The Twins need a win today to salvage a season split with their boarder buddies, the Milwaukee Brewers. The Twins will have their work cut out for them this afternoon facing Milwaukee’s ace, Zack Greinke. To make matters worse, if the Twins do manage to scrape out a couple of runs against Greinke, Minnesota will have to rely on a struggling Nick Blackburn to keep them in the game. In his last two starts opponents have hit Blackburn to a line of .310/.370/.452 (BA/OBP/SLG), turning every hitter into the 2012 version of Angel Pagan. And his line is even worse against current Brewers. Tough to win ball games like that.
Matt Capps is out with a sore shoulder until at least Tuesday, but both Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are in the lineup today for a very “unSunday Lineup” Sunday Lineup.
Here is the rest:
| Milwaukee Brewers |
@ |
Minnesota Twins |
| Aoki, RF | Span, CF | |
| Morgan, CF | Revere, RF | |
| Braun, LF | Mauer, C | |
| Ramirez, Ar, DH | Willingham, LF | |
| Hart, C, 1B | Morneau, 1B | |
| Green, T, 3B | Plouffe, 3B | |
| Weeks, 2B | Doumit, DH | |
| Ransom, SS | Dozier, SS | |
| Maldonado, C | Carroll, 2B | |
| _Greinke, P | _Blackburn, P |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | R | H | E | |
| Milwaukee | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 1 |
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 2 |
15 innings take a LONG time to play, 4 hours and 50 minutes with a rain delay thrown in for fun.
Nick Blackburn went just 6 innings, giving up 4 runs, all earned while throwing 101 pitches. The Twins we down 4-1 heading into the bottom of the 7th and erupted for 3 runs to tie the game at 4. That’s the way the score remained for 8 more innings before a Denard Span RBI single in the bottom of the 15th scored Brian Dozier from 3B.
For 9 innings of scoreless work, the Minnesota Twins bullpen (Nearly ALL of them, Burnett, Burton, Perkins, Duensing, Gray and Swarzak) falls just short of Father’s Day BOD honors. As a consolation prize, LeCroy24Fan has agreed to mail them $300 to share. Enjoy it.
His 4/8 performance, with a double and game winning RBI earn Denard Span the coveted BOD.
The Twins are off tomorrow to rest their bullpen, and start a 6 game Inter-League road trip against the Pirates on Tuesday night. Remember, no DH in games played in NL parks, so if Mauer’s leg is still a little beat up he’ll likely get a couple extra days rest and his bat will be out of the lineup all together.