Twins go for game two with Halos

[Durango53]

GAME: Los Angeles Angels (13-10) at Minnesota Twins (14-8).

TIME: Saturday, 7:10 p.m. EDT.

Despite starting the season on the disabled list, right-hander Kelvim Escobar looked like he was in midseason form in his first start of the year.

He'll look to turn in another strong outing when the Los Angeles Angels resumes their three-game series with the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome.

Escobar, who missed the beginning of the season because of a sprained right elbow, made his season debut on Sunday, allowing just two hits over six innings in the Angels' 1-0 win over Oakland.

"It was very exciting," Escobar said. "I felt good since I warmed up in the bullpen. One thing I told myself was to relax and just pitch and keep the team in the ballgame. I was pitching aggressively and pounding the strike zone."

Escobar went 11-12 with a 3.93 ERA last season, his first with the Angels after signing a three-year, $18.75 million deal that previous offseason. The Venezuelan right-hander led the team with 191 strikeouts, good enough for fourth in the American League.

He threw 82 pitches against the A's, striking out seven and giving up two harmless singles - the fewest hits he has allowed in a game with Los Angeles. However, the Angels didn't manage to score a run until he had already left the game, leaving him without a decision.

"I always tell myself, keep the team in the ballgame," Escobar said. "You can't worry about how the other guy is pitching."

The Twins beat the Angels 7-4 on Friday for their fourth straight win. Michael Cuddyer had two doubles and three RBIs for Minnesota, which came back from a 4-1 deficit.


The Twins have come from behind to win in 11 of their 14 victories this season.

"That game didn't look like our ballgame, it really didn't," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "But we kept hanging around."

Orlando Cabrera homered and Chone Figgins went 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Angels, who earlier in the week took two of three from the Yankees in New York.

[Durango53]

Winners of four straight, the Twins return Saturday for a 6:10 p.m. CT game against the Angels at the Metrodome.

Brad Radke will pitch for Minnesota against the Angels' Kelvim Escobar.

Whether they've been known as the California, Anaheim or Los Angeles Angels -- Radke has posted superlative numbers vs. the Angels over much of his career. He is 12-6 with a 2.10 lifetime ERA.

Radke has worked a team-high 33 2/3 innings this season, but it's the first inning that has proven turbulent for the right-hander this season. He's allowed first-inning runs in four of his five previous starts.

[Durango53]

STANDINGS: Angels - 1st place, AL West. Twins - 2nd place, 1½ GB, AL Central

[Durango53]

ANGELS PROBABLE STARTER: Escobar (0-0, 0.00 ERA). Escobar is 3-5 with a 6.09 ERA in 13 career appearances, including six starts, against the Twins.

LAA: RHP Kelvim Escobarhttp://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/113898.jpg
• 0-0, 0.00 ERA in 2005
• 0-0, 2.57 ERA in 2004 vs. MIN

MIN: RHP Brad Radkehttp://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/120878.jpg
• 1-3, 5.08 ERA in 2005
• 0-1, 6.39 ERA in 2004 vs. LAA

TWINS PROBABLE STARTER: Brad Radke (1-3, 5.08 ERA). Radke allowed four earned runs and 11 hits over 6 1-3 innings in the Twins' 6-4 loss to Detroit on Monday, but did not receive a decision. The 32-year-old right-hander is 12-6 with a 2.10 ERA in 22 career starts against the Angels.

[Durango53]

OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Angels - Vladimir Guerrero, .356 avg., 5 HRs and 17 runs; Guerrero and Garret Anderson, 19 RBIs; Chone Figgins, 9 SBs. Twins - Jacque Jones, .359 avg.; Torii Hunter, 4 HRs, 17 RBIs, 16 runs and 10 SBs.

[Durango53]

SEASON SERIES: Twins, 1-0.

[Durango53]

Player to watch
Jacque Jones is 10-for-21 (.476) over his career vs. Escobar with two home runs.

[Durango53]

STREAKS AND NOTES: Angels - Manager Mike Scioscia said he plans to use OF Guerrero and OF Anderson at DH sometime during this series to give them a break from the Metrodome turf. ... C Bengie Molina, on the DL with a strained right quadriceps, will catch in the bullpen Saturday to see whether he can get into the squat without any pain. ... RHP Bret Prinz, on the DL since April 11 with a strained pitching shoulder, will throw in the bullpen on Saturday. Twins - RHP Joe Nathan earned his seventh save on Friday. ... RHP Grant Balfour, who has been on the DL since early in spring training, will have season-ending ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow. ... RHP Kyle Lohse, who left his previous start in the fifth inning with stiffness in his right shoulder, had an MRI and the results came back negative. He is listed as day-to-day.

[Durango53]

ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Angels - 5-5 on the road; Twins - 7-2 at home.

