Athletics 14 Twins 13
- If you want to talk about a debacle last night was the epitomy of it as the Twins blew a 12-2 3rd inning lead to lose to the A's last night by the score of 14-13. You can go back to the play at the plate where Michael Cuddyer was obviously safe, but there was really really bad pitching, lack of hitting after the 3rd, and poor defense add those up and you should lose. Nick Blackburn got the start for the Twins and he was totally awful. He made it through 5 innings, but he shouldn't have. This was the worst I have seen Blackburn in a long time and because he has been so good this year I am going to give him a mulligan on this one. Blackburn went 5 innings and gave up 7 runs on 13 hits along with 2 homeruns to balloon his era to 3.46 on the year. He was getting pummeled all over the field and I kept saying get him out of there and now I know why and that is because the bullpen was no better because when Blackburn left the game he was ahead 13-7 and way in line for his 9th win of the year. Brian Duensing then came in and threw gas on the fire although not all the hits were hard hit, but they were still hits. Duensing went 1.1 innings and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits along with 2 walks to raise his era on the year to 6.91. With the score 13-7 Bobby Keppel came on with the bases loaded and no outs and gave up a bloop double to Orlando Cabrera to make it 13-9 and after walking Jerry Hairston, Matt Holliday then came on and hit a grand slam to tie the score at 13. In all Keppel faced 3 batters and did not retire a batter and was charged with 3 runs on 2 hits along with a walk to raise his era to 2.25. With the game tied and Jack Cust coming up the right decision was to bring in Jose Mijares in who had dominated left handed hitters this year. Going into that at bat left handed hitters had gone 5-51 against Mijares a .098 average so the inning is over right. Wrong, Jack Cust tatooed a pitch to center field to put the A's up 14-13. Mijares went 1.1 innings and gave up 1 run on 3 hits to drop his record on the year to 0-2 on the season and his era up to 2.03. Kevin Mulvey made his major leage debut and got the last out to end the pitching portion of the game.
- I could be all negative about how the Twins only scored 1 run after the 3rd inning after scoring 12 in the first 3, but I am not going to get negative about it I am sure my counterparts in the blogosphere will do that for me. The bottom line is the Twins had some outstanding hitting performances and that should be talked about because it should help them today. Justin Morneau led the offense going 3-5 at the plate with his 22nd and 23rd homeruns and his 25th double of the year along with a career high 7 rbi's one short of the team record of 8 to bring his total to a American League high 78 on the season and brought his average up to .317. Look at his numbers this year he is hitting .317 which ranks 6th in the AL with 23 homeruns which is 2nd in the AL and 78 rbi's which are 1st in the AL. Talk about Albert Pujols winning the triple crown well Justin has just as good a chance at it as Pujols does. Jason Kubel had an awesome game as well going 3-3 at the plate and reaching all 6 times he was up with his 16th homerun of the year along with 3 walks and 4 rbi's to bring his season total up to 52 and his average up to .319 which is 5th in the American League. Michael Cuddyer also had a big game going 4-5 with his 16th homerun and 21st double of the year along with 3 runs scored and his 50th rbi to bring his average up to .276. Brendan Harris went 2-5 at the plate with his 16th double to bring his average on the year to .274. Mike Redmond went 2-5 at the plate, but had a critical double play in the 8th inning that killed a rally, to raise his average on the year to .245. Joe Mauer came off the bench and got a pinch hit single to raise his average to .361 which is 2nd in the AL 2 points behind Ichiro Suzuki. Denard Span, and Delmon Young each contributed a hit in the losing cause for the Twins last night.
- Tonight, the Twins try to get back on the right track as rookie Anthony Swarzak gets his first start in 12 days for the Twins.
Rochester Wrap
Rochester 12 Pawtucket 5
- The Red Wings broke a 4 game losing streak in convincing fasion last night as they defeated Pawtucket by a score of 12-5. New Red Wing Yohan Pino got the start and he was decent considering not only it was his first start at AAA, but for most of the season he had been working out of the bullpen for New Britain so he is still working on getting more arm strength. Pino went 5 innings and gave up 3 runs on 3 hits along with 3 strikeouts to bring his era to 4.50 on the year and improved his record to 1-0. Not a bad start for Pino at AAA and I look for him to get better and better as he gets more experience at the AAA level. I don't look at him as a major prospect, but he will be a decent AAA starter who will have an era in the high 3's and low 4's and give the Red Wings a chance to win just about every time out. Jesse Crain then came on and pitched an effective 2 innings on only 1 hit along with 3 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 2.55. In my opinion Jesse Crain has turned the corner in AAA and is ready to make his return to the Twins. I would give it another week or so and if he is still doing what has been doing in July I would get him up because the Twins bullpen is springing leaks all over the place and a good Jesse Crain is the guy we need. In 12 games with the Red Wings Crain is 1-0 with a 2.55 era in 17.2 innings of work. He has only given up 5 runs and most importantly has only walked 8 batters while striking out 22. Better yet in July he has only walked 3 in 12 innings of work. I know most Twins have a general dislike for Crain, but with the Twins bullpen struggling as much as they are he is worth a second chance rather than giving up a bunch of prospect for one. Tim Lahey pitched the last 2 innings and gave up 2 runs on 5 hits along with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 6.68.
