Stat break: 69 Twins

Hitters

Name                AB   R   H   RBI   2B  3B   HR   BB   SB   Avg,
Allison               27     5     8    7        2    1      2        1      0     .259
Cardenas            72     6   17    6        0    0      2        6      0     .236
Carew                76    10  23  12        5    2      0        5      3     .302
Killebrew          62    14   16  13       5    0      4      21      1      .258
Manuel               12     1     3    0       0    0      0        0      0      .250
Mitterwald         32     2     7    2       2    1      0        3      0      .219
Nettles               24     5     6    2       3    0      2        3       0      .250
Oliva                 72    10   18  13      1     0      4        4      0      .250
Quilici                  2    0     0    0       0    0      0         0      0      .000
Reese                 73     3   18    7       1    0      1        3      0       .247
Renick                 7     1     2    0       0    0      0        3      0       .286
Roseboro           37     6   15    4       2    0      0        0       0      .405
Tovar                 77   14   19    7       4    2      3        5      3       .247
Uhlaender         48     5    11    5       1    0      0        1      2       .229

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.     W    L   ERA

D Boswell          5      5     31.3     27   17    17    17    25        0      2    1       4.88
Chance               5     2      13.3     17     5      5      3      6        2      0    2       3.38
Gzrenzda           4      0       4.6      11     6      5      3      3        1      0     0      9.64
Hall                   4      1       8.3        9     4      2      0      6        0      0     0      2.16
Kaat                   5      5     32        33   17     11     9    22        0      2     2      3.09

Miller                6      0     11.3      17     7      7      1      6        0      0     1      5.56
Perranoski         8      0       7           8     4      4      0      4       3      0     1       5.14

J Perry               6      6    44         40    13    11       9    32       0     5     1       2.25

Woodson           5      0       9        13      8      7      1      5        0     1     0       7.00
Worthington      7     0        8          5      0      0      1      6        0     1     0       0.00

John bracket: Angels (09) defeat Twins (69) in seven games

Game One: 09 Angels 6, 69 Twins 5
WP: Ja Weaver (2-2)
LP: J Perry (4-1)
Save: Fuentes (4)

Game Two: 69 Twins 8, 09 Angels 3
WP: Boswell (2-1)
LP: Saunders (2-1)
HR: Allison (2), Killebrew (3), Boswell (1)

Game Three: 69 Twins 11, 09 Angels 0
WP: Kaat (2-1)
LP: Lackey (0-1)
HR: Nettles (1), Cardenas (2)

Game Four: 09 Angels 4, 69 Twins 2
WP: Kazmir (2-0)
LP: Chance (0-2)
Save: Fuentes (5)
HR: Oliva (4), Hunter (4)

Game Five: 69 Twins 2, 09 Angels 0
WP: J. Perry (5-1)
LP: Ja Weaver (2-3)

Game Six: 09 Angels 10, 69 Twins 4
WP: M Palmer (1-0)
LP: Perranoski (0-1)
HR: Boswell (2)

Game Seven: 09 Angels 10, 68 Twins 2
WP: Lackey (1-1)
LP: Kaat (2-2)
HR: Kendrick 2 (3), Rivera (1), Killebrew (4), Nettles (2)

It was feast or famine for the 2009 Angels hitters in this series, and they were sufficiently gluttonous to prevail in seven games.

The series opened in 1969's Metropolitan Stadium, and the visiting Angels harassed Twins ace Jim Perry for six runs in the first five innings, peppering him for nine hits in the process. Juan Rivera had three RBI singles. The Twins matched the Angels' three run third with a three-run fourth, but left the bases loaded in the eighth inning.

The Twins hit a pair of two-run homers in the first inning off Joe Saunders, the first by Harmon Killebrew and the second by Bob Allison. Dave Boswell wasn't particularly sharp -- he allowed three runs on eight hits in seven innings -- but he limited the Halos to one run at a time, and added a home run of his own in the second inning.

