Hurtin' In Minneapolis



Twins starter Johan Santana had gone 16-0 with a 1.93 earned run average in his 23-start home streak going into yesterday's game so this was really an opening game that the Twins were expected to win.

But Frank Thomas' two solo shots extinguished hope of a Twins opening advantage and Barry Zito pitched a sparkling debut as the A's went on to win the first game of the series 3-2.

Before Tuesday, the Twins won eight consecutive postseason Game 1’s. The loss was Minnesota’s sixth in a row in the postseason at the Metrodome since 2002.

I still think Boof Bonser will outpitch A's starter Esteban Loiza in the second match but this has become rather imperative now. It might not be such fun times to be a Twins fan at the moment. Nerves wearing raw after just nine innings.

The 38-year-old Thomas became the oldest player to have a multihomer game in postseason history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Mr October Redux



Derek Jeter is already renowned for his many World Championship rings and imprinted moments of greatness in his career but last night he added another layer to that reputation with a 5 for 5 night at the plate leading the Yankees to an unsurprising

Cardinals Playing Possum All Season



Could it be that the near-collapse of the St Louis Cardinals in the regular season was just a sign of apathy, a ho-hum disregard for the NL Central race having done it already so many times?

Unlike the Atlanta Braves who could never quite bring themselves to match their regular season intensity in the postseason, the Cardinals got off to a roaring and important start by beating the Padres and their ace on the road to take a 5-1 victory over the Friars.

St. Louis has won five of its six Division Series since the format's inception. In NLDS openers, the Cards are 5-1 and have outscored opponents by a 43-18 margin.

The usual suspect, Albert Pujols provided the game's first runs with a monster 422-foot homer that capped an eight-pitch at-bat.

*****

Today's matchups:

Well, who bloody well knows now that El Duque might be injured and not start Game One against the Dodgers, adding to the growing list of starting pitching mishaps that seem to plague the team like a curse. Look for John Maine to make a smashing debut and an unexpected Mets victory if the Duke can't go.