This week in Minnesota sports with Wally and Eric

I've got some good news. A few Minnesota sports teams are on winning streaks this week. Let's hope I didn't just jinx that. Let's get the details from our sports guys, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Wally is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports magazine and co-host of 10,000 Takes sports show on radio and TV. Eric Nelson is the other co-host of 10,000 Takes and the Vikings reporter for CBS Sports Radio's Eye on the NFL. Guys, how are you?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Good, Cathy, how are you?

CATHY WURZER: INTERVIEWER: Good, good, so far so good.

ERIC NELSON: Good afternoon, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: Good afternoon, good afternoon, Eric. Let's talk about the twins, why not? Since we were just talking about Wisconsin, Twins were playing the Brewers here this week.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, and they got a split, losing on Tuesday night, but then, coming back and winning on Wednesday. Downtown was a madhouse, if you were in downtown Minneapolis, either Tuesday night or Wednesday, between the traffic jams and all the folks downtown for the games. They actually sold out yesterday afternoon's game, which the Twins, as you probably know by now, won on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, by Jose Miranda. So they won 4-1.

They got the split. They still lead the American League Central Division over Cleveland and Chicago, still in first place, Chicago coming into town beginning tonight. Next week is the all-star game. So they'll have the four games against Chicago. Then, all-star game is on Tuesday night. And the Twins will be represented by Byron Buxton and Luis Arraez.

One other Twins note, Miguel Sano. Remember that name, Cathy? Well, he is back in Saint Paul for the time being. He has been injured since the end of April. And he really struggled in the month of April. He was not very good at all. But he is in Saint Paul, playing for the Saints now, on a rehab assignment. So they're hoping to get him back, hopefully after the all-star break. After the all-star break, we shall see. But it'll be interesting to see how he fits in now-- because the Twins are playing fairly well-- see where he fits into this lineup.

ERIC NELSON: Yeah, and that series, Cathy, against Chicago, which begins tonight and runs through the weekend, this is going to be interesting. Because the Chicago White Sox, who won the division in landslide fashion last year, and they were the favorites going in, they have been a mess. They are huge underachievers. And they have a Hall of Fame manager, Tony La Russa, in the dugout. But he's been gone for a long time, was rehired last year, and came back, won the division. This year though, things have gone awry. It's chaotic. There's a lot of talk about clicks in the White Sox locker room.

And there's pressure on La Russa. He's getting barbequed down in Chi-town by the media and the fans. But the only vote that really counts here is the owner, Jerry Reinsdorf, who happens to be Tony's good friend. So, I think Tony is probably safe because of his relationship with the owner. But if the White Sox crater this weekend against the Twins and fall further and further behind Minnesota, Reinsdorf may have to rethink this thing and recalibrate and make a move.

But this is a huge series for Chicago. And it's an opportunity for Minnesota to really kick some dust in the face of the White Sox, who I still think, despite being a train wreck, are a potential threat in this division. They're only five games out. So there's a lot of time left for them to get this right.

CATHY WURZER: OK. Hey, let's talk about the Lynx. The Lynx have won three straight, Wally.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: They have, they've kind of moved on to the fringe of the playoff picture. Now, let's temper the enthusiasm a little bit. While they have, as you mentioned, won three straight, they still find themselves with the second worst record in the WNBA. They sit right now at 9 wins and 15 losses. But the good news, if you want to term it that, is that 8 of the 12 teams in the WNBA do make the postseason. So, they have a dozen games left, still 12 games to go.

They play tonight, right across from the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins, over at Target Center. They host Dallas tonight. And if they get a win against Dallas tonight, that potentially could move them into a tie for fifth place, which would be second from last in the Western Conference. But again, yeah, with 12 games left, if they get on a run here, they very easily could be and will be a playoff team, despite a horrendous start to the season.

CATHY WURZER: Eric.

ERIC NELSON: Yeah, and the win the other night was against Phoenix. And the Mercury are a subpar team. They, of course, are missing Brittany Griner, who is unfortunately being detained in Russia on drug charges. But some of the other wins, against Las Vegas, the top team in the West, and the Chicago Sky, the top team in the East. So they've got quality wins. They're playing better. It's the final season for Sylvia Fowles, who's on her way to the Hall of Fame. And I know she wants to go out with a bang, getting into the playoffs. She doesn't want to go out limping into her retirement. So it'll be interesting to see if the Lynx can keep winning.

And as Wally said, second time this week, the Lynx and Twins both have home games, in what I have dubbed Target Town. Because Target Field and Target Center are connected by Target Plaza. And we're talking about a hundred yards separating the two venues. Minneapolis was gridlock, Tuesday night, with the Lynx and the Twins, and good summer weather, and people being out, and oh yes, road construction. So you have dueling events, cone zones, [LAUGHS] and a lot of people taking advantage of warm weather. Leave early tonight, if you're going to the Twins or the Lynx.

CATHY WURZER: Yes, absolutely, good advice. Guys, I am a big fan of Minnesota Aurora. I mean, I love the energy around. I know it's a pre-professional women's soccer team. But I love the energy around them, Wally.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, and I think people really care. And they've got the community behind them. And it's basically a community-owned team, for all intents and purposes. They play out at TCO Performance Center, where the Vikings facility is. And they played a match last night, which was a playoff match. And they won. They beat Indy Eleven by a score of 2-1. They actually trailed in the contest, 1-0, at the half. They scored a pair of goals in the second half to move into the semifinals of their season.

It's just a short season. But it's a prep league, as you mentioned. And so, good for them. It's a nice little run. They now will play McLane Soccer on Sunday. And that is a semifinal match. And they will host that as well. Over 6,000 fans there last night, at TCO Performance Center. So they're drawing people. Not only are they winning, but they're drawing people. And by the way, they have not lost yet this season.

CATHY WURZER: See? Now, on the other shoe, of course, the men's team, Minnesota United, Eric, I've lost a little bit of a track here with them. Where are they right now, in terms of playing and playoffs?

ERIC NELSON: Well, I think of their season as on parallel with the Minnesota Lynx, a slow and sputtering start, a lost hope by the fan base. But suddenly, they're hot. And now, Min U's right back in the playoff picture. In fact, they would be a playoff team right now, in Major League Soccer, if the season were to end. But there's a lot of matches left. They had a draw last night at Allianz Field on the Saint Paul Midway, 1-1 with Sporting KC. They have a four-match undefeated streak, where the Loons have picked up 10 points in that span. So they're currently in fifth place.

And they have a lot of home matches coming up, including Saturday at Allianz Field against DC United. And let's not forget, next month, the MLS all-star game is at Allianz Field, which is really a soccer cathedral. It's a wonderful facility. And Emanuel Reynoso, a midfielder, and the goalkeeper, Dayne St Clair, from Minnesota United, will be in the all-star game, against a team from Mexico.

This isn't some silly exhibition. This is going to get heated. This is a true border rival. And the folks from Mexico would love nothing better than to come into the US and embarrass the MLS all stars. So it'll be fun. And that'll be another major marquee event that we get here in the Twin Cities.

CATHY WURZER: Now, I've got a minute left. You guys are always busy. What are you doing this weekend, in terms of sporting events? Going to go to the Twins, Wally?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Oh, I'll probably manage to get to one of them. There's, as Eric mentioned earlier, there's four games this weekend against the White Sox. Not a huge White Sox fan, so I'd like to see the Twins knock them off. And it would help Cleveland too. As you know, I'm an ardent follower of the Cleveland baseball team.

CATHY WURZER: Exactly. Eric, where are you going?

ERIC NELSON: Cathy, I have to get between him and our good friend, Larry Fitzgerald, in the press box. Larry worships at the altar of the White Sox. So it gets really heated at those games, when Wally and Larry are seated next to each other. But yeah, I was there Tuesday for Brewers. I'll be there tonight. And then, this weekend my kid's got a baseball tournament in Rochester, Minnesota. So a lot of baseball on the docket.

CATHY WURZER: No kidding. All right, you two, thanks much. I appreciate it.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: See you, Cathy.

ERIC NELSON: Thank you.

CATHY WURZER: Talk to you later. Wally Langfellow and, of course, Eric Nelson, our sports guys here on Minnesota Now. They are terrific.