8 Str8
I am giddy, I tell you. Giddy!
My Twins, your Twins, our oh-god-I-can't-look, just-tell-me-when-it's-over Minnesota Twins won their eighth straight game last night. It was their fourth straight win on the road, and up until this streak the St. Paul Saints could have beaten them on the road. With one outfielder tied behind their bench.
And this is how it happened:
In the first, Radke gave up a homer. Yawn.
In the second, Cuddy went BOOM! At this rate, I'm going to have to start forgiving him for 2004 soon.
In the third, Radke gave up a three-run tater. Whee.
In the seventh, Kubel got a single. It may have been his first single of the season, I'm not quite sure. Then Bartlett got his second hit of the night and if Terry Ryan had been sitting next to me I think I would have beaten him about the head with my copy of The Thinking Fan's Guide to Baseball because of all the freakin' time Bartlett spent doing that for Rochester instead of for us. And then Tiffee (pinch-hitting for Radke) got a single and Kubel made it all the way home on that gimpy knee of his. Castillo came up and hit a grounder to the shortstop, and Bartlett broke the sound barrier coming home and Tiffee snuck over to third while they were getting Castillo out. Punto followed that up with a double and ta-da! Tie game!
In the top of ninth, Castillo singled and stole second, Punto walked, and Joe Mauer got Punto out at second but put Castillo on third and himself on first. And then whatever poor schmuck was pitching dealt wild to Cuddy and Castillo scored. Twins lead! Good thing, too, 'cause Cuddy grounded out to end the inning. And we all know how much I hate leaving runners on third.
In the bottom of the ninth, oh...how can I put this? It's a sensitive issue, and not something I like to broadcast. Step a little closer, I'll whisper it to you.
Joe Nathan blew the save.
So, anyway, on to the tenth. Justin Morneau led off the inning, and as he stepped up to the plate rumor has it he turned to the umpire and said, "It's not the Cup, but I will make sure that Canada gets something tonight." And he took the first pitch he saw and sent it on its merry way to British Columbia.
And Joe Nathan came back out in the bottom of the inning and proved that a win is as good as a save any day.
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Tonight: Silva v. Rodriguez
Thursday: Liriano v. Clemens (Be still my beating heart! Oh, and take him down, 'Cisco!)
2 rejoinders:
Saw you over at Bat-girl when you filled in. Nice work.
I really like the idea of smacking Terry Ryan around for keeping Bartlett in the minors so long. I can think of other reasons, too, but we'll save that for another day...
k-bro
Off-topic, but an example of how baseball can bring people together. I'm quite conservative politically, but we can completely agree in regard to the need for high socks in baseball. As my dad would say, "You can at least look like a ball player out there."
Go On, Spit It Out