It was a close game throughout. Nick Blackburn pitched well for the Twins, John Denks was a little bit better for the White Sox.
Blackburn made one mistake, and Jim Thome made him pay with a homer. The Sox had only five hits, the Twins two.
Chicago White Sox
30 September 2008
With the MLB playoffs set to begin, there is a subtle difference in the air compared to start of any other postseason. In the NHL, fans can potentially look forward to a great Canadians/Bruins series that is not only exciting, but has a historical kick to it. Likewise basketball fans always have the chance to see if the Suns can finally get past the Spurs and football fans love seeing the rivalry of the Eagles Vs the City of Philadelphia when the Eagles so much as get tackled for a loss.
Posted by Karol Kudyba | No comments yet
25 September 2008
It didn't look good early. The White Sox scored all six of their runs in the fourth, and were up 6-1. I thought we were going to lose.
But as Jayson Stark said on ESPN tonight, whatever the odds are, never count out the Twins.
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
23 September 2008
The Twins had to win this first game in the series against the White Sox, and they did, 9-3.
You have to spotlight three players. First Scott Baker, who allowed five hits and a run in seven innings to improve his record to 10-4. He's our No. 2 pitcher behind Francisco Liriano, and he pitched as well Tuesday as Liriano did Sunday against the Rays.
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
15 September 2008
Black Sunday followed a terrific Saturday.
The Twins lost to Baltimore, 7-3, and the White Sox swept the Tigers to go a game and a half ahead of the Twins.
Alarmingly, the starting pitching wasn't good during the series with the Orioles. Glen Perkins allowed six runs in three innings in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Nick Blackburn gave up six runs in four innings against the Orioles on Sunday.
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
13 September 2008
You have to win crucial games down the stretch on the road to reach the postseason.
The Twins did that, winning 12-2 and 12-6 over the Baltimore Orioles, who have been a welcome change from the Toronto Blue Jays, who have been beating everybody.
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
11 September 2008
You can't put lipstick on this pig: The Twins' bullpen blew a fine effort by Francisco Liriano to lose at home to the woeful Kansas City Royals.
This one really hurts. Now the team is a game and a half behind the White Sox, with the Sox playing the Jays later tonight.
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
5 September 2008
It started so well, with back-to-back wins against the mighty Angels in Anaheim. It ended calamitously, with the Jays sweeping the Twins in Toronto, with the final game a 9-0 blowout.
The Twins finished the road trip 5-8 -- 2-2 against the Angels, 1-2 against the Mariners, 2-2 against the Athletics and 0-3 against the Jays, who won all six games against the Twins.
Continue reading "Twins out of gas as Road Trip from Hell ends"
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
21 August 2008
Just picture it: it’s the top of the ninth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays are holding a slim 2-1 lead over the New York Yankees. Up to bat is Derek Jeter with Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez on deck. Cito Gaston, in order to shut the door on the game and the series gets on the phone and brings in the big gun, Pedro Luis Lazo, winner of two Olympic Gold medals with Cuba and current closer of the Blue Jays. And even if he gives up a run its okay, because leading off the bottom of the ninth for the Jays is Alexei Bell, who hit 30 HR with 100 RBI with Santiago del Cuba last year.
Posted by Karol Kudyba | No comments yet
3 August 2008
Whether you choose to root for the big-money, big-market, big-name Chicago White Sox or the small-money, small-market, little-name Twins depends on your tastes, I suppose.
If it weren't for
Posted by Street Reporter | No comments yet
31 July 2008
You're chasing the top team in your division. They come to town for a four-game series. You must win three of four at least.
That's just what the Twins did by winning 10-6 on Thursday. But it was the way they did it that's so hopeful for the Twinkies.
Continue reading "Twins come back, take three of four from Sox"
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
A few trades of note for Mariners fans--the ones made, the ones not made, and the ones made by other teams. Here are the Top 3 Seattle Deadline Stories:
1. Rhodes is now a Marlin. This was the guy everyone figured the Mariners would deal, and it came through. It makes complete sense, as the Mariners don't need Rhodes down the stretch, for a handful of lefty specialist innings, while the Marlins do. In return, Seattle gets Gaby Hernandez, a once-well-regarded starter who's scuffled at Albuquerque (where every pitcher scuffles), and he'll get a fresh start with Tacoma and the Mariners. He's nobody special, but Rhodes is an aging lefty in a one-year deal, so Lee Pelekoudas got who he could. Nice job, Lee.
Posted by Street Reporter | 2 comments
30 July 2008
Most people would say the surprise team of the year in baseball is the Rays. The Twins are a close second.
This series against the White Sox is crucial. After this, they play only one more series. This is the team the second-place team must catch up.
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
20 July 2008
I used to believe I had already gone through the greatest sports books already, but a summer read has changed my mind.
"Eight Men Out," by Eliot Asinof, is quite unlike most great sports books and movies, which tend to be inspirational. This is nothing of the sort — it’s a cynic’s delight, the kind of book that reinforces your sense that the world is screwed up, no one has pure motives and problems are not so much solved as dealt with by finding convenient scapegoats.
