Debuts, Gardy, and Other Twins Things

==> Let's start with the worst things first, as the Twins scored fewer than 2 runs in 6 straight games for the first time in franchise history last week.  That feat has only been accomplished 14 other times since 1919, and only two times was it done in more consecutive games than what the Twins just did (the record is 9).  If you limit it to streaks of home games, as the Twins' was, it's only happened 4 times previously, and just one of those instances went for 7 straight.  Therefore, the 4 runs the Twins scored on Saturday against Justin Verlander kept them out of some pretty ignominious company.

==> Ron Gardenhire spoke with Phil Mackey and Patrick Reusse on KSTP radio on Thursday, and let out a few tidbits.  For one, he offered Jim Hoey, Chuck James, and Deolis Guerra as players who may get call-ups after September 1.  The exciting name on that list is Guerra, who, as we discussed in the first episode of our podcast, has pitched excellently since being moved to the bullpen in New Britain and will be out of options next year.  Granted, he was essentially listing players on the 40-man roster, but he did leave off one or two other pitchers, indicating Guerra is at least on the radar.

"Yes, well, maybe ours," Gardenhire responded to Reusse's suggestions that Jim Thome may have offers from some teams to come to Spring Training next season.  He definitely passed it off as a joke, but I am a big believer that behind almost every joke there is some truth.  Whether or not the front office would be interested, I definitely think Gardy will be in favor of inviting Thome back to the club next year.

==> Lester Oliveros made his Twins debut on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles and pitched decently, allowing a run on two hits and a walk in two innings.  His second outing, however, came against the Tigers on Friday and was fairly disastrous.  He got just two outs and allowed 3 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs, including a bases loaded RBI single to Delmon Young, the man the Twins traded to get Oliveros.  Of course, it was an infield single that dribbled right down the third base line, but it still counts as a hit.

==> Francisco Liriano lasted only two innings in his start against Baltimore before he was removed due to shoulder soreness.  He was diagnosed with a posterior strain in his left shoulder, which very well could mean his season is over.  Scott Diamond was called up to replace him on the Major League roster, and started immediately on Friday.  He pitched to contact, as his numbers would suggest, giving up 11 hits and 5 runs in 6.1 innings.  His line could have been better, but he left with the bases loaded and Glen Perkins allowed all three inherited runners to score.

==> On Saturday night, Stephen Strasburg started against the Rochester Red Wings as part of his rehab assignment.  He thoroughly dominated the Red Wings hitters, pitching five perfect innings with 7 strikeouts.  He came out for the sixth frame, however, and gave up singles to Aaron Bates and Steve Holm, who's now hitting .179 in Triple-A, before he reached his pitch limit.  Bates wound up scoring, meaning Strasburg was charged with one run on his ledger.  Still, it was clear that one player belongs in the Majors and one team was well under .500 in Triple-A.

==> Matt Tolbert is back at Rochester in order to make room on the roster for Rene Rivera while Joe Mauer is limited by a neck injury.  It's really good to see the Twins keep Trevor Plouffe on the roster and in a starting role as he tries to establish himself as an option for 2012, rather than allowing Tolbert to continue putting up his usual pathetic offensive numbers.  Everyone knows what Tolbert offers, and it's not exciting.

Farewell Jim Thome

The Minnesota Twins bid a fond farewell to Jim Thome last night as they traded him to the Indians for a player to be named later.  In moving to Cleveland, Thome returns to his original club and a place he called home for 12 seasons, until he was 32 years old.  That last season in Cleveland he hit a career-high 52 homers, led the league in walks, slugging percent, and OPS, and played 148 games at first base.  The circumstances under which he comes back are quite different, as he's now an aging 40-year old who often struggles to play DH on consecutive days.  But one trait remains the same, even if it's not as prolific as it was then: the man can hit the ball a long way.

