SB Nation Minnesota - Twins At Indians: Revere Leads Minnesota's Extra-Inning Victoryhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48959/mn-fave.png2011-06-08T15:30:18-05:00http://minnesota.sbnation.com/rss/stream/19739582011-06-08T15:30:18-05:002011-06-08T15:30:18-05:00Twins Blow Lead Late, Defeat Indians 3-2 In Extra Innings
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<p><span>Ben Revere</span> had three hits on Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field, and he played a role in all three Minnesota runs as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> won the rubber game of their three-game set with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a> by a score of 3-2 in ten innings.</p>
<p>The victory was the sixth in the last seven games for Minnesota, and the loss was the sixth out of the last seven games for the Indians as well. Minnesota's deficit in the American League Central is now 11.5 games. . .which doesn't sound terribly impressive, but considering that at this time last week it was 16.5 games, it's progress.</p>
<p>The Twins took the lead in the top of the third inning, thanks to Revere's two-out single that scored <span>Luke Hughes</span> from second base and gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead. The Twins followed that up by adding another run in the top of the sixth. Revere singled and stole second to lead off the inning, and after a couple of ground outs, <span>Justin Morneau</span>'s two-out double brought Revere in to score and gave the Twins a 2-0 lead.</p>
<p>Twins' starter <span>Carl Pavano</span> had been cruising until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Indians' outfielder <span>Grady Sizemore</span> led things off with a home run to cut Minnesota's lead to 2-1. Pavano pitched well on the day, scattering seven hits in seven innings on work, and allowing just that one run. <span>Jose Mijares</span> came in and pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning, and <span>Matt Capps</span> came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth.</p>
<p>Capps quickly got the first two outs, and then faced Cleveland third baseman <span>Jack Hannahan</span>. The left-handed hitter got a hold of an offering from Capps and deposited it over the center field wall for a solo home run to tie the game at two. The blown save for Capps was his fifth of the season, and relegated Pavano to a no-decision rather than a victory.</p>
<p>Undeterred, the Twins took the lead back in the top of the tenth inning, as the team came through with two outs again. Indians' closer <span>Chris Perez</span> entered the game in the top of the inning, and after quickly retiring Luke Hughes and <span>Matt Tolbert</span>, <span>Drew Butera</span> doubled to left field. Revere stepped to the plate one more time, and came through again with a single to left that allowed Butera to score and give the Twins the lead back at 3-2.</p>
<p><span>Phil Dumatrait</span> came in to pitch the bottom of the tenth for Minnesota, and though he gave up a two-out double to <span>Carlos Santana</span>, managed to make the lead stand up as he retired <span>Shin-Soo Choo</span> on a comebacker to end the ball game. The save for Dumatrait was the first of his Major League career.</p>
<p>Capps was credited with the win after blowing the save for the Twins in the ninth. His record on the season is now 2-3. Perez took the loss for the Indians, dropping his record on the season to 2-2.</p>
<p>Now that their ten-game road trip has concluded, the Twins will return to Target Field tomorrow to kick off a ten-game homestand with a four-game set against the defending American League Champion <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a>. First pitch for Thursday night is scheduled for 7:10 PM Central. Minnesota will send <span>Nick Blackburn</span> (5-4, 3.57 ERA) to the mound, while the Rangers will turn to left-hander <span>Derek Holland</span> (5-1, 4.36 ERA).</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/6/8/2214045/twins-blow-lead-late-defeat-indians-3-2-in-extra-inningsChristopher Gates2011-06-08T07:12:20-05:002011-06-08T07:12:20-05:00Twins Hope To Bounce Back Against Indians
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<p>The <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Minnesota Twins</a> managed just three hits on Tuesday night, squandering a very good start by <span>Francisco Liriano</span> in his return to the mound as they lost to the <a href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cleveland Indians</a> by a score of 1-0 at Progressive Field.</p>
