StaTuesday: Twins' Escobar, Rosario off and running

By Dave Heller
Published

Eduardo Escobar and Eddie Rosario have been a big part of the Minnesota Twins' offense this season.

The two players rank 1-2 on the Twins in slugging percentage, OPS, RBI, home runs and runs scored.

Recently, both Escobar and Rosario touched home plate in nine consecutive games, just the 22nd and 23rd times in Twins history that a player has had a streak of at least nine games while scoring a run. Escobar and Rosario are two of four to have had such a streak multiple times.

Escobar also had a 12-game streak in 2015 while Rosario reached nine games last season. Kirby Puckett, who holds the franchise record with 14 straight games with a run, had three streaks of 9+ games while Chuck Knoblauch had four, including a pair of 11-game streaks and one of 10.

CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH A RUN IN TWINS HISTORY
































































































































































































































































PLAYER DATES GAMES
Kirby Puckett April 18-May 3, 1986 14
Orlando Cabrera Sept. 19-Oct. 2, 2009 13
Eduardo Escobar Aug. 20-Sept. 3, 2015 12
Rich Rollins April 28-May 10, 1964 12
David Ortiz July 17-28, 2002 11
Chuck Knoblauch July 20-31, 1996 11
Chuck Knoblauch Sept. 24, 1995-April 3, 1996 11
Brian Dozier Sept. 19-Oct. 1, 2017 10
Chuck Knoblauch June 6-17, 1997 10
John Castino May 16-25, 1983 10
Jimmie Hall Aug. 31-Sept. 11, 1966 10
Eduardo Escobar April 30-May 8, 2018 9
Eddie Rosario April 30-May 8, 2018 9
Eddie Rosario Aug. 6-15, 2017 9
Joe Mauer May 18-26, 2009 9
Corey Koskie Aug. 15-24, 2004 9
Chuck Knoblauch July 5-16, 1996 9
Scott Stahoviak June 1-12, 1996 9
Dan Gladden June 17-24, 1989 9
Kirby Puckett Sept. 29, 1988-April 8, 1989 9
Kirby Puckett June 15-25, 1987 9
Kent Hrbek Oct. 3, 1981-April 13, 1982 9
Zoilo Versalles Aug. 3-12, 1965 9



Escobar came ohsoclose to having a 13-game streak instead of nine. After scoring in three straight games from April 26-28, he led off the third inning against Cincinnati on Aug. 29 with a double, but was stranded there. He also reached third base with one on April 25 against the Yankees and wasn't able to tally a run. Escobar had scored in the April 24 Twins game, so with a little more luck, his streak could have set a new Twins record.

Rosario did tie one Twins record, however, when he had at least one run and one extra-base hit in seven straight games from May 1-May 7, joining Puckett as the only Minnesota players to reach that many consecutive games.

He fell one game short, though, of the franchise record when you include the Washington Senators.

CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH A RUN & XBH IN TWINS/SENATORS HISTORY












































































PLAYER DATES GAMES
Bill Keister June 19-27, 1902 8
Eddie Rosario May 1-7, 2018 7
Kirby Puckett April 26-May 3, 1986 7
Joe Kuhel Aug. 21-26, 1936 7
Heinie Manush June 6-12, 1931 7



Miguel Sano nearly joined the list, scoring a run and posting an extra-base hit in six games this season from March 31-April 7. The only other Twins to have a six-game streak are Jacque Jones (2005), David Ortiz (2002), Kent Hrbek (1986), Puckett (1986) and Tony Oliva (1969).

Puckett's six-game streak, by the way, ended with a 1 for 4 game -- a single -- with a run against the Angels on April 25 (the Twins didn't play on April 24). His seven-game run/XBH streak started the next day.

Dave Heller is the author of Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow (a Larry Ritter Book Award nominee), Facing Ted Williams - Players From the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns