MINNESOTA SPORTS FAN DAILY: Thursday, September 7, 2017

By Eric Strack |

Updated: Jul 1, 2021

MSF Daily: 9/7/17

Twins @ Rays in Game 3 of 3

This game was the definition of “back and forth”.

1st Inning

It didn’t take long to get things going. Not even 1 hitter in. Brian Dozier leads off the game again with a home run. It is his 29th of the year and 26th leadoff home-run of his career according to the Star Tribune:

Brian Dozier gets the @Twins started with a leadoff home run! They’re live NOW on #FOXSportsGO: https://t.co/2U3hLZWWpR pic.twitter.com/7FwBnAoiUM

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) September 6, 2017

But, in the bottom of the inning, Longoria would match Dozier’s solo home run with a solo home run of his own.

1-1 Tie

2nd Inning

Ehire Adrianza has enjoyed a much better-than-expected offensive game this season. He came up big again Wednesday:

¡QUE TABLA! ?? Ehire Adrianza despachó el segundo cuadrangular del año, y fue de tres carreras. pic.twitter.com/WkPfIhbZlo

— L.P SportsNews (@LaParalelaSN) September 6, 2017

4-1 Twins

3rd Inning

Again, the Rays would match the Twins tit-for-tat and Lucas Duda matched Adrianza’s homer with a 3-run shot of his own to tie it up.

4-4 Tie

5th Inning

But it didn’t take the Twins to take the lead back again thanks to Eduardo Escobar, who has 11 RBI in his last 5 games:

Again, the Rays would answer. This time it would be right away. The bottom of the 5th included a Kevin Kiermaier 2-run homer.

6-6 Tie

7th Inning

Unfortunately, I don’t have any video of this. Polanco laid down a bunt and things got away from the Rays. The wild throw brought Dozier all the way around to score and allowed Polanco to advance all the way to 3rd. He would then score on an Escobar base hit. He would eventually score too. Twins add 3 in the 7th.

9-6 Twins

9th Inning

Grossman hit a SAC Fly to score Escobar and add some insurance.

FINAL: 10-6 TWINS WIN

Reaction:

The Twins needed a win Wednesday. It wasn’t a must-win but, after losing 3 straight and giving up their Wild Card spot to the Angels with only a month left in the season, it was needed. The Angels lost tonight so the Twins are back up a half-game. Seeing the Twins’ lineup blow up again was a relief. The team can’t afford to lose its hitting.

What’s Next:

The Twins will start a series @ Kansas City on Thursday. Kansas City, much like Tampa Bay, is still alive in the Wild Card Race (69-69, -2.5 games) so they will be hungry. The Twins could use 2 or 3 of 3 to make sure they stay where they are. First, it will be Kyle Gibson vs Sam Gaviglio (3-5, 4.62 ERA) on Thursday at 7:15 PM.

Jimmy Butler Will Stay Where He is Wanted; So He Will Stay Here:

Michael Pina of VICE Sports released the longest sports article of all time yesterday. It was on new Minnesota Timberwolves SF, Jimmy Butler. If you were able to stay with it for the 20 minutes it took to read, then you stumbled upon some gold at the end. If not, I have you covered:

Jimmy Butler says he just wants to be wanted. We want you @JimmyButler. Forever and ever… #TWolves #PowerOfThePack https://t.co/WC2x0iWon9

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 7, 2017

Whalen Returns for Lynx’ Title Run:

The Lynx are about to start another playoff run and they recently got some very good news. U of M Grad, Lindsay Whalen will be back with the team for their newest title run, after a broken wrist that sidelined her for the last 12 games of the season.

Guess who’s back. Back again. ? @Lindsay_13 #LosLynx https://t.co/IJOLXLlzJ9

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) September 6, 2017

Marcus Fuller Finds Someone Predicting a Gophers’ Sweet 16 Birth:

Fuller says it best here. The days of the Gophers’ Basketball Team being underdogs is over. Last year they had the biggest turn-around in the NCAA and have added more talent with Isaiah Washington, Jamir Harris, and Davonte Fitzgerald.

Athlon Sports put out an early NCAA Tournament prediction and had the Gophers going to the Sweet 16 before eventually losing to the National Champion Arizona Wildcats. Here is the rest from Marcus Fuller, who is good at what he does.

Will the #Gophers men’s basketball team reach the Sweet 16? Here’s one vote yes @StribSports https://t.co/biRGBb3upN

— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) September 6, 2017

Timberwolves Bringing in Players to Try and Fill-Out Roster:

There are 3 spots left that need to be filled on the Timberwolves’ roster. They tried out names that include Anthony Morrow, Trey Burke, and Isaiah Canaan. I’m not going to spend much time on it because, unless the Wolves can get Dante Cunningham, Shabazz Muhammad, or Tony Allen, these guys aren’t really going to see the floor. If you want to read more, Jerry Zgoda has you covered: