Yesterday was one of the most exciting days in baseball history. As far as the regular season goes, I can't think of a better set of games, but I'm young and that may be why. On the other hand, Tim Kurkjian is much older and a much more respected baseball analyst, and he echoed my sentiments, saying: "This was the greatest day of regular season baseball in the game's glorious history." Regardless of where exactly it ranks on your list, it was without a doubt an amazing day. Here's what happened, in timeline form.
12:00 PM: I am informed by Twin #2 that Adam Dunn is not in the lineup for the White Sox. Alas, that means that his quest for infamy has ceased. More on that in another post, as there were exciting moments galore to come.
9:56 PM: Skipping way ahead. In Atlanta, Craig Kimbrel is on the mound against Chase Utley in the top of the ninth inning. With one out and the bases loaded, the Braves led by the score of 3-2. At the same time, the Cardinals were up 7-0 on the Astros, meaning a loss would likely send Atlanta home for the season. Utley came through with a deep sacrifice fly to left field that brought in the tying run from third.
10:02 PM: Kimbrel walked the next batter, his third free pass of the inning, to load the bases, forcing Fredi Gonzalez to go to his bullpen. Out trots Kris Medlen, a pitcher who had thrown exactly one inning in the Major Leagues in 2011. He does his job, though, getting Michael Martinez to pop out, keeping the game knotted at three.
10:23 PM: While Boston, up 3-2 on Baltimore in the seventh inning, continues to sit through a lengthy rain delay, the Rays start to rally against the Yankees. Down 7-0 in the eighth, Tampa Bay has just scored 3 runs to trim the lead to 4. But, though they have runners on first and second, they potentially have only four outs left in their season. Evan Longoria rises to the occasion with a 3-run homer that brings the Rays within one run.
10:26 PM: As the Braves-Phillies matchup pushes into extra innings, the Cardinals seal up their victory, an 8-0 win over Houston. Chris Carpenter dominated from starting to finish, pitching a complete game shutout in which he allowed just two hits and one walk, and struck out 11 batters. It's official now: Atlanta has to keep their postseason hopes alive.
10:31 PM: Although it has no bearing on the postseason matchups, Trevor Plouffe hits a single to drive in Denard Span to break a scoreless tie, giving Minnesota a walk-off win to end its season and avoid 100 losses. Carl Pavano was the true hero, however, as he went toe-to-toe with Bruce Chen (seriously?), putting up a complete game shutout with only 95 pitches.
10:47 PM: With two outs and nobody on in the ninth, and the Rays still down by a run, Joe Maddon sends Dan Johnson to the plate to pinch hit for Sam Fuld. It's a strange decision, if only because Johnson has not had a Major League hit since April 27. Sure, he was in Triple-A for a while, but he was also hitless in his last 20 at bats and had a .108 average on the season. Of course, down to his last strike, Johnson ropes a line drive just inside the right field foul pole for a game-tying home run.
10:58 PM: Play finally resumes in Baltimore, with the Red Sox emerging from their clubhouse having just watched the epic comeback the Rays had completed.
11:40 PM: In the 14th inning, it all finally comes to a close for Atlanta. Following a broken bat, blooping infield single by Hunter Pence that put Philadelphia in front by a run, the Braves' Freddie Freeman grounds into a double play to end the game and complete a collapse that saw an 8 1/2 game lead in early September go by the wayside. St. Louis is officially headed to the playoffs.
11:51 PM: An hour after the Red Sox learned they might not have the luxury of a play-in game even if they lose, Ryan Lavarnway grounds into a double play with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the ninth inning. Boston enters the bottom half of the frame still clinging to a 3-2 lead.
11:54 PM: Brandon Gomes and Jake McGee have combined to put Yankee runners on the corners with nobody out in the top of the twelfth inning. McGee then induces a grounder from Jorge Posada. After Evan Longoria scoops up the ball, he catches Greg Golson straying too far from third base and tags him out.
11:59 PM: Jonathan Papelbon gets the first two outs of the ninth inning before Chris Davis strokes a ball into right field for a double. Immediately afterward, McGee gets the final out of twelfth inning to squelch the Yankees' scoring opportunity.
12:00 AM: Only 30 seconds later, Papelbon gives up a game-tying ground-rule double to Nolan Reimold. Baltimore now has the winning run at second base.
