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MINNESOTA ( NOLASCO )
PITTSBURGH ( LIRIANO ) |
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7.5un
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Final
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| 973 | MINNESOTA | +1.5,-145 | +1.5,-135 | | 974 | PITTSBURGH | -1.5,+125 | -1.5,+115 |
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| All Games | 21-17 | +7.9 | 20-16 | 4.5 | 0.260 | 0.311 | 0.384 | 0.696 | 4.4 | 0.279 | 0.328 | 0.435 | 0.763 | | Road Games | 7-11 | -1.9 | 9-8 | 3.3 | 0.231 | 0.288 | 0.329 | 0.617 | 4.8 | 0.285 | 0.342 | 0.475 | 0.817 | | vs Left-handed Starters | 11-5 | +8 | 11-4 | 6.2 | 0.293 | 0.346 | 0.441 | 0.787 | 3.9 | 0.268 | 0.322 | 0.405 | 0.727 | | Past 7 Games | 3-4 | -0.8 | 4-3 | 3.1 | 0.231 | 0.276 | 0.369 | 0.645 | 6.0 | 0.330 | 0.371 | 0.525 | 0.895 | | Grass Games | 21-17 | +7.9 | 20-16 | 4.5 | 0.260 | 0.311 | 0.384 | 0.696 | 4.4 | 0.279 | 0.328 | 0.435 | 0.763 | | Night Games | 12-6 | +9.4 | 7-10 | 4.7 | 0.263 | 0.311 | 0.392 | 0.702 | 2.8 | 0.242 | 0.292 | 0.362 | 0.654 |
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| All Games | 4.5 | 0.260 | 0.311 | 38 | 1290 | 335 | 62 | 9 | 27 | 0.384 | 161 | 97 | 300 | 14 | 243 | 36 | 24 | 34 | 24 | | Road Games | 3.3 | 0.231 | 0.288 | 18 | 620 | 143 | 28 | 6 | 7 | 0.329 | 55 | 50 | 154 | 7 | 121 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 16 | | Lefty Starters | 6.2 | 0.293 | 0.346 | 16 | 567 | 166 | 30 | 6 | 14 | 0.441 | 94 | 46 | 107 | 3 | 109 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 13 |
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| All Games | 4.26 | 1.338 | 120.3 | 61 | 57 | 130 | 14 | 31 | 80 | 5-4 | 14 | 2 | 87.5% | | Road Games | 4.96 | 1.519 | 52.7 | 30 | 29 | 64 | 6 | 16 | 30 | 2-3 | 5 | 1 | 83.3% |
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| All Games | 18-20 | -4.6 | 15-18 | 3.8 | 0.241 | 0.291 | 0.366 | 0.657 | 3.5 | 0.250 | 0.314 | 0.355 | 0.669 | | Home Games | 9-7 | -0.1 | 9-5 | 4.1 | 0.239 | 0.291 | 0.372 | 0.663 | 3.9 | 0.262 | 0.314 | 0.388 | 0.702 | | vs Right-handed Starters | 17-16 | -0.7 | 14-15 | 3.9 | 0.240 | 0.292 | 0.365 | 0.656 | 3.3 | 0.246 | 0.307 | 0.352 | 0.660 | | Past 7 Games | 3-4 | -1.3 | 2-5 | 4.1 | 0.254 | 0.313 | 0.406 | 0.719 | 3.9 | 0.266 | 0.343 | 0.350 | 0.694 | | Grass Games | 18-20 | -4.6 | 15-18 | 3.8 | 0.241 | 0.291 | 0.366 | 0.657 | 3.5 | 0.250 | 0.314 | 0.355 | 0.669 | | Night Games | 11-13 | -4.6 | 11-11 | 3.6 | 0.221 | 0.273 | 0.329 | 0.602 | 3.6 | 0.265 | 0.318 | 0.371 | 0.689 | | Interleague | 1-2 | -1.6 | 1-2 | 1.7 | 0.159 | 0.159 | 0.273 | 0.432 | 2.3 | 0.216 | 0.276 | 0.320 | 0.596 |
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| All Games | 3.8 | 0.241 | 0.291 | 38 | 1293 | 311 | 70 | 1 | 30 | 0.366 | 141 | 93 | 302 | 25 | 253 | 29 | 26 | 44 | 40 | | Home Games | 4.1 | 0.239 | 0.291 | 16 | 506 | 121 | 25 | 0 | 14 | 0.372 | 61 | 37 | 98 | 10 | 91 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 12 | | Righty Starters | 3.9 | 0.240 | 0.292 | 33 | 1130 | 271 | 64 | 1 | 25 | 0.365 | 124 | 83 | 258 | 22 | 222 | 24 | 19 | 40 | 32 |
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| All Games | 3.14 | 1.352 | 114.7 | 44 | 40 | 114 | 8 | 41 | 110 | 4-9 | 10 | 4 | 71.4% | | Home Games | 4.05 | 1.264 | 46.7 | 23 | 21 | 49 | 4 | 10 | 44 | 3-2 | 6 | 1 | 85.7% |
