Twins Notes
The Twins won the opening game of their series against the NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. All 7 of their runs came in the first 3 innings, and were helped considerably by Milwaukee errors and miscues in the field.
Francisco Liriano's struggles continued. He got the win, but struggled to get through 5 innings with 117 pitches thrown. He allowed 7 hits and 5 walks to Brewer hitters. He came up with big inning-ending strikeouts in the 4th and 5th innings, which prevented what could have been more damage.
Joe Mauer had an 0-5 day at the plate, and suddenly his batting average has fallen below .400 to .395.
Jason Kubel sat out the game with illness. He left Sunday's game early, and apparently the day off Monday wasn't enough for him to recover.
Denard Span felt fine after his first game in Rochester on Monday night. He played again last night, but left the game early after getting hit on the hand by a pitch. That's some bad luck, but Joe Christensen reports that it likely won't affect his planned activation for Thursday. The Twins desperately need Span back at the top of the lineup.
The Twins have again improved their record to .500. Hovering around that mark is fast becoming the theme of this season. That's a theme they better shake if the Detroit Tigers keep winning.
Nick Blackburn will face Braden Looper tonight. That's a matchup the Twins should win.
Topics: Francisco Liriano, Denard Span, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee, Joe Mauer, Jason Kubel, Rochester
3 Comments
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KrisJun 25, 2009 04:26:01 AM
Others had suggested moving Liriano to the bullpen after his injury as a way to prevent future injury.
If his struggles continue, the Twins may be forced to make such a move, but I think there's still time for Liriano to become a quality starter. He had some good starts last season in August and September.
jane paulusJul 3, 2009 04:00:44 PM
when is it the dog days of summer - will a bassett hound be the representative
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Jun 24, 2009 01:04:09 PM
The Twins should make Francisco Liriano their set up man. It would solve a couple of problems. Liriano can usually make it through the first few innings of a game, but when he faces batters 2 or 3 times, that is when he struggles. The twins are in need of a set up man for Joe Nathan and Luis Ayala is not getting it done. Just a thought