And that's why Twins fans, myself included, are sorry to see him go.  It's even more disappointing because a big motivating factor in moving Thome was to give him a chance, albeit small in this case, to obtain a World Series ring, only casting more light on the unsuccessful season Minnesota has had.  Cleveland, while far ahead of the Twins, is still 6 1/2 games back of Detroit in the Central, so Thome will likely once more fail to get a ring.  Many people are assuming that this will be the end for Thome since he reached the 600 home run plateau, but perhaps he'll give it one more shot in 2012.

But what's certain is that Thome's time with the Twins has come to an end.  In 178 games with Minnesota, Thome batted 578 times and slugged 37 homers, hitting one out every 12.92 at bats.  His 2010 season marked the best AB/HR ratio for any Twins player ever with at least 200 plate appearances, as he went deep once every 11 at bats.  He rejuvenated his power stroke--not that it was ever meager--upon joining the Twins and immediately became a fan favorite.  His signature moment from the 2010 season, a walk-off homer against his former team and the Twins' current rival, the Chicago White Sox, was matched this year when he went deep twice in one game to gain inductance into the 600 home run club.

All in all, the nearly two seasons Jim Thome spent in Minneapolis were fantastic ones, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a Twins fan anywhere who would disagree.  Thome's presence in the lineup will be missed, but we wish him the best of luck in Cleveland!

NG5CYCHSQ9W8

600!

Congratulations to Jim Thome for hitting his 600th career home run off of Daniel Schlereth in the 7th inning of last night's game in Detroit.  It was his second of the night, as he had already homered the inning before off of Rick Porcello.  He is the eighth player ever to hit 600 home runs, joining Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., and Sammy Sosa.

Thome's milestone home run was a three-run blast that stretched the Twins' lead to 9-5.  They eventually won the game 9-6 on the back of Thome's 5 RBIs.

2010 Highlights

Somehow, despite how late in posting these I am every year, I top myself the next year.  Now's a good time to look back at the highlights of the 2010 season, however, considering the lack of highlights the 2011 Twins are currently producing.  Without further ado...


Honorable Mentions
4/12- Twins win first game in the history of Target Field
5/21- Twins score 7 runs in the first and lead 15-0, but Carlos Gomez still admires his 3-run homer in the eighth inning
6/26- Johan Santana pitches his first game against Minnesota, but Carl Pavano bests him with a complete game shutout
8/10- Twins hit five homers to beat White Sox and take over first place
9/4- Michael Young makes the last out when he contacts his third base coach, giving the Twins the victory



10. Liriano strikes out 7 straight hitters in outdueling Tim Hudson (June 11th vs. Atlanta)
It was a magical night during a fantastic season for Francisco Liriano.  Having given up a run in the second inning to put the Twins down 1-0, Liriano came back with a vengeance in the next frame.  Melky Cabrera started it with a groundout, but following that Liriano struck out seven consecutive Braves batters.  Martin Prado, Jason Heyward, Chipper Jones, Troy Glaus, Brian McCann, Yunel Escobar, and Omar Infante all went down on strikes before David Ross grounded an 0-1 fastball to second base for an out.  By then, Liriano had tied a Twins record with the 7 consecutive strikeouts, a feat accomplished once before in 1966 by Jim Merritt.  All except Escobar struck out swinging, and five of them went down on sliders while two were victims of Liriano's changeup.  When all was said and done, Liriano had pitched 8 innings of 1-run ball to go with 12 strikeouts, leading the Twins to victory over Tim Hudson and the Braves.

9. Valencia hits a walk-off single against the Tigers (September 1st vs. Detroit)
Francisco Liriano battled Max Scherzer in a pitcher's duel that saw the score tied at one after a full slate of nine innings.  Liriano threw seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts before giving way to the bullpen, which gave up the game-tying run in the eighth inning.  Scherzer, meanwhile, tossed a career-high nine innings and racked up nine punchouts, but did allow one run.  That set the stage for Danny Valencia to come to the plate facing Tigers reliever Ryan Perry in the bottom of the tenth with one out and Michael Cuddyer on second base.  And Valencia delivered, lining a game-winning single to left-centerfield that scored Cuddyer.  The Minnesota victory, their second one-run win over the Tigers in two days, put the final nail in Detroit's coffin, pushing them 12 games behind the Twins in the division.

8. Kubel's pop up hits a catwalk at Tropicana Field, scoring the deciding runs (August 5th at Tampa Bay)
It looked like the Twins would grab an easy victory over the Rays.  As the eighth inning rolled around, the Twins led 6-0 and Kevin Slowey was cruising.  B.J. Upton led off the inning with a solo homer, however, and after a hit batter, single, and a walk--and getting two outs--Slowey was removed from the game.  Jesse Crain and Ron Mahay offered no relief whatsoever, though, walking in a run and allowing a game-tying grand slam, respectively.  In the next half-inning, the Twins were threatening with runners on the corners and two outs.  That's when Jason Kubel hit a sky-high pop up that looked to be the end of the Twins' scoring chance; instead, the ball glanced off the highest catwalk at Tropicana Field, which is referred to as the A ring and sits about 190 feet above the playing field.  Kubel, only the second player ever to have hit the A ring, chuckled as he stood at first base having earned an RBI for driving in the go-ahead run.  Cuddyer singled to follow him, adding an insurance run that turned out to be unnecessary as Matt Capps closed out the 8-6 victory.


7. Span hits 3 triples in one game, helping the Twins beat the Tigers (June 29th vs. Detroit)
Having relinquished first place the night before to Detroit, the Twins were looking for a reversal of fortune on this Tuesday afternoon.  Denard Span got them off to a good start, lacing a ball into the gap that rolled to the deepest crevice of Target Field, right at the 403 foot sign, and racing into third base for a triple.  In the fourth inning, following a single in the third, Span hit a deep drive over the head of Magglio Ordonez, whose attempt to catch it was vaguely reminiscent of Delmon Young.  It then bounced back past him after hitting the wall, allowing Span to scamper in for an easy triple.  The very next inning Span came up again, blasting a pitch deep into right field, looking like it was a sure homer.  It hit high off the wall, though, and bounced over Ordonez's head; it was actually misplayed so badly by Ordonez that first baseman Miguel Cabrera ended up fielding the ball, giving Span another easy triple.  He had a chance to set the modern era record with 4 triples in a game, but instead drew a four-pitch walk, settling for becoming the 29th player to hit 3 triples in a game since 1919, the third since 1990, and the second Twin ever to do so.  His five RBIs also helped the Twins take over first place with an 11-4 victory.


6. The Twins steamroll the Royals 19-1 (July 26th at Kansas City)
It was just one of those days where everything went right for the Twins.  And, once more, it was Francisco Liriano pitching a great game, as seems to be becoming a pattern in these highlights.  He threw seven scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and walking no one.  But obviously the bats were the real story on this day, as the Twins set a season-high with 19 runs, the most since their 20-run outburst against Chicago the previous July.  Danny Valencia set the tone by smacking a 2-out grand slam off Zack Greinke in the first inning to put the Twins up 6-0.  Joe Mauer was the star of the show, though, collecting five hits in as many at bats, doubling, homering, and driving in 7 runs.  Valencia and Delmon Young also had four hits apiece, making this one of three times during the 2011 that three teammates had at least four hits.  The team combined for 11 extra base hits, the most in one game for the Twins since 2002, and tying the most since 1979.  All in all, it was a fun day to be a Twins fan.

5. The Twins clinch the AL Central division title (September 21st vs. Cleveland)
Unlike the 2008 and 2009 season, the Twins had a relatively comfortable September, locking up the division title with 11 games to go in the 2010 season.  On this day, it was Scott Baker who started and gave the Twins five solid innings.  Still, Minnesota trailed until late in the game, when a 4-run eighth inning put the Twins up 6-4 on the Indians.  Denard Span drove in the go-ahead run with a single, and Orlando Hudson brought Span in with a double to stretch the lead to two.  Matt Capps came on for the ninth and picked up the save, ending the game with a strikeout of Michael Brantley.  The win meant the White Sox would have to win every remaining game on their schedule, along with the Twins having to lose all of their remaining games, to even achieve a tie in the division.  When Chicago lost later that night, it was official: the Minnesota Twins were the 2010 American League Central Division Champions!