<p>Cleveland's lone run was unearned, coming courtesy of a defensive lapse by <span>Delmon Young</span>, but the Twins did nothing against Cleveland starter <span>Carlos Carrasco</span>, who allowed only three hits and a walk to Minnesota in 8.1 innings. Liriano allowed only three hits in five innings of work to go with the one unearned run, and also struck out seven hitters on the evening.</p>
<p>The Twins will hope to provide more run support to <span>Carl Pavano</span> (3-5, 4.83 ERA) on Wednesday in the series finale. Pavano pitched well in his last start, pitching a complete game in Kansas City against the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Royals</a> on Friday in a 5-2 Twins victory. It was Pavano's first victory in quite a while, and he will be looking to run the streak to two in a row against Cleveland.</p>
<p>The Indians will counter with right-hander <span>Justin Masterson</span> (5-3, 3.07 ERA). Masterson was not particularly good in his last start, allowing ten hits to the <a href="https://www.lonestarball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Texas Rangers</a> (though he allowed only four runs) in what turned out to be an 11-2 Rangers victory.</p>
<p>First pitch from Progressive Field is scheduled for 11:05 AM Central time. . .yes, that's before noon, if you were sleeping in or something. Be sure to check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.twinkietown.com">Twinkie Town</a>'s Game Thread for the in-game action, and come back here for a recap of all of the day's happenings.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/6/8/2213099/twins-hope-to-bounce-back-against-indiansChristopher Gates2011-06-07T20:42:36-05:002011-06-07T20:42:36-05:00Carrasco Shuts Down Twins Offense As Indians Win 1-0
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<p>As good as <span>Francisco Liriano</span> was in his return to the mound on Tuesday night, it's hard for any pitcher to get a victory when the offense behind him only generates three hits.</p>
<p>That's the situation the Twins found themselves in on Tuesday night, as <span>Carlos Carrasco</span> turned in a brilliant performance, and a <span>Delmon Young</span> miscue in the field ultimately made the difference in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a>' 1-0 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> at Progressive Field.</p>
<p>The only run of the game came in the bottom of the fourth inning. Indians' first baseman <span>Carlos Santana</span> ripped an offering from Liriano down the left field line for a sure double, and Young appeared to be in a position to play the carom perfectly, but he didn't reach down far enough and the ball skipped past him, allowing Santana to go to third. Young was charged with an error on the play, as it was a ball he clearly should have had.</p>
<p><span>Shelley Duncan</span> then grounded out to shortstop, and Santana came in to score and give the Indians a 1-0 lead. It didn't seem like much at the time, but as it turned out to be the only run of the game, it wound up being huge.</p>
<p>The Twins had a chance to answer in the top of the fifth, as Young ripped a one-out double to center for the Twins' first hit, and <span>Luke Hughes</span> followed with a shot up the middle that <span>Asdrubal Cabrera</span> made an outstanding play on. . .Hughes still reached first base, but the play kept Young from coming around to score, giving the Twins runners on first and third with one out. Unfortunately, <span>Brian Dinkelman</span> and <span>Rene Rivera</span> were unable to get the run across, and the Twins wasted their opportunity.</p>
<p>Carlos Carrasco pitched 8.1 innings in this one, allowing only three hits and four baserunners in total while striking out six. He gave way to Indians' closer <span>Chris Perez</span> in the ninth inning with one out and a runner on first. He then got <span>Alexi Casilla</span> to ground out, and retired <span>Michael Cuddyer</span> on strikes to end the game. The victory raises Carrasco's record to 5-3, and the save for Perez was his 15th on the year.</p>
<p>Liriano was the hard luck loser in this one, pitching five innings, allowing just three hits and the one unearned run while walking three and striking out seven. The loss drops him to 3-6 on the year. <span>Chuck James</span> and <span>Phil Dumatrait</span> combined for three innings of one-hit ball in relief of Liriano.</p>
<p>The same two teams will conclude the series on Wednesday morning in Cleveland. . .yes, Wednesday <i>morning</i>, as things will get started at 11:05 AM Central time. <span>Carl Pavano</span> (3-5, 4.83 ERA) will take the mound for Minnesota, while the Indians will give the ball to right-hander <span>Justin Masterson</span> (5-4, 3.28 ERA).</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/6/7/2212531/carrasco-shuts-down-twins-offense-as-indians-win-1-0Christopher Gates2011-06-07T18:15:00-05:002011-06-07T18:15:00-05:00Twins Look To Keep Winning Streak Going Against Indians
