Twins 6, Rangers 5: Revere's Four-Hit Game Highlights Victory

Today's game exemplified both why people have a lot of faith in Ben Revere, and why they also are a bit doubtful of his ability to produce at the plate consistently. His four hits were a big catalyst for this win, but one was an infield base hit, one was a base hit off of a bunt, the triple was a line drive into the right field corner, and the fourth was a flare that fell in front of the left and center fielders.

On one side of the argument you could say that three of those hits were tallied due, in no small part, to luck. Two infield hits in a game, because the ball just happened to go to just the right place at just the right speed? Another hit because the ball found grass in spite of really poor contact?

On the other side, Revere's speed certainly isn't an accident. Faster players have a higher chance of turning infield grounders into hits, meaning he earned those two infield hits.

The outfield flare? Okay, that was luck no matter how you look at it.

Once the game got past the never ending rain delay, the Twins just kept trickling the runs across the plate. Scoring at least one run in the first, second, third, fifth, and sixth, Minnesota managed to keep constant pressure on the Rangers. By the time the bottom of the sixth rolled around the Twins had built up a 6-2 lead.

Jeff Gray came on to pitch the bottom of the sixth, and ten pitches later was pulled after he'd allowed three runs on a pair of home runs. But when Gray left the game, the Rangers would only manage one more base runner the rest of the game. Casey Fien struck out three in his one and two-thirds innings of work. Jared Burton threw a perfect eighth. Glen Perkins struck out a batter in a perfect ninth.

Joe Mauer was robbed of a home run as Craig Gentry took one back over the wall in straight away center field in the top of the ninth inning, keeping Mauer's day to a 1-for-4 performance with a big run batted in and a stolen base. Cole De Vries, in spite of rain delays and throwing 54 pitches through the first two innings, hung in there and got through five frames in 98 pitches. Both the first and last batters he faced lasted nine pitches, which gives you an idea of how difficult it was for him to finish of batters at times.

In fact, the Rangers were just 2-for-11 in plate appearances that lasted longer than five pitches. Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton, the first and third batters of the game, managed those knocks. Texas was 0-for-9 following Hamilton's single.

It's nice to win a game. Especially against a great team like the Rangers.

Studs

Denard Span
Ben Revere
Joe Mauer
Josh Willingham
Cole De Vries
Casey Fien
Jared Burton
Glen Perkins

Duds

Jeff Gray
Rain