[Durango53]

Quotable:
"We've been playing real well lately. We're playing good defense and pitching well. We're getting hits when it matters. When we get guys in scoring position, we're starting to get hits." -- Twins third baseman Michael Cuddyer, who was 2-for-4 with three RBIs Friday

[Durango53]

Quick hits
Lew Ford has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, going 13-for-32 (.406) with eight RBIs. ... Justin Morneau has hit safely in six of his last seven at-bats. He is batting .480 (12-for-25) with a homer and seven RBIs in his last six games since coming off the DL. ... Cuddyer is batting .269 (7-for-26) with five RBIs with runners in scoring position this season. Friday was his second multi-hit game of the season and his first multi-RBI game of the season. ... Cuddyer's double in the eighth inning was the Twins' first extra-base hit with the bases loaded this season.

[Durango53]

On television
• MIN: WFTC
• LAA: FSN West

On radio
• MIN: WCCO 830-AM
• LAA: KSPN 710-AM

[Timberwolf]

Twins finish the month of April by playing the Angels in the second game of a three-game series tonight at the Dome. Twins are coming off a come-from-behind win last night thanks to timely hitting by Lew and Michael Cuddyer.
That win was huge because it gives us a chance to win the series with Johan starting tommorow.

I am starting to feel real good about the offense. Justin has been a huge part of it and now you are seeing everyone follow his lead. Lew has been hitting good. You have to hope Michael can do well after getting the big double to give the Twins a lead and then a double to give additional runs last night. I am hoping the offense is starting to play to its potential if last night was any indication.

Brad is on the mound tonight. Let's hope he does not get off to a bad start in the first inning. He has been good in his last two starts so let's hope he can keep rolling. His counterpart, Kelvim Escobar is making his first start of the year for the Halos. Twins made Escobar look like an All-Star last year. Let's hope there will be different results.

Escobar vs. Radke

BTW, I hope I don't get the Angels coverage on MLB.TV tonight. The Angels announcers are so freaking homerish especially Rex Hudler. Could you imagine Rex and that village idiot, Hawk Harrelson doing a game? God help us all.

[Durango53]

Looks like Twins leading in 2nd. Looks like Radke keep the first inning runs down.

[Durango53]

Punto is making some noise with this starts this year. Triple for him and Twins lead 4-1!!!!!!!!!

[>TC<]

Post the win, 4-2 - Radke the win, Nathan the save


TC

[Durango53]

Great game for Justin!!!!!!!!! And Brad...

[LesPaul]

Hopefully Nathan stops attracting the bats! Great game!

[Timberwolf]

The night started with Torii being awarded for his Gold Glove award and it ended with a Twins win. The Twins are rolling, rolling, and rolling right now. They won two games in a row in this series against the Angels and they have won five games in a row. Life is good for our Minnesota Twins.

Brad was super tonight. There was nothing to complain tonight. He started off bad in the first as usual, but he got out unscathed with no score. Then he settled down and got it done. He stymied the Angels 5-9 hitters pretty good. He did a very good job.

The offense is in a groove right now. They got the big hits again and they drove the runners home. Justin is just on a groove as he had two hits tonight. He is just hitting everything that a pitcher is throwing out there. Did you saw that HR in the first? That was a bullet to the Vikings press box at the Dome. That was something. I am telling you. Justin may be our best player since Kirby in terms of carrying the team on his back. Twins hasn't had that since Kirby retired and now that void may have been filled with the way Justin is playing. Like I said last night, I expect Justin to come through when he is in the dish. Joe Mauer came through with another big hit that drove Shannon home

How about Nick Punto? He played a great game. He had two hits and made some good catches. Nick hit a triple that sent Lew home. It's good to see him starting to play well after a rough start and he may have likely taken Luis's job at second base for the immediate timebeing.

Juan and the Nathanator made a quick work on the Halos to finish the game.

God it's so good to win two in a row against those guys and I want this sweep badly tommorow afternoon with Cy-tana on the mound. I don't hate the Angels, but I sure like to get that sweep. Angels has owned the Twins forever so it would be nice to send a message. I got the broom ready for tommorow and I like the Twins chances.

[LesPaul]

God it's so good to win two in a row against those guys and I want this sweep badly tommorow afternoon with Cy-tana on the mound. I don't hate the Angels, but I sure like to get that sweep. Angels has owned the Twins forever so it would be nice to send a message. I got the broom ready for tommorow and I like the Twins chances.


For sure. It is great to see the Twins beatin up the Angels and helping us Twins fans forget that darn rally monkey. It is bad to have a monkey as your arch nemesis :D

A sweep would be ideal for more than one reason.

[Timberwolf]

The Rally Monkey is so freaking stupid. I found it insulting to Angels players who worked so hard to lead their team and then to have that stupid monkey get all the credit really bothered me. I know Jarrod Washburn wasn't happy about it either as he spoke his mind about it in 2002.

Fox went on and on and on about the mystique of the Rally Monkey in the ALCS in 2002. That really bothered me. It's a cute story, but this is ridiculous.