Another game against the Yankees and another loss for the Twins, 2-0 Friday night at Yankee Stadium.
Call it what you will, but it was a boring game. The highlight of the game was probably the rain delay.
The umpires tried to keep the game going through a steady rain, but eventually the tarp was pulled over the field and the game was delayed for one hour and 13 minutes.
The delay ended Scott Diamond’s night. The left-hander was effective through the 3 1/3 innings he pitched. He gave up just one hit to go along with three walks and a strikeout.
New York came out of the rain delay and struck for a pair of runs in the fifth inning. Ryan Pressly, who took over for Diamond, gave up run-scoring singles to Brett Gardner and Robinson Cano.
The Twins failed to reach base over the final three innings, the last was closed out by Mariano Rivera in 1-2-3 fashion on just nine pitches for his 30th save of the season.
That was the ballgame. The Twins were shutout for the eighth time this season.
Minnesota’s hitting with runners in scoring position has reached a low point, as noted by Phil Miller of the Star Tribune.
Twins are 19-for-107 (counting tonight) w/RISP during their 12+ game slump. That's .178. Subtract their one win (4-8), they're 15-99 (.152).
— Phil Miller (@MillerStrib) July 13, 2013
Note: Rookie outfielder Oswaldo Arcia is going through a rough stretch at the plate. Over his last three games, he is 0-14 with 11 strikeouts.
