1 .206
Blackburn, Nick MIN 21 10 4 4.37 131.2 59 0 3 .278
Peavy, Jake MIN 20 11 6 3.90 113.0 84 0 1 .247
Christopher, Chad MIN 15 4 5 4.38 88.1 55 0 1 .259
Farquhar, Daniel MIN 2 2 3 4.11 46.0 42 0 0 .258
Feliz, Neftali MIN 1 1 3 4.59 49.0 40 2 0 .299
Mijares, Jose MIN 0 2 3 2.73 33.0 33 23 0 .258
Romo, Sergio MIN 0 4 3 2.48 58.0 68 2 0 .210
Burnett, Alex MIN 0 4 2 2.68 47.0 32 0 0 .208
Gregerson, Luke MIN 0 1 0 2.81 25.2 25 1 0 .229
Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years
July 30, 2013
Twins 6 - Blue Jays 5 (in extras)
WP - J. Mijares (3-3), LP - J. Gobble (1-3), SV - L. Gregerson (2)
HR - MIN D. Span (6), TOR E. Dukes (5), B. Crosby (3)
Jose Mijares blew the lead in the ninth inning, and nearly did so again in the 10th inning, but thanks to RBI double's by Cooper and Pence in the top of the 10th we were able to pull it out.
POTG - MIN J. Lopez 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
July 31, 2013
Twins 16 - Blue Jays 4
WP - N. Blackburn (11-4), LP - K. Drabek (5-8), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (15), J. Lopez (13), C. Headley (13)
Jose Lopez continues to push his batting average to a respectable range with his performance in this rout. His 3-5 day raises his batting average for the season to .242, up from Mendoza-line area only weeks ago.
POTG - MIN T. Neal 3-4, 2 BB, 2 R, 2 RBI
August 1, 2013
Twins 4 - Blue Jays 5 (in extras)
WP - T. May (2-1), LP - J. Mijares (3-4), SV - N/A
HR - MIN P. Kozma (4), TOR W. Aybar (8), T. Snider (14)
The Blue Jays walk-off with the win, thanks to Willy Aybar's 10th inning single with Rich Gadd and Joe Mauer in scoring position.
POTG - TOR W. Aybar 3-3, BB, R, HR, 2 RBI, GW 1B in 10th inning
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 64-41
8.0 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
August 3, 2013
Indians 2 - Twins 3
WP - Z. Greinke (12-6), LP - K. De la Cruz (10-7), SV - J. Mijares (24)
HR - CLE N. Weglarz (13)
We set the tone early with a three-run first inning. Greinke was his masterful self, shutting the Indians out until Weglarz homered in the top of the ninth to plate two runs.
POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 8.2 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 6 K
August 4, 2013
WP - H. Rondon (9-6), LP - T. Lincecum (12-5), SV - C. Perez (21)
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (16), CLE C. Santana (9)
Rondon outdueled Big-Time-Timmy-Jim for his ninth win of the season.
POTG - CLE H. Rondon 7 IP, 4 H, BB, ER, 7 K
August 5, 2013
Indians 9 - Twins 7
WP - T. Sipp (6-4), LP - S. Romo (4-4), SV - C. Perez (22)
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (17), T. Neal (15), CLE J. Hamilton (13)
After battling back to tie the game by putting up four runs between the 7th and 8th innings, we gave the game away, allowing the Indians to score three runs in the top of the ninth.
POTG - CLE L. Chisenhall 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 65-43
7.0 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thoughts
The Indians made a game up on us by taking 2 of 3 from us at home. We still have a solid seven game lead. However we received some very, very bad news. Zack Greinke will miss 18 days (3-5 starts) with a chipped bone in his knee-cap. As of now, I'm not sure whose gonna take his place in the rotation. Daniel Farquhar is slated at the long-man in the bullpen, and I have Luke Hochevar in the minors. However I'm not too keen on either of those guys starting.
Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years
Gonna kick this back up. I'm gonna finish this season and how I feel. If I manage to take the World Championship, I plan to end it and start a new dynasty with a re-building team (probably the O's), and I may do that even if I don't manage to win the World Series.
Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years
August 6, 2013
A's 7 - Twins 0
WP - T. Cahill (8-6), LP - N. Blackburn (11-5), SV - N/A
HR - OAK R. Sweeney (8), T. Buck (8)
Blackburn gets roughed up, allowing six runs in just 2.1 innings.
POTG - OAK T. Cahill 7.1 IP, 4 H, 5 BB, 0 ER, 7 K
August 7, 2013
A's 6 - Twins 3
WP - F. De Los Santos (8-7), LP - L. Hochevar (0-1), SV - A. Bailey (28)
HR - OAK R. Sweeney (9), MIN P. Kozma (5)
We at least got some runs on this board this time out, but not nearly enough. The loss also extends our losing streak to four games and leaves us at 1-5 in the month of August.
POTG - OAK M. Taylor 3-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI
August 8, 2013
A's 1 - Twins 2
WP - J. Mijares (4-4), LP - J. Crain (6-5), SV - N/A
HR - N/A
Luke Gregerson makes the spot start (for some reason), and excels. He went five innings, allowed only three baserunners, no runs, and struck out eight on 86 pitches.
POTG - MIN L. Gregerson 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 8 K
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 66-45
5.0 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thoughts
I'd prefer to be extending my lead right now, and not see it evaporating. But a five game lead is still a healthy lead, so I'm not worrying yet. We've got the MLB-best Rays next though, so we could have a tough time turning it around right away.
