SB Nation Minnesota - Twins At White Sox: Minnesota Gets Second Straight Win, 3-2https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48959/mn-fave.png2011-05-04T19:08:40-05:00http://minnesota.sbnation.com/rss/stream/19160892011-05-04T19:08:40-05:002011-05-04T19:08:40-05:00Twins At White Sox: Blackburn Leads Twins To 3-2 Victory Over Chicago
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<p>It might be the start of something big. Then again, it might not be. But for a couple of days, it felt pretty good to be a member of. . .or even a fan of. . .the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a>.</p>
<p>The Twins got their second consecutive solid pitching performance, as <span>Nick Blackburn</span> scattered four hits and pitched into the seventh inning as the Twins completed a two-game sweep of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">Chicago White Sox</a> at U.S. Cellular Field with a 3-2 victory on Wednesday afternoon.</p>
<p><span>Jason Kubel</span>, last night's offensive hero, got things started for the Twins in the top of the first, as his opposite-field single scored <span>Denard Span</span> to give the Twins a quick 1-0 lead. The score stayed that way until the bottom of the third, when Blackburn made his one mistake of the afternoon, allowing <span>Alex Rios</span> to launch one over the left-field fence to lead off the inning, tying the score at one.</p>
<p>The Twins took the lead back in the top of the sixth inning, when Span led off with a single and <span>Matt Tolbert</span>, while attempting to sacrifice, wound up with an infield single. <span>Justin Morneau</span> then flew out to right field, and both Span and Tolbert moved up 90 feet. Kubel then hit a sacrifice fly to score Span, giving the Twins a 2-1 lead. After White Sox starter <span>John Danks</span> intentionally walked <span>Michael Cuddyer</span>, rookie <span>Rene Tosoni</span> made Chicago pay with a single to center to score Tolbert and make the score 3-1.</p>
<p>The White Sox got a run back in the bottom of the eighth on Paul Konerko's sacrifice fly, but they would get no closer. <span>Matt Capps</span> came in to pitch the ninth, and even though the Sox got a runner to second base, Capps got <span>Omar Vizquel</span> and <span>Juan Pierre</span> to fly out to right field in consecutive at-bats to end the ball game, giving him his fifth save in six chances this season.</p>
<p>Blackburn got the victory, raising his record to 2-4 and snapping his personal four-game losing streak. Danks took the loss, falling to 0-5 on the year.</p>
<p>The Twins will take Thursday off so that they can travel to Boston to play a three-game series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a> at Fenway Park this weekend. Friday night's pitching match-up, as of now, will see the Twins send <span>Scott Baker</span> (1-2, 3.16 ERA) to the hill, while the Red Sox will counter with <span>Daisuke Matsuzaka</span> (2-2, 3.81). First pitch on Friday night is scheduled for 6:10 PM Central time.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/5/4/2154285/twins-at-white-sox-blackburn-leads-twins-to-3-2-victory-over-chicagoChristopher Gates2011-05-04T11:22:07-05:002011-05-04T11:22:07-05:00Twins At White Sox: Twins Attempt To Keep Momentum Going
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<p>Coming off of one of the most memorable pitching performances in recent team history, the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Minnesota Twins</a> will attempt to keep their positive momentum going and sweep their two-game mini-series from the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago White Sox</a> this afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field.</p>
<p><span>Francisco Liriano</span> threw the fifth no-hitter in franchise history on Tuesday night, and the Twins will next hand the ball to right-hander <span>Nick Blackburn</span> (1-4, 5.14 ERA). The White Sox will counter with left-hander <span>John Danks</span> (0-4, 3.92). Danks has started six games for the White Sox this season, and Chicago has not registered a victory in any of those six ball games. Blackburn has registered a loss in each of his last four starts, so something will have to give this afternoon.</p>
<p>For all the talk about Liriano's no-hitter, the fact remains that the Twins' offense is stuck in neutral (or reverse, depending on your perspective). They still managed just one run last night, they still have the fewest runs scored in the majors, and they still have baseball's worst run differential at -63. Jason Kubel's fourth-inning solo home run accounted for all of the scoring on Tuesday night, and the Twins' team batting average dropped to .229 after managing only six hits of their own.</p>
<p>First pitch for this one is scheduled for 1:10 PM Central time. You can check out the Game Thread with our friends at Twinkie Town for discussion of the game, and come back here for the recap.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/5/4/2153423/twins-at-white-sox-twins-attempt-to-keep-momentum-goingChristopher Gates2011-05-04T10:40:33-05:002011-05-04T10:40:33-05:00Recent Struggle Make Francisco Liriano's No Hitter Even More Impressive
