Minnesota - The Mauer Years

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals make ASB Blockbuster!



Today, we agreed to a massive deal with the Kansas City Royals. We acquired ace starter Zack Grienke in exchange for Delmon Young, and prospects Kyle Gibson, Carlos Gutierrez, Wilson Ramos, and Aaron Hicks.

We had been actively looking for a starter due to the troubles of our starting rotation. This deal with push Carl Pavano to the bullpen, and Brian Duensing to AAA, and the new pitching order will look as follows:

1. Zack Grienke
2. Francisco Liriano
3. Kevin Slowey
4. Scott Baker
5. Nick Blackburn

Grienke, at the time of the trade, is 8-5 with a 2.69 ERA and 118 K's in 120.1 innings pitched, and is coming off his second straight All-Star berth.

Although we are getting an ace, we are giving up a lot as well. Gibson, Hicks, and Ramos were all very highly touted prospected, and among the top five prospects in the organization. Young has been disappointing since coming over from Tampa in a trade two years ago, but he is still very young and very talented. And although Gutierrez isn't as highly regarded as the other three prospects going to KC, he is still a very legitimate prospect.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Royals get:

OF Delmon Young 84/89 (2.6 million dollars through the end of the current season)
CF Aaron Hicks 71/96, 20 years old
SP Carlos Guttierez 74/87, 23 years old
SP Kyle Gibson 67/95, 22 years old
C Wilson Ramos 74/92, 22 years old

Minnesota Twins get:

SP Zack Grienke (95)

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

July 15, 2010

White Sox 9 - Twins 8

Grienke lasted only 3.1 innings before giving up 5 runs in his first Twins start, and gets saddled with the loss.

POTG - J. Mauer 2-3, 2 BB, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI

July 16, 2010

White Sox 2 - Twins 4

The game came down to a battle of bullpens, which ours ultimately won with Crain and Rauch combining to shut out the White Sox over the final 3.1 innings.

POTG - J. Thome GW 2-R HR in 8th inning

July 17, 2010

White Sox 8 - Twins 5

Neither starter fared particularly well, both allowing five runs over the course of their short starts, but the White Sox would win this battle of the 'pens.

POTG - White Sox bullpen 3.2 IP, H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 4 K

July 18, 2010

White Sox 5 - Twins 3

There was no reason we should have lost this game, but we managed to anyways.

POTG - C. Quentin 2-4, 2 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 44-48 two-way tie for first place in AL Central with Chicago White Sox

July 19, 2010

Indians 4 - Twins 8

Nick Blackburn earns his seventh win of the season with help from Jason Kubel and Denard Span, who both homered and drove in multiple runs.

POTG - N. Blackburn 6.2 IP, 7 H, BB, 4 ER, 2 K

July 20, 2010

Indians 4 - Twins 1

Grienke didn't manage to make it through the fifth inning again, while the opposing starter Nick Hagadone allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out nine.

POTG - N. Hagadone 7 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, ER, 9 K

July 21, 2010

Indians 2 - Twins 6

Liriano turned in a start reminiscent of his pre-Tommy John, breakout rookie season, going seven innings and allowing only one and striking out eight. And he did so all on just 102 pitches.

POTG - F. Liriano 7 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, ER, 8 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 46-49 two-way tie for first place in AL Central with Chicago White Sox

July 22, 2010

Twins 2 - Orioles 5

Brian Roberts fell just a single short of the cycle, and we lost to a starting pitcher in Kevin Millwood who has an ERA over 8.00.

POTG - B. Roberts 3-4, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI

July 23, 2010

Twins 4 - Orioles 3

Scott Baker returns from injury and allowed just two runs over 6.2 innings while striking out nine Oriole batters.

POTG - S. Baker 6.2 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 9 K

July 24, 2010

Twins 4 - Orioles 3

We scored all four of our runs within the first two innings off opposing starter Brad Bergensen.

POTG - J. Morneau 1-4, 2-R HR

July 25, 2010

Twins 4 - Orioles 8

Greinke falls on his face again, going only 3.2 innings before giving up four runs (though only one was earned). In his first three starts with us he is 0-3 with an ERA north of 7!

POTG - J. Morneau 1-4, 2-R HR

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 48-51 .5 game lead in AL Central over Chicago White Sox

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

July 26, 2010

Twins 4 - Royals 2

Liriano continued the pitching tear he's been on, allowing just two earned runs over 6.2 innings this time out. Over his last ten starts he's failed to go more than five innings just once, and he's allowed three or more runs just three times in that time span.

POTG - F. Liriano 6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

July 27, 2010

Twins 9 - Royals 3

Joe Mauer hit his 26th jack of the season, while also driving in four runs. If we manage to complete the sweep of the Royals in our next game, we will claw to .500 for the first time since May.

