Minnesota 7 Kansas City 3

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basilrathbonejr
Posts: 222
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 1:30 am

Minnesota 7 Kansas City 3

Post by basilrathbonejr »

The Minnesota Moonlighters continue to play fairly good baseball which has been good enough to keep them among the pack of four teams battling for first place in the American League.

Oakland and Detroit share first place with 17-10 records and Minnesota is in a deadlock for second with Toronto. Both teams own 15-12 records.

Oakland has won three straight, and eight of their last ten. Detroit is only 4-6 over their last ten games. Toronto has gone 5-5 and, like Minnesota, took two of three in their last series with Boston to maintain position in the standings..

Minnesota won game one of their series with Kansas City 4-1, dropped the middle game 6-1, before staking claim to game three 7-3, behind Mike Patterson.

Patterson came within two outs of getting his second complete game of the season. Patterson allowed three runs on eight hits. The twenty-nine year old lefthander struck out nine batters while walking only Cecil Robertson with with one out in the first inning. Patterson struck out two batters in the first inning to leave the base runner standing on first base.

Patterson was tested again in the bottom of the second inning when Len Johnson and Sal Blair opened the inning with cosecutive singles to centerfield. Patterson struck out Bob Lammano but made a big mistake to pitcher Andre Grimshaw, who singeld in the run.

Minnesota picked up two consecutive extra base hits propelled Minnesota to the tying run in the fourth inning. Catcher Amos Strueli tripled and second baseman Mike Straub doubled in the run. Grimshaw recorded five strikeouts over his five and a third innings of work, but he picked this inning to get three straight to fan the side and escape further scoring.

Patterson returned the favor in the bottom of the inning, picking up three of his nine strikeouts. They came just after Bob Lombardi and Len Johnson had singled to start thing in that inning to keep the dramatic game fllowing in a suspenceful way.

Minnesota finally solved Grimshaw the sixth inning. Grimshaw started out fine by striking out Floyd Izquierdo. Strueli singled on the first pitch to him bring an end to Grimshaw's game. His replacement Paul Ratliff did not retire either of the two batters he faced. Mike Straub lined a shot into the left centerfield gap for a double putting runners on second and third base.

Kansas City wasted as much time as possible as Joe Whitt warmed up quickly and replaced Ratliffe. Darrl Pena doubled of hime to right cen and put Minnesotain front 4-1.

Srueli made it 6-1 with a two run homerun off Whitt (4th allowed), the 3rd this season for Strueli.

Second baseman Joe Jacklitsch' RBI single in the ninth inning made it 7-1 Minnesota before Bob Lammano homered with one on and one out in the ninth finishing off Patterson.

Hal Warren came in to secure the final two outs and give Minnesota the win.
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