Criswell Was Right

The butt-kicking everyone in the second floor baseball bunker knew was coming did, indeed, happen. A good old-fashioned peckitty-pecking is more like it. Nine runs on 18 hits, fifteen singles, most of them by players only the most rabid Twins fans and the fantasy league geeks know about. Ryan Doumit (three-run homer), Darin Mastroianni ( 3 for 5, 3 RBIs), Jamey Carroll (3 for 4 hitting eighth). And Mauer and Willingham, them we've at least heard of; a combined 5 for 7 hitting third and fourth. Final: 9-3 Twins. (Sigh ...)

Anibal Sanchez allowed twelve of the 18 hits in his fourth whacking since being acquired to prop up the starting rotation (7.97 ERA, 35 hits in 20 innings, .380 batting average against).

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Skipper Leyland says the bullpen -- with four gas men (Ben Wah, Coke, Villareal, Val Verde) and only the veteran Dotel and rookie Downs reliable lately -- is fine. Actually, it's better than that. It's Howard, and Fine, AND Howard. (Get the tools ... ! WHAT tools?) With the same results.