POTG - J. Mauer 4-5, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI

July 28, 2010

Twins 2 - Royals 1

And there it is boys and girls! Scott Baker goes eight shutout innings to get his 8th win of the season and bring us up to an even .500 winning percentage! J.J. Hardy also hit his 18th home run of the season, which is oddly more than Justin Morneau has. If only his OPS wasn't a putrid .739.

POTG - S. Baker 8 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 4 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 51-51 1.5 game lead in AL Central over Chicago White Sox

July 30, 2010

Mariners 0 - Twins 1

Greinke finally has a Grienke start! Did he ever impress in his first win as a Twin. He went the distance pitching a complete game shutout while allowing only two hits and one walk, and striking out ten!

POTG - Z. Greinke CG, 2 H, BB, 0 ER, 10 K

July 31, 2010

Mariners 13 - Twins 5

Liriano pitched well again, allowing only one earned run over 6.2 innings, but unfortunately the defense failed him as errors led to four more unearned runs (for a total of five runs allowed). Gutierrez, Ichiro, Bradley, Kata, and Griffey Jr. all homered for the Mariners in this shellacking.

POTG - Ichiro 1-5, HR, 4 RBI

August 1, 2010

Mariners 5 - Twins 2

King Felix did what he does to everyone and made us look foolish. Felix went seven, allowed just one earned run, and struck out six.

POTG - F. Hernandez 7 IP, 6 H, BB, ER, 6 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 52-53 2.0 game lead in AL Central over Chicago White Sox

End of July

ERA    Z. Greinke  2.88
Wins   Z. Greinke  9
Saves  J. Rauch    11
AVG    J. Mauer    .308
HR     J. Mauer    26
SB     N. Punto    11

Thoughts

July was a big turnaround month for us! We had our first over-.500 month since April and managed to hit .500 or higher for the first time since early May! And, to no one's surprise, it all started happening once our pitchers remembered how to throw the ball!

Stats

Batting

Player Name	Team	AB	H	HR	RBI	Avg	OBP	SLG	SB	CS
Morneau, Justin	MIN	411	114	17	74	.277	.361	.460	1	0
Mauer, Joe	MIN	389	120	26	73	.308	.378	.550	4	2
Thome, Jim	MIN	378	98	22	56	.259	.350	.468	1	0
Hardy, J.J.	MIN	368	92	18	44	.250	.320	.424	0	1
Kubel, Jason	MIN	368	105	14	44	.285	.344	.446	1	1
Cuddyer, Michael	MIN	355	93	16	56	.262	.352	.448	3	1
Hudson, Orlando	MIN	318	79	1	27	.248	.318	.305	6	1
Punto, Nick	MIN	309	82	1	24	.265	.341	.301	11	3
Span, Denard	MIN	255	78	6	24	.306	.393	.412	9	5
Repko, Jason	MIN	200	40	3	11	.200	.255	.280	9	2
Casilla, Alexi	MIN	115	24	1	9	.209	.266	.287	3	0
Harris, Brendan	MIN	58	17	1	10	.293	.368	.397	0	0
Morales, Jose	MIN	35	7	0	3	.200	.216	.200	0	0
Valencia, Danny	MIN	10	2	0	0	.200	.273	.200	0	1
Slowey, Kevin	MIN	5	1	0	0	.200	.200	.200	0	0
Baker, Scott	MIN	5	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Pavano, Carl	MIN	5	1	0	0	.200	.200	.200	0	0
Greinke, Zack	MIN	3	1	0	1	.333	.333	.667	0	0
Liriano, Francisco	MIN	3	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Blackburn, Nick	MIN	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Rauch, Jon	MIN	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Mijares, Jose	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Neshek, Pat	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Crain, Jesse	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Guerrier, Matt	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0

Pitching

Player Name	Team	Starts	W	L	ERA	IP	K	SV	CG	OBA
Greinke, Zack	MIN	23	9	8	2.88	140.2	140	0	1	.228
Slowey, Kevin	MIN	23	5	8	4.87	122.0	92	0	0	.289
Baker, Scott	MIN	19	8	4	3.70	119.1	102	0	2	.256
Blackburn, Nick	MIN	20	8	9	4.79	114.2	57	0	2	.303
Pavano, Carl	MIN	17	3	5	5.29	100.1	67	0	0	.283
Liriano, Francisco	MIN	13	6	3	3.27	82.2	73	0	0	.247
Neshek, Pat	MIN	1	0	3	3.80	68.2	55	5	0	.262
Guerrier, Matt	MIN	1	2	4	4.87	68.1	49	1	0	.291
Mijares, Jose	MIN	1	5	2	4.04	64.2	50	4	0	.272
Rauch, Jon	MIN	0	6	4	4.55	55.1	36	11	0	.229
Crain, Jesse	MIN	1	2	3	4.20	40.2	37	1	0	.265

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

August 2, 2010

Twins 4 - Rays 5

We allowed four runs between the seventh and ninth inning, and that was clearly the difference in the game.

