...they pull me back in.
George Costanza could have been talking about the Twins right now. Following their embarrassing 20-6 loss to the Rangers, the Twins dropped 7 games back of the Tigers, and still also trailed the White Sox and Indians in the Central division. This was it: the Twins' postseason chances were squelched. They had 3 more games on the road against the scorching hot Rangers, winners of 15 of 18 including their drubbing of Minnesota; they ranked second-to-last in the American League in expected win-loss, at 42-60; and, again, they were already 7 games out and in fourth place in the division.
But what did they do? They picked up the pieces and they came out firing. They took a 3-0 lead against the Rangers in the second game of the series. Then they went down 7-3 and still trailed 8-7 in the ninth inning. Thanks to pinch-hit doubles by both Jim Thome and Joe Mauer, the Twins prevailed 9-8. Then they came out and easily won the third game behind a strong start from Brian Duensing and Mauer's first home run of the season.
They only picked up one game on the Tigers since Monday. They remain the second-worst team in the AL in terms of expected win-loss. They still have to pass three different teams to reach the playoffs. But I'm back in. It's amazing what can happen in 48 hours.
Showing posts with label rangers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rangers. Show all posts
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Murphy's Law
"Everything that can go wrong will."
And it did. For the first five innings of yesterday's game, the Minnesota Twins were living proof that this law really does exist. Every ball fell in. Bloopers, liners, everything found a hole. Throws airmailed, balls misplayed, Rangers rounding the bases like they were kids racing the mascot during the seventh inning stretch. It was a comedy of errors that was full of errors and devoid of comedy.
Sure, Nick Blackburn was horrible. And yes, Jose Mijares continued his season-long implosion, while Chuck James matched him pitch-for-hittable-pitch. And you're right, the fielding was utterly atrocious. Delmon Young badly overthrew second base, Tsuyoshi Nishioka missed wildly on a routine throw to first, and Trevor Plouffe looked like the kid who's in right field in little league because the ball is never hit there on an awful misread. Mijares did himself no favors by booting a ground ball. But you don't do this badly without both terrible play and terrible luck.
By the time the fifth inning closed, the Twins trailed 18-1, having given up at least 3 runs in every inning. That's only the second time that's happened since 1920. You might be aware, but there have been a lot of baseball games played since then. Something in the neighborhood of 155,000. That means around 310,000 opportunities. And the Twins matched a measure of futility seen only once before.
The Twins had, at that point, managed to score one run, appropriately enough on a GIDP, and only after an error by the Rangers. By comparison, the Rangers had 18 runs on 22 hits. They had more runs (18) than outs (15). They had 14 singles, 6 doubles, and 2 home runs. Every Ranger except Chris Davis (more on him in a second) had multiple hits. Five of them had at least 3 hits. And one of them, Ian Kinsler, already had 4 hits. By the end of the game, every Rangers starter would have 3 hits, except Davis and Josh Hamilton, who was replaced.
Thank goodness for Davis, who went 0-6 while also making two errors at third base. While he was unable to grab a hit and had 2 of the Rangers' 4 strikeouts, his teammates batted .587 (27-for-46). One can only imagine what the damage would have been if Adrian Beltre had not been placed on the Disabled List a couple days ago...
It got so bad that Ron Gardenhire turned to Michael Cuddyer to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning. Despite no help from his defense, Cuddyer tossed a scoreless inning. The last out aptly came as Plouffe ran into Nishioka on a shallow pop fly; for the first time, something went right on the defensive side of the game, as Nishioka managed to hold on to the ball and end the misery.
In the end, though, it's only one game. Just a few weeks ago, the Twins opened a series with a 15-0 loss to the Dodgers, but came back and won the series anyways. Sure, combined with the Twins less than impressive homestand, their playoff chances truly look bleak. But it wasn't because of this one game--this game was just one of their 55 losses. And, one 20-6 loss where you give up a 2011 league-high 27 hits is not the worst thing that could happen, even in the scope of baseball. As Buster Olney tweeted after the fifth inning: the "Twins could console themselves with this thought: they are not the Mariners."
16 losses in a row? Check. Murphy's Law was in effect for the Twins last night, but it's been hounding the Mariners since before the All-Star break.
And it did. For the first five innings of yesterday's game, the Minnesota Twins were living proof that this law really does exist. Every ball fell in. Bloopers, liners, everything found a hole. Throws airmailed, balls misplayed, Rangers rounding the bases like they were kids racing the mascot during the seventh inning stretch. It was a comedy of errors that was full of errors and devoid of comedy.
Sure, Nick Blackburn was horrible. And yes, Jose Mijares continued his season-long implosion, while Chuck James matched him pitch-for-hittable-pitch. And you're right, the fielding was utterly atrocious. Delmon Young badly overthrew second base, Tsuyoshi Nishioka missed wildly on a routine throw to first, and Trevor Plouffe looked like the kid who's in right field in little league because the ball is never hit there on an awful misread. Mijares did himself no favors by booting a ground ball. But you don't do this badly without both terrible play and terrible luck.
By the time the fifth inning closed, the Twins trailed 18-1, having given up at least 3 runs in every inning. That's only the second time that's happened since 1920. You might be aware, but there have been a lot of baseball games played since then. Something in the neighborhood of 155,000. That means around 310,000 opportunities. And the Twins matched a measure of futility seen only once before.
