Jose Contreras Topic Page

After failing to score a run on Thursday afternoon, the Twins bats came alive on a cold Friday evening in Chicago. Neither starter was great. R.A. Dickey and Jose Contreras lasted just five innings, but Dickey was just a little bit less hittable and was credited with the win. The Twins' record improved to 3-2, enough for first place in the division.

The Twins scattered single runs through 4 of the first 5 innings as Chicago tried to keep pace. Things got out of hand for the Sox in the seventh inning when the Twins posted 7 runs, more than they had scored in any of the previous 4 games. Justin Morneau led off the inning with his second home run of the season. Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer and Joe Crede were all then walked. Singles by Jose Morales, Nick Punto, Denard Span and Alexi Casilla helped provide the scoring, and then Justin Morneau added his second RBI of the inning with a sac fly.

The temperature started out in the low 40s and by game's end it was into the 30s. The cold, however, didn't stop the Twins from having their best offensive game of the season. The Twins scored two runs early before expanding their lead with five runs in the third inning. A Carlos Gomez 2 run double capped off the inning that also included 5 singles and a walk.

The Twins are 2-3 against the White Sox this season and 7-14 within the division. They won't see another division opponent until the end of June, so now would be a good time to win a a fourth straight series. Last season the Twins dominated interleague play and that could very well happen again this year, but most years you need to win within the division and the Twins have a lot of ground to pick up.

After Saturday night's 13 inning game that completely exhausted the Twins bullpen, the Twins needed Carlos Silva to come up with a good start and to go deep into the game. He did both. He lasted into the eighth before giving up his second run of the game and being pulled in favor of Juan Rincon. After allowing a run in the second inning he was pretty much on auto-pilot the rest of the way. After a few rough starts, Silva's return to form couldn't have come at a better time.

The Twins have now been shut out twice in their last six games and have averaged just 2.5 runs/game over that same span. Coming into the season, it was thought that the success or failure of this team would depend on the starting pitching. So far it's been the bats that have dragged this team back down to a .500 record at 17-17. Jose Contreras went the complete game for what was by far his best start of the season. Contreras allowed just five hits

The Twins and White Sox had their first meeting in early April shortened to two games because the White Sox bullpen was tired of cold weather. The two teams ended up splitting the low scoring series. Both teams have lost five of their last seven, but the White Sox have just ended a five game losing streak with 2 wins over the LA Angels. They sit next to each other in the standings, each a growing distance (now about 4 games) from the hot Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers.

The Twins' home opener had just about everything you could hope for. Joer Mauer started off with a single and the Twins got on the board in the 2nd inning with back-to-back solo homers from Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter. Johan Santana wasn't perfect, but he did accomplish something that took him nearly the full month of April last season--he picked up his first win of the season.

The last two nights have been perfect indications that the playoff race is heating up. Two of the most exciting games of the season came back to back, and best of all, the Twins won both. The Twins jumped out to an early lead against Jose Contreras, scoring five runs in the first three innings and knocking Contreras out of the game after 2 2/3 innings. Santana wasn't as dominate as he usually is, but he managed to get through 7 innings allowing just three runs (two earned) and it looked like everything was going well—the Twins were cruising to victory and the bullpen was going to get some rest. Then things got interesting.

Jose Contreras has declared himself unable to play in the All-Star game after throwing 117 pitches and getting hit in the elbow on Sunday. This has created room for Francisco Liriano, and at 22 years old Liriano will attend his first All-Star game. A lot of credit should be given to Contreras for opting out and allowing Liriano to get a chance. Tom Glavine did the same thing for the NL and allowed Chris Capuano of the Brewers to make the team.

The Twins won their second straight series and 2nd game in a row with a Wednesday afternoon victory in Texas. Kyle Lohse, at risk of losing his spot in the rotation, desperately needed a good start today. He wasn't spectacular, but was able to avoid damage. He gave up 1 run in 6 innings and picked up his second win of the season. He gave up 6 hits and walked 4 batters in the game.