The Moment: Well, this was bound to happen at some point. The A’s snuck out to a lead early off of Kyle Gibson, bleeding runs across the plate with hits and walks here and there. They came early, they came often, so none of it really jumped out as game changing. Now, Chris Gimenez’ RBI single in the 4th, in which he moved to 2nd on an error, THAT was a game changer. For a moment. The momentum didn’t stick, and the A’s just kept plugging away.
The Hero: Matt Joyce was all over the basepaths. He had two hits, two walks, scored two runs and drove in 1 RBI. Demerits for walking in that RBI. Or at least give Kyle Gibson credit for it. As a matter of fact….
The Goat: With his outing today, in congress with his other outings this season, Kyle Gibson earned himself a ticket to Rochester. The one in New York with the AAA franchise, not the one in southeast Minnesota.
The Soundtrack: Turn the Page – Bob Seger – Here Kyle goes again, on the road again. Actually, he still had 2 options going into this season. That isn’t to say he won’t be cut loose before his last option is excised.
The Story: The Twins threw out a lineup that seemed to suggest that Paul Molitor woke up this morning and said “eh, whatever.” Kennys Vargas, Eduardo Escobar, Chris Gimenez and Danny Santana all made appearances. Vargas wasn’t as impressive as yesterday, but Escobar, Gimenez and Santana all drove in runs, while Escobar and Santana each homered. That’s good managing, getting those hot bats in the lineup.
But alas, the Twins were undone by pitching. Kyle Gibson only worked 4 innings, which is bad, especially given how Gibson has produced so far this year. Cumulatively this season, Gibson has an ERA just short of triple digits. With a couple of guys posting good numbers in AAA and Nick Tepesch just sitting around on the Major League roster, Gibson had rendered himself expendable. Say, what IS Nick Tepesch doing on the Major League roster? Does Molly know he’s even here?
There was a scary moment for the Twins, as Byron Buxton, making one of those fantastic catches of his, bounced off the center field wall. This was the 5th inning. He also did this in the 2nd inning. The Twins management said “all right buddy, let’s take the rest of the day off,” and he was pulled. There was initial concern that he might have had a concussion, but fortunately, if you ignore his extensive injury history, Byron Buxton is indestructible.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