POTG - O. Hudson 5-5, 3 RBI

August 3, 2010

Twins 7 - Rays 10

Blackburn allows seven runs over just 3.1 innings, and then Jose Mijares blows a tie in the ninth inning. Oye ve.

POTG - J. Bartless 4-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI

August 4, 2010

Twins 4 - Rays 5 (12 innings)

Greinke allowed just three runs over seven innings. However the bullpen blew it.....again, allowing them to tie the game in the eighth and then win it in extras.

POTG - Z. Greinke 7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 8 K

August 5, 2010

Twins 3 - Rays 6

Oh man.... Just when I thought we were getting it together we get swept in a four-game series by the Rays. And we're still a game up in the division. We blew an awesome chance to put some ground between ourselves and the rest of the pack.

POTG - S. Rodriguez 1-4, 3-R HR

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 52-57 1.5 game lead in AL Central over Chicago White Sox

August 6, 2010

Twins 12 - Indians 8

Kevin Slowey allows eight runs and still manages to get his sixth win of the season, and he has Morneau, Mauer, Kubel, and Thome to thank for it! All four of them drove in multiple runs, and Kubel topped the list with five RBI.

POTG - J. Kubel 2-5, HR, 5 RBI

August 7, 2010

Twins 8 - Indians 2

Scott Baker allowed just one earned run over 7.1 innings, on his way to his ninth win of the season. Opposite him was Fausto Carmona who allowed six runs in just 2.1 innings pitched.

POTG - S. Baker 7.1 IP, 6 H, 0 BB, ER, 5 K

August 8, 2010

Twins 5 - Indians 1

Blackburn allowed just one earned run over seven innings. However, the story of this game had to be Orlando Hudson, who hit his second and third home runs of the season and drive in three of our five runs.

POTG - O. Hudson 3-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 55-57 2.5 game lead in AL Central over Chicago White Sox

August 10, 2010

Twins 3 - White Sox 2

Greinke did exactly what we brought him into do - win big games. Over seven innings he allowed just one run and struck out 11 White Sox batters.

POTG - Z. Greinke 7 IP, 5 H, BB, ER, 11 K

August 11, 2010

Twins 5 - White Sox 4

We win the first two games of the series and guarantee ourselves a series win and that we leave Chicago with at least a four game lead in the division!

POTG - J. Mauer 4-5, BB, HR, 3 RBI

August 12, 2010

Twins 5 - White Sox 4

We win the game all thanks to a three run rally in the top of the ninth to give us the lead! We're now riding a six game winning streak out of Chicago and we're sitting pretty at five games above in the division!

POTG - K. Slowey 5.1 IP, 10 H, 0 BB, 3 ER, 5 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 58-57 5.0 game lead in AL Central over Cleveland Indians

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

August 13, 2010

A's 5 - Twins 4

So I'm beginning to think I should've addressed the bullpen before the July 31st trade deadline as well. Yet another late-inning meltdown cost us a win, and this time it was Guerrier serving up a two-run homer to Eric Patterson in the eighth.

POTG - E. Patterson 1-4, GW 2-R HR in 8th inning

August 14, 2010

A's 0 - Twins 6

Nickie B throws eight innings of shutout baseball to secure his 10th win of the season, while Jim Thome drives home three runs.

POTG - N. Blackburn 8 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 5 K

August 15, 2010

A's 12 - Twins 3

A's starter Dallas Braden held us to just two runs over seven innings, while our own starter, Greinke, didn't even make it out of the first inning.

POTG - D. Braden 7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 6 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 59-59 3.0 game lead in AL Central over Cleveland Indians

August 17, 2010

White Sox 7 - Twins 2

Liriano gets the loss. He failed to make it through the fifth inning before he let up five runs on four hits and four walks.

POTG - A. Rios 2-5, HR, 4 RBI

August 18, 2010

White Sox 3 - Twins 7

Slowey gives us seven solid innings of three run baseball, and J.J. Hardy and Jason Kubel homer in support of him.

POTG - K. Slowey 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 K

August 19, 2010

White Sox 3 - Twins 6

Scott Baker improves his record to 10-4 with this start against the White Sox. Jason Kubel supplied the offense by going 3-4 with a double and three runs driven in.

POTG - S. Baker 7 IP, 6 H, 0 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 61-60 4.0 game lead in AL Central over Cleveland Indians

August 20, 2010

Angels 1 - Twins 2

Blackburn goes 6.2 innings and allows just one run for his 11th win of the year. Opposite him was Scott Kazmir who allowed two over seven innings and striking out eight, making this game quite the pitcher's duel.

POTG - N. Blackburn 6.2 IP, 6 H, 5 BB, ER, 0 K

August 21, 2010

Angels 0 - Twins 8

Greinke throws another complete game shutout, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out seven this time. We turn to Liriano as we look for the sweep in the final game of this 9-game homestand.

POTG - Z. Greinke CG SHO, H, BB, 7 K

August 22, 2010

Angels 4 - Twins 2

Joe Saunders dominated us, allowing just two runs and six hits over seven innings.

POTG - J. Saunders 7 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 4 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 63-61 3.0 game lead in AL Central over Cleveland Indians

August 23, 2010

Twins 9 - Rangers 1

Slowey goes all nine innings and allows just the one run. Meanwhile, at the plate, Mauer drives in three runs and Hardy goes 4-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.

POTG - K. Slowey CG, ER, 6 K

August 24, 2010

Twins 9 - Rangers 5

Michael Cuddyer homers twice and drives in four runs in the second game of the four-game set.

POTG - M. Cuddyer 3-5, 3 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI

August 25, 2010

Twins 5 - Rangers 4

Mauer and Kubel drive in two runs each to help Blackburn earn his team-leading 12th win of the season.

POTG - J. Mauer 3-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI

August 26, 2010

Twins 5 - Rangers 4

We rallied for three runs in the top of the 8th to take the lead, and didn't let it go after that.

POTG - Z. Greinke 7 IP, 5 H, BB, 3 ER, 6 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 67-61 5.5 game lead in AL Central over Cleveland Indians

August 27, 2010

Twins 1 - Mariners 8

We had the unfortunate luck of running into a red-hot Cliff Lee on this night. Lee allowed just one run over seven innings to improve his W-L to 14-5 and his ERA to 2.61.

POTG - C. Lee 7 IP, 4 H, BB, ER, 3 K

August 28, 2010

Twins 1 - Mariners 2

An error by Alexi Casilla cost us dearly, forcing us to surrender an unearned run, which proved to be the difference in the game.

POTG - E. Bedard 7 IP, 2 H, ER, 6 K

August 27, 2010

Twins 2 - Mariners 5

Jesse Crain implodes and allows three runs in the eighth to give the Mariners the lead, the win, and the series sweep.

POTG - R. Rowland-Smith 6 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 67-64 3.5 game lead in AL Central over Cleveland Indians

August 31, 2010

Tigers 2 - Twins 3

Greinke goes 7+ innings of shutout baseball, with Jim Thome supplying the game-winning two-run homerun, his 27th of the season.

POTG - J. Thome 2-3, GW 2-R HR

September 1, 2010

Tigers 10 - Twins 3

We weren't able to complete the sweep. However, we hold a six game lead heading into the final month of the season, so with some luck we'll be able to wrap it up pretty quickly and get our guys some rest for the postseason. We do play the Indians six times this month, so it gives us an excellent opportunity to put the division away and minimize any chance of late-season drama/tension.

POTG - J. Thome 3-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 69-65 6.0 game lead in AL Central over Cleveland Indians

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

End of August

ERA    Z. Greinke  2.87
Wins   Z. Greinke  12
Saves  J. Rauch    11
AVG    J. Mauer    .317
HR     J. Thome    29
SB     N. Punto    16

Thoughts

Another good month pushes us further above .500 and gives us a six game lead in the division. Greinke has been everything I had hoped for since coming over from KC, posting a 3.22 ERA and a BAA of only .236. Mauer has fallen off a bit in recent weeks, but fortunately for us Jim Thome has picked up the slack. We have six games against the Indians and three against the White Sox in the final month of the season, and if we do well in those games we should be able to wrap things up early!

Stats

Batting

Player Name	Team	AB	H	HR	RBI	Avg	OBP	SLG	SB	CS
Morneau, Justin	MIN	504	140	20	92	.278	.357	.446	1	0
Thome, Jim	MIN	488	128	29	80	.262	.345	.473	1	0
Mauer, Joe	MIN	470	149	27	87	.317	.382	.538	4	2
Hardy, J.J.	MIN	470	119	20	49	.253	.318	.413	0	1
Kubel, Jason	MIN	470	134	18	68	.285	.344	.464	1	1
Cuddyer, Michael	MIN	430	114	21	66	.265	.352	.460	4	1
Hudson, Orlando	MIN	426	113	3	40	.265	.340	.345	10	1
Punto, Nick	MIN	416	106	1	34	.255	.327	.291	16	9
Span, Denard	MIN	371	110	6	40	.296	.384	.391	12	7
Repko, Jason	MIN	229	45	3	11	.197	.257	.279	10	2
Casilla, Alexi	MIN	130	29	1	9	.223	.284	.292	5	0
Harris, Brendan	MIN	84	25	1	12	.298	.351	.440	0	0
Morales, Jose	MIN	67	16	0	6	.239	.297	.254	1	1
Valencia, Danny	MIN	31	7	0	0	.226	.294	.290	0	1
Butera, Drew	MIN	9	0	0	0	.000	.182	.000	0	0
Slowey, Kevin	MIN	5	1	0	0	.200	.200	.200	0	0
Baker, Scott	MIN	5	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Pavano, Carl	MIN	5	1	0	0	.200	.200	.200	0	0
Greinke, Zack	MIN	3	1	0	1	.333	.333	.667	0	0
Liriano, Francisco	MIN	3	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Blackburn, Nick	MIN	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Rauch, Jon	MIN	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Nieve, Fernando	MIN	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Duensing, Brian	MIN	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Tolbert, Matt	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Plouffe, Trevor	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Dinkelman, Brian	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Hughes, Luke	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Parmelee, Chris	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
De Los Santos, Estarlin	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Tosoni, Rene	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Revere, Ben	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Mijares, Jose	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Neshek, Pat	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Crain, Jesse	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Guerrier, Matt	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Perkins, Glen	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Slama, Anthony	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Manship, Jeff	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Swarzak, Anthony	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0