4. The Twins score 4 runs in the ninth to walk-off against the White Sox (July 18th vs. Chicago)
Coming into this four-game series with the White Sox, the Twins were 3.5 games out of first place.  After a tough series-opening loss, they trailed Chicago by 4.5 games.  They won the next two, however, giving themselves a chance to cut the lead to 1.5 games with a victory in this one.  That didn't look all that likely when the ninth inning arrived, given that Minnesota was down by the score of 6-3.  Bobby Jenks was in to close the game, but he didn't even manage to get an out.  Walks to Orlando Hudson and Joe Mauer and singles by Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer brought Jenks' night to a quick end with the White Sox clinging to a 6-5 lead.  Sergio Santos came in and promptly walked Jason Repko, loading the bases for Delmon Young, who hit a shallow fly ball to center.  It dropped in front of Alex Rios, bringing in the tying and, after Rios threw the ball in the vicinity of the third base dugout, the winning run.  With that, the Twins had scored four runs in the ninth to win in walk-off style without making an out in the inning.

3. The Twins make up 5 runs in the ninth before beating the Phillies in 11 innings (June 19th at Philadelphia)
It was a wild night in Philadelphia, as the Twins and Phillies had more combined players hit home runs than in any other game in either 2009 or 2010.  Justin Morneau, Jim Thome, Joe Mauer, and Drew Butera all homered for Minnesota, while Philadelphia had five players each hit one, for a total of 9 different players.  Down 9-4 in the ninth, the Twins looked dead to rights in the final game of the series.  But four of those homers were yet to come, as Jim Thome followed an inning-opening single by Delmon Young with one of them.  With a Nick Punto walk and a Denard Span single, the Twins trailed by just two with a man on and Mauer coming to the plate, but the Phillies had also gotten two outs in between.  No matter, though, as Mauer tied the game with a 2-run blast.  In the tenth, Butera and Ross Gload traded solo shots, keeping the game even at 10.  An RBI infield single and a 2-run double by Young and Matt Tolbert, respectively, finally stretched the lead to 13-10 and gave the Twins the victory once Jon Rauch had taken care of business in the bottom of the inning.

2. Kubel's grand slam off Mariano Rivera lifts the Twins over the Yankees (May 16th at New York)
It was the Yankees again.  You knew the story.  The Twins go to Yankee Stadium, they get beat.  Blowout, walk-off, it could have been either, but you knew they would lose.  They lost all 10 games against the Yankees in 2009 (including playoffs), and lost the first 2 of this series.  Since 2007, they had run up 11 consecutive losses at Yankee Stadium.  So when the eighth inning opened with the Twins trailing 3-1, no one would have blamed you for turning the game off.  Even when the Twins loaded the bases with two outs, it still seemed a foregone conclusion that they would lose, especially with Mariano Rivera about to enter the game.  Then Jim Thome drew a walk, forcing home a run; but how many times had the Twins come close against the Yankees, only to lose in painful fashion?  Well, Jason Kubel changed that pattern when he drilled a 1-0 pitch from Rivera into the seats in the right field corner for a grand slam.  All of a sudden, Minnesota led New York, 6-3.  After Brian Duensing, Matt Guerrier, and Jon Rauch combined to end the game with two scoreless innings, Twins fans could finally celebrate a win in Yankee Stadium for the first time since 2007.

