[faithful2thecall]

September 1, 2018:

• RHP SP Kyle Gibson, RHP SP Bryan Mitchell, RHP RP Alex Meyer, LHP SP Jason Wheeler, CF Max Murphy, C Chris Herrmann, C Austin Barnes, C Mitch Garver, and SS Luis Mateo were called up from AAA. While RHP SP Tyler Duffey and CF Jean Carlos Arias from AA as part of the September roster expansions.

Minnesota 4 at Tampa Bay 1

WP: Yorman Landa (6-1), LP: Jarred Cosart (12-9), SV: Nick Burdi (26)
HR: MN-Andy Dirks (3), TB-None

Landa escaped a jam in the 2nd where the Rays loaded the bases with 1 out, but Landa coaxed an infield fly from Roderick Shoulders and struck out Riley Unroe on a checked swing to end the inning. Hank Conger and Dirks led off the 3rd with back-to-back doubles to open the scoring. 2 batters later, Danny Santana lined a 1-out RBI single to right-centerfield to double our lead. Corey Dickerson hit a sacrifice fly to deep center in the bottom of the inning to get Tampa Bay on the board. Joe Mauer grounded a 1-out RBI infield single to deep short in the 5th, allowing Byron Buxton to sprint home from 3rd to make it 3-1. Dirks then provided some insurance by clobbering a 97 MPH fastball up in the zone 407 feet to right-center leading off the 9th. Burdi made things a little too exciting in the bottom of the inning, walking the 1st 2 hitters to bring the tying run to the plate, but back-to-back strikeouts got him 1 out away and then Jake Bauers sent Buxton to the track to run down a fly ball to secure the win.


September 2, 2018

• Yasiel Puig (Los Angeles Dodgers) is out 5-6 weeks due to a herniated disc.

Minnesota 1 at Tampa Bay 0

WP: Jose Berrios (8-9), LP: Greg Harris (0-3), SV: Nick Burdi (27)
HR: MN-None, TB-None

I decided to take advantage of the expanded rosters and tomorrow’s off day to rest Buxton and Mauer, who have a tendency to be a bit injury prone. Santana extended his hitting streak to 17 games by lining a 1-out RBI single to left in the 2nd to open the scoring. Both starters were in control as neither offense could get much going. Berrios had his best start in a month, throwing 7 shutout innings, surrendering only 1 hit while striking out 6 and walking 3. We threatened to add insurance in the 8th, loading the bases with 1 out for Aaron Hicks, who unfortunately grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Tampa Bay didn’t have a threat until the 9th when they loaded the bases with 1 out against Burdi for Jose Bautista. Burdi coaxed Bautista to ground into a 1-2-3 double play to end the game. The Rays had only a 3rd inning leadoff double by Kevin Kiermaier before the 9th inning.


September 3, 2018

• Danny Santana was named AL player of the week after hitting .536 with 1 HR and 7 RBIs.
• Carlos Gonzalez (Kansas City) is out 5 months due to a broken bone in his elbow.
• Josh Harrison (Pittsburgh) is out 5 weeks with a torn ligament in his thumb.
• We’re 1st in the latest power rankings.

Off Day


September 4, 2018

• RHP SP Alexis Tapia was called up from AA as part of the roster expansion in a head scratching decision by GM Terry Ryan, as Tapia has made only 1 appearance above A ball where he threw 6.1 shutout innings.
• Patrick Kivlehan (Seattle) is out 7 months with a broken bone in his elbow.

Minnesota 5 at Detroit 1

WP: Phil Hughes (13-10), LP: Aaron Sanchez (8-9), SV: Lester Oliveros (1)
HR: MN-None, Det-None

We entered this game on a roll having won 7 straight, which was the longest active winning streak in MLB. However the real story leading into this game was if Phil Hughes could match the feat of Johnny Vander Meer by throwing back-to-back no-hitters.

