Matt Garza and Gavin Floyd both made their 2007 debut on Friday night as they faced each other in Chicago. Garza’s going to sleep a lot better than Floyd tonight.
It was a tough start to the season for Gavin Floyd as he had his first start of the season and promptly gave up 6 runs on 8 hits through 5.2 innings as he took the loss in the 12-0 beating the Twins handed out. Floyd’s a quality pitcher though so he will bounce back, but this is a rough way to get the season started.
After laying down a savage 20-14 beating in the 1st game of the double header, the Twins finished it off with a 12-0 shellacking. Not too many teams can say that they put up 34 runs in one day, but the Twins did it and Matt Garza was the direct beneficiary.
The young star pitched a great game going 6 innings allowing 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6 and allowing no runs. I’d say he just earned himself another turn in the rotation after the All-Star break. Garza pitched for the Twins in the second half last year but didn’t make the team out of spring training, but with he and Nick Blackburn looking Major League ready, it was time to call up at least one of them and Garza got the chance to contribute. He didn’t make Ron Gardenhire regret it.
Not to be outdone by his teammate Garza, Canadian Justin Morneau went deep three times, making it the first time a Twin has hit three homers in one game. He had 6 RBI in the night-cap after a 3 RBI performance in the afternoon, pushing his gaudy totals to 23 home runs and 72 RBI.
Overall, it has to be considered a pretty darn good 24 hours for the Twins. Run production like this doesn’t come along everyday that’s for sure, so enjoy it while you’ve got it Minnesota.
Showing posts with label Matt Garza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt Garza. Show all posts
Friday, July 6, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Crapshoot
Joe Mauer hit his 1st career grand slam and after that it was essentially academic. The Twins rolled, scoring 11 to Detroit’s one, and put a sound beating on Justin Verlander, giving me reason #356,098 why I’m not a gambler. Verlander had been the hottest pitcher in the Major’s coming into this game, having only allowed four runs this entire month for an obscenely low ERA of 1.24 in June.
He started terribly in the 1st, allowing 2 runs on sheer wildness before pitching coach Chuck Hernandez came out to calm his nerves. He then promptly retired 11 straight (as did opposing pitcher Johan Santana during the same timeframe) before giving up the aforementioned slam to Mauer.
The Tigers bullpen compounded the issues, allowing 5 runs on their own to give the Twins the easy win. Johan Santana pitched well, but not awe-inspiring.
The Biggest news for the Twins was the return of Justin Morneau after missing 5 games with a bruised lung. Morneau added 2 RBI on 3 hits to help salt away the game.
The Twins have to be taken seriously with a rotation that is led by Johan Santana, and a bullpen featuring Pat Neshek, Matt Guerrier and Joe Nathan. The offense is so-so but the pitching is pure quality. Add to that the fact that they just called up Matt Garza (highly regarded prospect 1) and may soon call up Nick Blackburn (highly regarded prospect 2) from Rochester, this team looks poised to push hard in the second half.
The loss by the Tigers, combined with a 2-1 victory by the Indians over the Devil Rays, allowed the Indians to take a .5 game lead in the Central for at least one night. This one could go to the wire.
He started terribly in the 1st, allowing 2 runs on sheer wildness before pitching coach Chuck Hernandez came out to calm his nerves. He then promptly retired 11 straight (as did opposing pitcher Johan Santana during the same timeframe) before giving up the aforementioned slam to Mauer.
The Tigers bullpen compounded the issues, allowing 5 runs on their own to give the Twins the easy win. Johan Santana pitched well, but not awe-inspiring.
The Biggest news for the Twins was the return of Justin Morneau after missing 5 games with a bruised lung. Morneau added 2 RBI on 3 hits to help salt away the game.
The Twins have to be taken seriously with a rotation that is led by Johan Santana, and a bullpen featuring Pat Neshek, Matt Guerrier and Joe Nathan. The offense is so-so but the pitching is pure quality. Add to that the fact that they just called up Matt Garza (highly regarded prospect 1) and may soon call up Nick Blackburn (highly regarded prospect 2) from Rochester, this team looks poised to push hard in the second half.
The loss by the Tigers, combined with a 2-1 victory by the Indians over the Devil Rays, allowed the Indians to take a .5 game lead in the Central for at least one night. This one could go to the wire.
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