The Twins had, at that point, managed to score one run, appropriately enough on a GIDP, and only after an error by the Rangers. By comparison, the Rangers had 18 runs on 22 hits. They had more runs (18) than outs (15). They had 14 singles, 6 doubles, and 2 home runs. Every Ranger except Chris Davis (more on him in a second) had multiple hits. Five of them had at least 3 hits. And one of them, Ian Kinsler, already had 4 hits. By the end of the game, every Rangers starter would have 3 hits, except Davis and Josh Hamilton, who was replaced.
Thank goodness for Davis, who went 0-6 while also making two errors at third base. While he was unable to grab a hit and had 2 of the Rangers' 4 strikeouts, his teammates batted .587 (27-for-46). One can only imagine what the damage would have been if Adrian Beltre had not been placed on the Disabled List a couple days ago...
It got so bad that Ron Gardenhire turned to Michael Cuddyer to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning. Despite no help from his defense, Cuddyer tossed a scoreless inning. The last out aptly came as Plouffe ran into Nishioka on a shallow pop fly; for the first time, something went right on the defensive side of the game, as Nishioka managed to hold on to the ball and end the misery.
In the end, though, it's only one game. Just a few weeks ago, the Twins opened a series with a 15-0 loss to the Dodgers, but came back and won the series anyways. Sure, combined with the Twins less than impressive homestand, their playoff chances truly look bleak. But it wasn't because of this one game--this game was just one of their 55 losses. And, one 20-6 loss where you give up a 2011 league-high 27 hits is not the worst thing that could happen, even in the scope of baseball. As Buster Olney tweeted after the fifth inning: the "Twins could console themselves with this thought: they are not the Mariners."
16 losses in a row? Check. Murphy's Law was in effect for the Twins last night, but it's been hounding the Mariners since before the All-Star break.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Moving Day
It was for both me and the Twins. I was busy moving out of my summer room and bringing everything across campus to my new room for the fall. But the Twins had even more on their plate, as they made a series of moves that involved acquiring two new players, completing a trade, sending down two players, calling up one, and DLing another.
I'll start with the bad news, and that's that the Twins lost Yohan Pino to the Indians. Pino turned out to be the player-to-be-named in the deal for Carl Pavano. This certainly makes the deal less appealing than it was a month ago, when I figured they wouldn't be relinquishing someone who's pitching pretty well in AAA right now. In fact, I may have been clamoring for Pino to move into the fifth spot in the rotation if he were still here.
Pino had been a solid prospect until this year, but he really started to impress me in both AA and AAA this year. He struck out over a batter per inning in AA and had four strikeouts for ever walk, culminating in an 3.19 ERA and 2.99 FIP. In AAA, his strikeouts dropped to 7.76 K/9, but he lowered his walks to keep his K:BB rate at an even 4.0. His ERA and FIP were still still strong too, at 2.82 and 3.45 respectively.
There were some red flags, though, as he got a very low percentage of groundballs, and yet had a home run rate well below league average. This was particularly the case in Rochester. There, he induced only 31.6% groundballs, and also had a home run per fly ball rate of just 6.6%. Overall, though, I'm sorry to see him go.
The second move was one we all could see coming for a while: Joe Crede was placed on the Disabled List. Somehow he had avoided the DL to this point in 2009, despite facing a myriad of injuries that included everything except a bruised testicle (a la Adrian Beltre). He finally succumbed from a back injury related to post-operative changes there, whatever that means.
In his stead, the Twins have called on Jose Morales for the third time this season. I suspect they simply wanted him available for the play-off roster, and figured they could make do with being short on infield subs until September 1st when rosters expand. Morales, of course, deserves the opportunity to play in the bigs and hopefully he'll showcase the skills necessary to make him Joe Mauer's backup next season.
And finally there were the two new acquisitions: Ron Mahay and Jon Rauch. The Twins picked up Mahay for some spare change and that's just about all he's worth. Someone at Fangraphs accurately described him as "left-handed and breathing". He was decent at best the last two years, and this year he's been pretty awful. His ERA has always been fairly pretty, and it still looks okay in 2009, but his FIP is 5.80 and he's continued to walk batters at a rate of over 4 per inning. The big jump this year has been in his hit rate, as he's given up 55 in just 41.1 inning versus less than one per inning for his career. While I don't expect him to be an improvement at all, he probably can't be much worse than the likes of Phil Humber and Bobby Keppel.
Speaking of Humber, he was sent down to AAA along with Armando Gabino to make room on the roster for Rauch and Mahay. Rauch is more promising than Mahay, as he has been better this year and had a few very nice years with the Nationals. He hasn't pitched in the American League before, though, so it remains to be seen if he will be as effective in the more hitter-friendly environment.
As I predicted earlier in the week, Gabino will not make another start or even another appearance (although it's possible he gets another shot in September). As such, the Twins have chosen Jeff Manship to take the final spot in the rotation. He shouldn't get too attached, though, as Minnesota's shown a willingness to pull the plug quickly on the young guys who don't come through.
Oh, and with all that going on, the Twins managed to win their game Friday night by the score of 3-2, behind a wonderful 7-inning gem from Brian Duensing. Yes, Brian Duensing.
I'll start with the bad news, and that's that the Twins lost Yohan Pino to the Indians. Pino turned out to be the player-to-be-named in the deal for Carl Pavano. This certainly makes the deal less appealing than it was a month ago, when I figured they wouldn't be relinquishing someone who's pitching pretty well in AAA right now. In fact, I may have been clamoring for Pino to move into the fifth spot in the rotation if he were still here.
Pino had been a solid prospect until this year, but he really started to impress me in both AA and AAA this year. He struck out over a batter per inning in AA and had four strikeouts for ever walk, culminating in an 3.19 ERA and 2.99 FIP. In AAA, his strikeouts dropped to 7.76 K/9, but he lowered his walks to keep his K:BB rate at an even 4.0. His ERA and FIP were still still strong too, at 2.82 and 3.45 respectively.
