A bad day for too many reasons.
It started promising enough. We talked in the pre-game about how hittable Trevor Bell is, and sure enough after the first inning it was 3-0, Twins. But that would be the best it would get.
The top of the second was a disaster. Kevin Slowey left everything right down the middle and Angels hitters tee'd off for six hits (including a pair of home runs) and four runs. Even the outs were smashes. Minnesota failed to tie the game in the second after Bell walked the leadoff hitter for the second inning in a row, and that was it. Slowey pitched worked out of trouble to pitch a scoreless third, but then left the game with soreness in his tricep and will be put on the disabled list.
In the fifth Minnesota had their next best chance to get back into the game, loading the bases with just one out. But a Delmon Young sacrifice fly turned into a doube play, as Jason Kubel was (incorrectly) ruled out at the plate. Then again maybe that's just the baseball gods evening the score after Michael Cuddyer may not have dragged his foot across home plate in the first.
Ron Mahay dove for a ball in the sixth and hurt himeslf. He's on his was to the disabled list as well.
This game was a sad combination of bad luck and bad pitching. Whether it was flares falling in for hits, Denard Span losing the ball in the sun and actually getting hit by the ball or just having Bell actually pitch well, it was just a bad day. I'm happy to call it a day.
Nick Blackburn and Anthony Slama are on their way to Minnesota to take the spots of Slowey and Mahay. Good luck, boys. No studs and duds from last night...let's just move on.