The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim had a pretty obvious strategy entering Thursdays game against the Twins—hit it right at SS Tsuyoshi Nishioka.
Nishioka had a tough night at shortstop, having difficulty fielding several sharply hit grounders, and had just as much difficulty turning the double play.
With Francisco Liriano throwing underhanded, it was a bad combination for the Twins. Well, Liriano wasn’t throwing underhanded, but the Angels hit him hard, and Liriano only went 5 innings, giving up 10 hits and 7 earned runs.
The Angels’ Dan Haren, however, was magnificent. He went 8 innings, and only gave up five hits and one run. But that run was home run number 598 to Jim Thome, who continues his march towards 600.
With the Twins road trip ending in a disappointing 4-6 record, the numbers are getting harder and harder for the Twins to get back into this race, so one of the few bright spots in this dismal season is watching Thome, which Twins fans will be able to do at Target Field, starting with a three game series against the White Sox.