Hello everyone! I'm back and ready to continue my coverage of the Minnesota Twins and the rest of Major League Baseball. I left off last week after the second game of the three-game series between Minnesota and Chicago at U.S. Cellular Field, and tonight is the second game of a three-game set between Minnesota and Chicago at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

Since I last posted, the Minnesota Twins went 5-1. They finished off the sweep of the White Sox with a 5-1 last Wednesday night. They then returned home for a four-game series against the Seattle Mariners, taking three of the four games. The only loss came in Saturday's 8-3 10-inning affair that saw Seattle score six runs in the tenth.

Last night's game was October baseball played in late August. Minnesota managed only one hit off White Sox started Freddy Garcia, but it was a big one - Jacque Jones's leadoff homerun in the eighth - that propelled the Twins to a 1-0 win. Johan Santana pitched another second-half gem for Minnesota, going 8 innings, allowing 3 hits and a walk, striking out 7, and holding Chicago scoreless. Joe Nathan came on and pitched a scoreless ninth for his 32nd save. Both teams were helped by tremendous defense, but one of those plays was a tough blow for the Twins, as Shannon Stewart left the game with an injured shoulder. In addition to the loss of Stewart, Jones will miss the rest of the series attending a funeral, leaving the Twins - already depleted in the outfield by the loss of Torii Hunter - extra thin.

So now we come to tonight's game between the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox. Taking the mound tonight for the Twins is Joe Mays (6-8, 5.00 ERA). Mays picked up his first win since the beginning of July last Thursday night against Seattle. Mays gave up 9 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs over six innings in the game, but yet another offensive output by the resurgent Twins powered him to victory. He will face Mark Buehrle (13-6, 3.07 ERA), who took the loss in his last start - last Wednesday's 5-1 loss to Minnesota.

The Twins present a totally reshuffled lineup tonight with loss of their three starting outfielders. Nick Punto will lead off and play second base, followed by Brent Abernathy playing left field, and Joe Mauer as the designated hitter. Matthew LeCroy gets the start again at first base and hits cleanup, followed by center fielder Lew Ford and right fielder Michael Cuddyer. The bottom third of the lineup sees Terry Tiffee batting seventh and playing third base, Mike Redmond batting eighth and catching, and Jason Bartlett batting ninth and playing shortstop. Bartlett is the only opening-day player playing tonight in his opening-day position.

The Twins are aiming to make it five straight victories over Chicago tonight, but the first-place White Sox will have something to say about that. First pitch is coming up....

UPDATE: It didn't take long for Joe Mays to show why he's the weak link in the Twins starting rotation. After getting Timo Perez to groundout to short on the first pitch of the game, he got an 0-2 lead on Iguchi before throwing four straight balls to walk him. Carl Everett stepped up and sent a 1-1 pitch into the bleachers in right field for an early 2-0 lead.

Konerko and Pierzynski followed with back-to-back singles before Dye flied out to right on a 3-1 pitch for the second out and Rowand flied out to right on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning. Mays threw 28 pitches in the first inning, including 12 balls. Middle of the first, Chicago leads 2-0.

UPDATE: You should have seen the look on Gardy's face! With one out in the top of the third, Carl Everett hit a long fly ball to left field, which Brent Abernathy caught as he crashed into the wall. Abernathy looked a little shaken up, and FSN's cameras showed Gardy standing at the top of the dugout shaking his head. Minnesota's bench tonight consists of Justin Morneau, Luis Rodriguez, and Michael Ryan.

In the bottom of the inning, Terry Tiffee finally got the first hit for the Twins, but Redmond hit into a double play, and Buehrle has still faced the minimum through three.

UPDATE: The Twins still aren't getting much off Mark Buehrle, but at least they might make him work the second time through the lineup. He needed only 32 pitches through the first three innings, but Punto, Abernathy, and Mauer combined for 21 pitches, including a seven-pitch at-bat by Punto and a ten-pitch at-bat by Abernathy. At the end of four, still Chicago leading 2-0.