Kennys Vargas got on his horse in the 1st for a 2-out RBI triple into the right field corner to open the scoring. Travis Harrison followed it up by pulling a RBI double into the left field corner to double our lead. Eddy Martinez put a quick end to Hughes’ bid at history by grounding a 1-2 curveball back up the middle into centerfield leading off the bottom of the inning. Miguel Cabrera then put to bed any dreams of a 3rd straight shutout by lining a 1-out RBI single to left to get Detroit on the board. Both Hughes and Sanchez settled down after the 1st and into a pitching duel. I decided to get aggressive in the 6th with a rare quasi-scoring opportunity and hit-and-run with Tommy La Stella at the plate and Vargas as the lead runner. La Stella made me look like a genius by lining a 2-run double into the right field corner to provide some insurance. Hughes was excellent allowing 1 run on 3 hits in 7 innings before being lifted as I started looking at the postseason.

Magic Number: 20, with our win our lead remains 11.5 games in the AL Central after Cleveland beat Kansas City 1-0. With 30 games left, I think the countdown can legitimately begin in earnest.


September 5, 2018

Minnesota 3 at Detroit 2

WP: Chris Heston (12-8), LP: Nick Tropeano (9-9), SV: Nick Burdi (28)
HR: MN-None, Det-Miguel Cabrera (24)

La Stella ripped a 2-out RBI double into the right field corner in the 4th to open the scoring. Detroit didn’t have a baserunner until Cabrera lined a 2-out single to center in the bottom of the inning. We loaded the bases with 1 out in the 8th for Conger, and with him hitting under .200 I wanted to lift him for a pinch-hitter, but I let him hit because of the outstanding game he was calling behind the plate. Conger rewarded me by lining a RBI single just over the glove of Nick Franklin. Dirks followed by drawing a bases-loaded walk. Cabrera hit a 1-out, 2-run homer off of Heston in the 9th to break-up the shutout. Burdi came in to record the last 2 outs to secure the win. Santana’s hitting streak was ended at 18 games after an 0-for-5 day.

Magic Number: 18 and our lead is 12.5 games after Cleveland lost a wild 7-10 game to Kansas City.

• Kevin Kiermaier (Tampa Bay) was suspended 3 games and Chris Sale (Chicago White Sox) was suspended 6 games for their parts in a benches-clearing altercation between their teams in today’s game.


September 6, 2018

Minnesota 8 at Detroit 9 (11 innings)

WP: Jack Flaherty (1-0), LP: Lester Oliveros (3-3)
HR: MN-Christian Villanueva (6), Det-Destin Hood (2), Steven Fuentes (3), Nick Castellanos (13), Nick Franklin (12)

With a big lead I’m able to take the chance to give some of my starters some days off and make use of my September call ups. Today I put a Luis Mateo and Austin Barnes in the lineup, who both have MLB experience—just not this season.

Hood hit a 2-run homer in the 2nd to open the scoring. We didn’t get a hit until Vargas blooped a 2-out single to center in the 4th. Fuentes hammered a leadoff homer 437 feet to center in the 5th to extend the lead. Hicks pulled a 1-out RBI double down the left field line in the 6th to get us on the board. Barnes delivered a clutch 2-out RBI single to left later in the inning to bring us within 1. Castellanos responded with a 1-out solo homer in the bottom of the inning to provide some insurance. Hicks delivered in a key spot in the 7th by grounding a 2-out, 2-run triple past Yosvani Bell at 1st into the right field corner to tie the game. Grayson Greiner ripped a RBI double over Harrison in left in the bottom of the inning to put the Tigers back in front. Franklin then seemed to put the game away by pulling a wind-aided 1-out, 3-run homer just inside the right field foul post. We responded in the 8th by loading the bases without putting the ball in play on 3 straight walks to open the inning for Villanueva. Villanueva went down for a 1-2 sinker and golfed it 391 feet into the left field seats for a grand slam to tie the game. Danny Ortiz finally ended our 9-game winning streak by lining a 2-out walk-off single to center in the 11th.