There were some red flags, though, as he got a very low percentage of groundballs, and yet had a home run rate well below league average. This was particularly the case in Rochester. There, he induced only 31.6% groundballs, and also had a home run per fly ball rate of just 6.6%. Overall, though, I'm sorry to see him go.
The second move was one we all could see coming for a while: Joe Crede was placed on the Disabled List. Somehow he had avoided the DL to this point in 2009, despite facing a myriad of injuries that included everything except a bruised testicle (a la Adrian Beltre). He finally succumbed from a back injury related to post-operative changes there, whatever that means.
In his stead, the Twins have called on Jose Morales for the third time this season. I suspect they simply wanted him available for the play-off roster, and figured they could make do with being short on infield subs until September 1st when rosters expand. Morales, of course, deserves the opportunity to play in the bigs and hopefully he'll showcase the skills necessary to make him Joe Mauer's backup next season.
And finally there were the two new acquisitions: Ron Mahay and Jon Rauch. The Twins picked up Mahay for some spare change and that's just about all he's worth. Someone at Fangraphs accurately described him as "left-handed and breathing". He was decent at best the last two years, and this year he's been pretty awful. His ERA has always been fairly pretty, and it still looks okay in 2009, but his FIP is 5.80 and he's continued to walk batters at a rate of over 4 per inning. The big jump this year has been in his hit rate, as he's given up 55 in just 41.1 inning versus less than one per inning for his career. While I don't expect him to be an improvement at all, he probably can't be much worse than the likes of Phil Humber and Bobby Keppel.
Speaking of Humber, he was sent down to AAA along with Armando Gabino to make room on the roster for Rauch and Mahay. Rauch is more promising than Mahay, as he has been better this year and had a few very nice years with the Nationals. He hasn't pitched in the American League before, though, so it remains to be seen if he will be as effective in the more hitter-friendly environment.
As I predicted earlier in the week, Gabino will not make another start or even another appearance (although it's possible he gets another shot in September). As such, the Twins have chosen Jeff Manship to take the final spot in the rotation. He shouldn't get too attached, though, as Minnesota's shown a willingness to pull the plug quickly on the young guys who don't come through.
Oh, and with all that going on, the Twins managed to win their game Friday night by the score of 3-2, behind a wonderful 7-inning gem from Brian Duensing. Yes, Brian Duensing.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Blown Out
I mean, all in all, this series was not bad. On the road, the Twins took 2 of 4 from a playoff contender. But this last game was horrid, and the same problem reared its head throughout the series. Francisco Liriano went 2 innings, Carl Pavano pitched 4 innings, and Scott Baker and Anthony Swarzak each lasted 5 1/3 frames. The bullpen also imploded in the final game after pitching very well in the first three games of the series.
Swarzak closed out the series by giving up 6 runs on 4 homers in his start, putting the totals for Twins starters' in the four game set as follows: 16.2 IP, 31 hits, 22 runs (all earned), and 9 walks. Bobby Keppel then performed just as I said he might, giving up hard-hit doubles to all three batters he faced, and Jeff Manship struggled in his third appearance since his call-up from AAA. Phil Humber pitched a scoreless eighth and was the only Twins pitcher to not allow a run.
The bats were uneventful despite accumulating 10 hits, as they managed just one run on Delmon Young's eighth home run of the year. That was the sole extra base hit, though, and Joe Crede ended the Twins' only real chance to get back into the game when he squandered a bases-loaded opportunity by grounding into a double play in the sixth. Denard Span added three hits on the night to raise his average to .304, its highest point since June 4th.
In Joe Mauer news, Joe Mauer went 1-4 and dropped his average to .378 and his OPS to 1.089. I really can tolerate watching an 11-1 loss at this point in the season, but when Mauer only gets one hit and it's a single, the game becomes much tougher to tolerate. The only thing keeping me interested in the season is Mauer's attempt to have one of the best seasons ever by a catcher, so when the Twins are both down big and he's not adding to that profile, I have the urge to turn off the game (but I didn't do that tonight).
I do want to reiterate something I said in the comments section the other day about Mauer: while it's okay to get swept up in all the excitement because of his most recent hot streak (and ridiculous season overall), remember that there are still 41 games remaining. That number would represent 30% of his season if he plays in all of them, meaning there's a lot of time left for things to happen. Consider, for example, Carlos Quentin's MVP candidacy at this time last season, and where he ended up at the end of 2008.
My point is simply to temper your expectations, so you're not disappointed if he winds up hitting around (dear God!) .350--he'd still have to hit about .300 for the rest of the year to be there. And while that seems to be a given right now, it most certainly is not.
Swarzak closed out the series by giving up 6 runs on 4 homers in his start, putting the totals for Twins starters' in the four game set as follows: 16.2 IP, 31 hits, 22 runs (all earned), and 9 walks. Bobby Keppel then performed just as I said he might, giving up hard-hit doubles to all three batters he faced, and Jeff Manship struggled in his third appearance since his call-up from AAA. Phil Humber pitched a scoreless eighth and was the only Twins pitcher to not allow a run.
The bats were uneventful despite accumulating 10 hits, as they managed just one run on Delmon Young's eighth home run of the year. That was the sole extra base hit, though, and Joe Crede ended the Twins' only real chance to get back into the game when he squandered a bases-loaded opportunity by grounding into a double play in the sixth. Denard Span added three hits on the night to raise his average to .304, its highest point since June 4th.
