Bad Night for Catchers

There’s a strange full moon in Major League Baseball these last couple of days… scores that look more like football games (the Twins beat the Sox in the first of two games today 20-14!) and creepily similar injuries (catchers Minnesota Twin Mike Redmond and Atlanta Brave Jarrod Saltalamacchia both left the game with head injuries).

During the second game of the MIN-CWS double-header, Redmond took a bat to the head, just below his helmet, resulting in 7 stitches and hanging out in the dugout from that point in the 1st (or was it 2nd? either way it was early) inning forward. I learned a little about baseball when Garza (winning pitcher – 0.00) had to bat because Mauer was already DH’ing and had to come in to catch. (Once the DH is pulled to a position and bats as such, there is no more DH. Forgive me for not knowing this. As you recall, I grew up on NL Baseball where the pitchers always bat anyway). Apparently, this was the first time an American League pitcher had to bat since 2000 (interleague play omitted). Anyway, stud (and last year’s MVP) Justin Morneau hit THREE home-runs (a single, a two-run homer, and a three-run homer, each to a different section of the outfield). He scored 6 of Minnesota’s 11 home runs. (They won 12-0; 11 of the 12 runs were out-of-the-park home runs.)

On a side note – way to go Garza! He pitched his first Twins win tonight with a 6-inning shut out. And after his season debut with two scoreless innings against the Yankees on Monday night, this was a solid way to leave Rochester to play with the big boys. Nice. (and a nice little audition for the starting spot that opened when Kevin Slowey returned to Rochester last Thursday).

Obviously, if I’m talking about big home runs, I can’t not mention Kubel’s grand slam in the first of the two games against the Chi-town White Sox. I didn’t catch any of this game because I was eyeball-deep in work and getting three different clients set up for big time cable television flights, but I read about it and saw the highlights. CRIPES.

Yes, I am also a Braves fan. No, it does not interfere or contradict my Twins-fan-ness because I am a Twins fan first (sorry fam. I got to know ‘em. And love ‘em.). Also, in my defense, I have been watching the Braves since my eyes have been open because my mother has been a fan since before they were ever good. Anyway, their catcher (hottie Jarrod Saltalamacchia – which, fun trivia information here – is the record-holder of the longest name in Major League Baseball at 14 letters!) took a foul tip to the head (which actually bounced off his head and then off of the batter’s helmet as well), pulling him out of the game in the bottom of the 7th inning and bringing in hometown hero, Brian McCann (Atlanta’s Joe Mauer) to catch the rest of the game.

Other baseball scores that looked more like football in baseball today/yesterday: Today, the NY Yankees beat the LA Angels (“@ Anaheim”) 14-9. Yesterday, Detroit beat Cleveland 12-3; Boston topped Tampa Bay 15-4; and the White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 11-6.

The Minnesota win tonight against the Sox closes the gap to a 6-game lead for the Sox. If this is anything like last year, the post-All Star will be a good time for the Twins.

All in all, the Twins scored 32 runs today. That’s insane.