Denard Span’s RBI single leads the Minnesota Twins to the Central Division title (Part 1)
With the league coming to a season close, the Twins were on the verge to claim the Central Division title. For what it is worth, there were a few games left and all the ball club needed to do was win their next game to clinch
the trophy. Fortunately for them, the Cleveland Indians made their way to the Target Field to play the home leaders; their second fixture in the 3 game series. With a game already under the hosts’ belt, the Wahoos were looking for a series save.
The Minnesota Twins regarded themselves the luckiest in the American League, yesterday after they beat the Indians and saw their chasers, Chicago White Sox crash out of contention with a 2 – 7 defeat to the Oakland Athletics.
Before the celebrations began, the team was looking for a victory to oust their fears of losing out on the occasion before the 163rd game. The number means a lot to the ball club as the side missed a vital chance to progress to the
post season games on the 163rd match in 2008, against the second seeded Illinois side.
Apart from the win, this year marked the first time in three years that the American League Central race didn’t flow into overtime. Last year, the side made it through to the playoffs by vanquishing the Detroit Tigers threat.
However, they lost their games to the New York Yankees who later went on to become champions. On that note, the Twins hero, Denard Span mentioned that this result gives the team a great opportunity to focus and prepare both mentally and physically, for the
challenge ahead.
Minnesota packed a heavy hitting faction, last night. Scott Baker made his appearance for the team on the mound and his inclusion in the side meant that he was there to contain the Indians while the batters pressed on the
opposing pitchers for serious runs.
Scott has been a respectable member of the squad and his 5 years of experience count for a lot of value to the ball club. Prior to the game, Baker had featured in 27 games, winning 12 and losing 9 in the season. His Earning Run Average (ERA) is 4.52 and going
into the match, generated a high concession rate for the 29 year old player. He played in 5 innings and conceded just 4 hits, of which 2 runs were scored. He pitched 91 times, taking out 7 unlucky hitters and allowing a walk.
The tribe had been robust in the last two series. They made the Kansas City Royals lose 2 – 1 and right before that, Los Angeles Angels faced the same fate. So with a good recent history, the team was looking for a good measure
at ousting the Twins in the third game set encounter. Unfortunately, the first game had already been lost and the second fixture provided the team with the opportunity to secure a save and keep their winning ways alive. But, their effort against the Central
Leaders ended in failure.
The Indians are currently sitting half a point below the Royals in the Central Division and if it was any consolation, Fausto C. Carmona played for the team as the starting pitcher. His inclusion meant the management was
looking for a way to quell the strong Minnesota Hitters. However, when the team engaged the hosts, their expectations were blown away as the Wahoos lost eventually. The ball thrower’s induction made a difference and one would think his ERA of 3.79 collected
much of the desired effect. The player walked in with 12 wins and 14 losses to his name in 30 games of the season. He left with 6 hits and 2 runs allowed in 98 pitches over 5.2 innings. The 26 year old struck out 3 and gave away 2 walks in the contest.
Tags: