Los Angeles Lakers (86-64, .573, 1st NL West) @ Minnesota Timberwolves (72-77, .483, 3rd NL West)
If you’re like me, you can think of a million things you’d rather do then spend 2 days in Minneapolis in September – still peak mosquito season, I don’t care what the locals say – but, this is baseball, and in baseball, sometimes, you find yourself in Minnesota for two games in September bookended by days off before heading to Phoenix. Or is that just me? Look, we’ve discussed this, Shawna has a good club in Minnesota – one made bad in the most nefarious of ways… injuries, lots & lots of injuries. So, then, what do they have worth mentioning right now? Not much, to be honest, but, if pressed, I’d go with Brentley Ioannidis, their second baseman, in a pinch. Former Laker – kind of… we traded him when he was still sewing his oats in Compton – and current Minnesota power amp. 21 HR’s from the 7th spot in the lineup. He bats .286, meh, and only has 69 RBI (the league leader, some goofball from Seattle, has 113, so…), but this kid (26 years young) has some promise. The Tennessee Volunteer alum was drafted by LAL (it was the accent, it sold us) 47th overall in 2070, but we traded him in 2071 to OKC (now MIN) for a collection of stiffs that never really factored on our club. Now, since that unfortunate trade, Brentley has a Gold Glove and a 2075 All-Star appearance to his name – he’s on his way. That he’s currently in something of a slump bodes well for us – unless he wakes up for this two-game tilt – and gives me some semblance of confidence that he won’t pad the ol’ HR column much when we’re in town. But, here’s the thing – Shawna’s team is dangerous against us, we’re 7-7 against them and thus, we need to win both of these for me to feel good about our immediate (read: playoff) future.
151 of 162: Dejaun Burns (14-7, 3.70) @ Emanuele Lissenberg (5-7, 6.01)
What is it that the Click says about 151? Doesn’t matter… let’s baseball. What does matter, though, and what will henceforth be on the permanent record, is that we smoked Minnesota today 12-3. Jenkins was studly – 3 for 5 with a homer and 2 RBI, Dejuan was dastardly – 8.1 innings with only three allowed, and Dom hit a 2-run double that on its own would have been enough. The 2-RBI club – Newman, Cooke, Zarate, Jenkins, and PEPPER. We were firing on all cylinders today.
Propers: Isaiah Zuno, former Phoenix flunky, current Brooklyn hero, went 7.1 innings, allowed 5 hits, no runs, a walk, and 8 K’s in the Citizens 2-0 win over the Montreal Impact – big win for Brooklyn here as Montreal took their spot and isn’t looking to relinquish it any time soon. Zuno is quietly putting together his best season at 31-years young – at 3.9 WAR and counting…
152 of 162: Case Tunnell (12-7, 3.39) @ Gregory Highman (8-5, 3.61)
Feeling Minnesota – hurt, confused, a shell of their potential self – we school them here, get a tasty little mini-sweep, and drop a 4-0 shutout on their doorstep. Case was met with little resistance, 5 scattered hits over 6 innings of work – in a game that was called in the 6th due to crappy weather (haven’t seen that before in OOTP – and I’ve logged enough hours to call this thing a legit addiction). Pepper goes 1 for 3 with riblet and a run – and we get two on errors as Minnesota was all about shooting themselves in the foot today. Somewhere there is a scorned OKC fan celebrating this supreme display of ineptitude.
Propers, again: Milt Montemayor gives his Hartford Whalers a 2-1 lead over the Sacramento Kings in the International League Playoffs thanks to his complete game, 4 hit, shutout win. The Whale wins it 1-0 to take a 2-1 lead in their 1st round series. Milt, the 41st overall pick in 2073 out of Missouri, has posted a 15-5 record for Hartford this year and is projected as a borderline MLB starter. This is a kid who adapts, who can employ the mechanism – never nervous – and, who, in time, can potentially be a nice addition to the 76ers big club.
