[faithful2thecall]

June 1, 2015

• We’re 25th in the latest power rankings.

Minnesota 6 at Boston 2

WP: Trevor May (3-2), LP: Clay Buchholz (4-5)
HR: MN-Shane Robinson (4), Bos-None

Kurt Suzuki singled to center in the 3rd to open the scoring after Shane Victorino got the 1st hit of the game 2 batters earlier. Sean Coyle doubled down the right field line in the bottom of the inning for Boston’s 1st hit. Robinson’s 2-out, 2-run homer in the 4th extended the lead. A 2-out, 2-run single by Xander Bogaerts got the Red Sox on the board in the bottom of the inning. We added insurance runs in the 6th and 7th before my bullpen pitched 3 hitless innings to secure the win.


June 2, 2015

• David Wright (New York Mets) out 3 months with a fractured fibula.
• Greg Holland (Kansas City) suffered a setback in his recovery from shoulder soreness keeping him out an additional 4 days.
• Brandon Belt (San Francisco) out 4 months with a torn abdominal muscle.
• Milwaukee trades LF Khris Davis to Atlanta for LHP RP Luis Avilan and SS Ozhaino Albies.
• San Francisco trades C Andrew Susac to Washington for RHP RP Craig Stammen and LF Nick Longhi.
• Toronto trades LHP RP Brett Cecil to Philadelphia for CF Aaron Altherr and LF Gustavo Martinez.

Minnesota 10 at Boston 6

WP: Ryan Pressly (2-0), LP: Matt Barnes (1-4)
HR: MN-Shane Victorino (3), Oswaldo Arcia (6), Bos-None

Neither starter looked sharp as each team sent 7 men to the plate in the 1st inning. We blew the game open with 4 runs in the 3rd. Shane Robinson then had to leave the game in the 4th making a defensive play (intercostal strain, 2-3 weeks). Mike Pelfrey didn’t make it out of the 4th inning, giving up 4 runs in 3.2 innings and left with the bases loaded. Tommy Layne got injured (finger blister, day-to-day for 2 days) getting the last out of the 9th. Tip of the cap to the previously struggling Pressly who came in relief of Pelfrey and pitched 3.2 scoreless innings allowing us to put the game out of reach.

• Seth Maness (St. Louis) threw a 4-hitter against Milwaukee.
• Madison Bumgarner (San Francisco) threw a 2-hitter against Pittsburgh.
• Adrian Beltre (Texas) hit career homer #400 against the Chicago White Sox.

June 3, 2015

• Endy Chavez signed to a minor league free agent deal and assigned to AAA.
• Tampa Bay traded RF Brandon Guyer to Houston for SS Marwin Gonzalez and SS Marcos Y. Almonte.

Minnesota 6 at Boston 4

WP: Logan Darnell (1-1), LP: Wade Miley (4-7), SV: Glen Perkins (15)
HR: MN-None, Bos-Brock Holt (1)

We got going right away as after a walk and a hit batter Joe Mauer laced an RBI double. Before the inning was over we added 2 more runs on a Torii Hunter double. They responded in the bottom of the inning on a Hanley Ramirez 2-out single. Miley wasn’t at his sharpest as we added 2 more runs in the 2nd. A 3-run homer by Holt in the 2nd cut the lead to 5-4. Both pitchers pretty well settled down after the 2nd. We added an additional run in the 4th which proved to be the last run of the game as neither bullpen gave up a run. The win also means we have the longest current winning streak at 5 games.

• Anibal Sanchez (Detroit) tossed a no-hitter against Oakland walking 4 in a 9-0 win.


June 4, 2015

• Phil Hughes has recovered from his injury and Logan Darnell was returned to AAA.

Minnesota 2 at Boston 1

WP: Kyle Gibson (2-4), LP: Rick Porcello (4-4), SV: Glen Perkins (16)
HR: MN-None, Bos-None

We had a pair of unusual opportunities as we went into the series finale in Fenway—both an opportunity to sweep a 4-game series on the road and to complete a season sweep of the worst-in-baseball Red Sox. Both pitchers looked sharp early, but Kyle Gibson was of particular note striking out 5 straight Red Sox hitters. By playing small ball to perfection the bottom of our line-up finally opened the scoring in the 5th. Shane Victorino grounded a single and then stole 2nd, before advancing to 3rd on a ground out and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Kurt Suzuki. Hanley Ramirez became Boston’s 1st base runner with a 1-out walk in the 5th, which Xander Bogaerts followed with a double for Boston’s 1st hit. Gibson escaped the bases loaded, 1-out jam on a strike out and a pop up. We added insurance in the 7th on a sacrifice fly by Victorino. Gibson had to be relieved due to an injury (sore ankle, day-to-day for 2 days) giving up a leadoff double to Mike Napoli in the 7th for Boston’s 2nd hit. Napoli proceeded to steal 3rd and score on a ground out to get the Red Sox on the board.


