Mauer, Lamb and Kubel to sit against Angels lefty
Posted on April 2nd, 2008 – 3:25 PMBy Joe Christensen
Joe Mauer will sit his first game of the season tonight, Nick Punto replaces Mike Lamb at third base, and Craig Monroe is back at designated hitter, replacing Jason Kubel, as the Twins get ready to take on the Angels.
The Twins will be facing LHP Joe Saunders, and they have a noon game Thursday against Angels RHP Ervin Santana. I’m sure those factors played into Manager Ron Gardenhire’s decisions, as catchers typically don’t play day games after night games and managers often look to spread out playing time early in the season.
Mauer is on the field taking early batting practice, which tells me he is fine after getting spiked by Howie Kendrick on Tuesday night.
Update: Adam Everett has been scratched after leaving the ballpark to tend to a family issue. Matt Tolbert will start at shortstop. And as for the other lineup choices, Gardenhire did say it was a night-game, day-game thing, as we suspected.
TWINS
1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Brendan Harris, 2B
3. Michael Cuddyer, RF
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Delmon Young, LF
6. Craig Monroe, DH
7. Mike Redmond, C
8. Nick Punto, 3B
9. Matt Tolbert, SS
Starting pitcher: RH Nick Blackburn
ANGELS
1. Chone Figgins, 3B
2. Gary Matthews Jr., LF
3. Vladimir Guerrero, RF
4. Garret Anderson, LF
5. Torii Hunter, CF
6. Casey Kotchman, 1B
7. Howie Kendrick, 2B
8. Jeff Mathis, C
9. Erick Aybar, SS
Starting pitcher: LH Joe Saunders
Metrodome. First pitch: 7:10 p.m.
195 Responses to "Mauer, Lamb and Kubel to sit against Angels lefty"
oh dear…this should be painful to watch.
Punto already huh? Man, this will get people riled up.
I would rather see Tolbert instead of LNP as both are switch hitters but otherwise that looks correct against LHP. Reddog 7th? Did Gardy finally realize you don’t need to bat where the guy you are replacing normally bats? Maybe there is hope that Gardy can actually put a decent line-up out there most of the time. (No more Monroe verses RHP!)
Who’ll get their first hit of the season tonight….Justin Morneau or Nick Punto?
Red Dog gets his first hit and scores the first run with an opposite field double scoring D.Young.
Is Lamb injured or something?
I agree with CC it makes moree sense to put Tolbert in and let Punto come off the bench for defense later.
Gardy may very well be losing his mind…it’s sad to watch really.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The bottom half of that order is now known as “Bathroom Break”
I do like Harris hitting second, he’ll never get pitches to hit in front of Everett, WHY NOT GIVE TOLBERT A SHOT.
Has anyone noticed Cudd. new stance. The bat way behind his head. His swing is to long, that was always a big complain with Kelly on hitting
Wow. I smell hits. About 3 hits total.
Instead of Naked Guy’s classic finger to the nose, this year’s t-shirt will be pinching the nose and a foul face.
It is very early in the year and I have no problem with the lineup.
On Monday, I went for a pee and a Dome Dog during “Bathroom Break”, but the lines were so long it turned into a 2.5 inning excursion. Is it 2010 yet?
CHARLIE MURPHY!!
Obvious don’t you guys know Gardy yet?
07 Lamb vs. LHP .362 ave
07 Punto vs. LHP .175 ave
What are you guys dense Gardy has this all figured out. Punto is ready to break out and get after it!
Sorry folks, other than Tolbert for LNP that is the best we can do against LHP. It is the correct game to rest Mauer, Monroe is better than Kubel verses LHP, and at least Reddog is 7th instead of 2nd. Blackburn needs to keep it close and Harris, Cuddyer and Young need to step up.
HT, You only see that during Home opener and the playoffs. I don’t think you will have to worry about the ladder until at least 2010
[T]
OMG, here comes the @#$%&*! about Punto! Grumble, grumble.
[/T]
Now with that out of the way….
You can put me in the “if you’re going to take Lamb out the least you could do is give Tolbert the at-bats to see what he can do” boat as well. We already know what Poon can do…
Oh my Gardy!
Say it aint So (Joe)!
