Twins lose series to Rangers Twins 2 at Rangers 5 July 9th, 2006 at 8:24 pm
Johan Santana started out Sunday’s game on a tear—striking out 5 of the first 6 batters he faced. Texas tagged him for 2-run homers in the 6th and 7th innings, and the offense couldn’t overcome the deficit. The Twins could muster only 2 runs off Texas lefty John Koronka as they failed to take advantage of run scoring opportunities. The Ranger bullpen shut down the offense—allowing just 3 hits and no runs through 4 innings.
It was dissapointing to see Santana have his second straight less than perfect start. Don’t be worried though; he struggled with rain in KC and minus the two homeruns Texas likely wouldn’t have done much against him. The Twins will get some much needed rest heading into the All-Star break. After an amazing month of June they’ve lost 2 straight series in July. They’ll be getting back into division play after the break, so they need to come out of the gates strong.
Game Notes
- Justin Morneau was 1-4, extending his hit-streak to 16 games.
- Joe Mauer was hitless for the second straight night. It’s the first time all season he’s gone two games without a hit. He has seen his average plummet to .378 over the weekend, although he still has a comfy 20 point lead over Garciaparra for the MLB batting title.
- Luis Castillo is starting to hit better. He was 3-4 in the game with a walk. He’s 8-17 over the last 4 games and has a 6-game hitting streak.
Assuming Liriano isn’t a last minute addition to the All-Star team, he’ll get the Twins first start on Thursday. Brad Radke will likely be placed between him and Santana.
Like what you're reading? Subscribe to our RSS feed.
Search
Similar Entries
Partners