Pitching

Player Name	Team	Starts	W	L	ERA	IP	K	SV	CG	OBA
Slowey, Kevin	MIN	29	8	10	4.89	158.1	121	0	1	.291
Baker, Scott	MIN	24	11	4	3.64	150.2	124	0	2	.259
Pavano, Carl	MIN	18	3	5	5.11	116.1	76	1	0	.279
Greinke, Zack	MIN	29	12	9	2.87	179.0	181	0	2	.223
Liriano, Francisco	MIN	19	7	7	4.53	109.1	99	0	0	.266
Blackburn, Nick	MIN	25	12	9	4.54	144.2	67	0	2	.300
Rauch, Jon	MIN	0	7	6	4.27	71.2	48	11	0	.235
Nieve, Fernando	MIN	0	0	0	5.06	16.0	9	1	0	.273
Duensing, Brian	MIN	5	6	5	5.77	92.0	42	1	0	.323
Mijares, Jose	MIN	1	5	3	4.06	75.1	57	10	0	.260
Neshek, Pat	MIN	1	1	3	3.64	81.2	71	7	0	.259
Crain, Jesse	MIN	1	3	4	3.80	66.1	51	1	0	.254
Guerrier, Matt	MIN	1	2	5	4.46	80.2	59	1	0	.278
Perkins, Glen	MIN	0	0	0	22.50	2.0	0	0	0	.615
Slama, Anthony	MIN	0	0	0	3.86	2.1	1	0	0	.400
Manship, Jeff	MIN	0	0	0	0.00	0.0	0	0	0	.000
Swarzak, Anthony	MIN	0	0	0	0.00	0.0	0	0	0	.000

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

September 3, 2010

Rangers 3 - Twins 7

Orlando Hudson drove home three on two hits in support of Scott Baker. Baker went seven and allowed just one earned run.

POTG - S. Baker 7 IP, 6 H, 0 BB, ER, 6 K

September 4, 2010

Rangers 3 - Twins 8

Jim Thome hit his 30th home run of the year, and with six more he'll join the 600 club.

POTG - N. Blackburn 8.2 IP, 7 H, BB, 3 ER, 6 K

September 5, 2010

Rangers 2 - Twins 8

Greinke wins again, going seven and allowing just two earned runs. With this performance he lowers his ERA since joining the Twins to a microscopic 3.15.

POTG - Z. Greinke 7 IP, 6 H, BB, 2 ER, 2 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 72-65 8.5 game lead in AL Central over Chicago White Sox

September 6, 2010

Royals 2 - Twins 10

Joe Mauer fell just a homerun short of hitting for the cycle. Meanwhile, Jason Kubel homered and doubled twice on his way to driving in three runs, while Hardy went 4-4 and drove in three runs of his own.

POTG - F. Nieve 7.2 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 2 K

September 7, 2010

Royals 2 - Twins 3

Kevin Slowey pitched a complete game and didn't allow a run until Delmon Young hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning.

POTG - K. Slowey CG, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 2 K

September 8, 2010

Royals 6 - Twins 2

Kyle Gibson (who you'll remember I sent to KC in the Greinke trade) went seven innings allowing only six hits and two runs to get his fifth win and prevent us from getting another sweep at home.

POTG - K. Gibson 7 IP, 6 H, BB, 2 ER, 7 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 74-66 10.0 game lead in AL Central over Cleveland Indians

[CatKnight]

Looks like the rest of the AL Central fell apart in the last month or so. The division's yours. I'd say picking up Zack Greinke might have really been the turning point for this year.

I also really like your style. Very straight forward and easy to read.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Looks like the rest of the AL Central fell apart in the last month or so. The division's yours. I'd say picking up Zack Greinke might have really been the turning point for this year.

I also really like your style. Very straight forward and easy to read.

They didn't so much fall apart, as I just started playing like a team that belongs in the playoffs, haha. Getting Greinke definitely didn't hurt. Liriano was going really strong at the time of the trade, but Greinke has been an absolute beast since coming over, especially in games I needed to win.

Thanks . I like it too because it's really easy to write in. Sometimes I feel like my writing is a little recycled or predictable, for lack of a better term, but I try to shake it up a little to keep that from happening too much.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

September 10, 2010

Twins 4 - Indians 3

Glen Perkins pitched three beautiful innings of relief to get the win, while Greinke's personal catcher, Jose Morales, hit his first home run of the season.

