The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#-1: Lynx (Last Week: -1).  A trio of relatively close call this screening Week.  Went to Golden State Friday and left remaining perfect over the Valkyries after a six-Point Win.  (It appears as though their fan base is getting obsessed over the fact their team has yet to beat the Lynx.  I don't think Lynx fans think about the Valks the same way.  So the sports analogy is: Lynx:Valkyries::Michigan:Michigan St.)  Then they had a home-and-home with The Washington Mystics and, unfortunately, they first lost at home to them Sunday by five.  The Lynx, however, returned the favor last/Wednesday, defeating them in D. C. by a pair.  This Mystics squad is getting to be dangerous; they have a 1-2 duo in Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen (who graduated from my alma mater), and they have a way of mucking things up, as evidenced by their two Games vs. Minnesota.  Add the bevy of whistles that occurred in both tilts, and you have trench warfare against a young club that seems to be gelling.

(Oh, and they got next Year's First Round Draft pick from The Chicago Sky, who keep acquiring OK players for the here and now in exchange for selections that, because the Sky continue to suck anyways, are extremely high.  The pick that landed the Lynx Olivia Miles was a trade for which Chicago wanted to move up to select Angel Reese, who's now with Atlanta.  Chicago traded away their First Rounder next season to get Jacy Sheldon from Washington.  The Sky are on track to have the second-worst record in the WNBA this Year, and thus the second-best odds for next Year's Draft Lottery.  The Mystics may get to the postseason this Year and have, at worst, the chance to draft Rory Harmon or Hannah Hidalgo ... and, if the ping pong balls fall right, the #1 pick and JuJu Watkins.)

One other thing about this road-and-road split between these two teams: Both of them hosted their annual Pride Night Games against each other.  So Minnesota and Washington ruined the other's Pride Night.  Sweet!  Turnabout is fair play!

Minnesota, who, despite the stumble, still have The Best Record In The WNBA, have only one Game this screening Week.  But it's a big one -- at Dallas Sunday afternoon.

#-2: Twins (Last Week: -2).  They began the Week completing a three-Game sweep at The Bastard Washington Senators v.2.0. and finished it getting swept at home versus The Bastard Brooklyn Dodgers.  In the middle they won a series in Arizona, but finished the week 3-4.

So I was at last/Wednesday's night Game.  Target Field was or was nearly sold out to watch Shohei Ohtani pull double duty.  What I didn't know till recently was that he lost his last two starts, so it made sense that he really stumbled in the Second Inning, allowing three Runs, a lot of it on grounders that made their way through the Infield.  But while he lasted only six Innings, he was pretty good besides that Inning, striking out eight.  That is one fewer, however, that Twins Starting Pitcher Joe Ryan, who struck out nine but gave up three Runs one half-Inning after Ohtani got shaken down.  Add that scoring started in the top of the Second on a solo Home Run by Mookie Betts -- his 300th of his career, by the way -- and even though both Bullpens shut down the teams from the bottom of the Third through Byron Buxton's swinging Strikeout to end the Game, Los Angeles completed a sweep with a 4-3 Win.

(Interesting note: The most memorable thing about Ohtani's performance last/Wednesday night was him at the plate.  He was the first batter Anthony Banda faced after he came in for Ryan.  Banda's Pitch on 3-1 was called a Strike, but Ohtani made a challenge ... and it did get the corner, so the call was confirmed and the count ran full.  The next Pitch was called a Ball, but now Twins Catcher Victor Caratini issued a challenge ... and that Pitch also grabbed the corner, so what was a Walk turned into a Strikeout.  What an at-bat.)

So anyway, that will probably be the last time I step foot in Target Field to watch a Twins Game for the next, oh, two seasons.  They host Colorado for three over the weekend beginning tomorrow/Friday, then have a trio at scuffling Houston.