1. Thome hits a walk-off homer against the White Sox (August 17th vs. Chicago)
The White Sox rode into Minneapolis as losers of six of their last eight games.  The Twins opened the series on the heels of a 4-game winning streak.  Minnesota's division lead was up to 3 games.  A good series against the White Sox could utterly deflate them, whereas a bad series could have the opposite effect.  After Matt Capps blew the save, allowing a game-tying solo home run to Alexei Ramirez, Jon Rauch gave up a go-ahead RBI single to Ramirez in the tenth inning.  The Twins weren't done though.  Delmon Young opened the bottom half of the frame with a single, and then Jim Thome strode to the plate.  Matt Thornton delivered an 0-1 fastball that Thome absolutely crushed for the first walk-off home run in Target Field history, a no-doubter that gave the Twins a 7-6 victory.  As Thome circled the bases, the rest of the team circled home plate, awaiting his impending arrival with gigantic grins on their faces.  With the benefit of hindsight, it sure seemed like a turning point in the season for both teams.

Who is Jim Thome?

Against the White Sox, Thome hits the first walk-off home run at Target Field

Jim Thome was already 39 years old when he joined the Twins.  When he left Minnesota, he was two days shy of his 41st birthday..  He had been drafted and had already signed with the Indians two months before I was born.  He was easily the oldest player on the Twins roster.  Not coincidentally, he's also one of the most accomplished player the Twins have ever employed.  Since he debuted with Cleveland in 1991, Thome simply hit everywhere.  He finally grabbed hold of full-time at bats in 1995, posted an OPS just shy of 1.000, and never looked back.  In each of the next nine seasons, he had an OPS of at least .925 and hit no fewer than 30 home runs, while also driving in over 100 runs in eight of those seasons.  For close to two decades, Thome was of the best power hitters around.

After spending his first 12 years with Cleveland and the next 3 with Philadelphia, Thome joined the Chicago White Sox.  Though his overall stat line drooped a little, it was still very good.  He also, more memorably, made a name for himself with Chicago as a Twin-killer.  As is often the case, perception differs from the statistics, as his overall line against the Twins in his 4 seasons with Chicago was only a tad better than his numbers as a whole.  A ridiculous 6-game stretch against Minnesota in 2007, however, in which he hit a homer in each game, had 14 RBIs, and hit .541, combined with his iconic homer in the play-in game in 2008, made that reputation stick.

Therefore, following the 2009 season, the Twins employed a new strategy: if you can't beat 'em, sign 'em!  By inking Thome to a one-year contract for $1.5 million, the Twins made a low-risk deal to bring in one of the most likable players in the Majors.  They never imagined the kind of season they would get from Thome.  Despite a balky back that often kept him from playing consecutive days, even at designated hitter, Thome had his best season in years.  He hit 25 homers in just 279 at bats and put up his highest slugging percent (.627) and OPS (1.039) since 2002.

Thome instantly became a fan favorite in Minnesota.  He could seemingly do no wrong, and even swatted his first triple since 2004, a span of 3,049 plate appearances.  Never known as a speedster, as evidenced by his three stolen bases this millenium and just one since 2002, even Thome's quickest days were gone many years ago.  His home run trot at that point was actually his top speed, and the old baseball joke that it takes two hits to score a man from second was actually true.  But on June 28, Thome got some luck when a ball he smoked off the outfield fence caromed off the side of the scoreboard, bouncing in a completely unexpected direction and allowing him to make it all the way to third base.

The rejuvenated season had a personal reward for Thome: it left him just 11 home runs short of 600 for his career, something only 7 other players have ever done.  That number would, fair or not, probably seal his candidacy to be included in the Hall of Fame.  What had seemed an unrealistic goal prior to the 2010 season, as he struggled to find a home, now appeared well within reach.  He was, predictably, not as good in 2011, but had another fine season in Minnesota.  That including his milestone 600th home run off of Daniel Schlereth on August 15,  his second of the game, against Detroit.  Just ten days later, Thome's career with Minnesota came to an when the Twins shipped him to the Indians, largely in the interest of giving Jim a chance to play in the postseason.

Updated August 26, 2011

Twins bring back Thome

A couple long months into the off-season, the Twins have finally come to terms with Jim Thome, as he'll return to Minneapolis on a one-year contract worth $3 million.  Throughout the off-season various teams had reportedly been interested in Thome (most recently the Rangers) but in the end he decided to spend another year with Minnesota, where, by all accounts, he had a very enjoyable 2010 season.

The price of $3 million, plus some plate appearance bonuses, is a very good one for Minnesota.  After signing a make-good deal with the Twins last year for just $1.5 million, Thome made good and hit .283/.412/.627 for a .437 wOBA.  Those gaudy numbers meant he produced 3.6 WAR and was worth $14.6 million (enough to rank in the top 25 among position players in the AL) despite not playing a single inning in the field and accumulating only 340 plate appearances.  Unfortunately, his prolific performance in the batter's box also had rumors circulating that he was looking for either a two-year deal or $8 million for 2011.

The same facts that made his production all the more impressive, however, were the same ones that kept him from actually getting those deals.  While his .437 wOBA placed him fourth in the majors among batters with more than 50 plate appearances (behind the two MVPs and Justin Morneau), he is a 40-year old who hasn't played in the field at all since 2007 (and only 8 innings that year) and can't even be counted on to play DH every day because of his problematic back.

And no one can reasonably expect him to repeat his 2010 season.  Even for Thome, a future hall-of-famer who ranks 8th all-time in home runs, 2010 was one of his two or three best seasons, based purely on rate hitting stats.  Bill James, for instance, projects him for a much less inspiring line of .245/.384/.498 in 2011.  In all likelihood, that will be much closer to his performance than what he did last year.  That is why it was important to not overpay for Thome, and instead ink him to a very reasonable one-year, $3 million contract.

And it certainly will be fun to watch him chase down 600 home runs, as he stands only 11 short at the moment.

Jim Thome Beats Former Team (and other ramblings)

It was an interesting night for the Twins.  First, the offense jumped on John Danks, scoring 4 runs in the first inning.  Scott Baker responded by giving back 3 runs in the next half-inning and only managed to make it through 4 2/3 pretty miserable innings.  That was the last straw, as I finally had to jettison him from my fantasy team.  I showed a lot of faith and really wanted to hang on to him, but I could no longer justify rostering him.

After Matt Capps blew a save in the 9th and Jon Rauch gave the White Sox the lead in the 10th, the Twins were facing a 6-5 deficit with 3 outs to go; they would need none of them.  Delmon Young, who'd earlier broken out of a slump with a homer, singled to lead off the Twins' half of the 10th.  Jim Thome followed that with an absolute laser to right field, giving Minnesota a 7-6 victory over the White Sox.

It's fitting that it was Thome who sealed the win, as he spent many seasons with Chicago before signing a one-year deal with the Twins this off-season.  It's fitting because Chicago so clearly has a need for someone exactly like Thome, and because the Twins have benefited so greatly from their signing of Thome.  While the Twins rank third among AL teams in OPS and wOBA from their DH spot (.838 and .360), the White Sox rank in the bottom third in both categories (.715 and .313).

[A quick aside.  The Mariners have received a .256 wOBA from their aggregate DH this season.  The guy who is put in the lineup to do nothing other than hit has a .182 average, a .260 OBP, and a .303 slugging percent.  Again, this guy's ONLY job is to hit.  By definition, he does nothing else.  The Mariners might want to propose a move to the National League.]

Thome, of course, has a significant number of the Twins' designated hitter appearances.  His performance, in fact, is far and above the aggregate DH total for the Twins.  His wOBA sits at a robust .416 and he's slugged 17 homers in his role as a part-time player.  And to think that I questioned his signing at the time!  To be fair, though, as one of Delmon Young's last supporters, I was more worried about him cutting into Delmon's playing time than anything else.