POTG - G. Perkins 3 IP, H, 0 ER, 3 K

September 11, 2010

Twins 1 - Indians 4

Carmona shut us down, allowing just one run in seven innings of work.

POTG - F. Carmona 7 IP, 7 H, BB, ER, 4 K

September 12, 2010

Twins 0 - Indians 8

Nick Hagadone owned us, as he has made a habit of doing in his short major league career, pitching eight innings of shutout baseball with 8 K's.

POTG - N. Hagadone 8 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 8 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 75-68 10.0 game lead in AL Central over Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians

September 14, 2010

Twins 10 - White Sox 7

A bullpen meltdown nearly cost us the game, and would have if not for some insurance runs we scored in the top of the ninth.

POTG - J. Morneau 3-4, HR, 2 RBI

September 15, 2010

Twins 4 - White Sox 5

A three run eighth inning for the White Sox cost us a win here.

POTG - Z. Greinke 7 IP, 6 H, BB, 2 ER, 7 K

September 16, 2010

Twins 7 - White Sox 4

We win the series, and all but eliminate the White Sox from the playoff race in the process.

POTG - O. Hudson 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 77-69 10.0 game lead in AL Central over Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians

September 17, 2010

A's 8 - Twins 5

Definitely should have addressed the bullpen at the deadline. We lose another game thanks to the incompetence of the bullpen.

POTG - R. Sweeney 4-5, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI

September 18, 2010

A's 7 - Twins 2

Brett Anderson gives up only one run to us, on a Michael Cuddyer solo homer, over his seven innings of work.

POTG - B. Anderson 7 IP, 6 H, BB, ER, 5 K

September 19, 2010

A's 2 - Twins 11

Greinke goes seven and allows only one run, while Thome hits his 31st homer of the year, bringing him one closer to the hallowed halls of the 600 club.

POTG - Z. Greinke 7 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, ER, 4 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 78-71 8.0 game lead in AL Central over Cleveland Indians

September 20, 2010

Indians 7 - Twins 3

Liriano allowed just one run over seven innings, but a crucial error in the ninth allowed four unearned runs to be put on the board and ultimately cost us a big win.

POTG - F. Liriano 7 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, ER, 5 K

September 21, 2010

Indians 4 - Twins 14

An offensive explosion helps us make up for the loss in the previous game. Kubel led the way with three RBI.

POTG - J. Kubel 3-5, 3 R, 3 RBI

September 22, 2010

Indians 2 - Twins 4

Orlando Hudson makes his fifth home run of the season a big one, whacking a three run shot in the third inning to make the difference in the game.

POTG - C. Pavano 7 IP, 3 H, BB, 0 ER, 3 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Twins 80-72 9.0 game lead in AL Central over Cleveland Indians

September 24, 2010

Twins 7 - Tigers 8

Scott Baker put forth an excellent start (one earned run over seven innings), but the bullpen blew it yet again.

POTG - S. Baker 7 IP, 3 H, BB, ER, 8 K

September 25, 2010

Twins 12 - Tigers 2

With this win we clinch the AL Central division title! And who but Zack Greinke, the man who may very well have turned our season around, to get the win! Greinke went seven innings, allowed just two runs, and struck out six batters.

POTG - Z. Greinke 7 IP, 8 H, BB, 2 ER, 6 K

Due to clinching the division I am simply going to post final scores for my remaining few games

Twins 3 - Tigers 6

Twins 7 - Royals 2
Twins 10 - Royals 8
Twins 2 - Royals 3

Blue Jays 1 - Twins 9
Blue Jays 4 - Twins 3
Blue Jays 6 - Twins 8
Blue Jays 1 - Twins 5

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Final Record
Twins 86-76 10 game lead over Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

End of Season

ERA    Z. Greinke  2.97
Wins   Z. Greinke  16
Saves  J. Mijares  15
AVG    J. Mauer    .326
HR     J. Thome    33
SB     N. Punto    20

Thoughts

It's always a good season when you're one of the eight teams vying for a World Series championship at the end of the year! We've got a big hill to climb, however, as we'll be facing off against the 109-53 Boston Red Sox in the ALDS. Hopefully our crappy bullpen won't come back to bite us in the ass as badly as it did late in the season. With a better bullpen we probably would have won 90 games.

