Twins Sisters

Joey Mauer hit his first ever major league grand slam!  It was awesome! The usually rock steady Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers walked three Twins ahead of Joey.  I think it was  Luis Castillo and two of the of the three Jasons (Tyner and Bartlett) but I'm not 100% sure. There was already one out and I had a terrible feeling that Joey was going to hit into a double play to end the inning. I couldn't have been more wrong. Joey smacked the ball into the Tigers bullpen. I jumped off my couch and screamed. I don't know why I do that when I'm at home watching the game. Knee jerk reaction, I guess. What I really like about Joey is that the whole time he was jogging around the bases he had a stoic expression on his face.  I don't know if it was because he was in disbelief because he hit a grand slam or because he didn't want to look arrogant. That 24 year old guy is class all the way.

Justin Morneau had a couple of RBIs as well. He sure has come a long way from just 7 short days ago.  I was worried that it would take him awhile to get back into the swing of things, no pun intended.  I'm glad that he is starting off as the DH. We need out MVP to stay healthy for the rest of the season.

The runs that the Twins scored in the first inning were not 100% Justin Verlander's fault. Yes, he did pitch the balls that were hit into play BUT the defense behind him was sloppy.

Here we are just 1.5 weeks before the All Star Break.  Cleveland is at the top of the AL Central, Detroit is half a game behind them and thanks to tonight's victory our Twins are right still right in the thick of it at 5 games back. Let's hope we cut that lead to four games tomorrow.

Final score: Twins 11 Tigers 1.  Let's hope the red hot offense can continue.

Enjoy the next two games of this series!!  Becca

This was a really fun game to watch.  After not getting any home runs for Bert & Dick only know how many at-bats, the Twins have 4 in two really great games.  Torii got two and Barty (thanks, Jen) hit one.  How great would it be if he started hitting homers regularly?  Too great! But the best one  was Joe's 1st career grand slam.  That was sweet!  I was hoping he'd come through with a double.  It never crossed my mind that he'd hit a grand slam. Shame on me and yay for Joe! 

I'm going to make some bold predictions for the rest of the season.  Bold, I tell you.

1.  In the next few games, the Twins' bats are going to get so hot they just about catch fire.  No more long and frustrating hitting slumps.

2.  Johan will win the rest of his starts.

3.  Somehow the Twins will manage to re-sign Torii.  Where else are we going to find a center fielder who can smack dingers like that and scale the walls to make out of this world catches?

In the next few months we'll see if my crytal ball is accurate, or if the switch is stuck on "wishful thinking."  The rest of the season's going to be fun!

--Tricia--

I just want to get it out of the way even though I'm sure anyone with even a remote interest in baseball has already heard:  Frank Thomas hit his 500th home run. Good for him. I really mean that. It is an amazing feat and it deserves to be acknowledged.

Torii Hunter hit two home runs today and Jason Bartlett hit one. Home runs for the Twins seem to be contagious. Justin Morneau is back in the line up as the DH! I love that he's back!  How weird to miss someone you've never met.

That's really all I know about the game. I was at work and I tried to follow it on Yahoo! Sports but the phones were busy so I couldn't give it as much attention as I would have liked.

I'm hoping there's lots of good Twins news to talk about this weekend. Johan is pitching tomorrow and then we have our two newbies (Kevin and Scotty). I predict that we will win at least two of the three in Detroit.

Bye for now--Becca

The Twins were doing everything right.  Early on Boof was putting zeros on the board and he was getting early run support.  My favorite run was when Nick went from 1st to 3rd on that horrible pick off attempt by the pitcher and then seconds later scored on a wild pitch. I was hoping that the Twins would be able to pull of a huge inning.  Alas, it was not meant to be. Cuddy was thrown out trying to score on Jason Kuble's single. The Twins have not fared well when trying to tag home plate on hits by their teammates. Justin bruised a vital internal organ, Luis'  hand was spiked by the Toronto pitcher (ouch!), then Torii and Michael have both been tagged by the catcher in the last couple of games. 

Good news to report: Justin was cleared by the Twins medical team to start playing again. I think Gardy will wait until they get to Detroit to play the Tigers this weekend.  Michael has been an awesome fill in at 1st base. They might as well give him another full day to work out and take batting practice.

This is the last home game until AFTER the All Star Break. Enjoy it if you can.  Our guys have a hard road trip coming up. 3 in Detroit, 4 in New York and then 3 in Chicago. Chicago is down right now but I wouldn't say out just yet.  I believe that the race in the American League Central will go down to the last week of the season, if not the last day like it did last year.

Enjoy your day everyone!

Becca

Scott Baker went and locked himself in the bathroom.  He knew this was a big game.  He knew he had to pitch well.  He took off his hat and looked at his cute face in the mirror.  He took a deep breath.  "Ok," he said to himself, "What do I see in this mirror?"  He said, "I see pride.  I see power.  I see a bad mother who won't take no crap off of nobody."  He made a face but he said it again, this time with more conviction.  "I see pride.  I see power.  I see a bad mother who won't take no crap off of nobody!" With that, he put his hat back on his head and went to take on the big bad Blue Jays lineup that took the Twins pitchers deep three times the night before. 

He went out on the mound and pitched an amazing game.  He sat those bitches down (to borrow a phrase from Batgirl) one after the other.  He sat them down 9 times, and he left in the 8th inning to a well-deserved standing O from the crowd in the Dome. 