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<p>By all accounts, Francisco Liriano was having a miserable season heading into his start on Tuesday. He was 1-4 with an ERA over nine, and had trouble recapturing some of the magic from his bounce back season a year ago. But on Tuesday night, he threw the first no-hitter of the 2011 season.</p>
<p>There are some out there who want to discount Liriano's no-hitter because of his struggles, and because it took him 123 pitches and he only struck out two batters. But a no-hitter is still a no-hitter, and <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2011/05/04/some-no-hitters-cant-please-anyone/">Nando Di Fino of the Wall Street Journal</a> argues that those issues that he faced made his feat even more impressive.</p>
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<p>It wasn’t a total work of art. He walked six and struck out two. And yes, Liriano is having an awful year. He entered Tuesday with a 9.13 ERA. It now stands at 6.61. In his previous start, he lasted just three innings. There were rumors that he would be replaced in the rotation by Kevin Slowey. It was, by all accounts unexpected and a little magical,</p>
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<p>When we look back on this no-hitter in a few years, no one will remember how many base-runners were on base and how many people Liriano struck out. We will just remember that he threw a no-hitter on Tuesday, and that's all that matters.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/5/4/2153320/fransisco-liriano-no-hitter-twins-white-soxJordan Ruby2011-05-04T10:16:52-05:002011-05-04T10:16:52-05:00Did Francisco Liriano Get Help From A Blown Call In His No-Hit Bid?
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<p>Francisco Liriano didn't allow a hit to the Chicago White Sox last night, but he certainly allowed some people on base. Liriano needed a double play to get out of the eighth inning, but replays have shown that they might have only actually recorded one of those outs, <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/5/4/2152900/blown-call-francisco-liriano-no-hitter">according to SB Nation</a>.</p>
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<p>As you can see, Justin Morneau's tag misses Gordon Beckham on his way to first base. Technically he was safe, and the inning should have continued. Now the really interesting thing about this is that since there was a man on first base who was tagged out at second, this would have counted as a fielder's choice, and not an actual hit, so the no-hitter would have still been in tact. But who knows what would have happened in that next at-bat.</p>
<p>Don't let this sully Liriano's accomplishment on Tuesday. Baseball score-keepers don't keep erasers on the end of their pencils, so this will still go down as a no-hitter, and it will always be remembered that way. But in this inning, on this particular play, Liriano might have gotten a little bit of help from the boys in blue.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/5/4/2153273/francisco-liriano-no-hitter-twins-white-sox-blown-callJordan Ruby2011-05-04T09:44:32-05:002011-05-04T09:44:32-05:00Francisco Liriano Got Back To What Made Him Great In No Hitter
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<p>Francisco Liriano has had his fair share of struggles this season, compiling a 9.13 ERA in five starts before his outing on Tuesday. But how quickly things can change. Liriano threw the first no-hitter of the 2011 season against the White Sox on Tuesday night, and <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110504&content_id=18613518&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb">according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com</a>, it's because Liriano got back to what made him successful before. He had been experimenting with a two-seam fastball, but under the direction of his pitching coach, decided not to use that on Tuesday.</p>
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<p>"I said, 'Be who you are,'" (Rick) Anderson said. "No more two-seamers. Let's put that in the back pocket for a while and go with what makes you right. So to me, if you go out there and feel, 'I'm going to do good with this,' then you're going to do good with it."</p>
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<p>The other important aspect of Liriano's performance is that he didn't let the importance of the start get to him. He needed to have a good outing to keep his spot in the rotation, and he managed to throw a no-hitter even with the pressure of potentially losing his job.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/5/4/2153191/francisco-liriano-got-back-to-what-made-him-great-in-no-hitterJordan Ruby2011-05-04T07:30:32-05:002011-05-04T07:30:32-05:00A Brief History Of Minnesota Twins No-Hitters
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<p>Last night in Chicago, <span>Francisco Liriano</span> threw the fifth no-hitter in the history of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> (the seventh in franchise history if you go back to the team's days as the Washington Senators).</p>
