Minnesota Twins Defeat the Cardinals in Spring Action
The Minnesota Twins bested the Cardinals by a score of 5-3
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The Minnesota Twins made it 7-6 thus far this spring with a 5-3 defeat of the Cardinals this afternoon. Tommy Milone got the start for the Twins. Milone was nearly perfect in his 4 innings of work. He allowed 1 hit, no earned runs and struck out two.
Milone’s great start will certainly help his case to be the 5th starter. So far this spring Milone has allowed 2 earned runs, 6 hits, 0 walks and struck out 8 in 9 innings. By comparison, his main competitor for the role, Ricky Nolasco, has allowed 6 earned, 11 hits, 3 walks and 7 strikeouts in 7.1 innings. Nolasco has some catching up to do.
The Cardinals starter, Mike Leake, also nearly perfect in his start. He kept the Twins to just one 1 hit, no walks, no runs and struck out 6. The relievers for both teams were not nearly as effective as their starters.
Brandon Kintzler, Aaron Thompson and Ryan O’Rourke all earned a run coming out of the bullpen. Alex Meyer pitched two scoreless innings of relief.
John Hicks got the scoring going in the 5th inning with a sacrifice fly to score Oswaldo Arcia. Jorge Polanco had an RBI single that inning as well. Max Kepler brought home Darin Mastroianni in the 7th with a single. The Twins added two more runs to put the game out of reach in the 9th via another RBI single from Polanco and an RBI ground out.
3. 33. 5. 2. Final
C+. 10 hits, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts, no home runs and 3 for 9 with runners in scoring position. The Twins weren’t slugging today but were able to capitalize on a slew of singles. Jorge Polanco has had his struggles defensively this spring but has had no issues with the bat. He had 3 singles and 2 RBI in 5 plate appearances to earn the special mention. . Jorge Polanco. OFFENSE
PITCHING . B. Team totals: 9 hits allowed, 3 earned, 2 walks, no home runs and 7 strikeouts. Milone gets the special mention hands down. . . Tommy Milone
Next: What Does 2016 Hold for Miguel Sano
The Twins have an off day tomorrow. They play again on Wednesday at CenturyLink Sports Complex. The start time is 6:05 CST and the starter will be Kyle Gibson. The game will be televised on FS1.