12:02 AM: The next batter, Robert Andino, loops a soft liner into left field. Carl Crawford attempts to make a sliding catch and gets his glove on it, but can't come up with it. He still has a chance to throw out Reimold at home, but his throw is off-line, allowing Baltimore to end their season with a walk-off victory. And, of course, to potentially end Boston's season. It's the first time all year that Boston has lost a game they led after the eighth inning. Previously they had been 77-0.
B.J. Upton takes a healthy cut and misses as the T.V. announcers for the Yankees-Rays game inform their audiences that Boston has lost.
12:04 AM: The remaining fans at Tropicana Field go crazy as the scoreboard operator puts up the result of the Red Sox game. B.J. Upton has struck out and Evan Longoria is strolling to the plate.
12:05 AM: Longoria knocks a line drive down the left field line, almost a mirror image of Dan Johnson's homer earlier in the game. Again it sneaks inside the foul pole for a home run, giving the Rays a walk-off victory and pushing them into the playoffs. They overcame a 9-game deficit in early September and a 7-run deficit with just 6 outs to go in their final game. It was the first time the Yankees had lost a game they led by 7 or more runs in the eighth inning or later since 1953.
2:08 AM: So you tell me: was this the most exciting day in baseball history?
Showing posts with label walk-off. Show all posts
Showing posts with label walk-off. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Morales Wins It
Jeff Manship made his first Major League start yesterday and had a very respectable performance. He allowed a solo home run to Alexei Ramirez, but that was the only run he would give up. He left after five innings having thrown only eighty pitches. I guess that was the plan before the game, but with Brian Duensing pitching this afternoon I would have preferred they try to get more out of Manship. But, hey, it worked.
After Ramirez's fifth-inning homer, Michael Cuddyer answered immediately with his own solo shot. After Orlando Cabrera broke the tie with a sacrifice fly later in the game, Cuddyer would extend the lead with his second home run, putting the Twins up 3-1. That put Jesse Crain in line for the win, after he pitched 2 perfect innings in relief.
It wouldn't last, though, as Jose Mijares walked the only batter he faced on four pitches and Matt Guerrier followed by surrendering a game-tying longball to Gordon Beckham. He finished the inning without further damage and, after a scoreless bottom half, was replaced by Jon Rauch in the ninth inning. Just a few days ago that easily could have been Bobby Keppel--I think I like this acquisition.
Rauch gave up a single but emerged unscathed, giving the Twins an opportunity to avoid extras. And they did just that, as Jason Kubel and Brendan Harris singled, putting runners on the corners with one out. Carlos Gomez struck out and then Gardenhire sent in Jose Morales to pinch-hit for Alexi Casilla. He hit a sharp "single" (it would have been at least a double in any other situation) to score the winning run, giving Rauch his second victory in as many appearances for the Twins and the White Sox their 11th loss in their last 12 games at the Metrodome.
And, speaking of Rauch, Kevin Mulvey was essentially sent to the Diamondbacks as the player to be named later. I'm not sure why it was done in this roundabout way, rather than making him explicitly the player-to-be-named, but he's gone regardless. With Rauch under contract for next year, I think I like this deal significantly more than the trade for Carl Pavano. Of course, Yohan Pino could flame out and Mulvey could end up being a reliable #4 starter, because you can't ever really tell with prospects.
One last thing: am I the only one who thought Jermaine Dye could have caught the ball standing up on Scott Podsednik's diving catch of Brendan Harris' fly ball in the second inning?
After Ramirez's fifth-inning homer, Michael Cuddyer answered immediately with his own solo shot. After Orlando Cabrera broke the tie with a sacrifice fly later in the game, Cuddyer would extend the lead with his second home run, putting the Twins up 3-1. That put Jesse Crain in line for the win, after he pitched 2 perfect innings in relief.
It wouldn't last, though, as Jose Mijares walked the only batter he faced on four pitches and Matt Guerrier followed by surrendering a game-tying longball to Gordon Beckham. He finished the inning without further damage and, after a scoreless bottom half, was replaced by Jon Rauch in the ninth inning. Just a few days ago that easily could have been Bobby Keppel--I think I like this acquisition.
Rauch gave up a single but emerged unscathed, giving the Twins an opportunity to avoid extras. And they did just that, as Jason Kubel and Brendan Harris singled, putting runners on the corners with one out. Carlos Gomez struck out and then Gardenhire sent in Jose Morales to pinch-hit for Alexi Casilla. He hit a sharp "single" (it would have been at least a double in any other situation) to score the winning run, giving Rauch his second victory in as many appearances for the Twins and the White Sox their 11th loss in their last 12 games at the Metrodome.
