The Moment: If there are only 2 runs scored by the winning team, it stands to reason that the biggest play of the game would be the one play where both runs were scored. Indeed, James McCann hit a 5th inning 2 run homer for the Tigers and that pretty much wrapped up the scoring for the Tigers. It was enough, though, because the Twins didn’t seem interested in scoring much.
The Hero: Matt Boyd carried a no hitter into the 6th inning, and then was promptly lifted when the inning was through. He had 97 pitches, so at least the Twins were working the count, right? Right?
The Goat: Eddie Rosario had issues in the worst possible times. He hit into a double play in the 7th, and then was the 2nd out in the 9th when the Twins were threatening to tie it up. That’s a rough day at the plate for Mr. Rosario.
The Soundtrack: Live Your Life – T.I. This is not the TI song most Twins fans are familiar with, but perhaps it is a good message to people intent on bringing Joe Mauer down. Hey, guys, just go live your life.
The Story: Another day game. It’s really tough to bond with this team, even though they are so darn lovable. Perhaps today wasn’t a great example of their lovability, however, as they seemed completely incoherent at the plate against Matt Boyd. Matt Boyd! That’s not exactly the most frightening of propositions. After his 1 hit, 6 strikeout 6 inning performance, his season ERA was still 5.40. Of course, it’s only two games into the season, but the point that maybe this wasn’t the proudest of occasions for your Minnesota Twins.
One thing that is quite lovable about the Twins indeed is their defense. Hector Santiago essentially let every ball reach the field of play, but allowed only 3 hits, and one of them was McCann’s home run. That was a BABIP of .100 today. It’s at .182 for the season. This is important because his K/9 rate is below 4, which is less than optimal. So long as he has the outfielders behind him that he does, though, he will reap the benefits. Pitching to contact!
The usual suspects were good at the plate. Jason Castro drove in the only run and had 2 of the team’s 5 hits. Joe Mauer had a hit in his pinch hit appearance. Conversely, Byron Buxton struck out every time he was up, and actually saw Max Kepler pinch hit for him in the 9th, and Miguel Sano, despite scoring the Twins’ only run, also managed to trike out twice. That’s as much as the entire Tigers’ roster. These things stand out more when the team only scores once for an entire game.
Party at my house when neither Buxton nor Sano strike out in a game they both play.
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