Stats

Batting

Player Name	Team	AB	H	HR	RBI	Avg	OBP	SLG	SB	CS
Morneau, Justin	MIN	595	170	25	109	.286	.360	.466	1	0
Thome, Jim	MIN	591	156	33	95	.264	.353	.464	1	0
Kubel, Jason	MIN	573	171	25	96	.298	.353	.501	1	1
Hardy, J.J.	MIN	570	151	22	64	.265	.326	.418	0	1
Hudson, Orlando	MIN	549	145	5	62	.264	.337	.357	12	1
Mauer, Joe	MIN	537	175	29	100	.326	.397	.555	4	2
Cuddyer, Michael	MIN	515	144	25	82	.280	.359	.478	5	1
Punto, Nick	MIN	507	132	2	43	.260	.342	.310	20	10
Span, Denard	MIN	499	150	7	49	.301	.376	.389	19	7
Repko, Jason	MIN	250	48	3	13	.192	.251	.272	10	2
Casilla, Alexi	MIN	130	29	1	9	.223	.284	.292	5	0
Harris, Brendan	MIN	92	27	1	14	.293	.350	.424	1	0
Morales, Jose	MIN	91	26	2	14	.286	.323	.374	1	1
Valencia, Danny	MIN	47	11	0	2	.234	.280	.298	0	1
Parmelee, Chris	MIN	28	11	1	4	.393	.414	.571	0	0
Butera, Drew	MIN	24	2	0	1	.083	.214	.125	0	0
Dinkelman, Brian	MIN	12	2	0	1	.167	.313	.167	0	0
Slowey, Kevin	MIN	5	1	0	0	.200	.200	.200	0	0
Baker, Scott	MIN	5	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Pavano, Carl	MIN	5	1	0	0	.200	.200	.200	0	0
Tosoni, Rene	MIN	3	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Greinke, Zack	MIN	3	1	0	1	.333	.333	.667	0	0
Liriano, Francisco	MIN	3	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Hughes, Luke	MIN	2	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Blackburn, Nick	MIN	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Rauch, Jon	MIN	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Nieve, Fernando	MIN	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Duensing, Brian	MIN	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Tolbert, Matt	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Plouffe, Trevor	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
De Los Santos, Estarlin	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Revere, Ben	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Mijares, Jose	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Neshek, Pat	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Crain, Jesse	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Guerrier, Matt	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Perkins, Glen	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Slama, Anthony	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Manship, Jeff	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Swarzak, Anthony	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0

Pitching

Player Name	Team	Starts	W	L	ERA	IP	K	SV	CG	OBA
Slowey, Kevin	MIN	35	11	12	4.86	196.1	140	0	2	.287
Baker, Scott	MIN	30	14	5	3.66	187.0	159	0	3	.257
Pavano, Carl	MIN	18	4	5	4.85	131.2	84	1	0	.273
Greinke, Zack	MIN	35	16	9	2.79	219.0	208	0	2	.229
Liriano, Francisco	MIN	22	7	7	4.14	130.1	119	0	0	.253
Blackburn, Nick	MIN	27	13	9	4.30	161.0	75	0	2	.293
Rauch, Jon	MIN	0	7	6	3.99	88.0	57	12	0	.228
Nieve, Fernando	MIN	3	1	2	4.68	32.2	17	1	0	.248
Duensing, Brian	MIN	5	6	6	6.00	93.0	42	1	0	.325
Mijares, Jose	MIN	1	6	5	4.80	84.1	62	15	0	.271
Neshek, Pat	MIN	1	1	3	3.54	86.1	76	7	0	.257
Crain, Jesse	MIN	1	3	5	4.00	74.1	53	1	0	.258
Guerrier, Matt	MIN	1	3	6	4.43	87.1	65	1	0	.275
Perkins, Glen	MIN	0	2	1	7.94	22.2	8	0	0	.350
Slama, Anthony	MIN	2	0	0	9.00	4.0	1	0	0	.389
Manship, Jeff	MIN	0	0	0	0.00	0.0	0	0	0	.000
Swarzak, Anthony	MIN	0	0	0	0.00	0.0	0	0	0	.000

Team MVP

Gotta be Joe Mauer. He really carrier us all season. Broke 100 RBI's for the first time in his career, hit a career high 29 homers, and hit to the tune of a .326/.397/.555 line. All while playing solid defense behind the plate. You have to think he has a shot at league MVP as well.

Team Cy Young

I'm disqualifying Greinke since he started the season with KC and made more starts with them than he did with us. In which case I'm giving it to Scott Baker. Baker posted a 14-5 win-loss record along with a very respectable ERA of 3.66 in 187 innings pitched. He walked only 29 batters all year (he made 30 starts) and struck out 159.

[CatKnight]

In a dynasty I played, Cleveland's Nick Hagadone turned into a god and was a real strikeout king. It'll be interesting to see how he does as one of your competitors.

Congrats on winning the division! It was certainly ugly for awhile, but in the end 86-76 is pretty respectable. I think you're going to have a great deal of trouble with the BoSox however.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Playoff Match-ups

American League

Boston Red Sox (109-53) vs. Minnesota Twins (86-76)

Hitting Edge: Boston
Pitching Edge: Minnesota
Fielding Edge: Boston
Overall Edge: Boston

Seattle Mariners (88-74) vs. New York Yankees (95-68)

Hitting Edge: New York
Pitching Edge: Seattle
Fielding Edge: Seattle
Overall Edge: New York

National League

St. Louis Cardinals (90-73) vs. New York Mets (90-72)

Hitting Edge: New York
Pitching Edge: St. Louis
Fielding Edge: St. Louis
Overall Edge: St. Louis

Philadelphia Phillies (110-52) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (85-77)

Hitting Edge: Philadelphia
Pitching Edge: Philadelphia
Fielding Edge: Philadelphia
Overall Edge: Philadelphia

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

In a dynasty I played, Cleveland's Nick Hagadone turned into a god and was a real strikeout king. It'll be interesting to see how he does as one of your competitors.

