Last Updated on October 7, 2009 9:06 pm by admin
NEW YORK (AP) -Ron Gardenhire threw a couple of lefties at the New York Yankees and nothing went right.
Before it gets too late, his Minnesota Twins better find someone who can stop the Bronx Bombers – no matter which side they pitch from.
Brian Duensing failed to make it through the fifth inning and Francisco Liriano served up a deflating home run Wednesday night during Minnesota’s 7-2 playoff loss at Yankee Stadium. After dropping the opener of this best-of-five series, the Twins get a welcome day off before Game 2 on Friday.
Minnesota needed a desperate surge down the stretch to qualify for the postseason, earning a matchup with the heavily favored Yankees by beating Detroit in 12 innings Tuesday in a tiebreaker for the AL Central title.
His rotation disheveled, Gardenhire, one of baseball’s craftiest managers, was left with few choices for a Game 1 starter in New York. He turned to Duensing, a rookie who was passed over in a must-win game Sunday in favor of Carl Pavano on short rest.
ince Sept. 29, Duensing couldn’t match Yankees ace CC Sabathia. Handed a 2-0 lead, the Minnesota left-hander gave it right back when Derek Jeter turned on a hanging breaking ball for a two-run homer in the third inning.
It was nothing new for Jeter, who batted an AL-best .395 against lefties this season. In fact, New York went 36-18 against left-handed starters and led the majors with a .286 average against southpaws.
Rcalled from the minors July 3, Duensing worked out of the bullpen before moving into the rotation and going 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA in nine starts. The Yankees, however, proved to be a tough matchup.
Duensing allowed another run in the fourth and was chased by Alex Rodriguez’s two-out RBI single in the fifth.
In came the struggling Liriano, who went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA in 2006 but hasn’t been able to regain his form since missing the 2007 season following elbow ligament replacement surgery.
Liriano promptly gave up a two-run homer to his first batter, Hideki Matsui, making it 6-2.
Matsui hit 13 home runs off left-handers this year, tying for the most in the majors by a left-handed batter.
Maybe the Twins will have better luck with right-handed starters the rest of the series. Nick Blackburn is slated to go in Game 2, and it will be Pavano or Scott Baker in Game 3 back home at the Metrodome.
eels the best.”
The Twins used to have perhaps the best left-hander in baseball. Johan Santana helped them win playoff openers at Yankee Stadium in 2003 and 2004, but he left to sign with the New York Mets before last season.
Now, Minnesota must hope a right-hander is right against the Yankees. Otherwise, the Twins’ remarkable run to the playoffs will end quickly.