Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 10.9.23
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Twins Ride Correa, Lopez to Game 2 Blowout Win
Someone will be going for a series win Wednesday at Target Field. Will it be the Twins, who rode former Astro Carlos Correa’s three hits and three RBI to a 6-2 blowout win at Minute Maid Park last night. The win, bolstered by a brilliant performance on the mound by Pablo Lopez, helped erase early struggles by Game 1 starter Bailey Ober on Saturday.
The best-of-five series is headed back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Tuesday at 3. The Twins will give the ball to their second best starter, Sonny Gray.
Their best pitcher, Lopez, threw seven scoreless innings in Game 2, and got all the offense he needed from Correa. The former Astro had three hits, three RBI and increased his post-season batting average in 2023 to .533. He doubled home the first run of the game with two outs in the first, and singled home two runs in the fifth for a 5-0 win. Just two MLB players ever - Bernie Williams and Manny Ramirez - have more RBI in the post-season than C4.
Kyle Farmer, starting because the Twins faced a leftie Framber Valdez, hit a towering two-run homer.
The Twins hadn’t scored five runs in a playoff game since 2004 - that’s almost 7,000 days.
Lopez was so good, and the Twins have to feel comfortable knowing if they win one of two at home they’ve got Lopez on regular rest in Game 5 versus Justin Verlander in Houston. Only Lopez, Johan Santana and of course Jack Morris have pitched seven shutout innings in a playoff start for the Astros.
Target Field will be chilly and lubed up Tuesday afternoon.
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Vikings Drop Some Passes en Route to 1-4
You know what’s even worse than groveling for a celebrity to come to your city and your stadium? Griping about the officiating.
There’s no fix. Sure, some calls went against the Vikings. Most legit, a couple not, including an official telling a Chiefs player to put his helmet back on instead of calling a penalty (that wouldn’t have changed the outcome).
But the officials didn’t cause Kevin O’Connell to take three timeouts in the second before crunch time, including one on a bad challenge and another because his team was disorganized on a fourth down attempt that KC wound up bailing on and punting.
The officials didn’t drop a half dozen passes, nor did they fumble on the first offensive play of the game - the third straight game the Vikings have turned the ball over on the opening drive. They didn’t cause Justin Jefferson to leave the game injured, one of a pair of casualties on the Vikings turf.
The Vikings got outplayed by a better team. Now, the Chiefs aren’t going to win the Super Bowl if they keep playing like they have the last two weeks. But the 1-4 Vikings aren’t going to make the playoffs if they play anywhere close to how they’ve played the last five weeks.
Oh, the Chiefs won by the way, 27-20, yet another one score game that last year went the Vikings way and this year doesn’t.
On the bright side the Vikings are at a bad Bears team next week, although Chicago dismantled Washington on Thursday. But they’re likely to do so without Jefferson, who stumbled and pulled a hamstring. It would seem a tough turnaround for Sunday.
Loons Stay Alive after Heath Fired
I needed to reach a couple people with the Loons Friday morning in advance of the Saint Paul Cup, a great high school soccer doubleheader at Allianz that night. No one was answering the phone. Then I realized why, when I got a text that the Loons had fired both head coach Adrian Heath and their technical director.
It seems quitting 5-1 on the road in LA with a chance to still make the playoffs may have been the last straw.
But the Loons had a blowout of their own in store Saturday at Allianz, as Teemu Pukki scored a team record four goals in a 5-2 win. The Loons have two full weeks off until their last game, but stayed alive in the race for eight and nine in the playoffs.
The Loons could finish anywhere between seventh and 12th. They’re in 11th technically with 33 points, one of five teams separated by two points between seventh and 11th. Minnesota will play 10th place Sporting KC a week from Saturday in the season finale. Other teams ahead of them face worse opponents.
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Wolverines Blast Gophers 52-10
The less said the better about the Gophers’ 52-10 loss at home to No. 2 Michigan in front of a national TV audience on Saturday. Michigan returned an INT for a touchdown on the first drive, and nothing much happened offensively for the Gophers the entire night.
Michigan’s just a superior talented team.
The Gophers get a week to lick their wounds - and hopefully get Darius Taylor back from injury - before playing at Iowa on Oct. 21.
Wild Finishes Pre-Season 5-1
The Wild beat Dallas 4-0 at home on Saturday to finish the pre-season at 5-1. I thought it had to be the Gus Bus leading the team out for Thursday’s home and season opener against Florida, but after that game Saturday, it’s gotta be Gus over Marc-Andre Fleury.
The Wild signed Ryan Hartman to a multi-year extension, meaning they’ve got an aging Hartman, Foligno and Zuccarello signed for several seasons. A more than slight indictment over the lack of depth in the immediate prospect pool right now.
College Hockey Roundup
The Gopher men beat Bemidji State in an exhibition game but lost Mason Nevers to a hit that Bob Motzko didn’t like but it was pretty clean to me. Although, definitely not necessary in a meaningless game.
St. Thomas men won at St. Cloud State in overtime in an actual regular season game. The Tommies and Gophers play Friday at The X (men’s/women’s doubleheader) and Saturday at Mariucci.
It’s a much different look for the Gopher women this season. Gone are most of their offense save for Abbey Murphy. But they dispatched of RIT on the road, winning two games by the combined score of 8-1. Murphy had three goals and two assists on the weekend. The Gophers play at St. Thomas on Saturday after the DH at The X on Friday.
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