And, speaking of Rauch, Kevin Mulvey was essentially sent to the Diamondbacks as the player to be named later. I'm not sure why it was done in this roundabout way, rather than making him explicitly the player-to-be-named, but he's gone regardless. With Rauch under contract for next year, I think I like this deal significantly more than the trade for Carl Pavano. Of course, Yohan Pino could flame out and Mulvey could end up being a reliable #4 starter, because you can't ever really tell with prospects.
One last thing: am I the only one who thought Jermaine Dye could have caught the ball standing up on Scott Podsednik's diving catch of Brendan Harris' fly ball in the second inning?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Returning to average
That's where the Twins are right now, sitting at .500 for the first time since August 1st. Fortunately for them, in the AL Central that's good enough to be just 3.5 or 4.5 (damn late West Coast games) games back of Detroit. They've also moved into a tie with the White Sox, who've lost three in a row, putting them in second place for the first time since July 29th.
The Armando Gabino experiment, however, certainly was not the catalyst for the Twins' fifth straight victory. He gave up five hits and three walks in only 2 2/3 innings, culminating in four runs, and in addition made an error on a pick-off throw. With Minnesota's willingness to shuffle guys between AAA and the bigs, I'd be very surprised if Gabino got another start.
He was lifted in the third with the bases loaded for Philip Humber, which is usually not a recipe for a win. And Humber didn't do anything to change that, as he allowed 5 baserunners while getting just three outs, including two bases loaded walks.
But Bobby Keppel restored some hope by striking out Melvin Mora when he inherited a bases-loaded jam in the 4th inning. That gave the offense a chance to make their way back, and yet again it was Alexi Casilla providing the spark (more on him in a second). Delmon Young also came up big with a four-hit game that included a walk-off single in the ninth inning. Former Twin Brian Bass was also very helpful, as he allowed all 5 Twins he faced in the sixth inning to reach base, of whom 3 scored to knot the game at six apiece.
Casilla is now hitting .209/.291/.271, which is downright awful; in fact, it's almost an exact copy of Nick Punto's 2007 season. But of late, Casilla has been excellent. He's hitting .417/.450/.583 since August 8th, and he's made several highlight reel defensive plays. Perhaps it's Orlando Cabrera's influence or perhaps it's just a hot streak, but either way it's nice to have someone in each of the nine lineup spots again. And while we obviously can't expect him to hit over .400 the rest of the way, we can hope that he puts up an OPS around .7o0 or .750 the rest of the year, which would make second base respectable again and really help the Twins playoff push.
The Armando Gabino experiment, however, certainly was not the catalyst for the Twins' fifth straight victory. He gave up five hits and three walks in only 2 2/3 innings, culminating in four runs, and in addition made an error on a pick-off throw. With Minnesota's willingness to shuffle guys between AAA and the bigs, I'd be very surprised if Gabino got another start.
He was lifted in the third with the bases loaded for Philip Humber, which is usually not a recipe for a win. And Humber didn't do anything to change that, as he allowed 5 baserunners while getting just three outs, including two bases loaded walks.
But Bobby Keppel restored some hope by striking out Melvin Mora when he inherited a bases-loaded jam in the 4th inning. That gave the offense a chance to make their way back, and yet again it was Alexi Casilla providing the spark (more on him in a second). Delmon Young also came up big with a four-hit game that included a walk-off single in the ninth inning. Former Twin Brian Bass was also very helpful, as he allowed all 5 Twins he faced in the sixth inning to reach base, of whom 3 scored to knot the game at six apiece.
Casilla is now hitting .209/.291/.271, which is downright awful; in fact, it's almost an exact copy of Nick Punto's 2007 season. But of late, Casilla has been excellent. He's hitting .417/.450/.583 since August 8th, and he's made several highlight reel defensive plays. Perhaps it's Orlando Cabrera's influence or perhaps it's just a hot streak, but either way it's nice to have someone in each of the nine lineup spots again. And while we obviously can't expect him to hit over .400 the rest of the way, we can hope that he puts up an OPS around .7o0 or .750 the rest of the year, which would make second base respectable again and really help the Twins playoff push.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Quick thoughts
Wednesday's game was an epic, lasting thirteen innings and keeping me from studying for my macroeconomics exam for far too long. I felt the effects of that at 2:00 today when I was taking the test. But at least the Twins won on Joe Crede's walk-off grand slam to make it seem like it was all worth it.