- The Red Wings offense finally got it going in this game as they put up 12 runs on 17 hits in one of the finest offensive outbursts of the year. By far the offensive hero in this game was Jason Pridie who put his best performance of the year on. Pridie went 4-5 at the plate with 5 rbi's to bring his season total up to 34 and brought his average on the year up to .260. David Winfree had a big game going 3-5 at the plate with his 13th homerun and 22nd double of the year along with his 47th and 48th rbi's of the year to bring his season average up to .274. Matt Macri had a big game going 3-4 at the plate with 18th double of the year and his 29th rbi to bring his average up to .233. Steve Tolleson got back on track by going 2-3 at the plate to bring his season average up to .289. Matt Tolbert went 2-5 at the plate with his 3rd triple of the year to bring his average up to .268. Jose Morales went 2-4 at the plate with his 12th rbi and brought his average up to .289. Justin Huber went 1-4 at the plate with his 13th homerun and his 50th and 51st rbi's of the year to bring his average up to .281.
- Tonight, the Red Wings continue their series with Pawtucket as staff ace Jeff Manship gets the start for Rochester.
New Britian Business
Portland 19 New Britain 1
- Last night was one of those days for the Rockcats where they could not get anyone out and just got blown out, but the good thing is it only counts for 1 loss and can come back tommorrow and go at it again as they fell to Portland by a score of 19-1. Mike Mccardell made his AA debut and it is a debut he would much rather just forget about as he got pummelled. Mccardell only lasted 4 innings and gave up 11 runs on 11 hits along with 2 homeruns and 3 walks and 7 strikeouts to bring his era to an unbelievable 24.75 on the year and dropped his record to 0-1. Granted the competition is going to be tougher at AA, but Mike is too good of a pitcher to pitch like that so I look for him to rebound his next few starts to get his era back into Mike Mccardell type numbers. I would not make too much of it because at the end of the year Mccardell will have his era back in the 3's right where his career numbers say it should be. Carlos Gutierrez then came on and was no better as he only lasted 1 inning and gave up 4 runs on 4 hits along with a homerun to bring his era to 7.93. It is pretty obvious that Carlos has nothing left in the tank and by keeping sending him out there you are risking injury so the best idea is for the Twins to shut him down for the year and let him rest over the winter and come back strong next spring. Jose Lugo came in and compared to the first 2 did a good job giving up 2 runs althought only 1 was earned on 1 hit along with a walk and 3 strikeouts in 2 innings to lower his era to 3.86. Alex Burnett then came in and pitched the only scoreless line of any pitcher pitching a perfect 8th inning along with a strikeout to lower his era to 1.93. Anthony Slama pitched the 9th and was not very good as he gave up 2 runs on 1 hit along with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts to raise his era to 2.98 on the year.
- After the pitching gave up 19 runs you were hoping the offense could match them, but unfortunately they left their hitting shoes at home as they were only able to score 1 run on only 7 hits. Steve Singelton led the offense going 2-4 at the plate with his 2nd rbi and raise his average up to .600 in 4 games with the Rockcats. Brandon Roberts went 2-4 at the plate with his 15th double and brought his average up to .300. Juan Portes, Yancarlos Ortiz, and Danny Lehman each contributed a hit in the losing cause for the Rockcats.
- Today, the Rockcats continue their series with Portland as they partake in a doubleheader today with Ryan Mullins getting the start in the first game while Frank Mata gets the start in the 2nd game.
Fort Myers Minutes
Fort Myers 6 Dunedin 3
- The Miracle got back on the winning side after a 2 game losing streak dropped them to 3 games behind first place Charlotte by defeating Dunedin last night by a score of 6-3 in the final game of the series. Steve Hirschfeld got the start for the Miracle and was good once again. Hirschfeld went 5 shutout innings on only 4 hits along with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 2.02 and improve his record to 4-4. After getting off to a slow start when he joined the rotation Hirschfeld has really picked it up the last few starts and has put up a pretty good season and he is probably going to be the leader of the staff going into the FSL playoffs and give them a chance to win a championship. Blair Erickson then came on and gave up no runs on a hit along with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts in 1.2 innings to lower his era on the year to 3.27. Joe Testa then came into the game and had his first struggle since joining the Miracle. Testa worked 1.1 innings and gave up 3 runs although only 2 of them were earned on 3 hits along with 1 walk and 1 strikeout to raise his era on the year to a very good 1.29. Loek Van Mil finished the game with a scoreless inning along with 1 strikeout to pick up his 2nd save of the year and lower his era down to 1.71.
- The Miracle offense did not do alot, but enough to pick up the victory for the Miracle as they scored 6 runs on 9 hits. Ben Revere led the offense going 2-4 at the plate with his 4th triple of the year and 37th rbi to bring his average up to .310. Revere has probably been the hottest player on the team after going through a slump. In his last 6 games he is 12-28 which is a .429 average. Revere is back where he belongs and I expect his numbers to stay on this line for quite a while he is that good of a hitter. Esterlin De Los Santos went 2-3 at the plate with his 6th double of the year to bring his average up to .301. Jair Fernandez went 1-4 at the plate with his 10th double of the year and his 15th rbi. Evan Bigley went 1-4 at the plate with his 11th double and drove in his 17th and 18th runs of the year. Chris Parmalee, Joe Benson, and Mark Dolenc each contributed hits in the winning cause for the Miracle.
- Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with Dunedin as Michael Tarsi gets the start for Fort Myers.
Beloit Beat
Dayton 6 Beloit 3
- The Snappers suffered their 3rd straight loss last night in a tough hard fought game with Dayton by the score of 6-3. Liam Hendricks got the start for the Snappers and was very good once again. Hendricks went 6 innings and gave up 2 runs on 6 hits along with a walk and 8 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 1.96. Hendricks has been everything the Snappers could of expected and more when he was called up from E-Town and if he can keep up what he he is doing now which I think he can then I think Hendricks will be in Fort Myers next spring. Matt Williams then came on and was not very good taking the loss to drop his record on the year to 1-2. Williams went 1 inning and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits along with a strikeout to raise his era on the year to 2.76 on the year. Billy Bulluck then came on and gave up his first runs as a professional. Bulluck went 1 inning and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits along with 1 walk and 1 strikeout to raise his era on the season to 4.50. Bulluck is going to be a big time closing prospect for the Twins the big thing is how he rebounds from getting hit a little bit will tell the story, but I am very confident he will come back good.
- The Snappers really could not get much going against Dayton pitching last night as they were only able to muster 3 runs on 7 hits. The Snappers were led by Ozzie Lewis who went 3-3 at the plate with his 13th and 14th doubles of the year to improve his average up to .275. Michael Harrington went 1-4 at the plate with his 4th homerun of the year and his 31st and 32nd rbi's and brought his average up to .234. Nathan Hanson went 1-3 at the plate with his 14th double to bring his average up to .240. Aaron Hicks went 1-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .231. Drew Thompson also added a hit in the losing cause for the Snappers.
- The Snappers have today off before they begin a weekend series at home versus Cedar Rapids.
E-Town Tidbits
E-Town 6 Burlington 4 13 innings
- The E-Town Twins pulled out the last game of their series with Burlington needing 13 innings to get the job done by a score of 6-4. Tom Stuifbergen got the start for the Twins and was very good in this one. Stuifbergen went 5 shutout innings on only 3 hits along with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 3.16. Tony Davis then came on and gave up no runs on 1 hit in 2 innings of work along with 4 strikeouts to lower his era to 9.00. Matthew Tone then came in and wasn't very good. He went 1 inning and gave up 3 runs on only 2 hits along with a walk to raise his era on the year to 3.18. Kyle Carr then came on and wasn't very good either as he went 1 inning and gave up 1 run on 2 hits along with 2 walks and a strikeout to raise his era on the year to 1.35. Kane Holbrooks did a phenomenal job holding down the fort going 3 shutout innings on only 1 hit along with 1 walk and 1 strikeout to lower his era on the year to 3.68. Ben Tootle then came on and picked up his 1st professional save as he went 1 inning and gave up 2 hits, but got out of it.
- The E-Town Twins offense did not do alot in this game, but found a way to get the job done and pick up the victory. The Twins had 6 runs on 10 hits and should of won the game in 9 innings, but left 9 guys on base. Anderson Hidalgo led the way going 2-5 at the plate with his 5th double and 11th rbi to bring his average up to .343. Michael Gonzalez went 2-3 at the plate to improve his average up to .301 on the year. Reggie Williams went 2-6 at the plate with his 5th double and the go ahead 2 run homerun in the 13th inning to bring his total up to 2 and his rbis up to 10 and his average up to .266. Jon Goncalves went 1-6 at the plate with his 3rd double of the year. Derek Mccallum, Paul Klingsberg, and Dan Rohlfing each contributed a hit in the winning cause for the Twins.
- Tonight, the Twins start a series with Princeton as prized first round pick Matt Bashore is scheduled to pitch for Elizabethton
