Twins V Rays – Finish Them!
By Joel Verlin | September 21st, 2008 | Posted in Discussion, Game Thread
B. J. Upton is back in the lineup. Andrew Sonnastine is fresh off two of his best starts all year after going toe to toe with Red Sox Pitcher Josh Beckett. The Magic number is down to six! Can the Rays plow through the Twins one more time to get closer to winning the division?
MLB.com Probable Pitching Previews
TB: RHP Andy Sonnanstine (13-7, 4.33 ERA)
Sonnanstine fared well on Tuesday night, as the right-hander allowed just three Boston hits over six innings and was touched for one unearned run in the no-decision. A crafty pitcher, Sonnanstine is at his best when he pitches off his fastball and uses his command to his advantage. He threw 60 of his 93 pitches for strikes against the Red Sox and remains one win shy of the Rays’ club record. He will look to notch victory No. 14 facing the Twins for the first time in his career.
MIN: LHP Francisco Liriano (5-3, 3.62 ERA)
Liriano suffered his worst start Tuesday since rejoining the Twins on Aug. 1. The left-hander pitched only 2 2/3 innings while giving up eight runs (four earned). A penchant for the long ball — he gave up two in the contest — and an inability to put hitters away with two strikes proved costly for Liriano, as he picked up a no-decision. The road has not been as kind to Liriano as the Metrodome this season. He’s now 1-3 with a 6.41 ERA in six road starts this season. He’ll try to reverse that trend in his next start when he faces the Rays at Tropicana Field. It marks his first start of the season against Tampa Bay.
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:47 am
We were bound to lose this game. After the excitement of clinching a playoff spot, there is always a 24-hour window in which a team will lose focus. We can chalk this up to the celebration. Price is making his debut tonight as a starter, and I can’t wait. I’ll be hurrying home to watch. I look for us to bounce back and get back on track in these next 2 series. We should take 3 out of 4 against Baltimore and at least split with the Tigers. The Red Sox are going to have their hands full with Cleveland and the Yankees, so we could have this thing clinched soon. If we do take 3 of 4 from Baltimore, and the Sox split with the Indians, I think we clinch it before the last series of the season. Can anybody confirm that for me?
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:13 am
The magic number is 6, so if we win 3 and Boston lose two to Cleveland, it would be 1. That is 1 win in Detroit or one Boston loss in NY would clinch the division for TB.
The reason is that Boston has 91 wins and 7 games left, so if they win out they would have 98 wins. We have 92 wins, so with 6 wins we get to 98, and as we won the season series from Boston a tie means we claim the division. Ergo, the magic number is 6.