In Joe Mauer news, Joe Mauer went 1-4 and dropped his average to .378 and his OPS to 1.089. I really can tolerate watching an 11-1 loss at this point in the season, but when Mauer only gets one hit and it's a single, the game becomes much tougher to tolerate. The only thing keeping me interested in the season is Mauer's attempt to have one of the best seasons ever by a catcher, so when the Twins are both down big and he's not adding to that profile, I have the urge to turn off the game (but I didn't do that tonight).
I do want to reiterate something I said in the comments section the other day about Mauer: while it's okay to get swept up in all the excitement because of his most recent hot streak (and ridiculous season overall), remember that there are still 41 games remaining. That number would represent 30% of his season if he plays in all of them, meaning there's a lot of time left for things to happen. Consider, for example, Carlos Quentin's MVP candidacy at this time last season, and where he ended up at the end of 2008.
My point is simply to temper your expectations, so you're not disappointed if he winds up hitting around (dear God!) .350--he'd still have to hit about .300 for the rest of the year to be there. And while that seems to be a given right now, it most certainly is not.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Playing the same way all over again
[Edit, 11:42 AM 8/18/09: The Twins managed to sign first-round choice Kyle Gibson for $1.85 million just before the deadline last night. This means they signed each of their top 10 picks. Gibson won't pitch this year, but it's very exciting to see a guy with his upside in the Twins system.
Oh, and Francisco Liriano went the Glen Perkins route, ending up on the disabled list after the horrible start. I'm assuming it's a bruised ego and lack of confidence that's really put him there more than any physical problem, and I have no issue with the Twins taking that path. Liriano just hasn't been right all year.]
The Twins take an early lead. The starting pitcher (this time Francisco Liriano) gives it all back and more in a hurry. The offense scores a solid number of runs (in this case 5) but can't come through in big spots (2-11 with runners in scoring position). Joe Mauer tries to win the game all by himself, and raises his average to .380 and his OPS to 1.083 in the process. He even decides, what the heck, those pitchers really aren't getting anyone out--I'm gonna have to start stealing bases.
And it's just so tough to watch his season go to waste. Even if they don't have a shot at the postseason, finishing around .500 would at least give him a better chance to win the MVP. And, if he wins that, I'd never consider his season wasted.
Oh, and Francisco Liriano went the Glen Perkins route, ending up on the disabled list after the horrible start. I'm assuming it's a bruised ego and lack of confidence that's really put him there more than any physical problem, and I have no issue with the Twins taking that path. Liriano just hasn't been right all year.]
The Twins take an early lead. The starting pitcher (this time Francisco Liriano) gives it all back and more in a hurry. The offense scores a solid number of runs (in this case 5) but can't come through in big spots (2-11 with runners in scoring position). Joe Mauer tries to win the game all by himself, and raises his average to .380 and his OPS to 1.083 in the process. He even decides, what the heck, those pitchers really aren't getting anyone out--I'm gonna have to start stealing bases.
And it's just so tough to watch his season go to waste. Even if they don't have a shot at the postseason, finishing around .500 would at least give him a better chance to win the MVP. And, if he wins that, I'd never consider his season wasted.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Rangers Announcers
The Twins won the first two games of the series with Texas, meaning it has obviously been enjoyable to watch. But even more than that, I've really liked listening to the Ranger announcers. I don't know what it is about them, but they just seem very relaxed and comfortable, and are relatively funny. I also find them to be very fair, with just enough bias to remind you that are announcing for the Texas Rangers.
Additionally, while they're no Bill James, they seem to do a little better job ignoring useless stats like wins. They also quoted on base percentage over the beloved batting average more often than you'd expect from an announcer. And there were a lot of interesting things they said that I didn't think were true; but the ones I could look up easily I did, and they were all correct. For instance, one of them commented that the Mariners have 3 of the top 5 or 6 pitchers in the AL as judged by ERA, or at least would if Erik Bedard had enough innings to qualify. Turns out, if Bedard qualified, Felix Hernandez, Bedard, and Jarrod Washburn would rank 2nd, 4th, and 6th respectively.
All of that almost went down the drain when I heard this at one point in yesterday's game: "Nick Punto has become a very popular player in Minnesota". It only made me like them more, though, when I heard them conclude the sentence: "Nick Punto has become a very popular player in Minnesota, certainly with his manager Ron Gardenhire," they finished with a chuckle.
And, of course, they described him as a "scrappy middle infielder," followed by a digression on how the Twins like his hustle, but don't want him to be reckless. Translation: stop sliding head first into first base!
Additionally, while they're no Bill James, they seem to do a little better job ignoring useless stats like wins. They also quoted on base percentage over the beloved batting average more often than you'd expect from an announcer. And there were a lot of interesting things they said that I didn't think were true; but the ones I could look up easily I did, and they were all correct. For instance, one of them commented that the Mariners have 3 of the top 5 or 6 pitchers in the AL as judged by ERA, or at least would if Erik Bedard had enough innings to qualify. Turns out, if Bedard qualified, Felix Hernandez, Bedard, and Jarrod Washburn would rank 2nd, 4th, and 6th respectively.
All of that almost went down the drain when I heard this at one point in yesterday's game: "Nick Punto has become a very popular player in Minnesota". It only made me like them more, though, when I heard them conclude the sentence: "Nick Punto has become a very popular player in Minnesota, certainly with his manager Ron Gardenhire," they finished with a chuckle.