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| 5/5/2015 | MAY(R) | OAKLAND | CHAVEZ(R) | 1-2 | L | +105 | 8.5 un | U | 5 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 1 | | 5/6/2015 | GIBSON(R) | OAKLAND | KAZMIR(L) | 13-0 | W | +135 | 8 ov | O | 12 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 1 | | 5/7/2015 | NOLASCO(R) | OAKLAND | POMERANZ(L) | 6-5 | W | -110 | 8.5 un | O | 5 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 2 | | 5/8/2015 | PELFREY(R) | @ CLEVELAND | BAUER(R) | 9-3 | W | 155 | 9 un | O | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 1 | | 5/9/2015 | HUGHES(R) | @ CLEVELAND | CHEN(L) | 7-4 | W | 120 | 8.5 un | O | 16 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 10 | 1 | | 5/10/2015 | MAY(R) | @ CLEVELAND | SALAZAR(R) | 2-8 | L | 160 | 8 un | O | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 8 | 0 | | 5/12/2015 | GIBSON(R) | @ DETROIT | SIMON(R) | 1-2 | L | 135 | 9 un | U | 7 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 0 | | 5/13/2015 | NOLASCO(R) | @ DETROIT | LOBSTEIN(L) | 6-2 | W | 125 | 8.5 un | U | 12 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 0 | | 5/14/2015 | PELFREY(R) | @ DETROIT | SANCHEZ(R) | 1-13 | L | 170 | 8 un | O | 5 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 10 | 0 | | 5/15/2015 | HUGHES(R) | TAMPA BAY | ODORIZZI(R) | 3-2 | W | +100 | 7.5 un | U | 9 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 1 | | 5/16/2015 | MAY(R) | TAMPA BAY | COLOME(R) | 6-4 | W | +100 | 8.5 un | O | 11 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 2 | | 5/17/2015 | GIBSON(R) | TAMPA BAY | ARCHER(R) | 3-11 | L | +115 | 8 ev | O | 6 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 12 | 0 | | 5/19/2015 | NOLASCO(R) | @ PITTSBURGH | LIRIANO(L) | | | 5/20/2015 | PELFREY(R) | @ PITTSBURGH | WORLEY(R) | | | 5/22/2015 | HUGHES(R) | @ CHI WHITE SOX | SAMARDZIJA(R) | | | 5/23/2015 | MAY(R) | @ CHI WHITE SOX | SALE(L) | | | 5/24/2015 | | @ CHI WHITE SOX | | | | 5/25/2015 | | BOSTON | | | | 5/26/2015 | | BOSTON | | |
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| 5/5/2015 | LOCKE(L) | CINCINNATI | LORENZEN(R) | 1-7 | L | -140 | 7.5 un | O | 3 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 0 | | 5/6/2015 | COLE(R) | CINCINNATI | LEAKE(R) | 0-3 | L | -165 | 7 un | U | 7 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 2 | | 5/7/2015 | BURNETT(R) | CINCINNATI | DESCLAFANI(R) | 7-2 | W | -125 | 7.5 un | O | 11 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 0 | | 5/8/2015 | LIRIANO(L) | ST LOUIS | WACHA(R) | 5-8 | L | -110 | 7 ov | O | 12 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 1 | | 5/9/2015 | WORLEY(R) | ST LOUIS | MARTINEZ(R) | 7-5 | W | -105 | 7.5 un | O | 9 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | | 5/10/2015 | LOCKE(L) | ST LOUIS | LYONS(L) | 4-3 | W | -110 | 7.5 ev | U | 9 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 3 | | 5/11/2015 | COLE(R) | @ PHILADELPHIA | WILLIAMS(R) | 4-3 | W | -165 | 7.5 ov | U | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 1 | | 5/12/2015 | BURNETT(R) | @ PHILADELPHIA | O'SULLIVAN(R) | 7-2 | W | -150 | 8.5 ov | O | 8 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 0 | | 5/13/2015 | LIRIANO(L) | @ PHILADELPHIA | HAMELS(L) | 2-3 | L | -125 | 6.5 ev | U | 6 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 1 | | 5/14/2015 | WORLEY(R) | @ PHILADELPHIA | HARANG(R) | 2-4 | L | -125 | 7.5 un | U | 7 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 1 | | 5/15/2015 | LOCKE(L) | @ CHICAGO CUBS | HENDRICKS(R) | 10-11 | L | 120 | 