Congrats on winning the division! It was certainly ugly for awhile, but in the end 86-76 is pretty respectable. I think you're going to have a great deal of trouble with the BoSox however.

Yeah, Hagadone is looking like a future stud for the Indians right now. 86/95 rating. In his rookie season he was 7-10 with a 3.99 ERA and 177 K's in 155.2 innings . Not looking forward to seeing how good he gets in a few seasons.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Twins blow Game One in Ninth

Red Sox lead ALDS 1-0

The bullpen issues continued into the postseason. We were leading 5-3 going into the ninth with Jose Mijares coming in to close out the game. He got the first two outs without much problem, but then the Red Sox started stringing hits together, and it was all capped off with a walk-off double by Adrian Beltre, who had homered earlier in the game.

We can't afford to lose games like this. Greinke outpitched the likely Cy Young winner Beckett and we still lost. We got to Beckett for five runs and had him out of the game by the end of the fifth inning, while Greinke pitched six innings and allowed only one run.

Player of the Game - Adrian Beltre 3-5, HR, walk-off double in the bottom of the 9th inning

Minnesota Twins at Boston Red Sox
October 7, 2010

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
         Twins (MIN) 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0    5  9  0
       Red Sox (BOS) 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3    6 14  1

MINNESOTA                    ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Nick Punto (3B)               4  0  1  2  0  0  1  0    .260
Orlando Hudson (2B)           5  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .264
Denard Span (CF)              4  2  1  1  0  1  1  1    .301
Justin Morneau (1B)           3  1  0  1  0  2  0  0    .286
Jason Kubel (LF)              4  1  0  0  0  1  1  0    .298
Michael Cuddyer (RF)          4  2  0  0  0  1  0  0    .280
J.J. Hardy (SS)               3  0  1  0  0  0  2  0    .265
Jim Thome (DH)                3  1  1  0  0  0  1  0    .264
Jose Morales (C)              3  1  0  1  0  0  0  0    .286
TOTALS                       33  9  4  5  0  5  7  1

   2B:  Justin Morneau, Orlando Hudson, Jim Thome
   HBP:  Jose Morales
   GDP:  Justin Morneau, Jim Thome, Nick Punto

   DP:  Justin Morneau, Orlando Hudson, J.J. Hardy

               MINNESOTA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
            Zack Greinke  6.0  7  2  0  2  2  4 119   2.79
             Jesse Crain  0.2  1  1  0  0  0  0  11   4.00
           Matt Guerrier  1.1  1  0  1  1  1  1  19   4.43
            Jose Mijares  0.2  5  0  0  3  3  1  20   4.80
                  TOTALS  8.2 14  3  1  6  6  6 169

BOSTON                       ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
Jacoby Ellsbury (LF)          5  2  0  0  0  1  1  2    .310
J.D. Drew (RF)                2  1  2  0  0  0  1  0    .307
Dustin Pedroia (2B)           5  0  0  1  0  0  0  0    .339
Kevin Youkilis (1B)           4  2  1  1  0  0  1  0    .303
David Ortiz (DH)              5  2  0  1  0  1  1  0    .232
Victor Martinez (C)           5  2  0  0  0  1  0  0    .303
Adrian Beltre (3B)            5  3  0  1  1  2  1  0    .299
Mike Cameron (CF)             4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .268
Marco Scutaro (SS)            4  1  0  1  0  1  0  0    .291
TOTALS                       39 14  3  6  1  6  6  2

   2B:  Adrian Beltre, Marco Scutaro, J.D. Drew, David Ortiz
   HR:  Adrian Beltre
   HBP:  J.D. Drew
   GDP:  Mike Cameron

   DP:  Kevin Youkilis 2, Dustin Pedroia 3, Adrian Beltre, Marco Scutaro 2, Hideki Okajima
   E:  Dustin Pedroia

                  BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
            Josh Beckett  4.1  6  2  0  5  4  3  79   2.96
         Manny Delcarmen  0.2  1  0  0  0  0  0   9   4.62
          Hideki Okajima  2.0  1  1  0  0  0  1  26   4.16
             Daniel Bard  0.2  1  1  0  0  0  2  15   2.49
             Boof Bonser  1.1  0  0  0  0  0  1  15   6.73
                  TOTALS  9.0  9  4  0  5  4  7 144

     WP: Boof Bonser
     LP: Jose Mijares

     Temperature: 52F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 37,400
     Time: 3:21