May 24, 2006 [LINK]

Twins: to roof or not roof?

The artists' renderings of the planned ballpark in Minneapolis look a lot like Safeco Park to me, with obvious parallel tracks behind the left field wall and the first base side of the stadium's exterior upon which a roof could be supported. The Twins will have to make a decision on that early in the process, however, and one insider says there is a 95 percent likelihood of no roof. The design could be altered significantly before construction begins. The target date for completion is April 2010. See wcco.com. (via Mike Zurawski)

Nats hold their own

The Nationals buckled under the pressure of a ten-run onslaught by the Astros on Monday night, as Lance Berkman hit the longest home run in RFK Stadium since baseball returned there last year. It landed several rows up in the upper deck of center field. They came back with a 4-1 win last night, however, getting three home runs, including back-to-back dingers by Daryle Ward (upper deck!) and Alfonso Soriano. Tonight's game is a pitcher's duel, with Houston up 1-0 in the sixth inning.

UPDATE: A balk by Row Oswalt in the sixth inning allowed the tying run to score, and Ryan Zimmerman's triple in the eighth started a four-run rally, as Washington beat Houston, 5-1, taking their second straight series. [Oops: one more game to go!] Rookie pitcher Michael O'Connor had another fine outing, going six solid innings. This marks the very first time this year that the Nationals have won six out of ten consecutive games. Whether this marks a turnaround or not, it is at least nice for the home town fans to see some wins at RFK Stadium.