Slugfest turns on Twins in LA
LOS ANGELES -- In a region littered with cosmetic surgeons and entertainment industry types, the Twins' usually tight defense appeared to need a nip/tuck procedure.
And left fielder Shannon Stewart would have benefited from having his own stuntman.
All told, Friday was a bomb, as Minnesota committed three errors, suffered from a rough Joe Mays pitching performance and lost Stewart to a collision with the left-field wall.
It almost ensured there would be no Hollywood ending, for the Twins at least. Leadoff batter Hee-Seop Choi's first-pitch, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth off Terry Mulholland gave the Dodgers the 6-5 win.
"It's probably one of the sloppier games I've seen us play in a long time," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
A hazy twilight sky created havoc for both defenses early on. But it would be Minnesota's errors that proved costliest.
Choi's first homer of the game, a two-run shot off Mays, gave Los Angeles a 2-1 lead, and back-to-back singles followed. Antonio Perez smacked a low single into right field that Jacque Jones misplayed. The ball skipped under Jones' glove and rolled away for a two-run error.
"We had a hard time seeing the ball early in the game," Gardenhire said. "The first couple of innings, our defenders did not see the ball at all."
It was 4-3 when a Jones home run and Michael Cuddyer's RBI groundout gave the Twins a one-run lead in the third inning. That concluded the offensive portion of their evening. Dodgers starter Brad Penny and three relievers, including Eric Gagne (1-0), retired the final 21 batters of the game in order.
The second error erased the Twins' narrow advantage in the sixth inning. With the Dodgers' Jeff Kent stealing, catcher Joe Mauer's throw sailed well over second base and into center field for an error that moved Kent to third. Mays followed with a wild pitch to Jayson Werth that scored Kent with the tying run.
On the night, Mays gave up five runs (three earned) on seven hits with two walks and a strikeout. His streak of four-straight quality starts ended in the no-decision.
One of the few dazzling defensive plays for Minnesota yielded near disastrous results.
On Jason Grabowski's fourth-inning tailing fly ball to the left-field corner, Stewart fully extended his left glove hand and made a nice running catch.
But he had no room to spare. Stewart's momentum sent him crashing violently face-first into the fence and foul pole. He collapsed to the ground immediately and spent several moments on the ground as teammates and the trainer rushed to check on him.
"Throwing your body at a ball like that, that close to the wall with a chance to kill yourself, that's game-on as far as I'm concerned," Gardenhire said.
"I didn't realize how close I was, no idea," Stewart said. "I was playing that guy in. I knew he hit it pretty good. I figured I had more room when I caught [it]. I tried to make sure I had it. Next thing, two or three steps and I hit that wall."
Lew Ford replaced Stewart, who was helped off the field and later officially diagnosed with a bruised left wrist. But that was just one of many injuries.
"The more time goes by, I feel worse," said Stewart, who had two hard-hit doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. "My neck is starting to feel it. My shoulder is starting to feel it."
Stewart's return status was considered day-to-day.
"I'm pretty sure I'll be sore [Saturday]," he said. "I'll get back in there as soon as possible."
And left fielder Shannon Stewart would have benefited from having his own stuntman.
All told, Friday was a bomb, as Minnesota committed three errors, suffered from a rough Joe Mays pitching performance and lost Stewart to a collision with the left-field wall.
It almost ensured there would be no Hollywood ending, for the Twins at least. Leadoff batter Hee-Seop Choi's first-pitch, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth off Terry Mulholland gave the Dodgers the 6-5 win.
"It's probably one of the sloppier games I've seen us play in a long time," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
A hazy twilight sky created havoc for both defenses early on. But it would be Minnesota's errors that proved costliest.
Choi's first homer of the game, a two-run shot off Mays, gave Los Angeles a 2-1 lead, and back-to-back singles followed. Antonio Perez smacked a low single into right field that Jacque Jones misplayed. The ball skipped under Jones' glove and rolled away for a two-run error.
"We had a hard time seeing the ball early in the game," Gardenhire said. "The first couple of innings, our defenders did not see the ball at all."
It was 4-3 when a Jones home run and Michael Cuddyer's RBI groundout gave the Twins a one-run lead in the third inning. That concluded the offensive portion of their evening. Dodgers starter Brad Penny and three relievers, including Eric Gagne (1-0), retired the final 21 batters of the game in order.
The second error erased the Twins' narrow advantage in the sixth inning. With the Dodgers' Jeff Kent stealing, catcher Joe Mauer's throw sailed well over second base and into center field for an error that moved Kent to third. Mays followed with a wild pitch to Jayson Werth that scored Kent with the tying run.
On the night, Mays gave up five runs (three earned) on seven hits with two walks and a strikeout. His streak of four-straight quality starts ended in the no-decision.
One of the few dazzling defensive plays for Minnesota yielded near disastrous results.
On Jason Grabowski's fourth-inning tailing fly ball to the left-field corner, Stewart fully extended his left glove hand and made a nice running catch.
But he had no room to spare. Stewart's momentum sent him crashing violently face-first into the fence and foul pole. He collapsed to the ground immediately and spent several moments on the ground as teammates and the trainer rushed to check on him.
"Throwing your body at a ball like that, that close to the wall with a chance to kill yourself, that's game-on as far as I'm concerned," Gardenhire said.
"I didn't realize how close I was, no idea," Stewart said. "I was playing that guy in. I knew he hit it pretty good. I figured I had more room when I caught [it]. I tried to make sure I had it. Next thing, two or three steps and I hit that wall."
Lew Ford replaced Stewart, who was helped off the field and later officially diagnosed with a bruised left wrist. But that was just one of many injuries.
"The more time goes by, I feel worse," said Stewart, who had two hard-hit doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. "My neck is starting to feel it. My shoulder is starting to feel it."
Stewart's return status was considered day-to-day.
"I'm pretty sure I'll be sore [Saturday]," he said. "I'll get back in there as soon as possible."
