“It’s not been an easy road. Our goal is to hang close. We want to catch them. We’ve got some pretty tough guys out there in the clubhouse and we want to catch [the Tigers]. You have to grind it out and keep playing.”
- Twins manager Ron Gardenhireafter the Twins moved to within 2 1/2 games of the idle Tigers with a 7-0 victory over the White Sox on Monday night. The Twins hope to stick close with a four-game series against the AL Central leaders next week.
“I’ve got two more starts, and that’s all I can concern myself with is one pitch, one inning at a time. I know that sounds cliche ... It’s been a tough year, and I haven’t been able to get anything going. ... I’m looking forward to have two more starts and if you want to use the word ‘salvage,’ then that probably fits well.”
- Kyle Lohsewould love to join his teammates on the postseason roster. He allowed three runs over six innings as the Cardinals moved their magic number to three with a 7-3 win over the Astros on Monday night.
“We have a lot of the base we need for a winning team, a playoff team, a World Series team. For years to come, we have great players and great camaraderie. I think this team is on an upswing.”
- Barry Zito, as the Giantsmoved to within four games of the idle-Rockiesin the Wild Card race with a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks on Monday night. The playoffs are starting to long like a longshot, but at the very least, the Giants have clinched their first non-losing season since 2004.
“It seems like we’ve been on sort of a gradual downward spiral since we made it to the World Series (in 2005), and I think you can’t just point to one thing. There are several factors involved in that. If there was ever an environment for sweeping reform or change, this would be it.”
- Lance Berkman,who finds his team on the opposite end of the spectrum of the Giants. Third base coach Dave Clark was promoted to interim manager following the dismissal of Cecil Cooper on Monday.