And, of course, they described him as a "scrappy middle infielder," followed by a digression on how the Twins like his hustle, but don't want him to be reckless. Translation: stop sliding head first into first base!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Subdued by a Sea Creature
The Beluga Whale--a.k.a. Sidney Ponson--pitched a complete game against the Twins while allowing only six hits and a walk. Joe Mauer had two of the hits and Delmon Young also had a good game, going 1-2 with a walk. Overall, though, it was a terrible game.
Yet again, Michael Cuddyer was hitless, going 0-4 and dropping his average to .217. While some hitters, such as Young and Jason Kubel, are starting to show some life, Cuddyer continues to struggle mightily. Over at Nick & Nick's, they suggested that "Ron Gardenhire should give some serious consideration to sitting Cuddyer against right-handed pitchers on occasion until he gets his head straight." At this point, that may not be a bad idea.
Yet again, Michael Cuddyer was hitless, going 0-4 and dropping his average to .217. While some hitters, such as Young and Jason Kubel, are starting to show some life, Cuddyer continues to struggle mightily. Over at Nick & Nick's, they suggested that "Ron Gardenhire should give some serious consideration to sitting Cuddyer against right-handed pitchers on occasion until he gets his head straight." At this point, that may not be a bad idea.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
An Odd Little Game
Jon Lester may have pitched a no-hitter against the Royals tonight, but the Twins' game was also a very interesting one. A few strange things happened: Alexi Casilla hit a three-run home run, the Twins used their entire bench and every relief pitcher except Brian Bass, and Bobby Korecky got a hit.
One negative first, though. Gardenhire finally brings Joe Nathan in for the tenth inning in a non-save situation, which many of us have said he should be doing, but then he does not leave him in there for the eleventh. Nathan threw five (5!) pitches to get the three outs in the tenth inning, yet Ron Gardenhire would rather have Juan Rincon pitching? I don't understand this at all. And, not unpredictably, Rincon had to be yanked after loading the bases with only one out via a double and two walks.
That's where the next story comes. Bobby Korecky, a rookie, pitching in just his sixth major league game, slammed the door, getting two very key outs. To follow it up, he got a single in the bottom of the inning. He had to hit because the Twins had moved Brendan Harris from designated hitter to shortstop, and the Twins had no one left on their bench to pinch-hit. After a Harris single and a Joe Mauer walk, he was the winning run on third with Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer due up. Needless to say, he didn't score, but he did come back and pitch a perfect twelfth inning.
Now, this kind of game reminds me why I like Joe Mauer so much. In the bottom of the ninth, down 6-5, Mauer comes up with two on and one out. He hits a single and ties the game. In the bottom of the twelfth, with the game tied, he walks to move Korecky to third and Harris to second with only one out. What does Justin Morneau do right after Mauer? And Michael Cuddyer? They make the last two outs in both instances without getting a run across. On the night, they went a combined 0-10, stranding 14 Twins on the basepaths. At least Morneau got two walks; Cuddyer went 0-6 with 9 left on base.
Fortunately, an unlikely hero got the winning hit in the bottom of the twelfth inning. After Carlos Gomez singled and moved to second on a groundout and Mike Lamb was intentionally walked, Howie Clark connected for a double just past centerfielder Josh Hamilton. Gomez jogged home to win the game for the Twins.
What Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer could not do, Howie Clark did.
And seriously, WHY did Joe Nathan not pitch a second inning?! Can someone please tell me what Ron Gardenhire was thinking?
One negative first, though. Gardenhire finally brings Joe Nathan in for the tenth inning in a non-save situation, which many of us have said he should be doing, but then he does not leave him in there for the eleventh. Nathan threw five (5!) pitches to get the three outs in the tenth inning, yet Ron Gardenhire would rather have Juan Rincon pitching? I don't understand this at all. And, not unpredictably, Rincon had to be yanked after loading the bases with only one out via a double and two walks.
That's where the next story comes. Bobby Korecky, a rookie, pitching in just his sixth major league game, slammed the door, getting two very key outs. To follow it up, he got a single in the bottom of the inning. He had to hit because the Twins had moved Brendan Harris from designated hitter to shortstop, and the Twins had no one left on their bench to pinch-hit. After a Harris single and a Joe Mauer walk, he was the winning run on third with Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer due up. Needless to say, he didn't score, but he did come back and pitch a perfect twelfth inning.
Now, this kind of game reminds me why I like Joe Mauer so much. In the bottom of the ninth, down 6-5, Mauer comes up with two on and one out. He hits a single and ties the game. In the bottom of the twelfth, with the game tied, he walks to move Korecky to third and Harris to second with only one out. What does Justin Morneau do right after Mauer? And Michael Cuddyer? They make the last two outs in both instances without getting a run across. On the night, they went a combined 0-10, stranding 14 Twins on the basepaths. At least Morneau got two walks; Cuddyer went 0-6 with 9 left on base.
Fortunately, an unlikely hero got the winning hit in the bottom of the twelfth inning. After Carlos Gomez singled and moved to second on a groundout and Mike Lamb was intentionally walked, Howie Clark connected for a double just past centerfielder Josh Hamilton. Gomez jogged home to win the game for the Twins.
What Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer could not do, Howie Clark did.
And seriously, WHY did Joe Nathan not pitch a second inning?! Can someone please tell me what Ron Gardenhire was thinking?
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Sweep!
