导出博客文章CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Jeff Locke broke into a grin before taking any questions.
"Happy to be back," the left-hander said. No ones happier than the Pittsburgh
Pirates, who used their formula from a highly successful first half -- great
pitching, just enough scoring -- to salvage the final game of their series with
Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. Locke allowed only an infield single through six
innings of a 3-2 victory. Second-place Pittsburgh left town with a three-game
cushion over the NL Central-rival Reds, who won the first two games. "Theres
still a lot of games left, but to get this final game is big," said Garrett
Jones, who homered off Homer Bailey. "Every game matters." Locke (9-2) and the
majors second-stingiest bullpen limited the Reds to three singles, but issued
seven walks and let a run score on a wild pitch. Jason Grilli worked the ninth
for his 30th save in 31 chances. His only blown save came in Cincinnati on June
19. Locke had to miss his last scheduled start and couldnt pitch in the All-Star
game because of a sore back. There were no problems when he got back on the
mound. "The back was great," Locke said. Bailey (5-9) struck out a career-high
12 but remained winless since his no-hitter against San Francisco at Great
American Ball Park this month. Jones hit his second homer in two games, and the
Pirates added a pair of runs in the seventh. "That was the best Ive ever seen
Bailey," Jones said. "His velocity was up, his cutter was nasty and he was
hitting his spots well." The Pirates hit six homers during the series, all solo
shots. It underscored their main concern as trade talks intensify: Can they
score enough runs to make the playoffs? "Im just one of the pieces that need to
pick it up," said Jones, who has 10 homers after hitting a career-high 27 last
year. "I had a slow first half and this is the time to hit and be productive and
help your team win." The Ohio River rivals dont meet again until September, when
they play each other six times in the last nine games. Both hope they have a lot
at stake when they get back together -- the Reds trying for a second straight NL
Central title, the Pirates trying to end their 20-year streak of losing records
and reach the post-season for the first time since 1992. They came away from
their weekend series bunched a bit closer in their chase of division-leading St.
Louis. Bailey threw the first of his two no-hitters last Sept. 28 in Pittsburgh,
a 1-0 win over a team he has dominated during his career. He threw his second
no-hitter on July 2. Since then, hes started three games -- two on the road --
and gone 0-3 with a 5.50 ERA. Lockes performance was encouraging for the
Pirates, who have stayed in contention despite injuries in the rotation.
Shin-Soo Choos infield single in the first inning extended his hitting streak to
a career-high 15 games. Locke walked a pair and threw a wild pitch that let in a
run in the fifth inning. He lowered his ERA to 2.11. "What did he leave with,
one hit?" manager Clint Hurdle said. "Thats good stuff." The Reds got another
run in the eighth when Joey Votto grounded into a double play with the bases
loaded against Mark Melancon, ending the relievers streak of 15 scoreless
innings. It was Cincinnatis best chance to pull off the three-game sweep. "It
hurts when you have opportunities like that," manager Dusty Baker said. "You
hope youre going to blow it open." First baseman Gaby Sanchez, a late defensive
replacement, started the double play, with Melancon covering first to take the
relay and finish it. "Thats as good a double play as weve made all year in a
tight situation," Hurdle said. Pittsburgh scored twice in the seventh on Jordy
Mercers single and Jose Tabatas pinch-hit single off Bailey, who threw 121
pitches. NOTES: The Pirates continue their 10-game trip with the first of four
games in Washington. The Reds begin an 11-game trip to San Francisco, Los
Angeles and San Diego. Theyre in a stretch of playing 18 of 21 on the road. ...
Bailey fanned 10 during his no-hitter in Pittsburgh and nine during his
no-hitter against the Giants. ... The Reds plan to call up RHP Greg Reynolds
from Triple-A Louisville to start one of their doubleheader games in San
Francisco on Tuesday. Reynolds, a California native who played at Stanford,
started 16 games for Colorado in 2008 and 2011.
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signed. This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 12 Owners Issue. Subscribe
today!Minnesota TwinsOverall: 87 Title track: 68 Ownership: 91 Coaching: 90
Players: 110 Fan relations: 91 Affordability: 52 Stadium experience: 28 Bang for
the buck: 108 Change from last year: -40So ... yeah. The Twins had a
surprisingly exciting 2015 season in which the team won 83 games and remained
relevant well into September. Optimism abounded. Target Field never looked
greener. Young talent! New coach! Prospects! What would follow a mere seven
months later was a new low even for a team that, over the past five seasons, had
win totals of 63, 66, 66 and 70. A 1-9 start this season would lead to a 7-18
April, and the Twins were 10.5 games back -- and entirely irrelevant -- in the
AL Central by May 1, well on their way to what would ultimately become the worst
season in the history of the franchise. Fifty. Nine. Wins.Whats goodThe Twins
fell precipitously in each of our eight categories this year, but there are
still few places more enjoyable to catch a game than at Target Field, which
opened in 2010. The teams No. 28 rank in stadium experience is by far its
highest rating, and the 10th-highest in baseball. And though the Twins roster is
rated a dismal 110th (and no, guys, Joe Mauer is not to blame for this mess --
hes, like, the 11th-biggest problem), Minnesota undeniably has terrific young
talent in Miguel Sano, who amassed a .462 slugging percentage this past season,
and 22-year-old Byron Buxton, who after his Sept. 1 call-up justified his
longstanding reputation as the best prospect in baseball, batting .287, with a
.357 on-base and .653 slugging percentage in the seasons final 29 games. And, of
course, second baseman Brian Dozier became Babe Ruth for the seasons final 60
games (1.019 OPS!). That was fun.Whats badSo, so muuch.dddddddddddd Before the
season, most experts predicted the Twins would sport an average offense and
staggeringly poor pitching. And, boy, were they right! It was wretched. The
Twins allowed an MLB-worst 5.49 runs per game, an AL-worst WHIP of 1.45, and
struck out the third-fewest players per nine innings of any team in baseball.
Minnesota fell 40 spots overall in our rankings, driven by a 74-spot drop in
players, a 56-spot drop in coaching, and a 28-spot drop in ownership. The twist?
Compared with 2015, the players are largely the same; the coach, Paul Molitor,
is light years ahead of his predecessor in terms of on-the-field strategy and an
openness to analytics; and the Pohlads are ... the Pohlads. The problems are the
same. The team just won 24 fewer games.Whats newIn a very un-Twins-like move,
the team fired longtime GM Terry Ryan in July after two stints (1994-2007 and
2011-2016) running the organization. After an exhaustive search with the help of
third-party firm Korn Ferry, which helped the Timberwolves land Tom Thibodeau,
the franchise hired 33-year-old Derek Falvey away from the Cleveland Indians to
serve as the general manager and president of baseball operations. With a new
voice, one that has experience with a winning organization and one who has
worked to bridge the gap between folks who lean toward analytics in player
evaluation and those who might favor scouting, the Twins are once again asking
their fan base to believe. And however unwarranted that request might seem, with
the young talent already on this roster and with Falvey now in the fold, its
perhaps more palatable to do so now than at any time since 2011.Next:
Philadelphia Phillies?| Full rankings
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