That sound you hear is Detroit Tigers fans getting nervous for the first time all year. After looking awful in game 1 of this series, the Twins came back with a vengenance to win the last 3 and pull within 2 game of the division leading Tigers.
The charge on Sunday was, of course, led by All-World SP and MVP candidate Johan Santana. He picked up his 18th victory, and 11 of the 19 outs he recorded came via the strikeout, which he also happens to lead the Majors in. Meanwhile, the 6.1 scoreless innings dropped the ERA to 2.75, which also happens to be the best in the Majors. I'm not real good with image stuff, but go to the Stats page on MLB.com for something that looks cool (Johan's picture 3 times because he leads the Majors in the Triple Crown categories)
Offensively, the offense just jumped all over Bonderman and the rest of the pitching staff, scoring 12 runs on 15 hits. Joe Mauer went 2/3 and is now batting .350, just ahead of Jeter at .345. Elsewhere, Nick Punto had 4 hits, Justin Morneau had 2, and Torii Hunter had 3.
Things also went well as far as the Wildcard is concerned, as the Indians beat the White Sox, increasing the Twins Wildcard lead to 1.5 games.
The Twins now stay home and host the Oakland As, who always seem to give the Twins trouble. They play three against Oakland before heading to Cleveland. Detroit has the day off, and Chicago will take on Anaheim. Pitching matchups for Monday:
Minnesota: Carlos Silva (8-13, 6.30) vs. Joe Blanton (Athletics)
Chicago: Jose Conteras 12-7 (4.09) vs. John Lackey (Angels)
3 comments:
You're right, seeing Johan's picture three times on the leader board is oddly exciting. I recommend everyone try it. What happened to the Sabean Special Sat night??? No mention?! It's only the biggest Sabean Special of the year so far!
Sorry... I meant to post something Saturday night to mention The Sabean Special, but I just got busy... but yes, Boof was excellent, and it was the second straight Sabean Special in his starts... he's become the 2nd most reliable starter lately.
If Brad Radke doesn't come back, is the Twins' playoff rotation Santana/Liriano/Bonser? If so, add in a heavy dosage of Joe Nathan in the bullpen and the Sabean Special might carry to this team deep into the post-season.
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