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> will attempt to win their sixth consecutive ball game on Tuesday night at Progressive Field as they take on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a>, a team that has lost their last five games.</p>
<p>Minnesota got the victory last night, surviving what could charitably be described as a "not-so-pretty" start by <span>Scott Baker</span>. Baker had the Twins down 2-0 four pitches into the ball game, and the Indians hit him hard all night, but all the hard-hit balls were right at Minnesota fielders, so the damage was kept to a minimum.</p>
<p>The Twins will welcome <span>Francisco Liriano</span> back this evening. Liriano, who is 3-5 with a 5.73 ERA on the season, has missed his previous two starts with some shoulder issues, but it appears that everything is a go for him this evening. He will be opposed by Cleveland right-hander <span>Carlos Carrasco</span>, who is 4-3 with a 5.18 ERA in the 2011 season.</p>
<p>The game is just underway from Progressive Field in Cleveland. Be sure to check out the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.twinkietown.com/2011/6/7/2211734/game-60-minnesota-twins-22-37-at-cleveland-indians-33-25">Game Thread</a> from our friends at Twinkie Town for all the discussion of the in-game action, and check out our recap back here when the game has been completed.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/6/7/2212277/twins-look-to-keep-winning-streak-going-against-indiansChristopher Gates2011-06-06T21:32:21-05:002011-06-06T21:32:21-05:00Twins Knock Off Indians, 6-4, For Fifth Straight Victory
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<p><span>Scott Baker</span>'s performance on Monday night wasn't totally aesthetically pleasing, but sometimes ugly can work just fine.</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a> made a lot of solid contact off of Baker, but it all went right at Minnesota defenders, and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> scored enough runs to get the job done in a 6-4 victory over Cleveland on Monday night at Progressive Field. The victory was the fifth in a row for the Twins, and it was the fifth straight defeat for the Indians.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.twinkietown.com/2011/6/6/2210300/twins-6-indians-4-baker-dances-around-line-drives-twins-win-fifth">Our friends at Twinkie Town describe Baker's performance the best</a>.</p>
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<p>Scott Baker juked, faked, and sweated his way through seven innings, allowing nine hits on approximately forty-seven line drives. He struck out five and didn't walk anyone, but really, it only happened because the <span class="sbn-auto-link">Indians</span> kept smashing line drives directly at fielders. They lined out straight to <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Ben Revere</span></span> in right a couple of times. The <span class="sbn-auto-link">Twins</span> defense turned a double play on a line drive to second in the first inning, this after the Indians had started the game double-homer-single and it looked like Baker would never get an out. The Indians smashed the ball all over, and given that the Twins collected an assortment of bunt singles and bloop doubles to score several of their runs, if I were an Indians fan, I'd be incredibly angry at fate.</p>
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<p>Things looked bad for the Twins early on, as Baker allowed an early two-run home run by <span>Asdrubal Cabrera</span> just four pitches into the game to put Minnesota down 2-0. However, the Twins got both of those runs back in the top of the second inning, thanks to a two-out, two-run single by <span>Matt Tolbert</span> that scored <span>Michael Cuddyer</span> and <span>Delmon Young</span> to tie the score at two each.</p>
<p>The Twins took the lead in the top of the fifth against Cleveland starter <span>Josh Tomlin</span>, when <span>Luke Hughes</span> led off the inning with a double. Matt Tolbert then reached on a bunt single to put runners on first and third. This was followed up by another bunt single by <span>Drew Butera</span> to score Hughes and make the score 3-2.</p>
<p>Yes. . .bunt single by Drew Butera. I'll give you a moment to let that soak in.</p>
<p>Ben Revere then singled to center to load the bases, and <span>Alexi Casilla</span> then grounded into a double play that allowed Tolbert to score and make the score 4-2. Butera advanced to third on the play, and came in to score after Tomlin uncorked a wild pitch to make the score 5-2 in favor of Minnesota.</p>
