by Jerry Feitelberg
The Oakland A’s are en route to meet the Minnesota Twins for the first time this season. Hard to believe that they haven’t played the Twinkies this year but they will make up for it as the play the Twins seven times in the next 13 days. Three in Minnesota and four at the Coliseum. The last four games will conclude the A’s home season.
The A’s and Twins have had a long rivalry. Before 1994, when baseball created three divisions in each league, there were just two divisions. It was the AL West going up against the AL East to determine the pennant winner. In the years from 1987 to 1991, it was either the Twins or the A’s that won the American League Pennant. The Twins won it in 1987 and the World series,too, beating the St. Louis Cardinals and then they did it again in 1991 beating the Atlanta Braves. What was unique about those series was that the Twins won all four home games and lost on the road but they had home field advantage in each series. The A’s won Pennants three years in a row but just one World Series title as they beat the San Francisco Giants in the Battle of the Bay. The Twins and the A’s met twice in the AL Division series. The A’s had a great year in 2002, highlighted by the twenty game win streak, but the Twins eliminated them 3 games to 2 in the first round of the playoffs. The A’s garnered a measure of revenge when they eliminated the Twins in 2006. The A’s, unfortunately were swept by the Detroit Tigers and didn’t make it to the World Series that year.
The Twins were good for a long time but starting in 2011 and going right up to the present, the team has had a losing record. The Twins won 94 games in 2010 and their Manager Ron Gardenhire was named Manager of the year. The Twins dropped to 63-99 in 2011 and 66-96 in 2012. Their record as of September 9th is 61-80 and it appears they will have their third consecutive losing season.
The A’s, on the other hand, are in first place in their division, with a record of 83-60 and are in first place a game and a half ahead of the Texas Rangers. The A’s have to be careful as the Twins can now play the role of “spoilers. “ The A’s cannot let down and Manager Bob Melvin will make sure that they don’t. The A’s will have their ace, Jarrod Parker on the mound and he will be opposed by righty Liam Hendricks who will be trying to prove that he can compete on the big league level.
The Twins have many players on their roster that are unknown quantities. They do have a few veterans such as our old friend Josh Willingham. Willingham had a great year last year but has had injury problems this year. Kevin Correia is a former Giant and Pirate and Mike Pelfrey, the former Met are the leaders on the pitching rotation. Joe Mauer, who has won three batting titles and was MVP in 2009, will not be available.
This will be a great opportunity for the A’s too, perhaps, put Texas in the rear view mirror for good this year. After the three game set with the Twins, the A’s head to Arlington to play the last three games of the year with the Rangers. The Rangers have to face the Pittsburgh Pirates before they met the A’s and A’s players and fans hope the Pirates will make the Rangers walk the plank.
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