Ryas/MLB

Hunter's goof has Twins in hole

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published October 5, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS - Playing it safe? Not Torii Hunter's style. That's why he has five Gold Gloves.

Trying to make a tough catch right after his Minnesota teammates tied the score with back-to-back home runs, Hunter missed, and Oakland took advantage.

Mark Kotsay circled the bases for a two-run, inside-the-park homer after Hunter's ill-advised dive for a sinking line drive, lifting the Athletics over the Twins 5-2 on Wednesday for a 2-0 lead in their AL division series.

"It was the worst feeling in the world. You can't do anything about it," said Hunter, who blamed himself for the defeat.

Now Oakland has arrived at another elimination game. The A's are 0-9 in those since 2000, losing four straight first-round series.

"This team knows what to do," said Eric Chavez, a regular on all four of those clubs. "We're hard-nosed baseball players that like to play the game. I don't think anybody here, regardless if they've been in this position, is going to take Game 3 lightly."

The series shifts west Friday, with Twins right-hander Brad Radke, the former Jesuit standout, taking his broken shoulder socket to the mound for possibly the final appearance of his 12-year career.

Dan Haren, in his first postseason start, will pitch for Oakland, which beat Cy Young Award favorite Johan Santana in Game 1 and gets two chances to close it out at home.

"We've won two games. Okay. Congratulations. Good job. But it's not over yet," said Nick Swisher, who doubled against Juan Rincon and scored on Joe Nathan's wild pitch in the ninth.

For the Twins, it's certainly not over, considering they came from 12½ games back to win the AL Central.

"We've been backed up before," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We've been told, 'You're done,' before. That's not something that this team takes too lightly. We'll come out and battle. We'll give them everything we have."

St. Petersburg's Boof Bonser, in his first postseason appearance, struck out three in six innings for the Twins, giving up two runs and seven hits.

Oakland starter Esteban Loaiza slipped in the sixth inning, surrendering consecutive homers to Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau that evened it at 2.

But with Jason Kendall on first, two outs in the seventh and reliever Dennys Reyes pitching, Kotsay hit what should have been a single. Hunter, bothered by a sore left foot this season, charged.

The ball sliced to Hunter's left, and his reach wasn't long enough to get near it.

"There's only one person in this league that can make that catch, and it's Torii," said Cuddyer, who watched from rightfield. "Although it's as close as you come, he's not Superman."

Added Gardenhire: "When he goes after a ball, I don't second-guess him. Ever."

Kotsay, also a centerfielder, felt bad for Hunter.

"Once you commit, you're kind of in no-man's land, and it's best to go," Kotsay said. "He went, and for his sake, unfortunately, the ball took off."

Nobody was more disappointed than Hunter.

"You sit there and say, 'Man, I feel like less than a man right now,' " he said.

ALDS

A'S 2, TWINS 0

GAME 1: A's 3, Twins 2

WEDNESDAY: A's 5, Twins 2

FRIDAY: at Oakland, 4, ESPN

A's RHP Dan Haren 14-13 4.12

Twins RHP Brad Radke 12-9 4.32

SATURDAY: at Oakland, TBA*

SUNDAY: at Minnesota, TBA*

* if necessary

[Last modified October 5, 2006, 02:13:38]