The game is afoot...
Ramon Ortiz and his pricetag gave the bloggosphere, and me, a nice shot in the jaw last night. Not only was Ortiz serviceable, he was actually quite effective. He scattered five hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out four and allowing just two runs.
What impressed me was not just his ability to avoid the big inning last night, or his aggressive style on the mound, but it was how he was able to hit his spots. High and tight to Tejada, twice in a row, was beautiful. It's just one game...say it with me, "it's just one game", but the Twins are 3-0 on the back of a nearly 34-year old right hander who wasn't supposed to do this in his first start.
Jason Tyner added an acrobatic diving catch to help Ortiz's effort, and Rondell White was able to knock in a pair during the big 5-run third inning. Joe Mauer collected two more hits, and is now projected to finish the season hitting .455.
Tonight the Twins are off as we prepare to welcome Chicago to the 2007 campaign on Friday night with Carlos Silva. Lightning couldn't strike twice, could it?