4B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAIRY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5,2006
MLB
Twins fall to the Athletics in Game 2 of series
BY DAVE CAMPBELL ASSOCIATED PRESS.
MINNEAPOLIS — Playing it safe? Not Torii Hunter's style. That's why he has five Gold Gloves.
Minnesota's Nick Punto slides head-first into first base, just after Oakland's Nick Swisher caught the ball for a ground-out during the third inning of Game 2 of the American League Divisional Series at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Wednesday.
Trying to make a tough catch right after his Minnesota teammates tied the game with back-to-back home runs, Hunter missed — and Oakland took advantage.
Mark Kotsay circled the bases for a two-run, inside-the-park homer after Hunter's ill-advised dive for a sinking line drive, lifting the Athletics over the Twins 5-2 on Wednesday for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.
"It was the worst feeling in the world. You can't do anything about it," said Hunter, who blamed himself for the defeat.
Richard Marshall/ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS
The A's handled the Boof — Bonser, that is — and here's the truth: Oakland has arrived at yet another elimination game. The perennial playoff underperformers are 0-9 in those since 2000, losing four straight first-round series.
"This team knows what to do," said Eric Chavez, a regular on all four of those clubs. "We're hard-nosed baseball players that like to play the game. I don't think anybody here, regardless if they've been in this position, is going to take Game 3 lightly."
The series shifts west Friday, with Twins right-hander Brad Radke taking his broken shoulder socket to the mound for possible the final appearance of his 12-year career.
Dan Haren, in his first postseason start, will pitch for Oakland — which beat Cy Young Award favorite Johan Santana in Game 1 and now gets two chances to close it out at home.
"We've won two games, OK Congratulations. Good job. But it's not over yet," said Nick Swisher, who doubled against Juan Rincon and scored on Joe Nathan's wild pitch in the ninth.
The As had one mishap in the ninth, however. Second baseman Mark Ellis broke his right index finger swinging at a high, inside pitch, and Oakland said it would update his condition at Thursday's workout.
For the Twins, it's certainly not over, considering they came from 12/1/2 games back to win the AL Central. Plus, there's the recent history of these As, even though Chavez and Barry Zito are the only players remaining from 2000 and just a handful are left from 2003.
"We've been backed up before," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We've been told, 'you're done' before. That's not something that this team takes too lightly. We'll come out and battle. We'll give them everything we have."
Oakland starter Esteban Loaiza slipped in the sixth inning, surrendering consecutive solo homers to Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau that evened the game at 2.
But with Jason Kendall on first, two outes in the seventh and reliev
er Dennys Reyes pitching, Kotsay hit what should have been a single. Hunter, bothered by a sore left foot this season, charged forward.
The ball sliced to Hunter's left, and his reach wasn't long enough to get near it.
"There's only one person in this league that can make that catch, and it's Tori," said Cuddery, who watched from right field. "Although it's as close as you come, he's not Superman."
Added Gardenhire: "When he goes after a ball, I don't second-guess him. Ever."
Kotsay, also a center fielder, felt bad for Hunter.
"Once you commit, you're kind of in no-man's land, and it's best to go," Kotsay said. "He went, and for his sake, unfortunately, the ball took off."
Bonser struck out three in six innings, giving up two runs and seven hits. Sidearmer Pat Neshek, who took the loss, started the seventh before yielding to Reyes.
Marco Scutaro hit an RBI double for the second straight game, and Huston Street worked the ninth for his second save in as many days after
blowing 11 chances during the regular season. Street gave up a single to Jason Bartlett and a walk to Luis Castillo, but he retired Nick Punto on a popup on a 3-2 pitch with batting champion Joe Mauer on deck.
After Scutaro drove him Swisher with a double, Kendall's one-out RBI single gave the AS's 2-0 lead.
Loaiza, who had an up-and-down year marked by a trip to the disabled list in May, a drunken-driving arrest in June and an outstanding
"We came here and did the unthinkable in most people's eyes," Swisher said.
