twins/mlb
Morneau, Twins offense both are disabled
- Article by: LA VELLE E. NEAL III , Star Tribune
- Updated: May 6, 2012 - 10:10 AM
The first baseman is headed to the disabled list, and the Twins managed only one hit and no runs off Felix Hernandez. Brian Dozier and Scott Diamond are on their way up.
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SEATTLE - If Denard Span's ground ball in the fourth inning Saturday doesn't get through the infield, the Twins could have been no-hit for the second time on this road trip.
Oh wait, there's one more game left. There's plenty of time to find new lows, especially with Justin Morneau heading to the disabled list because of his ailing left wrist.
Seattle ace Felix Hernandez's signature performance led the Mariners to a 7-0 victory over the Twins, with Span's single being their only hit of the game.
It's the 27th time the Twins have been one-hit in their history.
It's time to go over low-hit games again, because they are piling up this week.
The Twins were shut out on three hits Tuesday, no-hit by the Angels' Jered Weaver on Wednesday and had five hits in a victory on Friday. Throw in Saturday's game, that's nine hits over their past four games.
Nine.
In their past 36 innings, the Twins have scored in one of them.
One.
The Men Without Bats are building momentum toward Monday, when Weaver is scheduled to face the Twins again as he finds out if he can connect with his inner Johnny Vander Meer, the only pitcher ever to throw back-to-back no-hitters.
"I've been on those teams where when pitching is going good, hitting stinks," said Twins righthander Jason Marquis, who walked six batters over six innings on Saturday. "And when pitching stinks, hitting is going good. We gotta match it up.
"We just need, as pitchers, to do our job. And I know the hitters are going to be doing their job. We just need everything to line up."
Twins hitters largely were absent from the visitors' clubhouse after the game. The Twins can, however, still win this three-game series if they beat the Mariners on Sunday, a fact acting manager Scott Ullger embraced during the postgame interview.
Hernandez topped out at 93 miles per hour on a stadium radar gun but his total arsenal of weapons were more than enough for the Twins. In eight innings, Hernandez shut them out, giving up two walks while striking out nine. The Twins actually loaded the bases in the fourth as Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit followed Span on the bases with two-out walks. But Hernandez got out of his only jam of the ninth by getting Chris Parmelee to fly out to left.
Ullger praised Hernandez but said, "The bottom line is, you get one hit you're not going to win too many games."
The Twins sorely missed Morneau, who won't be in the lineup anytime soon. He's headed to the disabled list as the tendinitis in his left wrist won't allow him to swing a bat the way he wants to. Brian Dozier will be called up in time for Monday's game to replace him on the active roster.
"A little more time and hopefully that will calm down and get to where I can swing normally and be productive -- not just be out there swinging but swinging to make a difference in the game,'' Morneau said.
Seattle broke through against Marquis in the sixth on Kyle Seager's two-run single. They added five in the seventh off the Twins bullpen.
Anthony Swarzak gave up a sacrifice fly. Ichiro Suzuki hit a two-run triple off Matt Maloney and Jeff Gray served up a two-run homer to Seager.
The way the Twins offense is going right now, the Mariners could have saved some stick for later.
"You go through spells like this during the course of a season," Ullger said. "Hitting is contagious. And lack of hitting is contagious. Someone needs to get hot."
If lack of hitting is contagious, the Twins have a epidemic sweeping through their clubhouse.
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| Baltimore - WP: F. Garcia | 6 | FINAL |
| Toronto - LP: R. Dickey | 5 |
| Cleveland - LP: V. Pestano | 4 | FINAL |
| Boston - WP: J. Tazawa | 7 |
| LA Angels - WP: B. Buckner | 7 | FINAL |
| Kansas City - LP: J. Guthrie | 0 |
| Colorado - LP: R. Betancourt | 5 | FINAL |
| San Francisco - WP: S. Romo | 6 |
| Minnesota - WP: P. Walters | 3 | FINAL |
| Detroit - LP: D. Fister | 2 |
| Chicago Cubs - LP: T. Wood | 2 | FINAL |
| Cincinnati - WP: H. Bailey | 5 |
| Pittsburgh - WP: J. Locke | 5 | FINAL |
| Milwaukee - LP: M. Fiers | 2 |
| NY Yankees - WP: I. Nova | 4 | FINAL |
| Tampa Bay - LP: J. Lueke | 3 |
| Atlanta - WP: A. Varvaro | 7 | FINAL |
| NY Mets - LP: B. Lyon | 5 |
| Philadelphia - WP: C. Durbin | 5 | FINAL |
| Washington - LP: D. Storen | 3 |
| St. Louis - LP: S. Maness | 3 | FINAL |
| Los Angeles - WP: P. Rodriguez | 5 |
| Miami - LP: R. Webb | 1 | FINAL |
| Chicago WSox - WP: J. Peavy | 2 |
| Oakland - WP: A. Griffin | 11 | FINAL |
| Houston - LP: L. Harrell | 5 |
| Atlanta - WP: M. Minor | 6 | FINAL |
| NY Mets - LP: D. Gee | 0 |
| San Diego | 9 | Bottom 8th Inning |
| Arizona | 4 |
| Texas | 5 | Bottom 7th Inning |
| Seattle | 2 |
| San Antonio | 104 | FINAL |
| Memphis | 93 |
| Philadelphia | 3 | FINAL |
| Montreal | 5 |
| Portland | 2 | FINAL |
| D.C. | 0 |
| Toronto FC | 0 | FINAL |
| New England | 2 |
| San Jose | 0 | FINAL |
| FC Dallas | 1 |
| Chicago | 1 | FINAL |
| Real Salt Lake | 1 |
| Chivas USA | 0 | FINAL |
| Colorado | 2 |
| New York | 69 | FINAL |
| Connecticut | 81 |
| Tulsa | 81 | FINAL |
| Atlanta | 98 |
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