The Twins finished off a sweep of the Rangers, their third sweep of the second half, with another 4-2 victory. Matt Garza gave the Twins a strong start, going 6 1/3 innings and allowing a sole earned run on a leadoff home run by Frank Catalanatto. Glen Perkins again came in to tidy up, striking out two batters with a runner on second and one out. He looked very efficient, throwing twelve pitches to get three outs and putting nine of them in the strike zone. Joe Nathan earned his 34th save with a very quick ninth inning. The offense scored a run in each of the first three innings, and added another in the seventh. It was very disappointing, though, to see them load the bases in the sixth with nobody out and proceed to score exactly zero runs. Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel both went deep, and Nick Punto had two hits yet again, moving his average further and further from the Mendoza line and history (it now sits at .211). However, not to discredit him, but they were both infield hits.
And on to the stars. Torii Hunter had an interesting game, going 0-1 with 3 walks and getting caught stealing once. Justin Morneau picked up his 108th RBI with an RBI single in the first. Joe Mauer didn't manage to get on base in an 0-4 night that dropped his batting average to .287, its lowest point of the season. It's no wonder that the Twins have struggled in the second half with the way he and Morneau have also struggled, especially considering the myriad cast they have around them. I'm looking at you, Nick Punto.
Sorry for the brevity of this post, but we've been working on an entry for the off-day tomorrow. There will also be an extended analysis of Mauer's batting average added in this post. Come back tomorrow to see that and what the off-day post is (that includes you, Yerenia)!
And on to the stars. Torii Hunter had an interesting game, going 0-1 with 3 walks and getting caught stealing once. Justin Morneau picked up his 108th RBI with an RBI single in the first. Joe Mauer didn't manage to get on base in an 0-4 night that dropped his batting average to .287, its lowest point of the season. It's no wonder that the Twins have struggled in the second half with the way he and Morneau have also struggled, especially considering the myriad cast they have around them. I'm looking at you, Nick Punto.
Sorry for the brevity of this post, but we've been working on an entry for the off-day tomorrow. There will also be an extended analysis of Mauer's batting average added in this post. Come back tomorrow to see that and what the off-day post is (that includes you, Yerenia)!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Michael Young Wins Game for Twins
A day after losing on a walk-off error the Rangers suffered another defeat because of some not-so-slick fielding. This time, Michael Young had three errors in the game, and two in one inning, which allowed two unearned runs to score. This gave the Twins their margin of victory in a 4-2 win. Carlos Silva had a good start, giving up only two earned runs in six innings, and improved his record to 12-14 in the process. Glen Perkins came into a tight spot in the seventh and was very un-Dennys-Reyes-like by getting the batter, Hank Blalock, on the first pitch. In other words, he didn't look like he was just guessing where the ball would end up. Joe Nathan finished the game for his 33rd save in 37 chances.
The offense also had some good performances. Torii Hunter went 2-4 with 2 RBIs, Joe Mauer had a ground-rule double and RBI, Jason Kubel went 3-4 with 2 doubles and 3 runs scored, and Nick Punto had 2 hits, including a double, again! On the other hand, Justin Morneau and Luis Rodriguez both had tough days. Morneau came up twice with a runner in scoring position and two outs and didnt get a hit either time, while Rodriguez grounded into two double plays and went 0-4 overall.
The aforementioned four players (with good games) totaled five doubles for the game. As a team, the Twins have not had that many doubles in a game since June 23rd in an 11-1 win against the Marlins, and only two other times this year (April 21st in a 7-5 win over the Royals and April 14th in a 12-5 victory versus the Devil Rays). The last time-- and only time this year-- they had more than 5 doubles in one game was way back on April 17th, in a game that ended 11-2 in favor of the Twins over the Mariners. Mauer had three doubles and the team combined for eight. That was so long ago that Ramon Ortiz started and Josh Rabe played, that Jason Bartlett was collecting his first extra base hit of the year, and that Mauer was batting .364.
And now I move to the topic of Nick Punto again. Luis Rodriguez needs to be warned that Nick Punto may surpass him in batting average if he continues his recent pace. He has already jumped over Richie Sexson in order to not be last in the majors for batting average by going 7-17 (.412) with two doubles and an RBI over his last five games. And yes, those are significant; he's only had three RBIs now since July 21st and the two doubles are the same amount he had in each of three individual months. And, of course, these last five days have made the whole season of Punto worthwhile.
Lastly, I'm awarding retroactive game balls for the two games which I posted entries about before I had that idea. For Friday's game, it goes to Justin Morneau, who went 1-4 with a 2-run home run. For Saturday's game, it goes to Johan Santana, who pitched eight innings, gave up four earned runs, and allowed six hits and two walks to go with seven strikeouts.
The offense also had some good performances. Torii Hunter went 2-4 with 2 RBIs, Joe Mauer had a ground-rule double and RBI, Jason Kubel went 3-4 with 2 doubles and 3 runs scored, and Nick Punto had 2 hits, including a double, again! On the other hand, Justin Morneau and Luis Rodriguez both had tough days. Morneau came up twice with a runner in scoring position and two outs and didnt get a hit either time, while Rodriguez grounded into two double plays and went 0-4 overall.
The aforementioned four players (with good games) totaled five doubles for the game. As a team, the Twins have not had that many doubles in a game since June 23rd in an 11-1 win against the Marlins, and only two other times this year (April 21st in a 7-5 win over the Royals and April 14th in a 12-5 victory versus the Devil Rays). The last time-- and only time this year-- they had more than 5 doubles in one game was way back on April 17th, in a game that ended 11-2 in favor of the Twins over the Mariners. Mauer had three doubles and the team combined for eight. That was so long ago that Ramon Ortiz started and Josh Rabe played, that Jason Bartlett was collecting his first extra base hit of the year, and that Mauer was batting .364.
