Most people in Minnesota probably didn't watch the Twins play the Mariners this past weekend because the games were at 9:00 CT. But the Twins were very successful, winning 3 out of the 4 games. They scored 40 runs in 4 games, which is usually a recipe for success. On Saturday night the exploded for 18 runs on 6 home runs including 2 each by Jonathan Schoop and C.J. Cron. Byron Buxton also continued his breakout season with a grand slam to get the Twins going early. The Twins are the first team to ever have 5 5+ home run games before June. But the problem continues to be relief pitching. In their one loss, the Twins bullpen gave up a key 3-run home run which proved to be the game's winning runs. But overall, I think the Twins are fine. They just keep winning.
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After dropping the first game of the series to the Angels, the Twins have returned to their winning ways. They won 2 one run game back to back against the Angels and won again last night in Seattle. The Twins are winning in a variety of ways. Either with the bats or on the mound, they are looking like one of the best teams in the Majors. They need more help in the bullpen though. So far, that has been the biggest struggle for them. If they really want to be a contender, they need to make a move at the deadline to get a reliever. But other than that, they are looking really good. Byron Buxton is turning into a star in front of our eyes and Martin Perez is looking like a great offseason pick up. This year I can definitely say that I am proud a Twins fan.
The Twins traveled to Houston this week to take on one of the MLB's best teams in the Astros. Minnesota would ultimately end up losing two out of three against them, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. To me they proved that they can hang with the best of the best. But it also proved to me that the Twins need some serious help in the bullpen. They had a chance to win a second game against them but then the bullpen gave up 6 runs over the final 3 innings. On the bright side, they get another chance to play them next week, at home, so hopefully they can at least split and maybe win 3 of 4. A great sign for the Twins has been Eddie Rosario. He is playing at an MVP level this year. The Twins play host to the Baltimore Orioles this weekend, who they just swept in Baltimore so that should go well for them.
As we move into the summer months, my blog will switch focus. I will now be posting about my beloved Minnesota Twins. The Twins currently sit at 9-7 with some big early season wins. On opening day they had a big win against the Indians followed up by a road sweep of a division foe, the Kansas City Royals. In their most recent home stand, they had a series win against the Tigers but then dropped 3 out of 4 to the Blue Jays, who aren't that great of a team. The story for the Twins so far has been key hitting from unlikely sources. Mitch Garver is on fire right now along with emerging star Byron Buxton. To me that is so good to see. They also get Miguel Sano back from injury sometime soon which will help. I think they're going to need a few pieces at the trade deadline, but as of right now it looks like they are a playoff team.
The Golden Gophers were faced with the tall task last Saturday of the number 2 seeded Michigan St. Spartans. The Spartans would prove why they are a national championship contender and the Big Ten Champions. Michigan St. got an early lead and never looked back. They did most of their work on the defensive end holding MInnesota to 30% from the field and only 50 points. MInnesota also shot an abysmal 9% from behind the arc going 2-22 compared to the Spartans' 40% clip going 6-15. Amir Coffey led the Gophers with 27 points. But he was the only player in double figures for Minnesota and you just can't beat a good team with that. The Spartans would end up winning the game 70-50. The Gophers have plenty to look forward to next year though as their only big loss is Jordan Murphy. But until then, Gophers basketball will have watch and wait.
The Minnesota Gophers opened up the NCAA Tournament as the underdog 10 seed against the 7th seeded Louisville Cardinals. This was a game that many didn't give the Gophers a chance in, but clearly they didn't get the memo. The Gophers jumped out to a lead early and never looked back. At one point in the second half they were up by 18. Minnesota was led by freshman Gabe Kalscheur who had 24 points and five 3-pointers. The trifecta was the story for the Gophers on Thursday as they made a season high 11 3-pointers. The Cardinals however wouldn't go away without a fight as they got it under 10 with 2 minutes to play. But the Gophers had all the answers with clutch free throws down the stretch to ice the game. Although the Gophers won, they didn't do it without some wounds as senior Jordan Murphy suffered a back injury. Despite playing through it, he clearly wasn't 100%. They will have one day to rest up as they take on the number 2 seeded Michigan State Spartans on Saturday.
The last time the Gophers played Michigan, they lost on a game winning shot as time expired. Last night was a different story. It was all Michigan, all night. They proved why they're ranked 7th in the country and sit atop the Big Ten standings. The Gophers were led by freshman Daniel Oturu who had 18 points and 12 rebounds. Jordan Murphy also added 18 points and 15 rebounds. Michigan was led by Jordan Poole who had 22 points, including 5 3-pointers, and Jon Teske who had a career high 17 points. The Wolverines led by 10 at half, only allowing 18 points in the first half. The Gophers would turn it on in the second half scoring 42 points, but it wouldn't be enough as they would allow 41 points. To me this game shows that the Gophers are still close to where they want to be, but still need to get over that hump. Hopefully they can figure it out before March. I really hope they get in the tournament but I feel like they're still going to need one more big win down the stretch and a decent showing at the Big Ten tournament. It should be an interesting finish in the Big Ten conference.
On Wednesday night the Gophers traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers. Both teams were in desperate need of a win as the Huskers had lost 7 in a row and the Gophers had lost 3 in a row. This game was very evenly matched from start to finish. Minnesota led at the half by 1, 31-30. Jordan Murphy led the Gophers with 19 points and James Palmer Jr. led all scorers with 24 points. This game ultimately came down to the last play on a controversial foul call on Amir Coffey to send Palmer Jr. to the line. He would knock down those free throws to lift Nebraska to 62-61 win. Unfortunately for the Gophers, this was a huge loss. It takes a big hit on their NCAA tournament hopes and now they've lost 4 in a row. As a fan, this was very frustrating to see because they always play so good against the good teams, but so bad against the bad ones. We'll see how it plays out, but things aren't looking good for the Gophers.
The Minnesota Gophers Men's Basketball team traveled to Ann Arbor Michigan on Tuesday night to take on the 5th ranked Wolverines. After coming off a win over Penn State at home, this would be a huge win for the Gophers that would look great on their NCAA Tournament resume. Minnesota came out of the gates hot, leading 31-28 at half, which no one expected. The Gophers were led by Jordan Murphy who had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Gabe Kalscheur and Amir Coffey both added 11 as well to lead the Gophers. For Michigan it was standout Freshman Ignas Brazdeikis who led them with 18. In the second half Michigan would make their run and take the lead back. Minnesota scratched their way back into it and Kalscheur hit a big 3-pointer with 27 seconds left to tie the game at 57 all. On the Wolverines final possession, it was Brazdeikis who took the shot, but he couldn't hit it. Unfortunately the ball bounced out to Michigan's Charles Matthews who hit a jumper on the baseline as the buzzer went off to give them the win 59-57. Even though the Gophers lost, as a fan this was great to see. It shows that they can play with anyone in the Big Ten and are just a couple plays away from not only playing with them, but winning. Minnesota comes home on Sunday to play the Iowa Hawkeyes, which is a game I will be attending that I am very excited for.
This was a very interesting week for the Minnesota Gophers basketball team. On Saturday they got a big win at home against Rutgers. The final score was 88-70 and the Gophers were led by Amir Coffey who had 29 points. To me this was a big win because even though Rutgers isn't very good, every Big Ten win is important, especially at home. It was also nice to see Amir Coffey come alive because I think for this team to be good, he's going to need to step up. On Wednesday night though, the Gophers looked horrid as they lost 68-95 to Illinois. This was a terrible loss as they looked out of sync and let Illinois do whatever they want. It was very upsetting as a fan because Illinois isn't very good and a game that the Gophers could've won. But the Gophers will have to look ahead as they come home and play Penn State on Saturday. This should be a good game as both teams have shown signs of being a good team, but haven't quite gotten over the hump. This will be a good test for the Gophers to see where they're at.
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AuthorMy name is Riley Swenson. I am a sophomore at Moorhead High School. Archives
April 2019
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