August, scattered six singles over the first five innings and had flawless defense behind him from Swisher at first base, Scutaro at shortstop and Chavez at third. He was looking until he left a 3-2 pitch over the plate for Cuddyyer to crush into the seats.
Morneau came next, sending a 1-2 delivery soaring into the upper deck. Suddenly, the game was tied and Loaiza was leaving the mound, replaced by Kiko Calero — who got three outs and, eventually, the win.
MLB
New York Mets beat Dodgers, 6-5, in playoff game opener
MIKE FITZPATRICK
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Minus two top starters, the New York Mets got dynamic postseason debuts from Carlos Delgado and David Wright to jump ahead of the Dodgers.
Back in the playoffs for the first time since losing the 2000 Subway Series, the Mets capitalized on a wild baserunning blunder by Los Angeles and a perfectly respectable performance from emergency starter John Maine in a 6-5 victory Wednesday.
Billy Wagner closed it for his first postseason save, fanning Nomar Garciaparra with a runner on second for the final out.
Playing in the first playoff game of his 14-year career, Delgado had four hits, a mammoth homer and the go-ahead RBI in the seventh inning. Wright drove in three runs, helping the Mets take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
Game 2 is Thursday night, with rookie left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo on the mound for the Dodgers against 290-game winner Tom Glavine. Kuo
New York Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado struggles to catch a foul ball hit by Los Angeles Dodgers' Normar Garciaparra in the first inning of the first game of the National League Division Series at Shea Stadium in New York on Wednesday. Delgado did not make the play. The Mets won the game 6-5.
Henny Ray Abrams/ASSOCIATED PRESS
pitched six shutout innings at Shea Stadium on Sept. 8 for his only major league win.
The Mets started a rookie of their own in the opener after Orlando Hernandez tore a muscle in his right calf while jogging in the outfield Tuesday. He is expected to miss the entire postseason.
Already without injured ace Pedro Martinez, New York scrambled Tuesday night to find a healthy, rested starter and picked Maine, an afterthought in the offseason trade that sent Kris Benson to Baltimore for reliever Jorge Julio.
Julio was shipped to Arizona in May for Hernandez, but Maine became a surprising success. The 25-year-old right-hander went 6-5 with a 3.60 ERA for the NL East champions, who tied the crosstown Yankees for the best record in baseball at 97-65.
Yet he probably would have been left out of the playoff rotation altogether if Martinez hadn't gone down.
Maine, lifted with a 2-1 lead in the fifth after throwing 80 pitches, got a break on a bizarre play when the Dodgers had two runners cut down at home plate in the second.
Drew was left in no-man's land, trapped about halfway between third and home. But Lo Duca, who got spun around on the play at the plate, didn't realize that at first as he struggled to his feet.
That left I.D. Drew, who was on first, practically running up Kent's back as coach Rich Donnelly waved one — or both — around third. A quick, accurate relay from right fielder Shawn Green to second baseman Jose Valentin to catcher Paul Lo Duca nailed Kent, who attempted a headfirst dive into the plate.
With two on and none out, rookie Russell Martin hit an opposite-field drive off the base of the right-field wall. But Jeff Kent hesitated at second base, apparently thinking the ball might be caught, and got an extremely late jump.
With Lo Duca unaware for a moment, Drew tried to sneak his way in. But Maine pointed at Lo Duca, alerting him that another runner was coming. The catcher turned his head, suddenly noticed Drew bearing down on him and applied a second tag as Drew also tried a headfirst dive.
It was the kind of sequence you
plans to rely heavily on its deep bullpen all series. Wagner allowed an RBI double to pinch-hitter Ramon Martinez in the ninth before striking out Garciaparra.
Aaron Heilman worked a perfect eighth for New York, which
all the Dodgers got after running themselves out of a potentially big inning.
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