<p>Baker gave up another home run in the bottom of the fifth, this one a solo blast by <span>Michael Brantley</span> with one out, to cut the score to 5-3. The Twins then added a run in the top of the sixth on Delmon Young's RBI double to put the lead back to three runs at 6-3.</p>
<p>Things got a little interesting in the bottom of the eighth, as Baker started the inning by giving up a single to Asdrubal Cabrera and hitting <span>Grady Sizemore</span> with a pitch before giving way to <span>Jose Mijares</span>. Mijares looked smooth in getting <span>Carlos Santana</span> to ground into a double play, which allowed Cabrera to move to third with two outs, but an error by Michael Cuddyer (playing first base tonight) gave Cleveland an unearned run and allowed them to cut the lead to 6-4. <span>Alex Burnett</span> then came on and struck out <span>Matt LaPorta</span> to get the Twins out of the inning.</p>
<p>That's all the Indians would get on the evening, however, as <span>Matt Capps</span> came in for the ninth. After walking <span>Travis Buck</span>, he struck out <span>Orlando Cabrera</span>, and got pinch-hitter <span>Shelley Duncan</span> to ground into a double play to end the game.</p>
<p>The win for Baker lifted his record to 3-4 on the season, and the save for Capps was his eighth of the season. Tomlin took the loss for Cleveland, his first loss at home this season, dropping his record for the year to 7-3.</p>
<p>The same two teams will get together on Tuesday night at Progressive Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:05 PM Central time. <span>Francisco Liriano</span> (3-5, 5.73 ERA) will make his return to the mound for the Twins after missing two straight starts, while the Indians will give the ball to right-hander <span>Carlos Carrasco</span> (4-3, 5.18 ERA).</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/6/6/2210452/twins-knock-off-indians-6-4-for-fifth-straight-victoryChristopher Gates2011-06-06T16:52:02-05:002011-06-06T16:52:02-05:00Twins At Indians: Minnesota Hopes To Continue Hot Streak In Cleveland
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<p>Going into Thursday night, the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Minnesota Twins</a> trailed the <a href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cleveland Indians</a> by 16.5 games in the American League Central Division race. However, four consecutive wins by Minnesota coupled with four straight losses by Cleveland have narrowed the gap to 12.5 games.</p>
<p>Hey, it's not much. . .but with the way the 2011 season has gone for the Minnesota Twins, at least it's something.</p>
<p>Tonight, these two teams will meet to begin a three-game series at Progressive Field in Cleveland, in which the Twins will hope to continue the four-game winning streak they racked up against the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Kansas City Royals</a> this past week.</p>
<p>There's a bit of an interesting lineup change for the Twins this evening in Cleveland. . .in addition to <span>Justin Morneau</span> coming back (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Wrist_not_great_but_Morneau_returns_Span_bats_third_for_first_time060611">even though his wrist is "not great," according to reports</a>), center fielder <span>Denard Span</span> will bat in the third spot for the first time in his career. <span>Ben Revere</span> will lead off, and <span>Alexi Casilla</span> will hit second. Morneau will bat fifth and serve as tonight's designated hitter.</p>
<p>The Indians have not scored a run since Friday, having been shut out by the <a href="https://www.lonestarball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Texas Rangers</a> in their last two games, and Twins' starter <span>Scott Baker</span> (2-4, 3.86 ERA) will hope to keep it that way. Baker is winless in his past five starts. The Indians will be sending right-hander <span>Josh Tomlin</span> (7-2, 3.27 ERA) to the mound this evening. Tomlin has made five starts at Progressive Field this season, and is 4-0 with a 2.53 ERA in those starts. He has, however, allowed ten total runs in his last two home starts, so he is getting a little shakier as the season goes along in that department.</p>
<p>First pitch for this one is scheduled for 6:05 PM Central time from Progressive Field. As always, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.twinkietown.com/2011/6/6/2209287/game-59-twins-21-37-indians-33-24">Twinkie Town is the place to be during the game</a>, and we'll be recapping all of the action for you once things get finished up.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/2011/6/6/2336251/twins-at-indians-minnesota-hopes-to-continue-hot-streak-in-clevelandChristopher Gates