The series moved to Anaheim and 2009's Angels Stadium for Game Three, and Jim Kaat was masterful. The lefty no-hit the Angels for six innings, While he did allow five hits in the final three frames, he completed the shutout. His mates gave him plenty of run support, scoring in six of the first seven innings. Rod Carew had four RBIs with two doubles and a triple, while Cesar Tovar scored three runs and Graig Nettles, Leo Cardenas and John Roseboro scored twice each.


The Angels evened the series in Game Four. Minnesota started one-time Angels ace Dean Chance, and the righty couldn't get though the fourth inning, when the Angels pushed across two runs. Scott Kazmir pitched into the seventh, allowing two runs.

Perry threw the Twins' second complete-game shutout of the series in Game Five. The Angels mustered just three safeties off him. Jered Weaver was a hard-luck loser; the first run he allowed was unearned, and Weaver allowed just six hits himself.

The series returned to Minnesota for Game Six. Boswell hit his second homer of series in the third to tie the game at, and Allison's two-run triple in the fourth gave the Twins a 4-3 lead. Matt Palmer relieved Saunders to start the fifth and three three shutout innings. Relief ace Ron Perranoski entered for the Twins to begin the eighth, and the Angels feasted. Erick Aybar lead off with a base hit. Pinch-hitter Robb Quinlan moved him up with a ground out, and Chone Figgins plated him with a single. Bobby Abreu doubled Figgins home for the lead, and after Torii Hunte grounded out, Kendrys Morales and Rivera bopped consecutive doubles, and the Angels led 7-4. The Angels tacked on another three runs off Bob Miller in the ninth, with Figgins driving in one and Abreu two. Abreu had five RBIs for the game and Figgins three, while Aybar scored three times.

The decisive Game Seven went much easier for the Angels, even though the Twins scored first on Graig Nettles' second-inning homer. Kaat led the lead into the fourth, when Howie Kendrick tied it with a solo homer. Two hits and two walks later, the Angels had a 3-1 lead. Rivera and Kendrick hit homers in the fifth to make it 5-1 and chase Kaat, and the Angels added on with two in the seventh, one in the eight and two in the ninth. Lackey allowed three hits in six innings, two of them homers, before giving way to Jason Bulger and Brian Fuentes for the final six outs.

Player of the series: Juan Rivera was 11-for-29 with four runs and seven RBIs. We'll go with him over Kendrys Morales, who was 14-for-31 but with only one extra base hit and just three runs and two RBIs.

Player availability: The second start of round 4 is an issue. Saunders doesn't have the asterisk, but he only went four innings in Game Six and six innings total for the series, and I'm inclined to let him have the start, with penalty, over either Kazmir or Ervin Santana.

Projected rotation: Weaver-Saunders (?)-Lackey-Kazmir or Santana-(Weaver)-(Saunders)-(Lackey)

Stat break: 69 Twins

Hitters

Name                AB   R   H   RBI   2B  3B   HR   BB   SB   Avg,
Allison               20     4     5    3        2    0      1        1      0     .250
Cardenas            44     2     9    4        0    0      1        4      0     .205
Carew                48     7   16    7        3    1      0        2      1     .333
Killebrew           41   10   11    9        3    0      2     11      1      .268
Manuel                 7     1     3    0       0    0      0        0      0      .429
Mitterwald         22     1     5    1       1    0      0        1      0      .227
Nettles                11     0    1    0        0    0      0        2      0      .091
Oliva                  49    7   12  10       0     0      3        2      0      .245
Quilici                  2    0     0    0       0    0      0         0      0      .000
Reese                 43     3   12    6       0    0      1        3      0       .279
Renick                 7     1     2    0       0    0      0        2      0       .286
Roseboro           21     2     8    1       1    0      0        0       0      .381
Tovar                 47   10   13    5       2    2      3        3      2       .277
Uhlaender          26     2    5     4       1    0      0        0      1       .192

