Justin Morneau to skip TwinsFest in order to continue workouts

By D.J. ShortJan 24, 2011, 9:44 PM EDT
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Here’s a little addendum to what Craig wrote this morning.

Twins general manager Bill Smith has informed La Valle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that Justin Morneau will skip the team’s annual TwinsFest this weekend in order to continue his workouts near his offseason home in Arizona.

Smith said it was a tough decision, but the club feels it’s more important to keep Morneau on track with his specific training program.

“It’s still a work in progress,” Smith said, ”but he has made tremendous progress since the end of the season. That’s why I don’t want to set that back.”

In other words, don’t look too much into his absence at this weekend’s event. Get back to me if for some reason Morneau doesn’t swing a bat sometime next week, as estimated by Smith on Sunday.

Astros extend winning streak to 11 games

Brian Davidson/Getty Images
By Bill BaerJun 17, 2018, 8:29 PM EDT
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The Astros rallied late to keep their winning streak alive, extending it to 11 games with a 7-4 victory over the Royals on Sunday afternoon. The club is now 48-25, leading the Mariners by a full game in the AL West.

The Royals took a 4-2 lead after three innings, but Brian McCann knocked in a run with a single in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to one run. Carlos Correa hit a game-tying solo home run in the eighth. The Astros kept their foot on the gas, scoring two more runs on RBI singles from Evan Gattis and Marwin Gonzalez in the top of the eighth and another in the top of the ninth on Correa’s sacrifice fly.

Starter Lance McCullers allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks with nine strikeouts over six innings. Tony Sipp worked a scoreless seventh. Ken Giles did the same in the eighth. Hector Rondon finished off the win in the ninth, working around a one-out walk with a game-ending double play.

After winning all 10 games on their road trip against the Rangers, Athletics, and Royals, the Astros will head home for a nine-game homestand against the Rays, Royals, and Blue Jays. Each club is below .500.