Justin Morneau added his ninth home run of the season, and Jason Kubel had a huge game-tying pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning. After Luis Ayala and Matt Guerrier seemingly gave the game away again, the rest of the bullpen, save Craig Breslow, combined to hold the Tigers scoreless for the next 6+ innings.
That included Jesse Crain, who was the culprit in Tuesday's loss. Although he allowed the go-ahead run to score on a balk, he still pitched well. Fortunately, the offense bailed him out, with Kubel's single, Denard Span's sacrifice bunt, and Matt Tolbert's game-tying single before Crede eventually came up with the bases loaded and ended the game in grand fashion.
Thursday afternoon's game got off to a slow start. Perhaps because the Twins were up so late the night before, they came out sluggish against Justin Verlander, accumulating 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 12 times in the first six innings. After Scott Baker fell apart at the seams in the sixth inning, that seemed to be the equation for a loss.
Prior to that inning, Baker had again been spectacular on a day when the bullpen needed it most--through 5 innings, he had allowed only one hit and no walks. Certainly Gardenhire had to leave Baker in for that whole inning, as he had actually gotten two outs before any of the runs scored. With the bullpen taxed from the 13-inning affair the night before, it was a no-brainer.
The Twins then came up with their own 2-out rally in the seventh inning. Down 5-1 with two outs, the Twins had turned the tables and were up 6-5 by the time the inning had ended. Again it was Morneau, Kubel, and Crede who came through with the big hits, just as they hit the big home runs on Wednesday.
Not to be forgotten is an important outing from Craig Breslow, who has experienced his share of struggles to start the 2009 season. With all the other bullpen options used on Wednesday, it was probably not with great conviction that Gardy called him into the game, especially in the top of the eighth after the Twins had taken the lead. He responded, though, with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
And with Joe Nathan's perfect ninth inning, the Twins completed a sweep of the Tigers and moved above .500 and just 1/2 game behind the division-leading Royals.
Justin Morneau added his ninth home run of the season, and Jason Kubel had a huge game-tying pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning. After Luis Ayala and Matt Guerrier seemingly gave the game away again, the rest of the bullpen, save Craig Breslow, combined to hold the Tigers scoreless for the next 6+ innings.
That included Jesse Crain, who was the culprit in Tuesday's loss. Although he allowed the go-ahead run to score on a balk, he still pitched well. Fortunately, the offense bailed him out, with Kubel's single, Denard Span's sacrifice bunt, and Matt Tolbert's game-tying single before Crede eventually came up with the bases loaded and ended the game in grand fashion.
Thursday afternoon's game got off to a slow start. Perhaps because the Twins were up so late the night before, they came out sluggish against Justin Verlander, accumulating 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 12 times in the first six innings. After Scott Baker fell apart at the seams in the sixth inning, that seemed to be the equation for a loss.
Prior to that inning, Baker had again been spectacular on a day when the bullpen needed it most--through 5 innings, he had allowed only one hit and no walks. Certainly Gardenhire had to leave Baker in for that whole inning, as he had actually gotten two outs before any of the runs scored. With the bullpen taxed from the 13-inning affair the night before, it was a no-brainer.
The Twins then came up with their own 2-out rally in the seventh inning. Down 5-1 with two outs, the Twins had turned the tables and were up 6-5 by the time the inning had ended. Again it was Morneau, Kubel, and Crede who came through with the big hits, just as they hit the big home runs on Wednesday.
Not to be forgotten is an important outing from Craig Breslow, who has experienced his share of struggles to start the 2009 season. With all the other bullpen options used on Wednesday, it was probably not with great conviction that Gardy called him into the game, especially in the top of the eighth after the Twins had taken the lead. He responded, though, with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
And with Joe Nathan's perfect ninth inning, the Twins completed a sweep of the Tigers and moved above .500 and just 1/2 game behind the division-leading Royals.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
An extra half-inning? No problem.
