I Was There: Twins Win!

Twins win! as you may or may not be able to tell from the crummy cell-phone pic.

The Twins took on the California Angels of Los Angeles via Anaheim™ Tuesday night, and our good friend n00b was kind enough to offer me a ticket to the game. I couldn’t refuse n00b’s generosity, but my hopes were low, as the forecast called for rain, and the Twins’ play of late has been...less than stellar. Let’s just say that, on both accounts, I was pleasantly surprised.

The aforementioned rain came and went an hour before first pitch, so weather wasn’t even an issue. The stewards at the ballpark even Sham-Wowed the seats for us, so we didn’t have to sit in puddles. There wasn’t a drop of rain the rest of the night, and it ended up being a perfect (maybe a bit chilly) night for a baseball game.

So with weather no longer a concern, my first task upon arriving at the ballpark was jumping on the Surly Bandwagon. Bandwagon is an IPA brewed by Surly that can only be found at their one stand in Target Field. At $8.75 for a large one, it is just a little bit more expensive than the usual swill that you find, but the vastly superior quality more than justifies the cost. If you’re headed to Target Field anytime soon, and you like good beer, head on over to section 124, and have yourself a Bandwagon.

As for the game itself, I think I can safely say it was the Twins’ best effort yet this season, as we won 5-0.  

Pujols at the plate is even more menacing in person. Good thing he's not having a good year.

Scott Diamond threw a gem of a game™. (Headline Pun trademarked verbally by SilkyJ at approx. 9:30 pm CST May 9, 2012). Diamond struck out 6 in 7 innings of work, while allowing only four hits and no runs. In doing so, he became the first Twins starter to finish his start without allowing a run. Burton and Capps finished the game without allowing a baserunner, preserving the shutout.

Offensively, the Twins got off to an early start, with Willingham hitting an RBI double in the first. The very next batter, Ryan Doumit, absolutely MASHED a pitch up in the zone into the seats in right-center. 3-0 start for the Twins, and it was all Scott Diamond would need. 

Ryan's two-run Dou-mer

The Twins scored with the long ball in the first, but they did it with small ball in the fourth. Two singles, a bunt, a sac fly and another single plated two more runs for the Twins and ended Dan Haren’s night early. That also ended the scoring for the night, as both pitching staffs moved crisply through the batting orders after that. The game ended after two and a half hours, but we stuck around for a bit to watch some of FSN’s on-field postgame interviews. Between interviews, a group of fans were at the railing having their picture taken, and I noticed Robby Incimikowski making faces, clearly trying to photobomb the picture. It was just a goofy little moment that you would have never seen if you hadn’t been at the game.

Two things were slightly worrisome on this wonderful night of baseball. One was the not-so-stunning lack of quality of my cell phone camera. Secondly, and more importantly, was the fact that the Twins left 10 men on base. Lack of clutch hitting has been a problem all season, and it was evident even tonight. That aside, it was a great night of baseball. The weather cooperated, the beer was delicious, the seats were amazing, the company was quite pleasant, and the Twins won! It was all I could ask for, and more, and I can’t wait to get back to Target Field to cheer on the Twins again.