Game 3 of 3: Twins 4 @ Mariners 1 FINAL
Game Time: 2:24 Attendance: 25, 580
WP: Silva (1-0); LP: Madritsch (0-1); SV: Nathan (1)
PROPS TO:
* Bret Boone - Got the Ms on the board early with a 4-bagger in the 2nd, and also had 3 of the Mariners 10 hits in the game.
* Matthew LeCroy - His 4th inning 3-run homer was the offensive highlight of the game, and it put the Twins in the lead, 3-1, after staring at a 1-0 deficit.
* Jacque Jones - His 1-for-3 effort today brings his batting average on the season to .400, and he picked up his team-leading 4th RBI on a sac fly in the 8th inning, which gave the Twins a little more breathing room.
* Carlos Silva - Pitched just like Carlos Silva, getting a lot of ground ball outs, including 3 double play balls that got him out of jams. He had his sinker working good today. Went 7 innings, giving up 9 hits, 1 earned run, no walks, no strikeouts. His lone earned run came on Bret Boones home run, and at least the solo shots wont hurt you too much. Good 1st outing by Silva today.
* Bobby Madritsch - He pitched pretty well, too. Twins hardly did anything against him the first time through the order. He had to leave in the 5th inning due to a strained left shoulder, but he gave up LeCroys 3-run bomb and the offense couldnt bail him out after that.
* Mike Redmond - Went 1-3 in his Twins debut with a double, and called a good game.
* Nick Punto & Juan Castro - Got starts today (as I thought they would), and they didnt disappoint, going 2-6 combined, with Punto scoring 2 runs. They each drew a walk, and Puntos aggressive style paid off with his bunt single in the 4th inning, while later advancing to third on Morneaus base hit - not sure if it was a steal or a hit-and-run. They both played very well in the field today also, with Punto getting the start at second and Castro at short. Punto was later shifted to third.
* Justin Morneau - Went 1-3, keeping his season average at .333.
* Randy Winn - Had a multi-hit game also, going 2-3 with a double.
* Ichiro Suzuki - He just keeps doing his thing, going 2-4, and getting 6 hits in the series, batting .500 on the young season. He might beat his own record if he keeps this up.
* Juan Rincon & Joe Nathan - 2 innings, 1 hit, no walks, 2 strikeouts. Very nice outing by both, with Nathan picking up his first save of the season, and Rincon doing his thing in the 8th. Theres no other two guys Id rather have finish out the ball game.
* Ryan Franklin - Didnt pitch too bad, after being summoned to relieve Bobby Madritsch after he left the game with a strained left shoulder. He pitched well enough to keep his team in the game. He only gave up one run in his 3-inning outing.
* Ron Villone & Jeff Nelson - Pitched well, not giving up any runs, and also keeping the Mariners in the game.
* Twins & Mariners defense - Two of the best defensive teams in the AL played well in the field today, with neither team making an error.
FLOPS TO:
* Torii Hunter - Went 0-4 in the game, and 1-12 in the series (.083). Not the kind of production you want from your 3rd or 5th hitter. (Hell likely see time in both slots in the batting order this season.)
* Michael Cuddyer - He needs to get his bat going too. He and Hunter were the only Twins in the game without a hit, and he went 1-11 in the series (.091). I know its early, so I wont be too hard on these guys. But they need to pick it up.
* Dan Wilson - Didnt have his best game, going 0-3, including grounding into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. Also kind of conceded a play on Nick Punto at the plate on Jacque Jones sac fly in the 8th - after Suzuki threw home, it was on the third base side, and Punto had to come back and touch home plate cuz he originally missed it, and Wilson just stood there with the ball in his glove. I dont know, but this is the way Gordo and Dazzle made it sound. I thought Punto was going to be out, knowing Ichiros arm, and the ball wasnt hit all that deep. Wilson will be in a backup role this season, backing up Miguel Olivo, whom they received from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Freddy Garcia.
* Mariners offense - Couldnt muster much against Hi-Ho Silva. They banged out 10 hits, and only 1 of them produced a run. 3 double play balls killed some rallies for them.