9.5 ov | O | 15 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 0 | | 5/16/2015 | COLE(R) | @ CHICAGO CUBS | LESTER(L) | 1-4 | L | -110 | 8 ov | U | 11 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 0 | | 5/17/2015 | BURNETT(R) | @ CHICAGO CUBS | ARRIETA(R) | 3-0 | W | 130 | 10 un | U | 8 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 0 | | 5/19/2015 | LIRIANO(L) | MINNESOTA | NOLASCO(R) | | | 5/20/2015 | WORLEY(R) | MINNESOTA | PELFREY(R) | | | 5/22/2015 | LOCKE(L) | NY METS | SYNDERGAARD(R) | | | 5/23/2015 | COLE(R) | NY METS | HARVEY(R) | | | 5/24/2015 | | NY METS | | | | 5/25/2015 | | MIAMI | | | | 5/26/2015 | | MIAMI | | |
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| |  | MINNESOTA: MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Paul Molitor was hired as Minnesota's new manager, bringing Hall of Fame membership and renowned intelligence and intuition to a team seeking a fresh start.
The Twins brought back one of their most popular players ever, Torii Hunter, to help solidify an unsettled outfield, mentor a fledgling team and hit a few home runs. They have collected plenty of promising young hitters, either slated for the opening day lineup or waiting in the minor league wings.
None of that will matter much if the starting pitching continues to wobble the way it has the last four seasons.
Phil Hughes had by most measures a career year, his first away from the New York Yankees, but his ability to match that is low on the list of 2015 goals. Ricky Nolasco needs to rebound from a terrible first season with the Twins. Ervin Santana must show he's worth that $55 million, four-year contract. Kyle Gibson has to reduce the times (five of 31 starts in 2014) he goes three innings or less and gives up six runs or more. The fifth spot winner, Trevor May, Tommy Milone or Mike Pelfrey, needs to keep it.
''We'd put up a couple good starts and somebody would get hurt or we'd take a step backward,'' said Hughes, whose 2014 season has been one of the few true success stories of the rotation since it unraveled in 2011. ''Every good team I've been on, it seems like the rotation gets on a roll.''
New pitching coach Neil Allen will have more impact on the staff than Molitor, but after 13 years under manager Ron Gardenhire the clubhouse has been naturally buzzing with excitement about the new boss.
''He's one of the smartest baseball people I've ever been around,'' first baseman Joe Mauer said.
As for Hunter? His presence was desired for more energy and stronger camaraderie.
''If there's no tension between players and you're comfortable with everyone, you're going to play better,'' closer Glen Perkins said. ''So that's chemistry, I guess. I think we've held it together as much as we can, as much as we've struggled.''
Here are some key angles to know about the Twins in 2015:
MAUER IMPROVEMENT
Mauer, soon to turn 32, will make $23 million each of the next four years. Injuries have limited him to an average of 116 games from 2011-14. His batting average hit a career-low .277 last season, and he had a career-most 96 strikeouts despite time lost to an oblique muscle injury.
The Twins haven't lost faith in their franchise player, the homegrown guy who was the first overall draft pick in 2001. Playing for Molitor, whom he grew up admiring as an alumnus of the same St. Paul high school, ought to help.
''He's healthy. I think he's anxious to prove that last year was just an aberration,'' general manager Terry Ryan said.
