Slowly Slipping Away

Over the past week, the Twins finished their arduous fourteen game roadtrip with a shellacking in Toronto. The Twins needed to win two of three in Toronto to finish five hundred on the road trip. They were swept and finished 5-9 on their travels. Somehow the Twins found themselves only a game and a half out of first after the roadtrip. Coming home to play the underachieving Tigers and the always awful Royals, the Twins were primed for a good homestand and a chance to regain first in the central. The homestand started well with a win on Friday night. It turned out to be the highpoint of a painful weekend for Twins fans.

Saturday afternoon was going splendidly. Laura and I found a new couch for our living room, we rented a U-haul for Sunday to pick it up, and our rearranging of the apartment was going smoothly. We took a break to watch The Wire (Best. Show. Ever.) and the last couple innings of the Twins game. When we switched the Twins game on, Scott Baker was throwing a gem, allowing only two runs through seven innings with a low pitch count. Going into the eighth inning, the Twins held a 4-2 lead. Not an insurmountable lead, but one I felt confident in handing over to the bullpen. Baker came out for the beginning of the eighth and left after recording one out and putting a man on first. Dennys Reyes, the lefty specialist, came in to face Curtis Granderson. His only job was to get Granderson out and his day would be done. His third pitch to Granderson was hit over the baggy in right field for a two run homerun. With the game tied 4-4, Matt Guerrier came in and preceded to give up another two run homerun. By the time Jessie Crain finished off the Tigers in the eighth, the Twins were losing 6-4. The game ended that way as the Twins couldn't muster any runs in the eighth or ninth. The weak bullpen was on display again wasting a quality outing by a starting pitcher. It was a bad loss, but the Twins had a Sunday matinee date with the Tigers to win the series.

Sunday afternoon was stressful. The new furniture we bought wouldn't fit through our doorway. We took the door off it's hinges and pushed with all our might until the couch slid into our apartment. It was quite the battle and there are scars on the walls to commemorate the struggle. After dropping off the U-Haul we needed to sit down, relax, and crack open a beer. We made it back home at the beginning of the sixth inning. The Twins were leading 4-2 and Glen Perkins was still pitching. As soon as we sat down and got comfortable, things went to hell. Perkins was knocked around and the Tigers scored three runs to take the lead 5-4. Organizing the apartment seemed like a better idea than watching more of the game. I'm still a terrible jinx and I figured not watching the rest of the game would work in the Twins favor. My optimism was soon crushed as the Tigers added on two more runs in the top of the seventh. My optimism was finally put out of its misery in the bottom of the seventh when Morneau and Kubel drove in only one run with men on base. I knew not to expect a comeback with the feeble bats of Punto and Gomez coming up. The Twins lost the game 7-5 and lost the series, a poor homecoming after such an ugly roadtrip.

The Twins stand two and a half games behind the White Sox for the division title going into tonights game with the Royals. The Wild Card is out of the question as the Red Sox have been white hot lately and hold a sizable cushion over the Twins. After the three game set versus the Royals the Twins hit the road once again for a ten game road trip. They play winnable games against the Orioles and Indians, but face a tough test with four games against the Rays. After the roadtrip the Twins return home to face the White Sox and Royals for three games each to end the season. When the White Sox come to town, the Twins can not be more than two games back in the standings. It is hard to demand a sweep of the White Sox, but that will be necessary if the Twins are more than two games back. I have faith in the Twins and will continue to be optimistic. It has been a great season that has gone above and beyond my expectations for this team. If they make the playoffs, it will be a great achievement for a young team and a great sign for the future. If they don't, we'll run Jessie Crain and Matt Guerrier out of town with pitchforks and torches. We'll run Crain all the way back to Canada.