Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 7-10-23.
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No bigger sign that summer is flying too fast than here we are at the MLB All-Star Break. Home Run Derby tonight, A-S Game tomorrow in Seattle.
Friends don’t let friends write about NHL Development Camps, sorry.
Hawaii’s Allisen Corpuz turned Pebble Beach into her own personal playground, never looking like a loser in the final round of a three-shot win in the U.S. Open. Loved watching Bailey Tardy - the Georgian who “had to fly to Minnesota for a U.S. Open qualifier” - like we’re the end of the world. Tardy had career earnings of $37,000 - she made 11 times that this weekend.
Twins Draft No. 1 HS Player; Limp into All-Star Break
The Twins took No. 1 ranked high school player Walker Jenkins with the fifth pick in yesterday’s amateur draft. He’s a lefty swinging outfielder - and based on how some college friends in North Carolina rave about him, he’s a can’t miss prospect.
And let’s be honest, Jenkins can’t get here fast enough.
The Twins absolutely limped into the All-Star Break with a three-game sweep at home at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles, including a 15-2 thwacking Sunday.
Minnesota is below the .500 mark, no longer in first place (half game back of Cleveland) and just continues to be uninspiring in about 70 percent of its games.
The Orioles are good - 19 games above .500, which just shows you how fast you can go from zero to hero in the big leagues.
Even if the Twins were to secure the AL Central crown, do you see this team winning more than a game in the playoffs? Despite one of the best pitching staffs in baseball (and in team history), the team’s paltry offense can’t get out of its own way.
Royce Lewis is out for the next month. Just a single starter is batting over .250. Joey Gallo is down to .189 and is looking like the guy who was the worst hitter in baseball last season.
Can the Twins get something for Sonny Gray? He’s certainly not going to sign another contract with Rocco Baldelli at the helm. He’s got a 2.89 ERA in 18 games but just four wins. Gray will go to Seattle this week as an All-Star; rotation mate Pablo Lopez goes with him as a replacement.
Loons Begin Crucial Stretch with 4-1 Home Loss; Aurora Bows Out in League Semifinals
The Loons play three games in eight days, and it couldn’t have started any worse as they fell 4-1 at home to Austin on Saturday. The lone bright spot was Maplewood’s Devin Padelford scoring a goal.
Minnesota heads to Houston on Wednesday then plays LAFC at home on Saturday. The Loons need to finish ninth to make a Wild Card game - they’re in 11th right now. Houston sits just four points ahead of them in eighth.
The Aurora, undefeated in the regular season, fell in the conference finals, 1-0, ending their season. For a league that does a lot right - the Aurora sell out TCO Stadium each night - I don’t know why it would have league playoff games at a neutral site, and in the middle of the day (the conference semi was a midweek game, mid day). It’s about the money, of course, but do right by the players.
ANT a Richer Man, Signs $260 Million Contract
Wolves star Anthony Edwards signed a big contract, a five-year extension that’ll pay him between $217 and $260 million over five years. Now let’s see how he handles that kind of pressure.
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