And now I move to the topic of Nick Punto again. Luis Rodriguez needs to be warned that Nick Punto may surpass him in batting average if he continues his recent pace. He has already jumped over Richie Sexson in order to not be last in the majors for batting average by going 7-17 (.412) with two doubles and an RBI over his last five games. And yes, those are significant; he's only had three RBIs now since July 21st and the two doubles are the same amount he had in each of three individual months. And, of course, these last five days have made the whole season of Punto worthwhile.
Lastly, I'm awarding retroactive game balls for the two games which I posted entries about before I had that idea. For Friday's game, it goes to Justin Morneau, who went 1-4 with a 2-run home run. For Saturday's game, it goes to Johan Santana, who pitched eight innings, gave up four earned runs, and allowed six hits and two walks to go with seven strikeouts.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Twins Win on Walk-off Error
It was a good start to the homestand as the Twins defeated the Rangers 5-4 on a walk-off error. After Joe Nathan gave up a solo home run in the top of the ninth, Michael Cuddyer knotted it at four with a solo shot of his own in the bottom half. A Lew Ford walk, Brian Buscher sacrifice bunt, and Nick Punto strikeout left Ford on second with two outs and Jason Bartlett batting. Ian Kinsler couldn't handle the ball and the Twins had a walk-off win.
My glee, however, was overshadowed, because at that very moment my fantasy football team suffered a loss at the hands (leg?) of David Akers. Coming into the game, he needed 11 points to tie, 12 to win. Each field goal is worth three points, and he already had three at this point, so one more would win it. The conversation that transpired between myself and Twin #2 can be seen at the bottom of this entry.
But back to the game. Kevin Slowey had a very good start, providing 6 innings of one-run ball and Joe Mauer hit his 6th home run of the year, and his first since July 21st (129 at bats). Juan Rincon unsurprisingly coughed up Slowey's chance for a win in the seventh, but Matt Guerrier did much better by striking out the side in the eighth.
At this point, I want to take a closer look at Guerrier's recent statistics. Over his last five games, he has pitched 4.2 innings and has had 10 strikeouts (19.29 K/9), allowing zero runs in that span. If you ignore one outing where he pitched an inning without a strikeout he has gotten every out but one with a strikeout. In his five outings before that, he pitched 5.2 innings and had 3 strikeouts (4.76 K/9), while allowing one run in each game. I think this just goes to show how streaky and unpredictable relief pitchers can be, but as long as they avoid a blow-up can maintain good stats.
Conversation
Twin #1 (11:22:29 PM): field goal range??JELSFJGSDkga
Twin #1 (11:22:31 PM): fjkgfdhkgjdsjdfgjhksgsHL difuaer yl
Twin #2 (11:22:56 PM): yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Twin #1 (11:22:45 PM): oh, but its 4th down
Twin #2 (11:22:59 PM): twins win
Twin #1 (11:22:47 PM): and theyre going
Twin #1 (11:22:49 PM): yes!!
Twin #2 (11:23:01 PM): walk off
Twin #2 (11:23:18 PM): if they get a td, they'll go for 2 prob
Twin #2 (11:23:25 PM): so then akers wont get anything
Twin #1 (11:23:50 PM): oh darn it went to commercials
Twin #1 (11:23:58 PM): i missed it, i dont know what happened
Twin #1 (11:24:03 PM): did they not make it?
Twin #1 (11:24:12 PM): or did they call a timeout and decide to kick a field goal?
Twin #2 (11:24:29 PM): timeout
Twin #1 (11:24:20 PM): nooooooo
Twin #2 (11:24:36 PM): they won on an error
Twin #2 (11:24:39 PM): lol how twinlike
Twin #1 (11:24:30 PM): please dont make it, pleasssssssssssssssse
Twin #1 (11:24:32 PM): pleassssssssssssssse
Twin #1 (11:24:33 PM): how?
Twin #1 (11:24:39 PM): oh nvm
Twin #1 (11:24:44 PM): i thought you said how UNtwinlike
Twin #1 (11:24:49 PM): but in that case i agree
Twin #1 (11:24:53 PM): time for blog update!!
Twin #1 (11:25:25 PM): ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Twin #1 (11:25:28 PM): noooooooooooooooooasgifsdhuigdafg
Twin #1 (11:25:32 PM): they made it?!?!!!?!?
Twin #2 (11:25:46 PM): they're going for a td
Twin #1 (11:25:37 PM): they better
Twin #1 (11:25:42 PM): if he gets another FG
Twin #1 (11:25:45 PM): ima be mad
Twin #1 (11:26:43 PM): nooooo
Twin #1 (11:26:46 PM): 3rd down
Twin #1 (11:27:02 PM): i need a 2nd opinion on the game ball?
Twin #1 (11:28:45 PM): yes yes yes FIRST DOWN
Twin #1 (11:29:01 PM): freaking throw it in!!!!
Twin #1 (11:29:13 PM): dont let him kick it, dont let him kcik it!!!