And that has not happened, largely because Young has rebounded and been a productive player this year.  I don't want to go crazy, however, as I am worried the Twins will.  He still doesn't walk at all and even if he's improved on defense, he's still below average--he's just not the worst outfield defender in the league anymore.  But what gets the money is home runs and runs batted in, which Young is doing prolifically.  I'm concerned that the Twins will see that and overpay for a player who, while no longer useless, does have significant flaws.  I would love to see Young continue playing for the Twins but not if he's going to be demonstrably overvalued.

Since I'm on the topic of Young anyways, I would be remiss not to mention his collision with A.J. Pierzynski at home plate yesterday.  Rather than trying to slide in for the run (which possibly could have been successful), Young made a beeline for Pierzynski and shoved him in the face.  It was ostensibly in the course of trying to score, so there won't be a punishment, but it was a pretty blatant maneuver.

One of the things I love about the Twins is that things like that almost never happen.  The Twins don't stoop to the level of immature children like most baseball teams do.  When a Twin gets hit, for instance, they take their lump and thank the opposing team for the automatic base-runner, rather than charging the mound or silently plotting their eventual vindication.  Seeing Glen Perkins hit Carlos Quentin twice after he homered, or seeing Young do what he did yesterday, is the rare exception to the rule.

On the other side are the White Sox announcers.  And the more I listen to them, the more I enjoy beating the White Sox solely to hear them suffer.  They are insufferable and unwatchable, and continue to be the only commentators I've heard who have absolutely no regard for impartiality.  When a ball is hit, you can practically guarantee that you'll hear "Stretch" or "Get down" or any number of prayers sent toward the ball that would help Chicago.  In this case, however, I'm talking about how vengeful they are.  I guess they are like most people in baseball in that respect, but it's a part of the game I could certainly do without.  In response to Young's play on Pierzynski, their immediate reaction was this: "All right.  All right, Delmon.  You got it, buddy.  We'll see what happens either later on this series or when y'all come back to us."  And a few moments later: "I wonder how this Rawlings would look stuck in the earhole of his helmet."

Really?  I don't understand this.  Can't we just admit it was a lapse in judgment and move on?  Do we really need to plot our revenge that we'll take in a few weeks?  Especially a revenge that is so dangerous?  Many people seem to believe that throwing at a player is so innocuous.  What about Justin Morneau?  Remember how much he suffered after he was hit in the head with a pitch back in 2004 (not that that was on purpose)?  I'm sure you're aware of the time he's missed this year from what appeared to be a harmless collision.  Head injuries are serious--players shouldn't have their safety risked just so people can get their petty revenge.

Jim Thome's Triple

With the Twins down 5-1 to the Tigers, and generally having played abysmally over the last week or so, I was not in a good mood. Jason Kubel had already grounded into two inning-ending double plays and Francisco Liriano had given up four runs in the first inning. After Ramon Santiago's at bat in the fourth inning, I was at my low point. That's because Santiago was 2-2 with a walk, on the back of a bunt single, an infield single, and a terrible walk call. When the batter stays in the box to continue hitting, you know you've made a huge mistake (pitch #5).

That's when Jim Thome made everything feel okay. With Michael Cuddyer on first base, Thome crushed a ball to right-center. It was hit so hard, in fact, you thought he might not make it to second. That's when things got interesting--the ball caromed off the side of the scoreboard and rolled back toward the right field corner.

My immediate thought was: oh my god, Thome might get a triple!! As he lumbered, to put it nicely, around the bases, I considered all the things that would be moving faster. Prince Fielder. Bengie Molina. The guys in World's Strongest Man when they're pulling an 18-wheeler. And, despite all that, he was able to leg out his first triple since 2004. Which couldn't help but put a smile on my face, regardless of the situation.


As I type this, Thome just homered to make it 5-4! I swear, I didn't write anything in the offseason about how Thome was a useless pickup!

Twins Thoughts

I haven't posted anything in a while, and that will probably continue to be true until the season starts, but I figured I'd weigh in on a few things.

