SB Nation Minnesota - Royals At Twins: Minnesota Wins One For Gordo With 1-0 Victory Over Kansas Cityhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48959/mn-fave.png2011-09-28T22:06:06-05:00http://minnesota.sbnation.com/rss/stream/22153982011-09-28T22:06:06-05:002011-09-28T22:06:06-05:00Plouffe, Pavano Help Twins Avoid 100 Losses With Win Over Royals
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<p>The 1982 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> won't be getting any company this season.</p>
<p>This year's installment of the Twins managed to avoid the dubious distinction of being the second team in franchise history to lose 100 games, thanks to a 1-0 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> on Wednesday night at Target Field. The win was the second in a row for Minnesota, marking the first time the team has won consecutive games since August 31 and September 2.</p>
<p>The game marked the final time that John Gordon would sit in the play-by-play chair for the Minnesota Twins, having spent the last 25 years with the club. Gordon had announced prior to the beginning of the season that he was cutting back his schedule, and that this would be his final season with the team. He was honored by the team with a ceremony prior to the game.</p>
<p>All of the offense that took place in this game, at least as far as runs scored, came in the bottom of the ninth inning. Kansas City starter <span>Bruce Chen</span>. . .who earlier in the day had been rumored to be on his way to Boston to start in a possible one-game playoff for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a>. . .pitched eight scoreless innings for the Royals, but was lifted for reliever <span>Blake Wood</span>. Wood got <span>Joe Benson</span> to ground out for the first out of the inning, but then allowed a double to pinch-hitter <span>Denard Span</span>. <span>Ben Revere</span> grounded out to shortstop, allowing Span to advance to third, and <span>Trevor Plouffe</span> laced a single to left with one out to bring Span home with the game's only run.</p>
<p>Pavano pitched a brilliant game for the Twins in the season finale, allowing just five hits in throwing a complete game shutout for Minnesota. It looked like he was in a bit of trouble in the top of the eighth when <span>Mike Moustakas</span> led off the inning with a triple, but Pavano induced two ground balls back to the mound to keep Moustakas at third, and got <span>Alcides Escobar</span> to ground out to third to end the threat.</p>
<p>The victory leaves the Twins with a 2011 record of 63 wins and 99 losses, a disappointing season to be certain, and the Twins are going to have a lot of questions to answer this off-season as they look toward 2012. Fortunately, players like <span>Chris Parmelee</span>, Joe Benson, and <span>Liam Hendriks</span> got some valuable time in the lineup and on the mound at the end of this season to get them better prepared to make a contribution in 2012.</p>
<p>That's it for the 2011 Minnesota Twins' season, ladies and gentlemen, but we'll continue to cover the Twins for you all off-season, as will our good friends from Twinkie Town. We hope you'll keep coming back for all the best news, notes, and information on Minnesota's favorite baseball team.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/9/28/2457043/minnesota-twins-kansas-city-royals-recap-score-john-gordon-final-gameChristopher Gates2011-09-28T10:15:06-05:002011-09-28T10:15:06-05:00John Gordon To Call Final Game For Minnesota Twins Tonight
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<p>The 2011 Major League Baseball season has not been a banner one, by any stretch, for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a>. This is made even more sad by the fact that this evening's game will mark the end of an era in Twins' history.</p>↵<p>Legendary Twins' radio announcer John Gordon, who joined the Minnesota broadcast team prior to the 1987 season, will call his final game this evening when the Twins host the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> at Target Field. Gordon has spent 25 years with the Twins and 43 years involved with baseball in general, beginning his broadcasting career with the Class-A Spartanburg <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a> back in 1965.</p>↵<p>For much of his Twins' broadcasting career, Gordon was partnered with another Minnesota sports legend, Herb Carneal. They called games together until Carneal's death just prior to the 2007 season, including both of the Twins' World Series championship seasons. Gordon has recently been working with Dan Gladden, and cut his work schedule back to 90 games this season.</p>↵<p>For those of you that are able, I implore you to find some way to be near a radio this evening, and to tune it to your closest <a target="_blank" href="http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/schedule/tibn.jsp">Twins Radio Network affiliate</a>. The baseball hasn't been great, to be certain, but you shouldn't miss out on your last chance to listen to a Minnesota legend.</p>↵<p>Thanks for the memories, Gordo. Here's hoping that at least one member of the Minnesota Twins gets an opportunity to "touch 'em all" this evening at Target Field.</p>↵
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/9/28/2455522/john-gordon-final-game-for-minnesota-twins-todayChristopher Gates2011-09-28T00:45:25-05:002011-09-28T00:45:25-05:00Tosoni's Blast Gives Twins 7-4 Win Over Royals