Too bad for him, his teammates could only muster one run against the Blue Jays pitcher, who pitched a great game too.  Alas, the win wouldn't be his.  But his teammates kept plugging away.  The bullpen didn't allow any runs to score.  The offense kept on trying, only to keep on falling short.  Finally, in the bottom of the 12th inning, the bases were loaded after an intentional walk to Mike Redmond. Jeff Cirillo came up as a pinch hitter.  He blew a big old bubble and waved his bat around a bit the way he does, and blooped a pitch just out of reach of the Jays' center fielder, Vernon Wells.  The Twins were victorious!  Scotty didn't get the win, but he certainly helped his team carry that bobsled over the finish line. 

--Tricia--

Hello Twins fans!

We had a fantastic time at the game last night! At first just Tricia and I were going to meet our Dad at the Metrodome. Just a few hours before game time my nephew and my Mom wanted to join the fun.  What was going to be just three people turned into five. Fine with me! The more the merrier!

The five of us were sitting in center field so we had a good overall view of the whole field, though Scott Baker and Joey Mauer did look like little plastic toys from where we were sitting. No matter. It was clear that this was going to be a pitching dual. The Twins got the victory in the bottom of the 12th. Sadly, we didn't stay to watch. We left after the 11th inning because of that daily hassle of having to get up early for work. What a drag!  :-)  We were listening on the radio when Jeff Cirillo dopped the single into shallow center field. That was all Cuddy needed to score from 3rd. That probably was a boost for him since he had hit into a inning ending double play earlier in the game.

Speak of Michael Cuddyer, he was flawless at first base.  Jason Tyner didn't miss a beat out in left field, either. It seems like you can put those guys anywhere!

Justin Morneau was on hand to accept his award for American League MVP for the month of May. He didn't play, but it was good to see him out on the field. He received a much deserved standing ovation from the crowd.

Game three tonight! Hopefully with another win. I know I'll be watching.

Hi from Becca!

Looks like the Piranhas are back in action!  Jason Bartlett has been hitting better and getting RBIs and Nick Punto made that great catch last night before falling into the Twins dugout.  Although the end result to the game last night was the same, Jason Tyner hit a single in the bottom of the 9th and Nick Punto drew a walk. The biggest shout out of the day goes to Luis who went right back out there after getting spiked in the left hand while sliding into home plate.  I can't even fathom how much that must have hurt!

Can't wait for the game tonight! I'll be sitting in center field wearing my Nick Punto shirt!

Wow.  That game was painful last night.  And really, the 8-5 loss to the Blue Jays was the least of it.  Nicky fell into the dugout making a catch.  Torii crashed into a pole in center field.  Mike wrenched his knee and Luis got his hand spiked while he was sliding home.  I about cried for him when I saw that.  Dang, that would hurt!  Then Matt Guerrier got beat up on the mound. (Figuratively, of course.) I think that's been his toughest inning all season long.  Even the home plate umpire got in on the action when he got hit in the chest with a ball that bounced off Frank Thomas's elbow.

I have to go back to work, so it's a short entry for me.  Becca and I are going to the game tonight with our dad and my 9-year-old son We need to turn him into a nutty Twins fan too. We're going to sit in the home run porch seats, which are CHEAP on Tuesday nights, $9.50.  They're also the drunk & rowdy seats.  That's kinda fun.  

I agree with Becca's post about Mike Redmond.  He's gotten some really important hits.  He ended a miserable losing streak against Kansas City, for crying out loud!  I would love to buy a #55 t-shirt, but thus far have not been able to find one.  Perhaps I'll have to look a little harder.

Have a good day, all! 

Tricia

We hear lots and lots about our MVP Justin, our Batting Champion Joey, our two time Cy Young winner Johan and our Golden Gove winner Torii. They are all extraordinary players, without a doubt. But in all the hoopla one key Twins player though not forgotten, has not given the cred he so richly deserves!

Mike Redmond did a phenomenal job catching for the month that Joey was out with his leg injury earlier this season.  He got some key hits and threw a out a lot of guys trying to steal 2nd base. He also seems to say whatever Johan or Boof needs to hear to get back on track if they pitch themselves into trouble.

When he isn't in the starting line up he is always very visable in the dugout. When they pan the players after one of his teammates gets a home run or makes a great defensive play he is always near the top of the dugout stairs clapping and cheering.  That has to be great for team morale. I would think it would be easy for some people to resent only playing every few days or when the main guy is hurt but he was really embraced his role with the team.

There. I've been wanting to say that for awhile.

Becca

Allow me to introduce our other sister, Andrea.  It would be a terrible oversight if we didn't introduce her on our sisters' blog. She loves kitties, Coca-Cola (the full sugar, highly-caffeinated kind) and she laughs her head off at dumb jokes.  "A pirate was sitting in a bar, and the bartender asked him, 'Do you know you have a steering wheel in your pants?'  The pirate replied, 'Aaar, and it's drivin' me nuts.' "  So in many ways, she is very much like Becca and me.  And yet...

--She wouldn't recognize Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau if she bumped into them on the street. (!)

--Her eyes glaze over when Becca and I start to talk about the Twins.  They're our favorite topic during the baseball season. 

--She says that baseball is as boring as watching paint dry or grass grow. 

How can this be?  How can a sister of ours find baseball boring? 

I don't know.  It's a question that will never have an answer, I guess.  Well, nobody's perfect.  We love her anyway! 

--Tricia--