Date: 9/26/09

Opponent: Kansas City Royals

Home/Away: Away

Starting Pitcher: Baker

Final Score: W 11-6

Record: 81-73

Best Moment: Holy Span! What a night! In an apparent effort to prove he was fully recovered from his recent beaning, Span went 4 for 5 with a triple, a run, and 6 RBIs. Of course, he was helped in his quest by the bottom 3 in the order, who combined to get on base 8 times and score 6 of the runs (the rest of the order minus Span was on base 6 times). It was totally awesome. In other Span news, I suggest you check out this interview if you haven't yet. It's jam-packed with more tasty nuggets than a Happy Meal (I bet you thought I was going somewhere else there), and features, among other things, a jaw-dropping digitally-altered photo, a hilarious Brendan Harris cameo, and a brief discussion on whether or not Michael Cuddyer is a witch (I find it very significant that Span doesn't outright deny the claim).

But back to the game. The Twins pretty much raped the Royals starter, as they should have. Sadly (for the Royals) a large portion of the assault would have been prevented if not for a costly error by their shortstop (Hey, didn't he give us a run or two last night as well?). In this case, the error led to 4 unearned runs. Baker did okay, while the bullpen surrendered a couple of meaningless runs late in the game. Unfortunately, the terrifying pitching match-up we've serendipitously avoided all season is barrelling down on us faster than Jose Mijares at all-you-can-eat buffet. The Dread Royal Greinke takes the mound tomorrow, and I feel none too good about it. We won the first 2 games (and we should have), but we're going to need everything working in our favor to win this game. And pardon me if Liriano doesn't fill me with confidence. But baseball's a crazy game...

Most Questionable Moment: The stupid ump warns the benches after two Twins get plunked and then Mahay throws inside to Butler. Give me a break. Hopefully we nail someone tomorrow. And then more hopefully we initiate a bench-clearing brawl. Yay for fighting!

Worst Moment: Baker gives up 2 consecutive solo home runs to lead off the bottom of the 2nd inning. All I could think was Bakerbaker the Home Run Maker was back with a vengeance. I definitely was expecting a couple more that inning, but fortunately he settled down. It was scary though.

Quotations of the Day:

• "It's definitely a night when it just feels like nothing can go wrong. You see the ball and it seems like every pitch looks like a beachball. When you go to swing, you feel like it's going to fall. I've never had six RBIs in a game at any level." - Denard Span
• "He's really turning into a great player. He's patient. Obviously, he can hit the ball when we've got guys on base. And he plays great defense. There's not a lot he can't do." - Scott Baker, on Span.
• "I think it's an overall confidence. We get behind and there is a confidence on the bench, saying, 'Let's go. We can get this guy. Put some good swings on it.' Guys are working counts, taking pitches. It's basically whatever it takes...It doesn't matter how, or who is in there -- just win ballgames." - Ron Gardenhire

Suck-Ass Performance of the Game: Delmon Young (0 for 5, 2 strikeouts, 4 left on base)