June 5, 2015

• LF Endy Chavez called up for the injured Shane Robinson.

Milwaukee 2 at Minnesota 3

WP: Ricky Nolasco (5-4), LP: Matt Garza (4-6), SV: Tim Stauffer (1)
HR: Mil-Donnie Murphy (3), MN-None

Between our improved play and a border battle, more fans showed up for the start of this series than had been coming earlier in the season. We rewarded them in the 1st with a 2-run double by Joe Mauer. Milwaukee got on the board on a ground out in the 3rd. Murphy’s 1-out homer in the 8th brought the Brewers within 3-2. With Glen Perkins needing a day off, Stauffer came in and picked up a 4 out save.

• Drew Pomeranz (Oakland) threw a 5-hitter against Boston.


June 6, 2015

• Patrick Corbin (Arizona) aggravated his injury in a workout trying to come back from Tommy John surgery that will keep him out an additional 1-2 weeks.

Milwaukee 4 at Minnesota 2

WP: Jake Odorizzi (5-3), LP: Trevor May (3-3), SV: Jeremy Jeffress (8)
HR: Mil-Kirk Nieuwenhuis (4), Adam Lind (5), MN-Joe Mauer (2)

Trevor May made things scary in the 1st loading the bases with 1-out on 2 walks and a single before getting a strike out and fly out to escape the jam. Nieuwenhuis hit a 1-out solo homer in the 2nd to open the scoring. Mauer responded with a 2-run homer with 1-out in the bottom of the inning to put us in front. Lind tied it with a 1-out homer in the 5th. Milwaukee took the lead later in the inning on an errant throw home by Jordan Schafer on a sacrifice fly. The Brewers added another run in the 6th. Our winning streak came to an end at 7.


June 7, 2015

• Jon Lester (Chicago Cubs) out 4 months with a torn labrum.

Milwaukee 2 at Minnesota 1 (13 innings)

WP: Jonathan Broxton (2-1), LP: Casey Fien (0-2)
HR: Mil-Donnie Murphy (4), MN-None

Pitching dominated early. We didn’t get our 1st hit until Eduardo Escobar singled leading off the 4th. That was the first of 3 straight singles, the last by Trevor Plouffe drove in Escobar to open the scoring. Each team scattered hits without mounting a threat after that until the 8th, when Milwaukee got a leadoff double from Matt Clark who came in to score 1 out later on a Gerardo Parra single to tie the game and chase Mike Pelfrey. Our offense wasn’t producing much all day. Murphy hit a leadoff homer off of Fien to open the 13th. We went in order in the bottom of the inning to lose the series.

• Jose Reyes (Toronto) out 4 weeks with shoulder tendinitis from making a throw.


June 8, 2015

• We’re ranked 23rd in the latest power rankings.

Kansas City 6 at Minnesota 3

WP: Yordano Ventura (4-6), LP: Phil Hughes (3-4), SV: Greg Holland (7)
HR: KC-Erik Kratz (3), MN-None

Phil Hughes was making his return from injury in this game. Kratz hit a 2-out, 2-run homer in the 2nd to open the scoring. Ventura loaded the bases with nobody out in the 2nd, and we made him pay by scoring 2 runs to tie the game before running ourselves out of the inning on a fly out-throw’em out double play to end the inning. The Royals retook the lead on a 2-out single by Yosvani Garcia in the 4th. My pitching staff didn’t have a good day.


June 9, 2015

• Jason Vargas (Kansas City) out at least 13 months with a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
• Craig Stammen (San Francisco) out 4 months with shoulder inflammation.

Kansas City 6 at Minnesota 4

WP: Buddy Baumann (1-0), LP: Kyle Gibson (2-5), SV: Louis Coleman (3)
HR: KC-None, MN-Brock Peterson (2), Trevor Plouffe (4)

Kansas City struck quickly in the 1st with a single, stolen base, and a double. Gibson didn’t have his good stuff at all. We finally got on the board in the 4th when Peterson hit a leadoff homer to make it 1-6. Caleb Thielbar came out of the bullpen and pitched admirably, giving us 3.2 shutout innings but our offense wasn’t doing anything to reward him. We loaded the bases with nobody out in the 8th with Plouffe coming to the plate after homering in his previous at bat. Plouffe struck out, but Torii Hunter delivered a 2-run single to make it a ball game at 4-6.