UPDATE: A bunt-single by Perez, a double to left by Iguchi, and a two-run single by Everett put Chicago up 4-0. With the role Buehrle is on once again tonight, that could be enough.

That wasn't all the excitement in the inning. With one out, Pierzynski hit a double to left-center between Abernathy and Ford. Ford fielded the ball of the wall, threw it to cutoff man Bartlett, who spun around and threw a strike to Mike Redmond at the plate. Everett was trying to score from first, but Redmond's tag got him at the plate. Pierzynski progressed to third on the throw. Jermaine Dye followed with a double off the baggy in right-center that scored Pierzynski and finally chased Joe Mays. Mays has pitched 4-2/3, given up 5 runs, and is still responsible for Dye on second. Matt Guerrier is coming in out of the bullpen.

UPDATE: The Twins had a scare when Rowand fouled a pitch off Redmond's helmet, and he sat dazed behind the plate for a few minutes, but decided to continue on. The Twins would be in a tough spot if Redmond were to need to come out, as all three catchers are in the game. If Mauer took over at catcher, the pitchers would have to hit. The only other option would be for LeCroy to catch and Justin Morneau to take over at first. Guerrier got Rowand to ground out to get out of the inning, but the White Sox lead now 5-0. Mays's final numbers on the night: 4-2/3 IP, 9H, 5R, 5ER, 1BB on 93 pitches.

UPDATE: Lew Ford got Minnesota's second hit in the fifth, and Cuddyer followed with their second double-play to end the inning. Through five, Buehrle has still faced the minimum, and Chicago still leads 5-0.

It's too bad the Twins are struggling tonight, because Wild Card leaders New York and Cleveland are both getting blown out tonight. Oakland appears to be headed to the winning end of a blow-out against Detroit after touching up Jeremy Bonderman early.

UPDATE: The Twins must have used up all their good luck last night. In the bottom of the sixth, Redmond hit a one-out single, and Bartlett followed with a double that moved Redmond to third. Nick Punto then lined out to Jermaine Dye in right, who threw out Redmond trying to tag-up and score from third. Once again, the Twins try to rally but are foiled by an inning-ending double-play. Terry Mulholland is taking over for Guerrier to start the seventh, Chicago leads 6-0.

UPDATE: At least the Twins have SOMETHING to cheer about tonight offensively. With two outs in the seventh, Matthew LeCroy hit his 14th homerun of the year to straight-away center. It was his third in his last two games against Buehrle. Through seven, Chicago leads now 6-1.

UPDATE: They rallied furiously in the ninth, but Minnesota couldn't overcome all the runs given up by Mays early. Chicago pulled Buehrle for Cliff Politte to open the ninth. Jason Bartlett opened with a double to right-center. Punto followed with a homerun to right-center to pull to 6-3. After Abernathy flied out to right, Politte was lifted for Damaso Marte. Joe Mauer slapped Marte's first pitch to center, and Marte was lifted for closer Dustin Hermanson. LeCroy then doubled to center, scoring Mauer from first, and pulling to within two with only one out. Luis Rodriguez came on to pinch run for LeCroy. Lew Ford flied out, bringing up Michael Cuddyer. It was Cuddyer's game-tying ninth-inning homerun in last week's 16-inning game that took the save away from Hermanson then, and here he came again with a chance to do it again. Li'l Rod advanced to third on a wild pitch by Hermanson, but Cuddyer ended up lining out to Timo Perez in left field to end the ballgame. Chicago wins 6-4.

The story of the game was Mark Buehrle. After losing his last two starts against Boston and Minnesota, respectively, he came back and threw eight strong innings and stymied the Twins most of the night. Minnesota finally put three more runs on the board after Buehrle was relieved in the ninth, but it ended up being too little too late. Nevertheless, kudos to the Twins for once again never giving up.

In tomorrow afternoon's rubber match at the Metrodome, Carlos Silva (8-6, 3.35 ERA) will take the mound for Minnesota against Jon Garland (16-7, 3.43 ERA). Gametime is 1:10pm ET/12:10pm CT.