<p>How did Liriano's no-hitter compare to the others in the history of the Minnesota Twins? Let's take a brief look at all of them.</p>
<p>We're going to focus mostly on the no-hitters that have taken place in <i>Twins</i> history, but for reference's sake, the first no-hitter in the history of the franchise came way back on July 1, 1920 during the team's Washington Senators days, as the legendary Walter "Big Train" Johnson led the Senators to a 1-0 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a>. (I believe Sid Hartman covered that game.) That was one of two no-hitters in Senators history, as the second one was also against the Red Sox, as Bobby Burke threw a no-no on August 8, 1931 in a 5-0 Senators victory.</p>
<p>The Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961 to become the Twins, and their first no-hitter in Minnesota came just one year later on August 26, 1962. Jack Kralick was the pitcher of record in that one, as the Twins defeated the Kansas City <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics</a> at Metropolitan Stadium by a score of 1-0. Kralick allowed only one baserunner, courtesy of a walk with one out in the ninth inning. Like Liriano's no-hitter, it came in a 1-0 game, and the Twins' only run came on a sacrifice fly by Lenny Green in the bottom of the seventh inning.</p>
<p>Minnesota's next no-hitter came nearly five years to the day, as right-hander Dean Chance no-hit the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a> in the second game of a doubleheader on August 25, 1967 in Cleveland. The Twins won by a score of 2-1. . .yes, Chance allowed no hits, but the Indians still managed a run. The Indians actually took a lead in that one in the bottom of the first, as Chance walked the first two Indians hitters, and an error on third baseman Cesar Tovar loaded the bases. Chance then uncorked a wild pitch to allow the Tribe to score and take a 1-0 lead, but allowed no further damage. Harmon Killebrew's RBI single in the second tied things up, and Tovar scored on a balk by Cleveland's Sonny Siebert in the top of the 6th to provide the final margin of victory. It's the only no-hitter in franchise history in which the Twins allowed a run to score.</p>
<p>Chance allowed six baserunners in that game, the same as Liriano did last night, which is the most baserunners a Twins pitcher has allowed in a no-hitter.</p>
<p>The Twins waited more than a quarter of a century for their next no-hitter. That one came on April 27, 1994, courtesy of <span>Scott Erickson</span>. The big right-hander no-hit the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Milwaukee Brewers</a> at the Metrodome, as the Twins won rather easily by a final score of 6-0. Erickson walked four in that one, but the Brewers could do nothing with them. The April date marked the earliest in the season a Twins' pitcher has thrown a no-hitter.</p>
<p>Five seasons later, the Twins got their fourth no-hitter since moving to Minnesota, as <span>Eric Milton</span>. . .who, like Liriano last night, came into the game have struggled through much of the year. . .led the Twins past the Anaheim <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a> on September 11, 1999, by a score of 7-0 at the Metrodome. The seven runs marks the largest margin of victory for the Twins in a no-hitter, and Milton was outstanding. He walked two and struck out <i>thirteen</i> on a game that took place on a Saturday morning in Minneapolis. That effort also marks the latest in a season that the Twins have had a no-hitter.</p>
<p>That brings us to Liriano's no-hitter last night against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a>. As I said, the six baserunners that Liriano allowed were the most for a Twins' pitcher in a no-hit effort, and the one-run margin of victory is the same slim margin as two other Twins' no-hitters (three if you count the 1-0 effort by Walter Johnson detailed above). The no-hitter couldn't have come at a better time for the Twins, who have struggled all year and had gone into last night's game having lost six in a row before last night's victory.</p>
<p>Congratulations once again to Francisco Liriano and the Minnesota Twins on making baseball history.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/5/4/2152654/a-brief-history-of-minnesota-twins-no-hittersChristopher Gates2011-05-03T22:12:35-05:002011-05-03T22:12:35-05:00Francisco Liriano No-Hitter Worth $10,000 In Autographs This Season