• Brett Gardner (New York Yankees) and Manny Delcarmen (Washington) each suspended 7 games for their parts in a benches clearing brawl.


June 10, 2015

• Matt Carpenter (St. Louis) out 4 weeks with a fractured rib.

Kansas City 2 at Minnesota 3

WP: Ricky Nolasco (6-4), LP: Ryan Madson (1-2), SV: Glen Perkins (17)
HR: KC-None, MN-Brian Dozier (6)

The Royals struck in the 1st using the speed of Jarrod Dyson to manufacture a run. Dozier answered immediately by hitting a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning. Kansas City retook the lead in the 2nd, but we tied it in the 4th. We took our 1st lead of the game on a wild pitch in the 6th by Luke Hochevar. Kendrys Morales then ran the Royals out of the game in the 9th by getting thrown out at home for the 1st out trying to score from 2nd on a seeing-eye single.


June 11, 2015

Off Day


June 12, 2015

Minnesota 8 at Texas 4

WP: Trevor May (4-3), LP: Colby Lewis (2-4)
HR: MN-Brian Dozier 2 (8), Trevor Plouffe (4), Oswaldo Arcia (7), Tex-Kyle Blanks (8), Prince Fielder (12)

Shin-Soo Choo opened the scoring in the 2nd with a sacrifice fly. Dozier got some help from the wind with 1 out in the 3rd to hit a solo homer to take the team lead. 2 batters later, Joe Mauer lined a double into the gap on a hit-and-run to give us the lead. Plouffe provided some additional breathing room with a 2-out, 2-run homer in the 5th. Dozier’s 2nd homer of the day was a 2-run shot in the 6th to blow the game open. Arcia joined the slugfest with a leadoff homer in the 7th. Blanks tried to make a game out of it with a 2-out, 2-run blast in the bottom of the 7th. Fielder got some help from the wind leading off the 9th for his 300th career homer.

• Adam Wainwright (St. Louis) threw a 2-hitter against Kansas City.
• Max Scherzer (Washington) threw a 3-hitter against Milwaukee.


June 13, 2015

Minnesota 6 at Texas 3

WP: Mike Pelfrey (4-4), LP: Kevin Slowey (0-7), SV: Glen Perkins (18)
HR: MN-Joe Mauer (3), Tex-Ryan Rua (8)

Pitching controlled this game early. We scattered a couple of hits, but Texas didn’t have a hit until a 1-out single in the 4th from Elvis Andrus. A pair of errors by Kurt Suzuki allowed Andrus to come around to score the opening run of the game. Mauer bailed out Suzuki in the 5th with a 2-out, 3-run homer to straightaway center to give us the lead. Rua delivered a 2-run homer in the 7th to make it a 1 run game. Mauer provided some breathing room with a RBI single in the 8th.


June 14, 2015

• Alex Gordon (Kansas City) out 5 weeks with a fractured foot.

Minnesota 5 at Texas 4

WP: Phil Hughes (4-4), LP: Jhoulys Chacin (8-3), SV: Glen Perkins (19)
HR: MN-Torii Hunter (5), Tex-Adrian Beltre (8), Hank Conger (2)
We scored in the 1st on a 2-out single up the middle by Oswaldo Arcia. Hunter added a leadoff homer in the 5th to make it 4-0. Beltre hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning for the Rangers’ 2nd hit of the game to put them on the board. Before the inning was over, Maikel Caceres added a 2-run single to cut the lead to 1. A bases loaded wild pitch gave us 1 of those runs back. That run proved important as Conger hit a leadoff homer in the 8th.

• Jarred Cosart (Miami) threw a 6-hitter against Colorado.


28-33, 6 GB (5th AL Central), 4.5 GB (8th AL Wild Card)

A 9-4 start to June has pulled us close to getting out of the AL Central cellar. We’re faring better in 1-run games compared to how snakebit we were early in the season. It’s a bit concerning that while we’re 6th in the AL in batting average and on-base percentage, we’re 14th in runs scored. The schedule over the next week and a half will be tougher though, as 7 of our next 10 games are against 1st place teams.