A Cautionary Tale For Russell Martin

Any of you who saw Sunday's ALDS Game 3 between the Yankees and Twins saw that the Twins lost all momentum in the eighth inning, when Nick Punto tried to stop himself from heading home by sliding in the grass after rounding third, only to get tagged out back at third as he flopped back to the bag like a fish: On Sunday, Minnesota ran itself out of the postseason with none out in the eighth inning of New York's 4-1 win when Nick Punto rounded third base and was caught trying to dive headfirst back into the bag. It was the Twins' third baserunning gaffe in the final two games and took the team out of a last-gasp rally, with the score 2-1 at the time. "Nick Punto, no one felt worse than him," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He thought it was a base hit. He didn't pick up [third-base coach] Scott [Ullger] rounding third. He had his head down. [Derek] Jeter makes a play, and there you have it." Denard Span singled up the middle on a ball that ...