After suffering their fourth straight loss by a score of 5-2 at the hands of Mike Pelfrey and the New York Mets, the Twins are ready to take on former teammate and two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana. Santana was on hand at Citi Field, swinging by to give Ron Gardenhire a bear hug, visit with his old buddy Francisco Liriano, and even get a pat on the back from former batterymate Joe Mauer.
However, Minnesotans and New Yorkers alike can't help but wonder if all the recent bad press could have any effect on Santana's concentration this weekend.
Carl Pavano's Mustache will be on the mound for Minnesota, carrying an 8-6 record and 3.64 ERA into the matchup. Santana is 5-4 with a 3.31 ERA on the season, having faced a handful of Twins batters before, including Jim Thome, who has four homers off of the lefty with a .194 lifetime average against him in 31 at bats.
Now for some delicious baseball-related links...
- Both lovely sides of Joe Mauer. [The Onion]
- Edwin Jackson's sloppy yet awesome no-no. [AZ Snakepit]
- Billy Wagner earns save No. 400. [Talking Chop]
- It's Hammertime at Great American Ball Park. [Sportress of Blogitude]
- Have Facebook? Here's a new friend. [TwinsTrain]
And, of course, a video for your enjoyment...
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Brewers debacle, or maybe Michael Cuddyer playing third base, the Mets series, and/or anything else you'd like to throw out there. Feel free to email me too. Anytime.