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> gave their fans at Target Field on Tuesday night at least one good memory from the last month of this season, as they powered their way past the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> by a score of 7-4.</p>
<p>After the Royals got an RBI single from <span>Lorenzo Cain</span> in the top of the second to take a 1-0 lead, <span>Chris Parmelee</span> answered by leading off the bottom half of the inning with his fourth home run of the year to tie the game at one. In the bottom of the fifth, <span>Denard Span's</span> triple with two outs plated <span>Matt Tolbert</span> to make the score 2-1 in favor of Minnesota. <span>Ben Revere</span> followed that up with another triple to bring home Span and make the score 3-1, but Revere was thrown out at the plate attempting to stretch it into an inside-the-park home run.</p>
<p>The Royals scratched out another run to make the score 4-2 in the top of the sixth inning, but in the bottom of the sixth, the Twins really made their mark on this one. <span>Danny Valencia</span>, Parmelee, and <span>Trevor Plouffe</span> started the inning with three consecutive singles off of Royals' starter Sean O'Sullivan to load the bases with nobody out. O'Sullivan was then lifted for reliever <span>Vin Mazzaro</span> to face former French Resistance Fighter <span>Rene Tosoni</span> (™ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.twinkietown.com">Twinkie Town</a>). Tosoni took Mazzaro's first pitch and turned it around for a grand slam to right field, making the score 7-2 in favor of the Twins.</p>
<p>Kansas City managed a couple of runs in the top of the ninth off of <span>Joe Nathan</span>, but got no closer than 7-4 as the Twins took home the victory.</p>
<p>The Twins will attempt to avoid becoming the second team in Minnesota history to lose 100 games when they play their 2011 season finale against the Royals on Wednesday night at Target Field. The first pitch for that one is again scheduled for 7:10 PM Central time, and the starting pitchers will be left-hander <span>Bruce Chen</span> (12-8, 3.98 ERA) for Kansas City and righty <span>Carl Pavano</span> (8-13, 4.48 ERA) for the Twins.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/9/28/2455058/tosonis-blast-gives-twins-7-4-win-over-royalsChristopher Gates2011-09-26T22:56:20-05:002011-09-26T22:56:20-05:00Slowey Loses Again As Twins Fall To Royals
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<p><span>Kevin Slowey</span> lost his eighth consecutive start on Monday night, as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> fell to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> at Target Field by a score of 7-3.</p>
<p>It looked like Slowey might actually get out of his rut, as the Twins led 3-1 going into the top of the sixth inning of Monday night's game, but then things fell apart for the Minnesota right-hander. Slowey gave up three runs to Kansas City in the top of the inning, and was credited with another one after being lifted for <span>Jim Hoey</span> as the Twins fell behind for good. The score was 5-3 after six, and Kansas City added single runs in the eighth and ninth innings to provide the final margin of victory.</p>
<p>The loss was number 99 on the year for Minnesota, which means that the Twins will have to win their final two games of the year to avoid just the second 100-loss season since the team moved to Minnesota in 1961. They've already clinched the second-worst record in the Minnesota era of the franchise.</p>
<p>Tuesday night's game at Target Field is scheduled to get underway at 7:10 PM Central time. The Twins will send right-hander <span>Anthony Swarzak</span> (3-7, 4.42 ERA) to the mound, while the Royals will counter with Sean O'Sullivan (2-5, 6.92 ERA).</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/9/26/2451989/slowey-loses-again-as-twins-fall-to-royalsChristopher Gates2011-09-26T17:42:31-05:002011-09-26T17:42:31-05:00Twins Host Royals To Finish 2011 Season
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<p>For the best coverage of the Minnesota Twins in the off-season, be sure to keep your eyes on <a href="http://www.twinkietown.com" target="new">Twinkie Town</a>.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Minnesota Twins</a> have clinched a lot of things recently. Unfortunately, all of them are bad.</p>
<p>With their disastrous month of September, the Twins have clinched last place in the American League Central, they've clinched the worst record in the American League, and they've clinched the second-worst record in baseball. Right now, the only solace is that they can avoid a 100-loss season. . .if they can manage to take two out of three from the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Kansas City Royals</a> in the final series of the season. That series will kick off on Monday night at Target Field.</p>
<p>The Twins will send right-hander <span>Kevin Slowey</span> (0-7, 6.54 ERA) to the mound for this one. Slowey has dropped his last seven starts since coming back to the Twins after injuries and a stint in the minor leagues, and has not faced the Royals this season. He will be opposed by Kansas City right-hander <span>Felipe Paulino</span> (3-6, 4.10 ERA), who has not faced the Twins this season. Paulino has collected one victory and three no-decisions in his last four starts for the Royals.</p>
<p>First pitch from Target Field this evening is scheduled for 7:10 PM Central time. Be sure to check out Twinkie Town for their Game Thread and all the in-game action, and come back here for your recap when the game is over.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2011/9/26/2451339/twins-host-royals-to-finish-2011-seasonChristopher Gates