--Signing Jim Thome isn't a bad move, especially for the low cost of $1.5 million plus incentives, but it just doesn't sit well with me. Trading Carlos Gomez was supposed to eliminate the glut of outfielders the Twins had, and allow everyone consistent playing time; now, however, they're right back where they started, with 5 players for four spots (outfield plus DH). I know many people are glad that this may mean less playing time for Delmon Young, but I'm not. He's been horrible for the last two seasons, there's no doubt about that, but I was hoping this would finally be the season where he could play full-time and the Twins would be able to decide whether or not he could live up to any of his potential.

--Signing Clay Condrey makes even less sense to me. With a bullpen already packed with solid relievers, I don't see why you'd pay extra money for a guy who could very well be replaced by one of the options in Rochester. The Twins already have Joe Nathan, Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, Jose Mijares, Jon Rauch, possibly Pat Neshek, and two of Francisco Liriano, Brian Duensing, and Glen Perkins. That's eight relievers in addition Condrey, meaning two of those guys won't be starting the season in Minnesota.

--Orlando Cabrera signed with the Reds, thankfully officially ending any possibility that he'll be back in Minnesota.

White Sox lose to Twins and call it a season

The Twins defeated the White Sox yesterday behind a strong performance from Nick Blackburn and homers from Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel. The White Sox' loss was their fourth in a row and eighth in their past nine games, dropping them 4 games under .500 and 6 games behind Detroit in the division. That was enough, apparently, for them to decide their playoff hopes were all but gone, as they shipped Jim Thome and Jose Contreras to two NL West contenders.

The Dodgers received Jim Thome, whose contract expires after this year, for minor league infielder Justin Fuller, while the Rockies acquired Jose Contreras for minor league pitcher Brandon Hynick. Fuller doesn't seem to be very intriguing, as he's repeating single-A at the age of 26 and hasn't showed much plate discipline or power, has a big strikeout rate, and is only 3-for-9 in stolen base attempts. I have no idea how his fielding rates, but it would have to be really good for him to have a decent future.

Hynick, meanwhile, is in AAA now, meaning he's much closer to the majors, and "should fit in nicely on a National League club's MLB roster as a No. 4 starter." Obviously he's now in the American League, but it still gives you an idea of his potential. If you want to read more about him, follow the link.

Ugh!

It was a rough game for the Twins today, resulting in an 8-3 loss to the White Sox. This is the first time I've started the entry before the game was over, but I just didn't feel like thinking about this game much after it ended. I almost put it off until the conclusion of the game immediately following Jason Kubel's opposite field home run, but then Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau, and Michael Cuddyer each struck out swinging to suck out any momentum I thought the Twins might have gained. As a whole, the offense couldn't get anything going, striking out eleven times against Javier Vazquez, and fourteen times in the game. Jason Tyner was the only Twin not to strike out, while Kubel and Nick Punto struck out three times apiece. Punto's 0-4 game ended his seven game hitting streak and his streak of three consecutive games with multiple hits. On a bright note, Brian Buscher had his first career double.


Scott Baker was not good to start the game, giving up three earned runs in two innings, but Boof Bonser was even worse, allowing eight hits, two walks, and five earned runs in just three frames. Baker, however, did not leave just because of his sub-par performance; he was hit by a line drive on his pitching hand, which, although evidently not serious, may cause him to miss his last start of the season. This brings up the question of who will pitch in his place. Bonser certainly didn't make a very good case for it to be himself, but he would presumably be the first option. To finish the game, Julio DePaula, Glen Perkins, and Juan Rincon combined for four scoreless innings.


As Jim Thome hit his 32nd home run in the third inning, it dawned on me that he has really been killing the Twins of late. In fact, he has homered in six straight games against the Twins, batting .541 (13-24) with 8 runs and 14 runs batted in during that span. Let's hope that he can be contained tomorrow, because I am hanging on to the slim, slim chance of the silver lining that is a .500 record.