Fundamentals
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- Joined
- Apr 17, 2005
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- Reaction score
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Tuesday- 8:10 PM- Jake Westbrook vs. Joe Mays
Wednesday- 8:10 PM- Kevin Millwood vs. Carlos Silva
Thursday- 1:10 PM- C.C. Sabathia vs. Brad Radke
Game Preview:
Cleveland (9-15) at Minnesota (15-9)
Game Info: 8:10 pm EDT Tue May 3, 2005
TV: FSOH
The Minnesota Twins aren't used to losing with Johan Santana on the mound. They're also not used to being without top set-up man Juan Rincon.
The Twins, coming off Santana's first loss in nearly a year, will be without Rincon for the next 10 days as they open a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians.
Rincon became the fifth player disciplined under Major League Baseball's new policy on performance-enhancing drugs on Monday.
Rincon's agent, Ed Setlik, said a grievance was planned. But unlike other penalties, suspensions under this policy take effect immediately and are not delayed pending a hearing.
``Suffice it to say, he was devastated and stunned by the result,'' Setlik said after speaking with Rincon.
Rincon was a key contributor to the Twins' AL Central-winning team last season. He went 11-6 with two saves and a 2.63 ERA in 77 games. This year, the right-handed reliever was 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 12 appearances.
Four players had previously received 10-day bans, but Rincon is the first player to be suspended that has made a significant contribution to his team.
Rincon's suspension came one day after Minnesota had a five-game win streak snapped despite another outstanding performance from Santana.
Santana allowed only two hits -- both solo homers -- and stuck out seven in eight innings in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. It was his first loss since July 11, ending his 17-game win streak.
``We'll move on and maybe we'll start new streaks,'' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Although he was 0-for-4 on Sunday, first baseman Justin Morneau has been one of Minnesota's hottest hitters. Since returning to the lineup from his April 6 beaning in Seattle, he is batting .424 (14-for-33) with two homers, three doubles and nine RBIs.
The Indians, losers of four of five, will send Jake Westbrook to the mound, hoping the right-hander can record his first victory of the season.
Westbrook had the best season of his five-year career in 2004, earning a spot on the All-Star team while going 14-9 with a 3.38 ERA, third-lowest in the AL. He finished tied for the league lead with five complete games and became the first Indians player since Charles Nagy in 1996 to place in the top three in the AL in ERA.
This season, however, has been a completely different story for the right-hander, who is tied for the league lead with five losses and has an ugly 6.35 ERA.
Westbrook's numbers, though, are a bit misleading because the Indians have scored only six total runs in his five starts. He has pitched very well in three of his five appearances while getting hit hard in the other two -- both by Detroit.
The Tigers roughed up Westbrook for nine runs and eight hits over 2 1-3 innings on Wednesday. Last April, he worked seven perfect innings of relief against Detroit, a game that propelled him into the rotation and a spot on the All-Star team.
``I boosted my confidence against them last year,'' Westbrook said following the 10-3 loss. ``My confidence isn't quite the same against them this year.''
Westbrook isn't the only Cleveland pitcher suffering from a lack of run support. The Indians are hitting a major league-low .225 with 91 runs scored. Only Pittsburgh has scored fewer runs.
``We haven't hit and we haven't executed in situations where a team that isn't hitting needs to execute in,'' general manager Mark Shapiro said.
The Indians are already 8 1/2 games out of first place in the AL Central, a point they didn't reach last season until Sept. 2.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/preview?gid=250503109
Wednesday- 8:10 PM- Kevin Millwood vs. Carlos Silva
Thursday- 1:10 PM- C.C. Sabathia vs. Brad Radke
Game Preview:
Cleveland (9-15) at Minnesota (15-9)
Game Info: 8:10 pm EDT Tue May 3, 2005
TV: FSOH
The Minnesota Twins aren't used to losing with Johan Santana on the mound. They're also not used to being without top set-up man Juan Rincon.
The Twins, coming off Santana's first loss in nearly a year, will be without Rincon for the next 10 days as they open a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians.
Rincon became the fifth player disciplined under Major League Baseball's new policy on performance-enhancing drugs on Monday.
Rincon's agent, Ed Setlik, said a grievance was planned. But unlike other penalties, suspensions under this policy take effect immediately and are not delayed pending a hearing.
``Suffice it to say, he was devastated and stunned by the result,'' Setlik said after speaking with Rincon.
Rincon was a key contributor to the Twins' AL Central-winning team last season. He went 11-6 with two saves and a 2.63 ERA in 77 games. This year, the right-handed reliever was 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 12 appearances.
Four players had previously received 10-day bans, but Rincon is the first player to be suspended that has made a significant contribution to his team.
Rincon's suspension came one day after Minnesota had a five-game win streak snapped despite another outstanding performance from Santana.
Santana allowed only two hits -- both solo homers -- and stuck out seven in eight innings in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. It was his first loss since July 11, ending his 17-game win streak.
``We'll move on and maybe we'll start new streaks,'' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Although he was 0-for-4 on Sunday, first baseman Justin Morneau has been one of Minnesota's hottest hitters. Since returning to the lineup from his April 6 beaning in Seattle, he is batting .424 (14-for-33) with two homers, three doubles and nine RBIs.
The Indians, losers of four of five, will send Jake Westbrook to the mound, hoping the right-hander can record his first victory of the season.
Westbrook had the best season of his five-year career in 2004, earning a spot on the All-Star team while going 14-9 with a 3.38 ERA, third-lowest in the AL. He finished tied for the league lead with five complete games and became the first Indians player since Charles Nagy in 1996 to place in the top three in the AL in ERA.
This season, however, has been a completely different story for the right-hander, who is tied for the league lead with five losses and has an ugly 6.35 ERA.
Westbrook's numbers, though, are a bit misleading because the Indians have scored only six total runs in his five starts. He has pitched very well in three of his five appearances while getting hit hard in the other two -- both by Detroit.
The Tigers roughed up Westbrook for nine runs and eight hits over 2 1-3 innings on Wednesday. Last April, he worked seven perfect innings of relief against Detroit, a game that propelled him into the rotation and a spot on the All-Star team.
``I boosted my confidence against them last year,'' Westbrook said following the 10-3 loss. ``My confidence isn't quite the same against them this year.''
Westbrook isn't the only Cleveland pitcher suffering from a lack of run support. The Indians are hitting a major league-low .225 with 91 runs scored. Only Pittsburgh has scored fewer runs.
``We haven't hit and we haven't executed in situations where a team that isn't hitting needs to execute in,'' general manager Mark Shapiro said.
The Indians are already 8 1/2 games out of first place in the AL Central, a point they didn't reach last season until Sept. 2.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/preview?gid=250503109
