weekend’s series with Kansas City were games to not be missed! It was
do or die time for the Twins and on Saturday they had to take on their
arch nemesis from KC, Zack Greinke. Thankfully, the Twins, as of late,
have stepped up to the plate (quite literally) and played their hearts
out. I have been in awe of what these boys are capable of and how great
they are doing. It really feels like I’m cheering for the underdog that
no one ever thought would get this far. I love this feeling, and I’m
sure the Twins are equally as pleased with the outcome and where they
stand as of today.
game was outstanding, to say the least. Who knew that Delmon Young had
it in him to hit a grand slam, the first of his career. He was on fire
and has really stepped up lately. It’s good to see that the Twins are
finally getting what they paid for with Delmon. It’s just a shame he
couldn’t have found himself, so three months ago when we could have
kicked into high gear and not had to face a one-game playoff against
Detroit. I know, I can’t know for sure if we would be better than where
we are now, but I’ve gotta believe we would be.
Kubel’s fridge (that he has lag behind him) apparently had the string
that kept it attached to him break when he made the diving catch in
right field…only to have the fridge tackle him and make him fall to
the ground. It’s good to see that the fridge is good for something!
Lord knows, it only slows down his running.
1. Orlando Cabrera (went 3 for 5 and extended his hitting streak)
3. Jeff Manship (recorded his first MLB win, and he did very well! I was proud!)
game was nerve wracking. I didn’t know if the Twins had the fight inside
them to beat Zack Greinke. Although, the Twins have had success against
Greinke, because this was his breakout year, they were scared. I liked
Delmon Young’s quote before they faced Greinke (HERE)
“Yeah, we need to go to church and pray to score some runs,” Young
said. “He’s nasty, and he’s looking to go for a Cy Young. [CC} Sabathia
got crushed tonight, so it’s all on his hands. It’s national TV, going
up against an AL MVP candidate [in Joe Mauer], so he might go nine
tomorrow.” Glad you threw those extra prayers up to the big Man,
Delmon! He listened!
What an unbelievable catch Denard Span made
in right in the 9th inning, to help Joe Nathan set a franchise high of
47 saves. If you missed the catch, go HERE.
Saturday’s 3 Stars of the Game:
1. Nick Blackburn (he
pitched outstanding for only being on 3 days rest. He went 7 innings,
with only 2 earned runs and 5 strike outs. He however did not give up 1
of those 2 runs…Mijares let those runners come home.)
2. Delmon Young (he went 2 for 4, driving in 3 of our 4 runs!)
3. Michael Cuddyer (he got a home run when I asked for it…not making Delmon Young do all the work and score all the runs for the Twins.)
Sunday…Sunday was a fantastic game to be at! It was sort of a blow out by the Twins. Katie and I sat, scoreboard watching (the
Tigers were play the White Sux again…and we were cheering for the
White Sux to beat them…but they were down 4-0 early on in the game.).
I think Jason Kubel must not have liked that the Tigers were winning so
with two on in the first inning, he blasted a 3-run home run. (sidenote:
I think Jason Kubel also liked that my cousin, who is by far his
biggest fan, was watching from more than 4,000 miles away…so he felt
he needed to blast a couple home runs out, just for her! I told her,
she has to watch tomorrow’s game as well.)
It was good to
see Carl Pavano have some magic with only three days rest as well. I
was disappointed that Brian Duensing wasn’t the starting pitcher, but
at least my fears of Carl didn’t come true! Carl Pavano was the last
Twins starting pitcher for this season that I hadn’t seen before
yesterday…so now after that, every pitcher to have started this
season (spot start, minor league call-up, etc…) I have seen.
For
those who didn’t see the post-game celebration, it was really neat.
Players from the ’87 and ’91 seasons. Torii and Santana sent video
messages thanking fans for being voted to the all-Metrodome team. It
was especially neat seeing Kirby’s son remove the final number from the
countdown to outdoor baseball, though with tomorrow’s game and
potential post-season play…it wasn’t the last game at the Dome. All I
can say is: BRING ON THE EVIL EMPIRE!
Sunday’s 3 Stars of the Game:
1. Jason Kubel (he went 3-4 with 2 3-run home runs, and a blooper single before having Gomez pinch run for him in the 7th.)
2. Delmon Young (also had 2 home runs in the game, both solo shots only, but equally as great!)
3. Orlando Cabrera (went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI’s and 2 doubles.)
Tomorrow
besides game #163: I will post the list of my nicknames for the current
Twins roster…and possibly try to explain the reasons behind the
nicknames.
For Love Of The Game 