My friend Ashley sent me a text last weekend, asking if I wanted to go to a game with her because her parents scored some free tickets behind the Twins dugout. I thought about what I might have to do work-wise on a Tuesday evening. But I figured I could make it work for a Twins game with pretty good seats.
Come prepared to Target Field
The night was a bit chilly, but I came prepared. A sweatshirt was under my pinstriped Twins jersey, I opted for my boots instead of tennis shoes in case my feet got cold (I think I made a wise choice.) and I had a poncho in my pack in case it rained (which it did not).
We had some great seats 19 rows up behind the Twins dugout. I looked around Target Field, taking in the atmosphere of the outdoor ballpark. One thing I noticed right away was how empty the place looked. Empty, compared to the sell-out crowds that have graced the ballpark for the first two seasons. It wasn't surprising because the Twins had hardly won any games at home this season, but it was still a little sad to see that the honeymoon was definitely over.
I grabbed a hot dog (dad would be proud) and sat back to enjoy some baseball, hoping the Twins wouldn't disappoint too much. Turns out, I witnessed a great game.
Call-up is player of the game
Twins pitcher Scott Diamond was definitely the story that night. Since the rotation hadn't exactly been lighting it up, the team shifted some lineup pieces around, calling up Diamond for his first start of the year. I hope the rest of the hurlers in the Twins dugout were watching him.The final line for Diamond was downright amazing compared to his teammates. First of all, he managed a quality start. He tossed seven shutout innings, gave up four hits and one walk on 101 pitches. Oh, and let's not forget the six strikeouts, two of which were former Twin Torii Hunter (who also struck out to end the game). I believe it was the first time all season that a Twins pitcher has pitched six (or seven, as it turned out) shutout innings.
Strong offensive showing for Twins
Diamond also got some run support, and he got it early. Josh Willingham smacked an RBI-double right away in the bottom of the first to get the boys on the board. In the same inning, Ryan Doumit hit a two-run shot to right-center to give the Twins a nice 3-0 after the first. It was good to see some power, and it prompted me to Tweet: Who are these guys?
The Twins had some more chances as well. Angels pitcher Dan Haren struggled and walked the bases loaded. But poor Danny Valencia hit a weak one back to the pitcher for an out-at-home, out-at-first double play to end the inning. That got him some boos and mock cheers. He's since been demoted to the minors for a plummeting average. I'm rooting for him to get back to form soon.
Another couple runs were knocked in during the bottom of the fourth. After Jamey Carroll dropped a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners (doing the little things), Erik Komatsu came through with a sac-fly and Brian Dozier hit an RBI-single to make it 5-0. That's when Haren got the hook for the Angels.
Way to finish it off
The bullpen for the Twins got the job done for the last couple innings, not allowing a hit. The Twins won 5-0 in a great ball game. However, I was pretty disappointed with all the fans that did the usual mass exit before the top of the ninth. Really? You don't want to stay and see a Twins victory when they've been so rare this year? That's OK, I'll stay and watch them.
Amid a season that is quickly going further down the toilet for the Twins, it seems, Ashley and I got to see one of the better games this young 2012 had to offer. So much of good baseball hinges on good pitching, which was evident with Diamond. We were also treated to a homer and some decent offense.
Good seats. Good baseball. Good night.
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