Twins down Rays in series finale
07/20/2006
MINNEAPOLIS -- The goal for the Twins coming out of the All-Star break was simple: Take advantage right away of an eight-game stretch at home, the place where they had played their best baseball all year long.
Completing the homestand by winning seven of those games, including a 6-4 victory over the Devil Rays on Thursday afternoon, it appears that it was mission accomplished for the Twins.
"We were hoping out of the break that we could get off to a good start, heading into this upcoming road trip," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "And that's exactly what we did. Right now, we're playing good baseball."
After completing a four-game sweep of the Devil Rays on Thursday, it didn't take long for the focus to shift to the team's six-game road trip, as the Twins take on two of their American League Central rivals -- the Indians and the White Sox.
The Twins have yet to pick up a win in either Cleveland or Chicago this season, as part of a woeful year of road play where the club is just 17-29 away from the Metrodome. So these two series have long been circled as what could be a turning point for the club and its postseason hopes.
"These next two series on the road are a big test for us," closer Joe Nathan said. "We're going to need to start playing well on the road, and that's especially the case within our division."
But before the talk could turn to playing their division rivals once again, the Twins had to concentrate on picking up that seventh straight victory at home.
The Twins felt very comfortable heading into Thursday's finale with their ace, Johan Santana, taking the mound, knowing that, if they could score some runs, they would have a great chance at winning.
But they would need those runs even more than expected.
Santana didn't have his best outing of the year, as he struggled to find control, especially in the fifth inning.
With the game knotted at 1, after Santana had given up a home run to Travis Lee in the third inning, the southpaw had trouble finding the plate. He walked three batters and allowed two runs on two hits to put Tampa Bay ahead, 3-1.
Even more troublesome was the fact that it totaled up to be a 30-pitch inning that shortened Santana's outing to just six innings, as he threw a total of 101 pitches, giving up three runs on six hits, while walking four and striking out seven.
"I think I had the worst performance of the starting pitchers in this series, and yet we still ended up with a win," Santana said. "Whatever it takes for you to keep winning and winning, that's all that matters. It doesn't matter for me if I had a good day or a bad day, as long as I do my best to help this ballclub."
But in the bottom half of the inning, one that the Twins like to call "the fifth-inning misery," the club was finally able to take advantage of Devil Rays starter James Shields and put together a run that would help overcome Santana's problems just a half-inning before.
The Twins scored four runs in the fifth, as Shields (4-4) allowed four hits, two walks and delivered a wild pitch that saw Jason Tyner cross home. Shields recorded just one out in the inning before being pulled.
Mike Redmond jumpstarted the Twins' fifth-inning rally, leading off with a double to center field. Tyner followed with an RBI single to pull the Twins within one, 3-2. Two walks and a wild pitch would knot the game at 3, before Joe Mauer drove home the go-ahead run with a single to right. Michael Cuddyer added one more to the lead with his RBI single to left.
The Twins gave the bullpen one more run to work with, as three pitchers combined to hold Tampa Bay to just one run over the final three innings. Pat Neshek struck out the side in the seventh, while Juan Rincon gave up one run in the eighth. Joe Nathan came in to pitch the ninth and recorded his 18th save of the season.
For the Twins, it was just another day where almost every person on the field helped to capture the club's 20th victory at home.
"That is what it takes, everyone to be a part of it, so we can continue to capture wins," Gardenhire said. "We have to find a way to do that on the road now, as it's going to be a big series for us facing Cleveland and Chicago."
This road trip comes at a critical juncture for the club, with the team trailing the White Sox by just four games in the Wild Card race. Winning certainly hasn't been a problem for the club at home, where they have a Major League-best 37-11 home record. But the road has been an entirely different story.
"We're playing perfect here at home, so hopefully, we can find a way to make it that way when we're on the road," Santana said.
The goal for the Twins, now, isn't to try and replicate the success they've had capturing sweeps at the Metrodome, but rather, just to do what will keep them squarely in the postseason hunt.
"At this time of the year, you have to win series," Gardenhire said. "That's what it's all about. We have to get back to winning series on the road. We're trying to win two out of three, that's the goal. And if we get more than that, that's great."
