Los Angeles Lakers (65-47, .580, 1st NL West) @ Minnesota Timberwolves (52-59, .468, 4th NL West)
The only thing longer than the list of grievances levied against the league by the citizens of Oklahoma City for allowing Shawna to steal away their beloved Thunder is the injury list that the Minnesota Timberwolves have amassed this season. With 8 players on the IL including 4 from their opening day rotation - the Timberwolves are in a bad way. They’ve made a lot of little moves this season - filler mostly - but, given what they have on the IL and the guys they brought in to fill some gaps this could be a club that contends as early as next year. For now, they, and their fans, will have to be content with languishing in the moral purgatory of rooting for and trying to build up a stolen team into something worth cheering for - something, with its own identity steeped in heavily stylized funk and stagnant Minneapolis fog - that dense and maleficent roux made up of fatty double entendres and flowery midwestern charm. It’s all Sven and Ole jokes until someone loses an eye.
113 of 162: Julen Morales (13-5, 3.34) @ Adam Lyman (4-4, 5.44)
We got a good outing from Morales in this one – 7 innings with only 2 runs scored, but Minnesota’s Lyman was an inning better and our RP Adrian Bae couldn’t hold the tie for us, getting walked off on a run-scoring single courtesy of Dizzi Sandoval – a walk-off loss by a score of 3-2. Mullens, Weaver, and Pepper all get 2+ hits, and Otto drives in a run, but as a team we strikeout 10 times and commit two errors – one for Otto and one for our C Johan Somma – who let the T’Wolves steal 4 bags.
114 of 162: Matt Olson (2-4, 3.41) @ Damon Smith (0-2, 7.83)
Our comeback attempt in the 8th would ultimately come up short in this one – a 3-2 loss @ Minnesota. The Timberwolves Colt DeWees went 3 for 3 with a double and 2 RBI – and Dom Cooke goes 3 for 4 with an RBI. Nothing of value from Otto today – he committed another error (we committed 2 as a team) and Pepper goes 0 for 4. Newman hit one out – cool – but not much else from the Purple & Gold today who looked like they hit a wall after playing in their 19th straight game.
115 of 162: Michael Brisk (9-8, 4.29) @ Braylen Shively (4-2, 4.86)
We tied it up in the 9th and went off in the top of the 10th, scoring 5 runs that start with a Zarate sac fly, and ultimately avoid the sweep with an 8-3 win. Zarate goes 2 for 2 with a HR, 2 BB, and 3 RBI to aid in the cause and Weaver goes 3 for 5 with 2 runs. Otto finished 1 for 2 with a run as a late sub and we gave Pepper a seat. 10 innings of error-free baseball and a win – that’s a good way to go into a much-needed day off before we head off to Pittsburgh for a 3-game set.
Propers: Quirk Benoit pitched an 11-inning shutout and his club, the Hartford Whalers (the 76ers AAA club) and still lost to Tucson by a score of 1-0. Hartford’s closer, Ethan Roberts, allowed the walk-off single to Tucson’s Reginald Elijah in the bottom of the 13th. You have to question the wisdom of letting a developing player go 11, but, man… what a game for the young man.