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.     W    L   ERA

D Boswell          3      3     17.6     14   11    11      9    14        0      1    1       5.60
Chance               4      1       9.6     11     2      2      2      3        2      0    1       1.86
Gzrenzda           3      0       3.3      10     5      5      2      3        1      0     0    13.51
Hall                   2      1       6           7     4      2      0      3        0      0     0      3.00
Kaat                   3      3     18        18   12      6      5    17        0      1     1      3.00

Miller                3      0       5           4     1      1      1      3        0      0     1      1.80
Perranoski         5      0       5           3     0      0      0      4       3      0     0      0.00

J Perry               4      4    29         28     7      6       6    22        0     4     0       1.86

Woodson           3      0       6          6      5      4      1      5        0     1     0       7.50
Worthington      5     0       6.3        4      0      0      1      4        0     1     0       0.00

John bracket: Twins (69) defeat Nationals (09) in five games

Game One: 69 Twins 5, 09 Nationals 2
WP: J Perry (3-0)
LP: L Hernandez (1-2)
Save: Chance (1)
HR: Reese (1)

Game Two: 09 Nationals 3, 69 Twins 1
WP: Detweiler (1-0)
LP: Boswell (1-1)
Save: MacDougal (1)

Game Three: 69 Twins 9, 09 Nationals 6
WP: Woodson (1-0)
LP: Bergman (0-2)
Save: Chance (2)
HR: Oliva (2), Tovar (3)

Game Four: 69 Twins 5, 09 Nationals 4
WP: Worthington (1-0)
LP: Tavarez (0-1)
Save: Perranoski (2)
HR: Dunn (1)

Game Five: 69 Twins 4, 09 Nationals 3
WP: J Perry (4-0)
LP: L Hernandez (1-3)
Save: Perranoski (3)
HR: Oliva (3)

The heavily favored 1969 Minnesota Twins made quick, if competitive, work of the 2009 Washington Nationals.

The Twins never trailed in Game One, held in Metropolitan Stadium. Tony Oliva singled home two runners in the first inning. The Nats pieced together a pair of one-run innings in the second and fifth to even the score, but the Twins broke the tie in the eighth on singles by John Roseboro and pinch-hitter Charlie Manuel followed by a Rod Carew sac fly. Rich Reese hit a two-run homer in the ninth to widen the final margin.

Ross Detweiler and four relievers held the Twins to just one run in Game Two. The Twins had men in scoring position in seven of the nine innings but only plated one of them. Cristian Guzman doubled home two runs in the third inning for a lead Washington never relinquished. Willie Harris had a pinch-hit triple in the seventh to drive in the third Nationals run.

The series move to Nationals Park for Game Three, and lefties Jim Kaat and John Lannan were both knocked out early. The Twins ripped Lannan for five runs in the third, highlighted by Oliva's two-run homer. But the Nats scored six in their half of the inning, aided by a Harmon Killebrew error. Three of the six runs were unearned.

Dick Woodson, Al Worthington and Dean Chance fired off six shutout frames for the Twins after Kaat's departure, combining to allow three singles and two walks. The Nats also used three relievers in the final six innings, but Julian Tavarez, Jason Bergman and Tyler Clippard combined to allow four runs, including a two-run homer by Cesar Tovar in the eighth off Clippard.

Game Four was an odd duel of sacrifice flies and passed balls. The Twins scored five runs without an RBI hit; they got four sac flies and scored the remaining run as a double-play consolation. Twins catcher George Mitterwald was charged with three passed balls, two if them in one inning one of which let in a run. And one of the Twins runs was set up when Leo Cardenas led off the fourth inning by reaching on a strikeout-passed ball by Josh Bard.

Tom Hall started for the Twins, but gave up a two-run homer in the first to Adam Dunn and was victimized for two unearned runs in the third on a Cardenas error and two of Mitterwald's passed balls. The Blade lasted just four innings. But the Twins pieced together five innings from Bob Miller (two innings), Worthington (one), Chance (two outs), Joe Grzenda (one out) and Ron Perranoski (one inning). The Twins got sac flies from Mitterwald, Tovar, Ted Uhlaender and Cardenas.