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<p><span>Francisco Liriano</span>'s no-hitter against the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago White Sox</a> was pretty important as it almost assuredly kept the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Minnesota Twins</a> pitcher in the starting rotation for the immediate future, but it was also apparently pretty important to Liriano left-handed pitcher's bank account.</p>↵<p>The 27-year-old is already getting $4,300,000 in salary this season, but according to a <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/#!/darrenrovell/status/65608873381343232">tweet from CNBC's Darren Rovell</a>, pitching the no-hitter was worth an extra $10,000 in autograph signings this season and an additional $25,000 over the course of his career. That doesn't exactly seem like a huge amount when looking at professional athlete's salaries, but it certainly is a nice amount of money for throwing 123 pitches on a Tuesday night in Chicago during the MLB's regular season.</p>↵<p>If history is any indication, however, Liriano probably shouldn't count on this happening often -- if ever -- in the future as Tuesday night's outing was the first time that he'd ever thrown a complete game, let alone a shutout or no-hitter. As a pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, it's also quite unlikely as only <span>Eric Milton</span> (1999), <span>Scott Erickson</span> (1994), Dean Chance (1967) and Jack Kralick (1962) have achieved the milestone during their career in Minnesota.</p>↵<p><i>For a full recap of the game, be sure to <a target="_blank" href="http://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/5/3/2152048/twins-at-white-sox-baseballs-two-worst-teams-meet-in-chicago">visit the SB Nation Minnesota StoryStream</a> as well as <a target="_blank" href="http://www.twinkietown.com/">Twinkie Town</a>.</i></p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/5/3/2152563/francisco-liriano-no-hitter-worth-minnesota-twins-white-sox-autograph-salaryScott Schroeder2011-05-03T21:52:26-05:002011-05-03T21:52:26-05:00Twins At White Sox: Minnesota Rides Liriano's No-Hitter to 1-0 Victory
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<p>Maybe Ron Gardenhire needs to threaten his pitchers with demotion more frequently.</p>
<p>Faced with the possibility of being moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen, <span>Francisco Liriano</span> responded with the first-no hitter for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> since <span>Eric Milton</span> did it on September 11, 1999, and the Twins held on for a 1-0 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">Chicago White Sox</a> on Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field.</p>
<p>Liriano, who came into the game with a 1-4 record and an ERA of 9.13. . .which means he was giving up an earned run <i>per inning</i>. . .got his first ever Major League complete game, his first ever Major League shutout and, obviously, his first ever Major League no-hitter.</p>
<p>It certainly wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing no-hitter in the history of the game. Liriano threw 123 pitches, 66 of them for strikes and 57 of them for balls. He issued six walks, including walking White Sox leadoff hitter <span>Juan Pierre</span> three separate times, but still did not allow a hit to the White Sox on the evening. He got some defensive help, too, as <span>Danny Valencia</span> made an outstanding play on a ball down the third base line to retire <span>Carlos Quentin</span>, and <span>Justin Morneau</span> made a great scoop of <span>Matt Tolbert</span>'s throw to retire <span>Brent Morel</span> to start the bottom of the ninth.</p>
<p>There was some controversy as well, as the Twins might have gotten a break from the umpiring crew in the eighth. With one out in the inning, Liriano walked Ramon Castro and <span>Brent Lillibridge</span> came in to run for him. <span>Gordon Beckham</span> then grounded to Valencia at third, who went to <span>Alexi Casilla</span> at second for the force on Lillibridge. Casilla's relay throw to first pulled Justin Morneau off of the bag at first, and he swept back behind him in an attempt to tag Beckham. The replays showed, from most angles, that Morneau did not tag Beckham at all, but first base umpire Paul Emmel called Beckham out, much to the chagrin of the White Sox, and the eighth inning came to an end.</p>
<p>Liriano started the ninth by getting Morel to ground out to shortstop. After walking Pierre. . .again. . .he induced a pop out to short from Alexei Ramirez. After running to a full count against <span>Adam Dunn</span>, the White Sox slugger lined out to Tolbert at shortstop as well, and the no-hitter was officially in the history books.</p>
<p>The lone run of the night came when <span>Jason Kubel</span> took an offering from <span>Edwin Jackson</span> in the top of the fourth and deposited it over the right field wall for a solo home run to put the Twins ahead 1-0, a lead they would hold for the rest of the evening.</p>
<p>Liriano's victory raised his record to 2-4 on the year, and lowered his ERA to 6.61. Edwin Jackson, who threw a no-hitter last season, went eight innings for the White Sox (<span>Matt Thornton</span> pitched the ninth) and took the loss, dropping his record to 2-4 on the year as well.</p>
<p>The Twins follow this one up with a businessman's special at U.S. Cellular Field tomorrow to complete this abbreviated series. First pitch will take place at 1:10 PM Central time, and the Twins will send <span>Nick Blackburn</span> (1-4, 5.14 ERA) to the mound. The White Sox will counter with lefty <span>John Danks</span> (0-4, 3.92).</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/5/3/2152512/twins-at-white-sox-minnesota-rides-lirianos-no-hitter-to-1-0-victoryChristopher Gates