Continue reading "'Eight' good enough to be among best sports books"
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
15 July 2008
One of the All-Star Break traditions: Reassessing our predictions from the first half of the season. Some of mine have changed, some have stayed the same—and some were just damn wrong. Living in the West, I will take the contrarian position and roll from west to east in my choices.
Posted by Street Reporter | 3 comments
1 July 2008
All right then, it’s almost July, which means it’s almost time for yet another midsummer classic, which once again will pit the National League against their arch-rivals, those bums from the junior circuit.
Posted by Charles Bisbee | 1 comment
27 June 2008
The Cubs found out that U.S. Cellular is a long way from the friendly confines, even if it's only a few miles.
The White Sox ripped the Cubs, 10-3, on Friday, scoring seven runs in the third inning. The biggest blow was a grand slam by Nick Swisher.
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
21 June 2008
The Cubs had nine runs in a wild record-setting fourth inning to rip the Sox, 11-7.
Jim Edmonds had two homers, Mike Fontenot one and Aramis Ramirez had a three-run dong in the fourth, the team's biggest inning of the year.
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
20 June 2008
Tough to top the Cubs' huge win against their intercity rival Friday.
Late homers by Aramis Ramirez, one in the seventh and the winner in the ninth, proved decisive in the 4-3 win. Kerry Wood pitched the ninth to get the win.
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
19 June 2008
The Twins play the Diamondbacks at home while the Chicago White Sox take the long trek to Wrigley Field. Who knows, maybe the Cubs could do the Twins a favor.
For the moment, the Twins are ju
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
18 June 2008
The Twins must wish the Nationals were in the AL Central so they could play them more often. The Twins win Wednesday night, 11-2, with good games from starter Kevin Slowey, center fielder Carlos Gomez, and the MM boys, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
A very successful manager with the Chicago White Sox, Manuel was replaced by the outspoken Ozzie Guillen, in a change of personality that seems deliberate. Under Manuel, however, the White Sox seemed lackluster, perennial second-placers that only once managed to break through the glass ceiling atop the division, in 2000, only to be swept by the Mariners. If the Mets need to have a fire lit under them, Manuel seems like an unlikely source.
Posted by Street Reporter | 2 comments
11 June 2008
A week ago the Twins were nipping at Chicago's heels.
Now they're only a game up on the Indians, who appear headed upward as the Twins descend. C.C. Sabathia, who's pitched reasonably well but gotten little support, shut out Minnesota 1-0 on Tuesday. Scott Baker pitched a terrific game but wasn't quite as good as Sabathia.
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
8 June 2008
Friday the Twins lost to the White Sox, 10-6.
Saturday it got worse: The Twinks were drubbed, 11-2.
You'd think it wouldn't get any worse than that. But at the moment, the Sox are socking it to the Twinkles, 12-2 in the seventh.
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
7 June 2008
The Twins have lost two of three and are showing signs they might not be able to stay in the race in a weak division.
The bullpen lost a home game against the Orioles, with Brian Bass losing the game after Scott Baker had pitched so well. Bass had a 5.30 ERA and it's worrisome that the bullpen has shown cracks. Losing Pat Neshek was a big blow.
Posted by Rich Martin | No comments yet
16 April 2008
The Minnesota Twins completed their first road trip of the season last night, and the results were fairly disappointing. Disappointing because after splitting two games with the White Sox and taking two out of three against the Royals, the Twins twice blew late-inning leads and lost two games at Detroit, finishing the road trip with a 3 - 4 record that coulda should been 5 - 2. We'll get to the Detroit series later, first let's take a look at what went right.
Posted by Greg L Johnson | No comments yet
10 April 2008
e their starting pitcher a relatively stress-free path to a winning game.
That didn't prevent the Chicago White Sox from putting a little worry into the equation, however, and after three solo homeruns, ithe memory of Monday's game must have brought a little worry to Twins fans as they watched their teams leadshrink bit by bit.
Posted by Greg L Johnson | No comments yet
24 March 2008
Here are the key questions facing each team this season.
Chicago White Sox
Will ‘more energy’ be enough to help the White Sox rebound from a disappointing 2007?
Last year the South Siders won only 72 games, a sharp decline after two consecutive 90-win seasons, including a World Championship. They finished last in the American League in runs scored and 12th in ERA. Really, it’s a wonder they didn’t lose more. This past off season, Ozzie Guillen and the front office cited a lack of energy as the reason for the dismal season. Operating on that belief, they went out and acquired the hyper active Orlando Cabrera and boisterous, fun-loving Nick Swisher via trades with Anaheim and Oakland, hoping they will re-energize the team.
Posted by Joe Sauer | No comments yet
19 February 2008
As we enter this new baseball season, there is nothing better to do than predict what will happen this year. Below are my predictions of each divison of what the final standings will be. I also posted what the playoff picture will be and who will be the World Series Champ
Posted by Ryan Neiman | No comments yet