Magic Number: 18 and our lead is back down to 11.5 games after Cleveland won 8-4 against Kansas City.


September 7, 2018

Chicago White Sox 2 at Minnesota 3

WP: Alex Meyer (1-0), LP: Alex Colome (0-1)
HR: CWS-None, MN-None

The White Sox were upset with the umpiring crew early on, voicing their displeasure on a couple of occasions. Jonathon Berti grounded a 1-out RBI single to left in the 3rd to open the scoring. Jose Abreu added a RBI double 2 batters later to double the White Sox lead. Neither offense could get much going against Landa and Wily Peralta. Harrison came through in a clutch situation with 2-outs and the bases loaded in the 8th, lining a 2-run single to left to tie the game. Buxton then sent the home fans happy by lining a 2-out RBI single to right in the 9th. Meyer pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless relief for his 1st MLB victory.

Magic Number: 17 as Cleveland beat Detroit 4-3 to remain 11.5 games back. We have 27 games left, the Indians have 28 games left.

• Taylor Lindsey (San Diego) was suspended 4 games after being ejected for arguing balls and strikes, then berating the umpire in his postgame remarks.


September 8, 2018

Chicago White Sox 3 at Minnesota 4

WP: John Curtiss (1-0), LP: David Robertson (5-4)
HR: CWS-Jose Abreu (32), MN-None

Abreu extended his hitting streak to 18 games by grounding a 2-out RBI single through the 5.5 hole in the 1st to open the scoring. La Stella lined a hit-and-run RBI single to center in the 2nd to tie the game. With 1-out in the inning Dirks dumped a RBI single into left to give us the lead. We loaded the bases with 1-out in the 3rd for La Stella, who squibbed a grounder up the 1st base line that Alex A. Rodriguez picked up and took to the base himself as Harrison raced home from 3rd to double our lead. Trayce Thompson responded by lining a 2-out RBI single to left in the 4th to make it a 3-2 game. Abreu then hit a leadoff homer 389 feet to left in the 6th to tie the game. After having 2-out and nobody on in the 9th, after a hit batter, wild pitch and a single to left that put runners on the corners, Harrison came through in the clutch by lining a walk-off RBI single to left to send the fans home happy. Curtiss pitched 2.1 innings of no-hit relief, striking out 4 to earn his 1st MLB win.

Magic Number: 16 as Cleveland scored 5 runs in the 10th to beat Detroit 6-1.


September 9, 2018

Chicago White Sox 2 at Minnesota 3

WP: Lester Oliveros (4-3), LP: Drew Smyly (2-6), SV: Nick Burdi (29)
HR: CWS-None, MN-Aaron Hicks (6)

Jonathan Villar grounded a RBI single to left in the 3rd to open the scoring. Rodriguez added a RBI ground out 2 batters later to double the White Sox lead. We got on the board in the 4th when Harrison grounded into a double play. Hicks got some help 3 pitches later when Spencer Adams threw a 2-0 fastball that Hick golfed 350 feet to right, just getting into the seats to tie the game. The game remained tied into the 8th, when Hicks grounded a 2-out RBI single down the left field line to give us the lead. Dirk made an outstanding diving grab down the left field line to end the game with a perfect 9th for Burdi.

Magic Number: 14 as Cleveland was shutout 2-0 by Detroit swelling our lead to 12.5 games with 25 games left.

• Tyrone Taylor (Milwaukee) and Joan Gregorio (San Francisco) were both suspended 7 games for their roles in instigating a free-for-all between their teams in today’s game.
• Tyler Skaggs (Los Angeles Dodgers) threw a 3-hitter against Arizona.


85-52, .620, 12.5 GA (1st AL Central), 7 GA (AL Best Record), 1 GA (MLB Best Record)