With a depleted bullpen, the Twins looked to Jim Perry to get them through Game Five, and their ace came through after allowing two runs in a shaky first inning (two walks, a hit batter and a single). Uhlaender and Roseboro hit doubles in the second, and the Twins scored three in the fifth (featuring a double by Carew and a homer by Oliva) to take a 4-2 lead. Killebrew's throwing error in the seventh let the Nats pull within one, but Perry escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth, and Perranoski threw a scoreless ninth to wrap up the game and the series.

Player of the series: We'll split it up among the Twins bullpen. Dean Chance, Joe Grzenda, Bob Miller, Ron Perranoski, Dick Woodson and Al Worthington combined for 16 innings in the five games without a run allowed, earned or otherwise, picking up two wins and four saves in the process.

Player availability: With four days off, everybody will be fully rested for the third round.

Projected rotation: Perry-Dave Boswell-Kaat-?-(Perry)-(Boswell)-(Kaat)

Stat break: 69 Twins

Hitters

Name                AB   R   H   RBI   2B  3B   HR   BB   SB   Avg,
Allison                11    2     4    3        2    0      1        0      0     .364
Cardenas            26     1     6    2        0    0      1        2      0     .231
Carew                 29    4     8    2        1    0      0        1      1     .276
Killebrew           25     9     8    8        2    0      2       5      1      .320
Manuel                 2     0     0    0       0    0      0        0      0      .000
Mitterwald         11     1     4    0       0    0      0        0      0      .364
Nettles                 5     0     1    0       0    0      0        1      0       .200
Oliva                  28    4     7    4       0     0      1        1      0      ,250
Quilici                  2    0     0    0       0    0      0         0      0      .000
Reese                 26     1     7    4       0    0      0        2      0       .269
Renick                 4     0     1    0       0    0      0        0      0       .250
Roseboro           15     1     4    0       0    0      0        0       0      .266
Tovar                 30     6     9    2       1    1      2        0      1       .300
Uhlaender          15     0    2     3       0    0      0        0      1       .133

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.     W    L   ERA

D Boswell          2      2     10.6       9     8      8      4      6        0      1    0       6.75
Chance               1      1       6          6     2      2      2      1        0      0    1       3.00
Gzrenzda           2      0       3        10     5      5      2      2        1      0     0    15.00
Hall                    1      0      2           2     0      0      0      0        0      0     0      0.00
Kaat                   2      2     15        12     6      3      2    13        0      1     1      1.80

Miller                2      0       3           3     1      1      0      2        0      0     1      3.00
Perranoski         2      0      2           1     0       0     0      1         1      0     0      0.00

J Perry               2      2    14         14     2      2      3    11        0      2     0       1.29

Woodson          2      0       3          5      5      4      0      4        0      0     0     12.00
Worthington      2     1       2.3       0      0      0      0     1         0     0     0        0.00

John bracket: Twins (69) defeat Twins (09) in seven games

Game One: 69 Twins 3, 09 Twins 1
WP: J. Perry (1-0)
LP: Baker (0-1)
Save: Grzenda (1)
HR: Cardenas (1), Oliva (1)

Game Two: 69 Twins 6, 09 Twins 3
WP: D. Boswell (1-0)
LP: Blackburn (0-1)
HR: Tovar (1), Crede (1)

Game Three: 09 Twins 5, 69 Twins 4
WP: Liriano (0-1)
LP: Kaat (0-1)
Save: Nathan (1)
HR: O. Cabrera (1), Killebrew (1)

Game Four: 09 Twins 2, 69 Twins 0
WP: Perkins (1-0)
LP: Chance (0-1)
Save: Nathan (2)
HR: Morneau (1), Kubel (1)

Game Five: 69 Twins 3, 09 Twins 1
WP: J. Perry (2-0)
LP: Baker (0-2)
Save: Perranoski (1)
HR: Killebrew (2), Cuddyer (1)

Game Six: 09 Twins 16, 69 Twins 6
WP: Duensing (1-0)
LP: Miller (0-1)
HR: Crede (2), Cabrera (2), Span (1)

Game Seven: 69 Twins 8, 09 Twins 1
WP: Kaat (1-1)
LP: Liriano (1-1)
HR: Killebrew (2), Allison (1), Punto (1)

The southpaw magic ran out for the underdog 2009 Twins in Game Seven.

