After loading up with some new talent following a disappointing, playoff-less 2005 season, the Minnesota Twins opened 2006 north of the border in Toronto and rode an early-season rollercoaster for the first few weeks.
A classic Johan Santana vs Roy Halladay clash christened the new 162-game slate on April 4, and the home Jays got the better of the visiting Twins 6-3. Shannon Stewart and Tony Batista bashed bombs, at least, and the Twins evened the series the next day with a lopsided 13-4 drubbing
of the Birds—16 hits (homers from Stewart, Torii Hunter, & Luis Rodriguez) supporting a strong Brad Radke start.
But in the series finale, Carlos Silva couldn’t scatter 5 H & 2 BB as masterfully as usual and MN went through customs to Cleveland as a losing ball club.
Hoping to get a leg up on the division rival Clevelanders, the Twins…did not. Kyle Lohse (4.2 IP, 11 H, 8 ER) & Matt Guerrier (2.1 IP, 2 ER) were disastrous in the Jacobs Field home opener, with Travis Hafner hammering two homers and former Twin Casey Blake blasting another en route to a 11-6 Tribe triumph.
Game two saw 24-year old fifth starter Scott Baker twirl a nice road tilt—but only receive 6 H of support in a 3-0 defeat. It was more of the same the next day for the CLE sweep: only 4 MN hits as Jake Westbrook (7.1 IP, 1 ER) out-dueled Santana (5.1 IP, 3 ER). Uh oh. After two series, the ‘06 Twins were 1-5 and the should-have-been-reigning AL Cy Young had been beaten twice.
Fortunately, some Dome cookin’ was just what the doctor ordered.
In the Dome Opener versus the Oakland Athletics on April 11, Justin Morneau & Batista homered in support of the metronomic Radke (7 IP, 4 ER) to blow the 48,911 paid out the doors with a smile over the 7-6 victory.
A 13-hit, multi-homer (Morneau & Hunter) pounding of Esteban Loaiza backed up Silva (2 homers to Nick Swisher, but otherwise solid) for the 6-5 game-and-series victory the next day, while 12 more hits (HR from Hunter & Michael Cuddyer) including a Nick Punto triple (I can picture the headfirst dive into the third sack!) secured the sweep behind Lohse’s strong bump turn (6 IP, 2 ER).
The New York Yankees were under the Teflon next and threatened to ruin the good vibes as quickly as they had ruined the 2003 & 2004 postseasons for Twins fans.
But not this time:
A four-game home winning streak was achieved when Scott Baker out-dueled Mike Mussina 5-1 with the 6-7-8-9 batters Morneau, Batista, Lew Ford, & Juan Castro combining to go 7-14.
The contest on 4/15/06 was an all-time Twins/Yankees classic (in the good way, for once!). Down 6-5 heading into B9 with Mariano Rivera on the mound, one almost couldn’t blame the 42,316 Twins Territory acolytes for gathering their possessions in anticipation of a quick exit. But Luis Castillo singled—then the same from Joe Mauer. Let’s not get too antsy to beat the traffic! But whiffs from Rondell White & Hunter quickly reduced the Twins to their final out. It took exactly one pitch to decide it—that being Mo’s first offering to Morneau which the future Twins Hall-of-Famer blooped over the head of NYY 2B Robinson Cano. Moving on contact, Castillo & Mauer skittered around the bases to score the tying and winning runs—a 6-5 victory over the Yankees and a 5-game winning streak to become a winning ballclub (6-5) on the young season!
Alas, the momentum would be curtailed the next day when Bombers Jason Giambi, Cano, & future Minnesota Timberwolves owner Alex Rodríguez pummeled Radke & Guerrier to the tune of a 9-3 defeat.
But roughly two weeks into the 2006 season, the Twins had overcome an initial setback and reset the needle on the campaign to regain AL Central supremacy.
