Game 77: Dodgers @ Minnesota 2:9
Let's just say, I am glad that Francisco Liriano doesn't play for the Giants organization anymore. Unfortunately, the Dodgers still had to face him, and it wasn;t very pretty.
Derek Lowe took to the hill for the game and soon found himself in trouble. The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the second inning. Then Lowe hit a batter, making it 1-0. A two-run single and a bases-clearing triple made it 5-0. Joe Mauer, who leads the majors in batting average at .389, added a run scoring single.
Lowe dropped to 6-4 on the season, losing for the first time since May 16. He was 5-0 with two no-decisions in his previous seven starts.
The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the second and Lowe hit Jason Bartlett to make it 1-0. Luis Castillo then hit a two-run single and Nick Punto followed with a triple to drive in two more runs. Mauer added a run-scoring single.
Mauer has six RBIs in the first two games of the series. He is 13-for-17 with seven RBIs in five career games against Los Angeles.
"I'm not trying to do too much. I'm just trying to take what they give and it worked out tonight," he said.
Mauer has at least four hits in a game four times this season, and is the first Minnesota player since Kirby Puckett on July 25-26, 1988, to have at least four hits in back-to-back games. He went 5-for-5 against the Dodgers to raise his batting average to .389, tops in baseball, after going 4-for-5 Monday.
AP - Jun 27, 11:07 pm EDTMore Photos"He's dedicated, he comes out and does his work and he's got a great swing and you're seeing that," said Gardenhire, who won his 400th game as the Twins' skipper.
Lowe allowed a season-high nine earned runs and 12 hits in 5 1-3 innings in his shortest outing since opening day. His ERA increased from 2.90 to 3.49. Lowe, who was coming off a complete game win against Seattle on Thursday, dropped to 0-2 with an 8.04 ERA and three saves in 11 career appearances in the Metrodome.
"I really don't know if I could pitch that bad if I told them what was coming," he said. "For me it was demoralizing because in the last few games I've turned things around after a bad first start."
Liriano kept the Dodgers' hitters off balance by mixing 96 mph fastballs with changeups and a nasty slider.
"I had everything working tonight," he said. "I missed a couple pitches, made a couple mistakes and got hurt."
One of those was a home run to Jeff Kent, who sees a bright future for the left-hander.
"You just can't give a guy like that six runs," Kent said. "He's a young guy, but he's got the makings of being a great starter in this league."
Liriano's first pitch was hit by Rafael Furcal for a single, but Liriano struck out two of the next three batters. He also struck out two of the three batters he faced in the second inning.
"He's got some of the best stuff I've ever seen," Mauer said. "With him going out there we feel pretty good about our chances of winning."
Nomar Garciaparra extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a fourth-inning home run for Los Angeles, which entered the night a half-game ahead of San Diego in the NL West.
Notes
The Dodgers placed RHP Brett Tomko on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 24 with a left oblique strain. ... Minnesota's Justin Morneau has hit safely in 17 of 18 games, batting .403 in that stretch. ... Castillo knocked his own helmet off when a foul ball went off the plate and hit the underside of his brim. He hit a two-run single on the next pitch. ... Los Angeles has lost 14 straight games in American League ballparks. ... Garciaparra has reached base in 47 of his last 48 games.
Updated on Wednesday, Jun 28, 2006 12:1
Derek Lowe took to the hill for the game and soon found himself in trouble. The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the second inning. Then Lowe hit a batter, making it 1-0. A two-run single and a bases-clearing triple made it 5-0. Joe Mauer, who leads the majors in batting average at .389, added a run scoring single.
Lowe dropped to 6-4 on the season, losing for the first time since May 16. He was 5-0 with two no-decisions in his previous seven starts.
The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the second and Lowe hit Jason Bartlett to make it 1-0. Luis Castillo then hit a two-run single and Nick Punto followed with a triple to drive in two more runs. Mauer added a run-scoring single.
Mauer has six RBIs in the first two games of the series. He is 13-for-17 with seven RBIs in five career games against Los Angeles.
"I'm not trying to do too much. I'm just trying to take what they give and it worked out tonight," he said.
Mauer has at least four hits in a game four times this season, and is the first Minnesota player since Kirby Puckett on July 25-26, 1988, to have at least four hits in back-to-back games. He went 5-for-5 against the Dodgers to raise his batting average to .389, tops in baseball, after going 4-for-5 Monday.
AP - Jun 27, 11:07 pm EDTMore Photos"He's dedicated, he comes out and does his work and he's got a great swing and you're seeing that," said Gardenhire, who won his 400th game as the Twins' skipper.
Lowe allowed a season-high nine earned runs and 12 hits in 5 1-3 innings in his shortest outing since opening day. His ERA increased from 2.90 to 3.49. Lowe, who was coming off a complete game win against Seattle on Thursday, dropped to 0-2 with an 8.04 ERA and three saves in 11 career appearances in the Metrodome.
"I really don't know if I could pitch that bad if I told them what was coming," he said. "For me it was demoralizing because in the last few games I've turned things around after a bad first start."
Liriano kept the Dodgers' hitters off balance by mixing 96 mph fastballs with changeups and a nasty slider.
"I had everything working tonight," he said. "I missed a couple pitches, made a couple mistakes and got hurt."
One of those was a home run to Jeff Kent, who sees a bright future for the left-hander.
"You just can't give a guy like that six runs," Kent said. "He's a young guy, but he's got the makings of being a great starter in this league."
Liriano's first pitch was hit by Rafael Furcal for a single, but Liriano struck out two of the next three batters. He also struck out two of the three batters he faced in the second inning.
"He's got some of the best stuff I've ever seen," Mauer said. "With him going out there we feel pretty good about our chances of winning."
Nomar Garciaparra extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a fourth-inning home run for Los Angeles, which entered the night a half-game ahead of San Diego in the NL West.
Notes
The Dodgers placed RHP Brett Tomko on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 24 with a left oblique strain. ... Minnesota's Justin Morneau has hit safely in 17 of 18 games, batting .403 in that stretch. ... Castillo knocked his own helmet off when a foul ball went off the plate and hit the underside of his brim. He hit a two-run single on the next pitch. ... Los Angeles has lost 14 straight games in American League ballparks. ... Garciaparra has reached base in 47 of his last 48 games.
Updated on Wednesday, Jun 28, 2006 12:1
posted by Blue Man | 11:17 AM
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