LINEUP FLEXIBILITY
Molitor has been touting his options at the top and in the middle of the order, with a team that quietly scored the third-most runs in the majors after the All-Star break last year and added an accomplished hitter in Hunter.
One decision is whether to bat Mauer third, where he was most of his career until Gardenhire began to bat him second often over the last two seasons.
With Hunter, Kennys Vargas, Trevor Plouffe and Oswaldo Arcia, Molitor has power to play with in the heart of the order. The downsides are Arcia's inconsistency, leadoff man Danny Santana being the only player with a 2014 average above .290 and an unsettled situation in center field.
''It's a small sample, our track record from last year, but it's something you can use as a foundation to see potentially how your offense can work. We're going to have depth, I think, all the way down to the bottom,'' Molitor said.
BULLPEN SHUFFLE
The Twins could return as few as three relievers to their roles from last season: Perkins, Casey Fien and Brian Duensing. Blaine Boyer and Tim Stauffer, from San Diego, were signed. At least one of the losers in the fifth starter competition was headed for the seven-man bullpen. Rule 5 draft pick J.R. Graham, who must be returned to Atlanta if he's not on the 25-man roster, has been pushing for a spot, too.
Reliever use will be one area in which Molitor's strategy could differ from that of Gardenhire.
''I want to get them out of a one-inning mentality. Not that they all have it, or don't want to pitch more. But we've talked a lot about some of those guys, trying to get two innings out of them here, if we can,'' Molitor said. | | PITTSBURGH: PITTSBURGH (AP) - The scenario was familiar. The destination not so much.
A veteran player with not much time left leaving millions of dollars on the table for one last run to glory. Only A.J. Burnett didn't walk away from his $12.75 million player option with the Philadelphia Phillies for Los Angeles, Washington or St. Louis.
Nope, the 38-year-old well-traveled (and well tattooed) pitcher practically sprinted to Pittsburgh. His arrival in 2012 marked a sea change in the once-floundering organization's direction. His return three years later signals - he hopes - the end of the team's slow but steady slog from downtrodden afterthought to world champion. And he's not kidding.
''I want to win a ring and I want to win a ring in Pittsburgh,'' Burnett said.
The Pirates are as close to being in the conversation as they've been in nearly a quarter century. And they've opened up their wallets, at least a little, to get there. Pittsburgh made Francisco Liriano the highest-paid free agent in team history when they signed lefthander to a three-year, $39-million deal in the offseason to continue the career resurgence that began when they took a two-year flier on him in 2013. And while Burnett took a cut, he isn't exactly going broke. He'll make $8 million to work as the third man in the rotation behind Liriano and Gerrit Cole.
Pittsburgh even spent $5 million for the rights to sign Korean infielder Jung-Ho Kang, who hit 40 home runs on the other side of the world last year and gives the Pirates an intriguing if unproven option should shortstop Jordy Mercer falter or second baseman Neil Walker's back flare up.
General manager Neal Huntington remains adamant his team's budget will never compare to those of clubs in larger markets but allows there is ''more margin for error'' than in years' past.
''We've built a deeper club because of the money allocated to us,'' he said. ''But we need to continue to grow and mature. We want to put ourselves in a position to win the World Series.''
There are worse places to start than in Pittsburgh, which backed up its breakthrough year in 2013 with a second straight postseason berth in 2014. The playoff run ended abruptly against Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants in the NL wild card game. Yet the point had been made. The Pirates aren't going anywhere.
''It would've been easy to say 2013 was a fluke and we just got lucky,'' centerfielder Andrew McCutchen said. ''But we showed up in `14 and were able to do the same thing. We know we're for real. And other teams know they just can't come in (thinking), `All right, we're going to beat the Pirates.' We're not that team anymore.''
They're also not where they want to be, at least not yet. A National League Central title would avoid the fickleness of a one-game scenario. Pittsburgh believes it's built to withstand the rigors of October.
Here are the keys to getting there:
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THE OTHER FRANCISCO
The Pirates' budget might be growing, but they still couldn't afford to keep catcher Russell Martin, who parlayed his tremendous 2014 into a $82 million deal with Toronto. Pittsburgh prepared for Martin's departure by trading for longtime Yankees' backup catcher Francisco Cervelli. When healthy Cervelli is an adequate defensive replacement with a decent if not powerful bat. If he can handle the pitching staff and control the basepaths, any offense he provides would be a plus.
