Last night, the Twins pulled within a half-game of first place in the AL Central with a 6–5 victory over the White Sox. The Twins came back from a 4–0 deficit with a five-run fifth inning. It was a big game for both sides coming in, and it was one of the few games in the season series that was in doubt until late in the game. The Sox now lead 7–6 for the year, but it was only the second game decided by one run. Here are some notes from the game:
- Clayton Richard and Glen Perkins were the starting pitchers for the Sox and Twins, respectively. Despite the fact that they are both lefthanded starting pitchers, if you stood them next to each other, you wouldn’t think that they played the same sport. Richard is tall and lanky, while Perkins is short (for a major league pitcher at least) and a little chubby. That contrast was highlighted when both pitchers took one-hoppers off their shins; Perkins’ leg absorbed the blow and the ball settled close enough that he was able to throw out Alexei Ramirez at first, while Joe Mauer’s shot ricocheted off Richard into foul ground between home and first and turned into a single. Score one for the doughy guy!
- The Sox were still up 4–2 in the bottom of the fifth after Mauer’s single off Richard’s leg, but the bases were still loaded with two outs. It’s easy to second-guess Ozzie Guillen’s decision to leave Richard in to face Justin Morneau, who hit a bases-clearing double off the base of the baggy in right, but I think it needs to be done. I realize he was trying to get Richard his first big-league victory by letting him finish five innings, but he ended up sending him to his first loss instead. After watching D.J. Carrasco come in after the double and absolutely dominate the Twins’ hitters for the next inning and a third, the proper course of action was clearer than ever.
- I drove to Chicago and back for work yesterday, and during the whole trip, Paul Konerko was taking a beating from the sports-radio crew. I don’t think anyone suggested that he be euthanized, but it didn’t stop too much short of that. He hit a couple of balls hard last night and ended up with one hit to show for it. He also made a crappy throw to second after Richard picked Punto off first in the fourth inning, allowing Punto to slide in safely. It didn’t lead to a run, but it’s probably not going to help Konerko’s case with the on-air crews this morning.
- Carlos Gomez returned to the lineup for the Twins after sitting out a few games with a back injury suffered last Friday against the Indians, when he made this sweet catch. Maybe the rest did him some good, as he went 3-for-3, all singles. Gomez has had a few decent games in the last couple of months, but he’s really been scuffling overall. I hope that this will start a hot streak for him. He also got to show off his arm strength on a couple of throws from center to third base, but unfortunately his accuracy left a little to be desired.
- The Twins scored what turned out to be a huge insurance run in the bottom of the seventh when Mauer singled in Gomez with two outs off Matt Thornton. That put them ahead 6–4, which came in really handy when Nick Swisher homered with the bases empty in the top of the ninth off Joe Nathan. Nathan was able to retire Carlos Quentin on a grounder on the next pitch to close out the victory. Swisher’s homer was a pretty weird deal. When he hit the ball, the top 90 percent of his bat flew toward the first-base dugout, and I thought it was a routine fly ball. However, the ball hit off the facing of the upper deck in right for a long homer. That’s a strong dude.
So, that sets the stage for tonight’s epic Gavin Floyd-Livan Hernandez showdown for AL Central supremacy. Game time is 7 p.m. from the Metrodome, where America goes for premier sporting events.