At last, Francisco Liriano had an effective start. You could argue that his first start was pretty good (he only gave up 4 hits in 7 innings, but did allow 4 runs), but this was definitely a good one. He lost it a little bit towards the end, as he allowed 7 of his 9 baserunners after the start of the fifth inning, but the overall line was very solid. I thought Ron Gardenhire made a good decision to take him out after allowing two consecutive singles in the seventh. Certainly, it was tempting to leave him out there to get those nice, even seven innings, and he only needed one more out, but it was the right decision. I wasn't sure about bringing Matt Guerrier in, but hey, it worked out. Jose Mijares followed that by striking out the side, which gave Joe Nathan a save opportunity (finally!). Unfortunately, he allowed a lead-off home run to Ben Zobrist, and then gave us a scare by allowing two more baserunners. Despite the game-tying homer, that would be the last frame the Twins would pitch.
Even though Liriano could no longer pick up the W, that didn't mean the Twins couldn't, as the offense wasted no time in getting that run back. Singles by Jose Morales and Denard Span and a pinch-walk by Brendan Harris loaded the bases with one out for Justin Morneau. Unsurprisingly, Morneau ended the game then and there, though not in the expected fashion. Facing a 5-man infield (how often do you see that?), Morneau beat out the relay throw to first on a potential double-play ball to allow the winning run to score. After starting the game with a two-run homer in the first, Morneau added a third RBI to his tally to avoid extra innings.
On a negative note, Jose Morales allowed another three stolen bases and yet again did not throw out any runners. This is an obvious con to him being on the roster instead of Mike Redmond (if, as I suggested, he goes on the DL at some point), in addition to his MLB-leading 4 passed balls (he's also second among catchers with 2 errors). At the Seth Speaks live game chat, there was a discussion about the possibility of keeping three catchers and sending down Carlos Gomez or Brian Buscher. Personally, at this point, I think that may be exactly what Gomez needs, but if the Twins were willing to do that, I would have thought they'd have done it last year. As Seth pointed out, if he stays there for five or six weeks, that would have the added benefit of pushing back the first year he'd be eligible for arbitration (and subsequently free agency).
With the victory, the Twins are now 4-0 in one-run games. They're the only team that has yet to lose such a game, while the Rockies are the only team that has yet to win one (they're 0-4). The Twins still sit in fourth place in the Central, but are just 1.5 games out of first here in the early-going.
Even though Liriano could no longer pick up the W, that didn't mean the Twins couldn't, as the offense wasted no time in getting that run back. Singles by Jose Morales and Denard Span and a pinch-walk by Brendan Harris loaded the bases with one out for Justin Morneau. Unsurprisingly, Morneau ended the game then and there, though not in the expected fashion. Facing a 5-man infield (how often do you see that?), Morneau beat out the relay throw to first on a potential double-play ball to allow the winning run to score. After starting the game with a two-run homer in the first, Morneau added a third RBI to his tally to avoid extra innings.
On a negative note, Jose Morales allowed another three stolen bases and yet again did not throw out any runners. This is an obvious con to him being on the roster instead of Mike Redmond (if, as I suggested, he goes on the DL at some point), in addition to his MLB-leading 4 passed balls (he's also second among catchers with 2 errors). At the Seth Speaks live game chat, there was a discussion about the possibility of keeping three catchers and sending down Carlos Gomez or Brian Buscher. Personally, at this point, I think that may be exactly what Gomez needs, but if the Twins were willing to do that, I would have thought they'd have done it last year. As Seth pointed out, if he stays there for five or six weeks, that would have the added benefit of pushing back the first year he'd be eligible for arbitration (and subsequently free agency).
With the victory, the Twins are now 4-0 in one-run games. They're the only team that has yet to lose such a game, while the Rockies are the only team that has yet to win one (they're 0-4). The Twins still sit in fourth place in the Central, but are just 1.5 games out of first here in the early-going.
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?
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Injury Bug
The Twins started the season as the only team without a single player on the DL, but since Michael Cuddyer went down with a thumb injury in the fifth game of the season, they have suffered their fair share. Here's a summary of the seasons' injuries and subsequent missed time thus far (off the top of my head):
Michael Cuddyer (thumb): 15-day DL
Scott Baker (groin): 15-day DL
Pat Neshek (elbow): 60-day DL (presumably)
Kevin Slowey (I forget): 15-day DL
Carlos Gomez (hamstring, head): 3-4 games
Nick Punto (hamstring): 2 games (OK, so he shouldn't have played anyways)
Brendan Harris: injured today, unclear
And that's not even mentioning the disaster that was three starts by Francisco Liriano.
Oh, by the way, the Twins did win today on a walk off single by Mike Lamb, and I'm waiting to see the highlights on Sports Center now, as I was in the car all day, but it sounds like it was a great game.