Twin #1 (11:30:46 PM): ahhhhhhhhhhharshf;lkjdjlafd jgadiu oiratuioartmfaesjtdoJKLEUFASIGRFHIOAGUIEORFHSGKJAFGFJSGOIRSAGJAOIUROIUTGIFIUOASUIGIUDAF
Twin #1 (11:30:47 PM): I LOST
Twin #1 (11:30:50 PM): NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Twin #1 (11:30:55 PM): GOOOOOOO COME ON GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ijDIGFJAKG
Twin #1 (11:30:57 PM): NOAODSFGOIASGFODU
Twin #1 (11:30:59 PM): AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHI
Twin #1 (11:31:02 PM): STUPID DAVID AKERS
Twin #1 (11:31:06 PM): MISS MISS MISS MISS
Twin #2 (11:31:20 PM): go for it
Twin #2 (11:31:23 PM): go for it
Twin #1 (11:31:15 PM): NDSAIGLHDAFRJGTSRPOGSIJASRGKOLDSFKDLSGKJLFDA;JKGKL;DSFG;KIJL;ERDKF
Twin #1 (11:31:20 PM): DARNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN I LOST
Twin #2 (11:31:42 PM): all right
Twin #2 (11:31:46 PM): thats enough now
Twin #1 (11:31:51 PM): NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
My glee, however, was overshadowed, because at that very moment my fantasy football team suffered a loss at the hands (leg?) of David Akers. Coming into the game, he needed 11 points to tie, 12 to win. Each field goal is worth three points, and he already had three at this point, so one more would win it. The conversation that transpired between myself and Twin #2 can be seen at the bottom of this entry.
But back to the game. Kevin Slowey had a very good start, providing 6 innings of one-run ball and Joe Mauer hit his 6th home run of the year, and his first since July 21st (129 at bats). Juan Rincon unsurprisingly coughed up Slowey's chance for a win in the seventh, but Matt Guerrier did much better by striking out the side in the eighth.
At this point, I want to take a closer look at Guerrier's recent statistics. Over his last five games, he has pitched 4.2 innings and has had 10 strikeouts (19.29 K/9), allowing zero runs in that span. If you ignore one outing where he pitched an inning without a strikeout he has gotten every out but one with a strikeout. In his five outings before that, he pitched 5.2 innings and had 3 strikeouts (4.76 K/9), while allowing one run in each game. I think this just goes to show how streaky and unpredictable relief pitchers can be, but as long as they avoid a blow-up can maintain good stats.
Conversation
Twin #1 (11:22:29 PM): field goal range??JELSFJGSDkga
Twin #1 (11:22:31 PM): fjkgfdhkgjdsjdfgjhksgsHL difuaer yl
Twin #2 (11:22:56 PM): yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Twin #1 (11:22:45 PM): oh, but its 4th down
Twin #2 (11:22:59 PM): twins win
Twin #1 (11:22:47 PM): and theyre going
Twin #1 (11:22:49 PM): yes!!
Twin #2 (11:23:01 PM): walk off
Twin #2 (11:23:18 PM): if they get a td, they'll go for 2 prob
Twin #2 (11:23:25 PM): so then akers wont get anything
Twin #1 (11:23:50 PM): oh darn it went to commercials
Twin #1 (11:23:58 PM): i missed it, i dont know what happened
Twin #1 (11:24:03 PM): did they not make it?
Twin #1 (11:24:12 PM): or did they call a timeout and decide to kick a field goal?
Twin #2 (11:24:29 PM): timeout
Twin #1 (11:24:20 PM): nooooooo
Twin #2 (11:24:36 PM): they won on an error
Twin #2 (11:24:39 PM): lol how twinlike
Twin #1 (11:24:30 PM): please dont make it, pleasssssssssssssssse
Twin #1 (11:24:32 PM): pleassssssssssssssse
Twin #1 (11:24:33 PM): how?
Twin #1 (11:24:39 PM): oh nvm
Twin #1 (11:24:44 PM): i thought you said how UNtwinlike
Twin #1 (11:24:49 PM): but in that case i agree
Twin #1 (11:24:53 PM): time for blog update!!
Twin #1 (11:25:25 PM): ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Twin #1 (11:25:28 PM): noooooooooooooooooasgifsdhuigdafg
Twin #1 (11:25:32 PM): they made it?!?!!!?!?
Twin #2 (11:25:46 PM): they're going for a td
Twin #1 (11:25:37 PM): they better
Twin #1 (11:25:42 PM): if he gets another FG
Twin #1 (11:25:45 PM): ima be mad
Twin #1 (11:26:43 PM): nooooo
Twin #1 (11:26:46 PM): 3rd down
Twin #1 (11:27:02 PM): i need a 2nd opinion on the game ball?
Twin #1 (11:28:45 PM): yes yes yes FIRST DOWN
Twin #1 (11:29:01 PM): freaking throw it in!!!!
Twin #1 (11:29:13 PM): dont let him kick it, dont let him kcik it!!!
Twin #1 (11:30:46 PM): ahhhhhhhhhhharshf;lkjdjlafd jgadiu oiratuioartmfaesjtdoJKLEUFASIGRFHIOAGUIEORFHSGKJAFGFJSGOIRSAGJAOIUROIUTGIFIUOASUIGIUDAF
Twin #1 (11:30:47 PM): I LOST
Twin #1 (11:30:50 PM): NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Twin #1 (11:30:55 PM): GOOOOOOO COME ON GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ijDIGFJAKG
Twin #1 (11:30:57 PM): NOAODSFGOIASGFODU
Twin #1 (11:30:59 PM): AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHI
Twin #1 (11:31:02 PM): STUPID DAVID AKERS
Twin #1 (11:31:06 PM): MISS MISS MISS MISS
Twin #2 (11:31:20 PM): go for it
Twin #2 (11:31:23 PM): go for it
Twin #1 (11:31:15 PM): NDSAIGLHDAFRJGTSRPOGSIJASRGKOLDSFKDLSGKJLFDA;JKGKL;DSFG;KIJL;ERDKF
Twin #1 (11:31:20 PM): DARNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN I LOST
Twin #2 (11:31:42 PM): all right
Twin #2 (11:31:46 PM): thats enough now
Twin #1 (11:31:51 PM): NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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