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SPEED TO BURN
Perennial MVP candidate McCutchen anchors one of baseball's most athletic outfields. Starling Marte surged toward the end of a bumpy 2014 and Gregory Polanco is a raw but talented work in progress. Pittsburgh felt confident enough in Polanco's progress to trade Travis Snider to Baltimore.
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PEDRO'S PROGRESS
Pedro Alvarez moves across the infield to first base in hopes of salvaging his career after developing a serious case of the yips at third. If his can reclaim the groove that helped him mash 36 homers in 2013, the Pirates can live with whatever growing pains may come with the switch.
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KANG SHOW
Kang (pronounced ''Gahng'') doesn't lack for confidence. He told reporters in Korea he believes he can supplant Mercer at shortstop. It may take longer than he thought after a sluggish spring training.
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THE VANIMAL
Vance Worley, like Liriano, Burnett and the since departed Edinson Volquez, thrived under pitching coach Ray Searage's mentoring last spring. He was arguably Pittsburgh's best starter down the stretch and a strong spring gives him a leg up in the battle Jeff Locke for the fifth starter spot. |
| | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER NL PREVIEW (MINNESOTA-PITTSBURGH) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Twins-Pirates Preview* =======================
By JEFF BARTL STATS Senior Writer
Minnesota (21-17) at Pittsburgh (18-20), 7:05 p.m. EDT
Francisco Liriano hasn't faced the Minnesota Twins since 2012, the same year they gave up on the oft-injured former phenom and shipped him out of town.
Less than a year after the trade he began reviving his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who send the left-hander to the mound in the opener of a two-game series against the visiting Twins on Tuesday night.
Liriano (1-3, 2.96 ERA) came up with Minnesota in 2005 and was considered one of baseball's top young talents before Tommy John surgery forced him to miss the '07 season. He made three more trips to the disabled list with arm and shoulder problems before the Twins traded him to the Chicago White Sox in July 2012.
The Pirates took a chance on Liriano with a one-year deal in 2013, and he's been a part of two playoff teams while posting a 3.17 ERA in 62 regular-season starts.
Liriano went 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA in two starts against the Twins while with the White Sox, and Minnesota (21-17) will be seeing a much-improved pitcher this time around. He posted a 1.95 ERA through his first five starts before allowing five earned runs in an 8-5 loss to St. Louis on May 8.
He gave up three runs in seven innings of Wednesday's 3-2 loss to Philadelphia.
"I felt great physically and mentally and I look forward to the next start," Liriano said.
Much also has changed for the Twins since Liriano watched sputtering lineups over his last 1 1/2 seasons with the club. They are among the AL leaders in runs while looking to end a string of four straight seasons with at least 92 defeats.
The bullpen has been an issue, though. Relievers' ERA swelled to 4.19 - among the worst in the AL - after surrendering eight runs for the second time in four games in Sunday's 11-3 loss to Tampa Bay.
"It's a little disappointing when you hope to stay in the game when you turn it over to those guys," manager Paul Molitor said.
The bullpen has been called upon early in each of Ricky Nolasco's starts, a trend he hopes doesn't continue as he gets the ball in this game.
Nolasco (3-1, 6.38) has a 4.11 ERA while winning each of his three starts since returning from elbow inflammation. He allowed two unearned runs and struck out seven in 5 1-3 innings of Wednesday's 6-2 win over Detroit, but he walked three and threw 106 pitches.
The right-hander has yet to pitch through six innings in any of his four outings.
"It is a step forward, but I need to be more efficient with my pitches," Nolasco said. "I need to be able to get through six."
Nolasco has gone at least six innings in eight of his nine starts against the Pirates. He is 4-1 with a 1.91 ERA over the last five but hasn't faced Pittsburgh since 2012.
The Pirates (18-20) got a solid performance from A.J. Burnett on Sunday, ending a four-game skid with a 3-0 win over the Chicago Cubs. Francisco Cervelli had an RBI single and is 8 for 17 over his last five.
"He's swinging the bat well," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We liked him for a lot of reasons. You're seeing them play out right now."
Twins infielder Eduardo Nunez will be activated from the disabled list for this series after missing 17 games with an oblique injury.
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| | Last Updated: 10/5/2024 11:29:52 PM EST. |
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