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
MINNEAPOLIS -- The goal for the Twins coming out of the All-Star break was simple: Take advantage right away of an eight-game stretch at home, the place where they had played their best baseball all year long.
Completing the homestand by winning seven of those games, including a 6-4 victory over the Devil Rays on Thursday afternoon, it appears that it was mission accomplished for the Twins.
"We were hoping out of the break that we could get off to a good start, heading into this upcoming road trip," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "And that's exactly what we did. Right now, we're playing good baseball."
After completing a four-game sweep of the Devil Rays on Thursday, it didn't take long for the focus to shift to the team's six-game road trip, as the Twins take on two of their American League Central rivals -- the Indians and the White Sox.
The Twins have yet to pick up a win in either Cleveland or Chicago this season, as part of a woeful year of road play where the club is just 17-29 away from the Metrodome. So these two series have long been circled as what could be a turning point for the club and its postseason hopes.
"These next two series on the road are a big test for us," closer Joe Nathan said. "We're going to need to start playing well on the road, and that's especially the case within our division."
But before the talk could turn to playing their division rivals once again, the Twins had to concentrate on picking up that seventh straight victory at home.
The Twins felt very comfortable heading into Thursday's finale with their ace, Johan Santana, taking the mound, knowing that, if they could score some runs, they would have a great chance at winning.
But they would need those runs even more than expected.
Santana didn't have his best outing of the year, as he struggled to find control, especially in the fifth inning.
With the game knotted at 1, after Santana had given up a home run to Travis Lee in the third inning, the southpaw had trouble finding the plate. He walked three batters and allowed two runs on two hits to put Tampa Bay ahead, 3-1.
Even more troublesome was the fact that it totaled up to be a 30-pitch inning that shortened Santana's outing to just six innings, as he threw a total of 101 pitches, giving up three runs on six hits, while walking four and striking out seven.
"I think I had the worst performance of the starting pitchers in this series, and yet we still ended up with a win," Santana said. "Whatever it takes for you to keep winning and winning, that's all that matters. It doesn't matter for me if I had a good day or a bad day, as long as I do my best to help this ballclub."
But in the bottom half of the inning, one that the Twins like to call "the fifth-inning misery," the club was finally able to take advantage of Devil Rays starter James Shields and put together a run that would help overcome Santana's problems just a half-inning before.
The Twins scored four runs in the fifth, as Shields (4-4) allowed four hits, two walks and delivered a wild pitch that saw Jason Tyner cross home. Shields recorded just one out in the inning before being pulled.
Mike Redmond jumpstarted the Twins' fifth-inning rally, leading off with a double to center field. Tyner followed with an RBI single to pull the Twins within one, 3-2. Two walks and a wild pitch would knot the game at 3, before Joe Mauer drove home the go-ahead run with a single to right. Michael Cuddyer added one more to the lead with his RBI single to left.
The Twins gave the bullpen one more run to work with, as three pitchers combined to hold Tampa Bay to just one run over the final three innings. Pat Neshek struck out the side in the seventh, while Juan Rincon gave up one run in the eighth. Joe Nathan came in to pitch the ninth and recorded his 18th save of the season.
For the Twins, it was just another day where almost every person on the field helped to capture the club's 20th victory at home.
"That is what it takes, everyone to be a part of it, so we can continue to capture wins," Gardenhire said. "We have to find a way to do that on the road now, as it's going to be a big series for us facing Cleveland and Chicago."
This road trip comes at a critical juncture for the club, with the team trailing the White Sox by just four games in the Wild Card race. Winning certainly hasn't been a problem for the club at home, where they have a Major League-best 37-11 home record. But the road has been an entirely different story.
"We're playing perfect here at home, so hopefully, we can find a way to make it that way when we're on the road," Santana said.
The goal for the Twins, now, isn't to try and replicate the success they've had capturing sweeps at the Metrodome, but rather, just to do what will keep them squarely in the postseason hunt.
"At this time of the year, you have to win series," Gardenhire said. "That's what it's all about. We have to get back to winning series on the road. We're trying to win two out of three, that's the goal. And if we get more than that, that's great."
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
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