Game One was scoreless into the fourth inning, when Leo Cardenas clubbed a two-run homer off Scott Baker. Jim Perry kept the 09 Twins off the board until the seventh, when pinch-hitter Delmon Young and Denard Span opened the frame with base hits. Perry retired Orlando Cabrera, then gave way to relief ace Ron Perranoski with three big left-handed sticks due next. Joe Mauer singled home Young, but Perranoski got Justin Morneau and pinch-hitter Michael Cuddyer to end the threat. Tony Oliva homered to get the lead back to two, and Dick Woodson and Joe Grzenda worked the eighth and ninth respectively to seal the win.

The 69 Twins scored twice in the first inning of the second game and peppered Nick Blackburn for runs in every odd-numbered inning. Meanwhile, Dave Boswell held the 09 Twins to one hit through eight innings. In the ninth Joe Crede reached Boswell for a two-out, three run homer, and Al Worthington entered to get the final out.

With the series moving to the Metrodome and the DH rule, the 09 Twins went to the lefties. Francisco Liriano was stung for three runs in the first inning, but steadied to allow just one more in the next five. His teammates chipped away at Jim Kaat, scoring five runs (three unearned) runs in the second, third and fourth innings. Kaat, a 16-time Gold Glove winner, committed a costly error in the process. Armed with a one-run lead, the 09 Twins used Jesse Crain, Brian Duensing and Joe Nathan for a perfect inning apiece to close the game.

Glen Perkins threw a gem in Game Four, allowing five hits and leaving with just one out to go. Nathan got that last out. Morneau homered in the first and Jason Kubel in the second, both off Dean Chance. Worthington worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam he inherited from Chance in the seventh to keep the game close.

With the series tied. Perry again outdueled Baker. Harmon Killebrew and Cuddyer traded homers. Perry allowed just six hits before Perranoski entered for a four-out save.

Back at Met Stadium, Boswell was drilled for four runs in the first inning and another in the second. Relievers Tom Hall and Bob Miller held the 09 Twins down for three innings, and the 69 hitters tied it in the fifth off Blackburn. But in the top of the sixth, pinch-hitter Alexi Casilla squeezed home Jason Kubel for the go-ahead run, and the 09 Twins plated five runs off Woodson in the seventh (Crede with a grand slam) and five more off Grzenda in the eighth and ninth. Duensing threw four innings of one-run relief and was credited with the win at the scorer's discretion.

Game Seven was a rout from the start. Cesar Tovar led off the game with a homer off Liriano, and the second was a disaster for the lefty. With the bases loaded and one out, Young misplayed a Killebrew fly ball; it went for a three-run double and a two-base error, with Killebrew scoring. Oliva singled and Bob Allison homered, and that was all for Liriano.

Staked to that 7-0 lead, Kaat sailed through eight innings, allowing a homer to Nick Punto in the third but only five other safeties. RA. Dickey, Perkins and Matt Guerrier combined to allow one run in the final six innings, but the game and series were already out of reach.

Player of the series: We'll give it to Killebrew for his nine-run, eight RBI performance. The Killer was eight-for-25 in the series with five walks and a pair of homers.

Pitcher availability: Perry can start Game One without penalty. Boswell could start Game Two with penalty. Kaat cannot start until Game Three.

Projected rotation: Perry-Boswell-Kaat-Chance-(Perry)-(Boswell)-(Kaat).