Justin’s comment about welcoming Joe¹ to the 4 strikeout club was probably my favorite.

Update: I just realized I wore my new Harmon Clayton Killebrew throwback jersey for the first time during last nights game. I now will have to keep wearing it until the Twins stop winning. Or at least I will have to wear it for each of K-Slow’s starts. Great game last night. Oh and the Dodger can have Everett, the Twins just don’t currently have the roster space.

I just finished watching Kevin Slowey (K-Slow) baffle the White Sox while breaking their bats.  That’s why he is the lumberjack.

It was a great game for the Twins coming into their four game series with the AL Central Leading Chicago White Sox.  The Twins needed to send the message that this series in Minnesota will not be like the Twinkie slaughter that took place in Chicago last month¹.  Slowey pitched the Sox inside the entire night, resulting in quite a few broken bats.  If the Twins are going to be successful against home run hitting teams, they are going to need to continue threatening batter with inside pitches.  Slowey knows it, Rick Anderson knows it, the White Sox know it, and hopefully the rest of the Twins’ pitching staff was paying attention.  In sum, this game was a gem for Kevin Slowey.  Congratulations on your second complete game shut-out K-Slow.

Oh, yeah.  DSPAN and Morneau each hit two-run homers in the third inning ruining Mark Buehrle’s night.  It made for great television. Its late and I’m tired, so this is all I’ve got left: Twins 1 – White Sox 0.  Three games to go.

Update: After watching Liriano pitch on MLB TV I was pleased. While the box score says Liriano had a bad outing, really it was pretty good for a second Spring Training Start. Of course some other people are more critical of Liriano (Here) and point to the fact that most of the balls he threw weren’t for strikes. But watching the game, I thought it looked like Liriano was trying to regain a feel for his pitches. Granted some throws missed by a lot, but others were unhittable strikes. Unfortunately, it will take Liriano some time to regain his All-Star form and Twins fans will just have to be patient as he takes his bumps and bruises.

Other notes from the game:

• Joe Mauer is in mid-season form. He finished with a double and a home run. The one thing that always impresses me about Mauer is that every single at-bat he has is a quality at-bat. He is a remarkably patient hitter, and hopefully this year he will also be a very healthy hitter.
• Outfielders need to wear sunglasses in Florida. Both Carlos Gomez and Jason Pridie missed catchable balls when they lost them in the sun. Neither was wearing sunglasses.
• Kevin Mulvey’s and Matt Guerrier’s outings were not as good as their earlier work. Both struggled to get the ball over the plate.
• But Pat Neshek and Denny Reyes were lights out. The batters they faced didn’t even have a chance.
• The Twins lost the Mayor’s Cup to the Red Sox. The series ended 3-2 in favor of the BoSox.

Today Francisco Liriano will make his second spring training start against the Boston Red Sox. The game will be broadcast on MLB TV. I plan on watching at least the first couple of innings and I’ll update afterward. The Twins – Red Sox Spring Training Series is tied 2-2 so the winner of today’s game will win the Fort Myers Mayor’s Cup. The Mayor’s Cup is a big deal to both clubs and because of the cross-town rivalry expect a lot of major leaguers in the game. Here the Twins lineup for today’s game:

1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Joe Mauer, C
3. Michael Cuddyer, RF
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Delmon Young, LF
6. Jason Kubel, DH
7. Brendan Harris, 2B
8. Brian Buscher, 3B
9. Adam Everett, SS

Pitching: Liriano.

On another note: This past weekend I traveled down to Florida to witness Spring Training in person. I was lucky enough to attend two Twins games. Even luckier, the Twins won both games. I’ll post pictures and my reactions from Spring Training later this week or early next week.