Michael Cuddyer (thumb): 15-day DL
Scott Baker (groin): 15-day DL
Pat Neshek (elbow): 60-day DL (presumably)
Kevin Slowey (I forget): 15-day DL
Carlos Gomez (hamstring, head): 3-4 games
Nick Punto (hamstring): 2 games (OK, so he shouldn't have played anyways)
Brendan Harris: injured today, unclear
And that's not even mentioning the disaster that was three starts by Francisco Liriano.
Oh, by the way, the Twins did win today on a walk off single by Mike Lamb, and I'm waiting to see the highlights on Sports Center now, as I was in the car all day, but it sounds like it was a great game.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Twins Prevail in Extras
It took ten innings, but the Twins were able to win the series (and game) 2-1 over the Cleveland Indians. The win moved them into a tie with the Royals for second place in the division at 9-10. Looking at the standings, the division is basically upside-down right now when compared to the predictions most people made. Detroit: 6-13?! Cleveland: 7-12?! Chicago: 12-7?! Of course it's early, but it's remarkable how these teams are playing even just one-eighth of the way into the season.
In the 9th inning, after pinch-hitting Craig Monroe for Mike Lamb, Ron Gardenhire had an interesting decision to make: move Justin Morneau to first base from designated hitter, or move someone already in the field to first base (which ended up being Brian Buscher) and bring someone in to replace them. Normally, you would never want to move Morneau there, because it means the pitcher would have to hit, but who else could fill in at first base?
The options were few. Buscher played 7 games there with Rochester last year and one the year before with New Britain. Needless to say, that's not a lot of experience. Matt Tolbert has never played a professional inning there and Nick Punto has, surprisingly, never played a major league inning at first base (he's played LF, CF, RF, 3B, SS, and 2B). Brendan Harris has only played one inning there in his career and that was earlier this season. I guess you could throw Joe Mauer in as a choice, but he's never played first base either. Now, maybe I overestimate the difficulty in transferring to a different position for a Major League player, but the thought of having any of those guys playing first base in extra innings was very worrisome. And, Buscher, who Gardenhire did choose to play first, is a shaky defender at his own position who was playing in his first Major League game this season.
Of course, all this, all my second-guessing, and what happens? Justin Morneau comes up with men on first and third and two outs in the bottom of the tenth. Thank God that wasn't Matt Guerrier.
A few more game notes:
In the 9th inning, after pinch-hitting Craig Monroe for Mike Lamb, Ron Gardenhire had an interesting decision to make: move Justin Morneau to first base from designated hitter, or move someone already in the field to first base (which ended up being Brian Buscher) and bring someone in to replace them. Normally, you would never want to move Morneau there, because it means the pitcher would have to hit, but who else could fill in at first base?
The options were few. Buscher played 7 games there with Rochester last year and one the year before with New Britain. Needless to say, that's not a lot of experience. Matt Tolbert has never played a professional inning there and Nick Punto has, surprisingly, never played a major league inning at first base (he's played LF, CF, RF, 3B, SS, and 2B). Brendan Harris has only played one inning there in his career and that was earlier this season. I guess you could throw Joe Mauer in as a choice, but he's never played first base either. Now, maybe I overestimate the difficulty in transferring to a different position for a Major League player, but the thought of having any of those guys playing first base in extra innings was very worrisome. And, Buscher, who Gardenhire did choose to play first, is a shaky defender at his own position who was playing in his first Major League game this season.
Of course, all this, all my second-guessing, and what happens? Justin Morneau comes up with men on first and third and two outs in the bottom of the tenth. Thank God that wasn't Matt Guerrier.
A few more game notes:
- Buscher doubled for his first hit of the year, while Mike Redmond also collected his first hit, a single in the ninth inning.
- Scott Baker had a fantastic outing, going seven innings and allowing one run, while getting eight Indians to strike out.
- Brendan Harris hit his first home run of the year. He is the third Twins player (and first right-handed one) to hit a home run this season. They're now within two of the Mets and A's who have had five players hit home runs. Pretty pathetic.
- The bullpen came through today, as Dennys Reyes, Pat Neshek, and Matt Guerrier combined to shut down the Indians for three innings. Neshek was aided by an amazing catch by Carlos Gomez in the ninth (or maybe Reyes was--it was his baserunner on second). It was really some catch.
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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