No Mauer…insert Punto…I realize Mauer will catch tomorrow afternoon but there is such a thing as a DH in the American League last I checked….instead the Twins go with a DO–Designated Out–and tonight, we have our DO in the 8 spot.
I agree sneep give the kid a chance we know what punto can’t do. Tolbert needs a chance to play in these kinds of games or send him down to aaa he isn’t going to do anything sitting on the bench.
Lamb could bat right and have a better chance of getting a hit than Punto.
Why did the Twins have to lose 9-1 last night??? Gardy had such a good lineup for games 1 and 2…why, why, why!!!! I was so proud of Gardy for showing such restraint. But apparently it was too much, the photos were about to be released at 4 p.m. Central Daylight Time today….
Unless the bases are loaded there is no reason for the Angels to throw strikes to Monroe. There is absolute black hole after he him. Some would even say I am being generous by not including him in that black hole.
predictions for tonight:
Twins win 5-4
Homeruns by Harris and Young.
Blackburn 6 innings 3 earned runs
Hold for Neshek
Save for Nathan
Blackburn = next player to “Loshe” Gardy’s door with a lineup like that in his debut!
tonights lineup is better than what we turned out for half the games we played last year
Think of it this way….how do you feel if you are Nick Blackburn, making your major league debut, and Gardy trots out the B-squad.
Look, I know we should be behind these guys and hope this lineup does produce like mad and then Gardy will look like the genious he is and guys like me will have egg all over our faces…but all I’m saying is all of our ST whining about LNP has been completely legitimized thanks to Gardy giving him a start in game 3 of the season…
Guys like T kept telling us to stop our whining because all he would be is a bench player or late inning defensive replacement.
Care to take some of it back, T?
last year we would have trotted Lewwwwww Ford out to play left field
While I don’t have a problem with Punto playing tonight, I believe Gardy should take steps to avoid having Punto and Everett in the same line-up, i.e. perhaps Punto at SS and Tolbert at 3B?
And Lewwwwwww Ford would’ve represented 23 points higher in batting average, way more HRs per AB, and astronomically more RBI per AB…..yet Lew is eating sushi while our quest to keep LNP above the Mendoza line continues…
And that’s no defense of Lewww, the Lewww days are over–I’ve moved on, but facts are facts.
On the Twins’ website it says that Punto and Morneau are the only Twins to get hits off of Saunders (1 each).
Joe C’s question to Gardy:
“Lamb hit .371 last year against lefties. So what’s the thinking on him not starting tonight?”
Seriously……..
1-2
I actually liked Lew Ford. Don’t get me wrong he was not the greatest player but he took the time after every game to stop and sign autographs for kids. Same with Kyle Lohse. Say what you will but there are some other players who never take the time to stop. Lew would stop and talk and say thank you. I stood outside for an hour with my kids last summer after 1 game and Lew and Crain were the only 2 guys to sign and Crain was hurt and not even playing at the time. Rest of the team walked out and waved. I am not saying they need to spend time every single game but this was an afternoon game and there must have been a couple hundred kids just begging for an autograph. I go to a lot of games and enjoy watching my kids get excited about meeting the players. THEY get disappointed when they get the same signature every time. Sorry just venting about something other than Punto being in tonights lineup
I mean “.362″.
SweetOne, Please tell me that wasn’t the justification used by the manager today…I would defer to pintobean’s stats above before I would go with that nonsense.
Dear god man, what the hell is wrong with Gardy?
romer said it all….how can you look Mike Lamb in the eye in the dugout tonight….we brought him in to be our third baseman. If you want to throw Punto in there tomorrow afternoon if Lamb is 0-for his last 12 or something, then so be it…
And Kubel ain’t disastrous against lefties either.
Okay, trying to gather my jerk emotions. Lamb has looked a little slow at 3rd a couple times. I think it cost the Twins a run or 2.
But this was easily predictable all winter long. We all knew this.
The 2-runs-per-game Twins need some offense.
I’m so sick of Gardenhire’s crap. Mike Lamb is out 3B, no matter if it is a lefty or not.
So, I guess I’ll be watching Garza’s debut for the D-Rays tonight instead of the B-squad.
Punto and Everett back to back!
And I thought Lamb was the everyday 3B? If this becomes a Lamb/Punto platoon, I’m going to go without MLB Ticket for the first time in years. Living out in DC, I’ll adopt the Nats for a summer.
Three LH hitters on the bench tonight to pinch hit. Two would be enough.
No Mauer, no Lamb, no Kubel, no Mary Gelner. Think I’ll watch the pool league at the local tonight.
Marty Gelner.
I give up………
Wait…….I’d take Punto instead of Everett so he could rest his arm.
LOL romer…what, Dick and Bert’s “calls” don’t do it for you?
Maybe European soccer at Brit’s? I hear the Madrid-Budapest matchup is going to be a dandy.
i got to say this at least the Twins arent the Vikes Childress: No extension looming for Birk Birk makes 5.32 million this season loyal to the vikes why would you let this guy walk ok back to the twins
PJS-watch Garza tonight or adopt the Nats,you are not a Twins fan anyway.
loyal to Vikes?
Umm…how about 2006 when he backed the franchise into a corner by announcing he was going to have season-ending surgery just prior to week 1?
2005 I meant
Absolutely ridiculous.
Look at the bottom 2 of that lineup.
The Twins would be better off having Blackburn and another pitching hitting in those spots.
You’ve gotta love the incompetency of big league managers.
I wish we still had Tyner. He would be the perfect DH for tonight’s game.
romer three strikes and your out! It’s MARNEY Glener.Are you the same guy on Russo’s Rants who has the hots for Marney? LOL!
romer my bad, I only gave you two strikes.
And I spelled GELNER wrong! I’m outa here also! enjoy the “b” team tonight everyone.
Doug, I got enough big-rump trouble here at home to worry about Marney.
Hey, maybe SHE could call in that question for Gardy I suggested to Joe C above!
Marney Glener: I would.
As for tonight’s lineup.
Oh boy.
Don’t even know what to say. Have fun losing 5-1 Twins.
Maybe this is good though–Maybe Gardy can mange this team to a 70-92 record and it’ll wake up the front office that just because Gardy likes to fish and shop at his local hardware store, he got lucky in 2002-2004, and luckier in 2006.
I used to turn to Patrick Reusse’s columns whenever I wanted to feel bad about MN sports teams…but some of these comments make PR sound like Sid. Lets get through May before we throw Gardy under the bus….
Why wait…lets throw Gardy under the bus right now.
Fred, I don’t like the moves that Gardy made tonight, but saying he got lucky winning those Division Titles is stupid…
Lets get through May before we throw Gardy under the bus
Gardy should have been thrown under the bus for the subpar performance last year. He got a free pass, and free passes last only so long…
This is beyond me. Game 3 and Punto has started 1 and played in 2. Could it be more predictable and troublesome at the same time. And Why?? The difference between Lamb and Punto is night and day, what possibly could he expect to gain from this. Is Lamb in need of a break already?
Punto should not have seen the starting lineup for at least the first two weeks.
Sickening.Maddening.Frustrating.
Go Twins.
Some will say it’s over reaction to be unhappy with Kubel’s apparent loss of the primary DH slot versus RHP, and Punto starting his first game. Hey, it’s only been 3 games, the sky isn’t falling!
True enough, but similar things were said at the beginning of ST as well and Punto kept getting AB’s in spite of his continued historically poor performance at the plate. Gardy kept finding ways to get Punto enough AB’s last season that he was able to compete in the record books for some of the worst offensive seasons in recorded baseball history. It’s only 3 games, but some of us are expecting the worst when it comes to the amount of undeserved playing time Punto will get this season. I just wish Gardy had given Bartlett this kind of rope when he looked like (and probably was) ready several seasons back.
BTW, a Lamb/Punto platoon would be bad news for any fans of Twins run scoring, esp. considering Punto might also be platooned with Harris, Everett, and maybe play a fair bit of CF too:-).
“Don’t worry fans, we fully recognize he does not have the offensive ability to be a starter. That being said, he should still get 600 AB’s”
[Bangs head on wall].
Why are Minnesota fans the closest thing to New York fans. I am so glad Gardy is our manager and not some of you morons. This is a good strategy whether you guys like it or not. Mauer will need rest since he will be catching tomorrow against a rightie. If he was playing the infield or outfield he may still play but we have to remember he is a catcher so cool it!!
dandy entertainment here with all the gardy bashing… i’m starting to like it better when punto and monroe are in the lineup… 
Remember guys it is a long season. I bet Punto doesn’t get more than 300 at bats this year. He will be much more effective as a platoon player rather than an everyday player. He also is a great defensive player so although he may not produce alot of runs he may help prevent some from scoring. By the way it is only the 3rd game of the season so give Gardy a frickin break. I can’t believe how many people think they know it all it makes me wanna frickin puke.
Also lets not forget we will get to see Blackburn for the first time. This will be fun to watch. So have fun you finicky negative nellies. It is no wonder we don’t get top notch coaches in this area. The can’t stand the fans who do nothing but whine and complain. You guys will never be satisfied even if you win a championship. I love the Twins, and Vikings but I am beginning to hate my fellow fans.
Lamb’s .362 against lefties last year was in 47 at bats. Small sample size. His career numbers are about 100 points lower.
Lamb’s OPS vs. LHP is 100 points higher than Punto’s despite the fact he’s a lefty and Punto “bats” right. There’s no excuse for ever sitting Lamb in favor of Punto. Ever.
But there’s no excuse for sitting Kubel against RHP, sitting Mauer on Day 3, and handicapping Blackburn with the B Squad, either.
So I guess it shouldn’t surprise me.
Let us not forget that we will get to see Nick Blackburn tonite. I think he may be a hidden gem. But what do you guys care you would just rather whine and complain. I hope you haven’t set your sights so high this year because we will be about a 77-85 win team this year. Gardy knows what he is doing that is why he is a major league manager and most of you are just the typical negative nellie. The scrutiny is very unfair especially this early in the year. Man we are only in game #3. So give him a fricking break man.
Thanks for your encouragement, GENO!
I’ll be switching back and forth between Garza and Blackburn tonight, though Garza takes the mound in about 10 minutes and there is no guarantee he doesn’t throw a temper tantrum by the third inning.
cybahr, I certainly don’t “know it all”. One of the things I don’t know is why Punto should get over 125 AB’s this year.
Do you know?
Lamb’s OPS vs. LHP is 100 points higher than Punto’s despite the fact he’s a lefty and Punto “bats” right.
Actually, it’s more like 120 points higher.
sitting Mauer on Day 3
I don’t have any problem sitting Mauer tonight. The circumstances are as close to optimal as you can get, there’s a lefty starter with a righty starting a noon game the next day.
Sitting Mauer is fine today. It’s an improvement over Gardy’s decision making regarding Mauer’s rest last season. And as stated above it’s nice to see that Redmond isn’t in the 2-hole.
But Punto over Lamb on day three? Clearly the peanut gallery is having none of it.
In the last 3 seasons Punto is a .246 hitter against lefties and Lamb .244. So in all actuality it is a wash. Also just 2 seasons ago Punto was a .331 hitter against lefties in 163 at bats. So I am guessing that Punto hits against lefties a lot more than Lamb has. So chill out before somebody blows a gasket.
i think its great to see Matt Tolbert to start a game but i just hope every thing is ok with Adam everett Blackburn will have a good game
cybahr has it right.
I think the team will score some runs tonight, with this lineup.
Everett hasn’t looked that impressive as yet, but Tom Kelly likes him, and that’s good enough for me.
“In the last 3 seasons Punto is a .246 hitter against lefties and Lamb .244. So in all actuality it is a wash. Also just 2 seasons ago Punto was a .331 hitter against lefties in 163 at bats. So I am guessing that Punto hits against lefties a lot more than Lamb has. So chill out before somebody blows a gasket.”
Pfft. Look at their OBP, OPS, and RC/G values for that time period. I don’t care what their batting average is — not all hits have the same value.
Long lost brothers perhaps?
Everett hasn’t impressed you in the field?
I understand he made that error on a poor throw, which is very rare for him. However, he has been stunning in the field. He is so smart and so good at positioning himself that he gets to so many tough plays easily. He made a play across 2nd base yesterday look routine, because he was lined up well, reacted quickly, and moves very fast. I for one, love having Everett on this team. ANything we get at teh plate is bonus.
everett is a true pro…he will not hurt us in any way…he will be a clinic in the field and like aaron says, anything at the plate is a bonus, and the last i looked, he actually has more rbis this year than morneau …c’mon justin, gotta get it goin…..maybe tonite….
its great to see the tigers lose two stright games to the royals
Hopefully we can get a few against the Royals this weekend. I hope Baker can get us a quick win against their five starter.
the royals are a much improved team and seem to give the twins fits, but i love them beating up on the tigers…this season is going to be very interesting…..between injuries, bullpens and all the other problems, alot of strange things could shake out and i think they will, thats why i dont ever count the twins out of this race, even with all the changes
Sitting Mauer doesn’t bother me. Its better to sit him against the lefty than a righty when you have to pick either the day or night game.
The Punto things baffles me though. I don’t care what the lifetime averages are for the two, Lamb is our 3B and should play everyday unless he needs a break.
i agree twins….im not sure what message gardy is sending lamb, especially this early in the season, he surely isnt worn down yet, so its not like he needs a rest…i am not so sure i like this at all….
curious to know what happened to everett..anyone hear why he had to leave the park
How do you guys think Blackburn will do tonight?
Blackburn is going to pitch a no hitter.
And yes, that’s a call Dick & Bert.
Other than family issues, I haven’t seen anything. I did see somewhere that last season there were problems with his brother and sister or something like that.
I hope all is well…
I think we should put an end to the Punto bashing and turn our collective attention to Telly Hughes?
Wow, that was a nice first inning Blackburnsie! Now, let me hit and steal.
Ah, a little payback to Kendrick for his slide last night.
Anyone else think that Joe Saunders looks like Aaron Gleeman? Am I crazy? Alright, I’ll lay off of the Grainbelt Premium.
need vavra to straighten out all these hitters …weak ground balls and short pops…whats up mr vavra….
awesome beginning for blackburn…keep it up
twins continue to make all leftys look like sandy koufax….still say its vavra
Carlos:
Wish they’d quit plunking Angel hitters.
Could get ugly.
Boy, I’m glad Punto brought his magic glove this evening.
What a joke.
way to go punto way to start your 0 for 4 night with lousy def.
Punto should be an everyday player.
PJS at 7:08 asked us to hold off on the Punto bashing. Did pretty good for a whole INNING! ! !
I like the old style bb game where you protect your teammates. Besides, if they start hitting some of our guys we’ll at least get on base and maybe we’ll get mad enough to start hitting. I didn’t like plunking T-Nutts last night, cause that could just wake him up, but Kendricks slide was a little cheap shot in a blow out game. Blacky looking might fine so far.
wow mauer is softer then pillow
Kendricks last night reminded me of last season when AJ tried to spike Morneau’s heel on the first base bag.
Not good.
Blacky does not look like last year’s version of himself. He has great stuff so far with a fine fast ball. I saw 96 on the screen at least one time. Fun to see the young pitcher doing well. Time to break out the sticks.
If that isn’t a bunt situation, when do we get one. C’mon, you gotta move Go Go to 2nd.
Twins face Santana tomorrow. Not Johan.
ERVIN! WTF? ? ? (Should be an easy win.)
not looking good guys. looking like lost souls at the plate except the two youngins. good start for blacky.
Interview with Vavra! ! !
This offense is pathetic.
Monroe. Morneau. Punto.
Blackburn, welcome to the life of a Minnesota Twins pitcher.
Chin music for Redmond! Told ya this could get ugly!
NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:
Vikings Re-sign Gus Ferrote
“Just slip out the back, T-jack
Make a new plan, man
You dont need to be coy, boy
Just get yourself free.
Hop on the bus, Gus
You dont need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Chil-ly,
And get yourself free”
Young hits one out! Too bad it was a beach ball and took him two tries.
CeSar that was great about the beach ball. So, any good nicknames for Nick blackburn? Not liking Blacky so much. Nicky is too remindful of someone else. Burnsie has been used in MN. Blackburnsie? His stuff is really good tonight. This is not a bad hitting lineup he is facing.
Punto gets a hit before Morneau. Lots of bets lost on that one.
Erik,
Since the score is 0-0, does that mean that the Angels offense is pathetic as well? And that Angels fans should be welcoming Saunders to the life of an Angels pitcher?
nick blackburn throwin beebees….im callin him beebees
BBs
Punto shouldn’t be playing. HMMM. Well his hustle just about got us the only run we needed I wonder if Lamb could’ve done the same. Got to love Blackburn he really reminds me of Scott Erickson.
gosh what a difference it makes when you can get a bunt down….damn
I call him The Black Cat.
bebes for short..lol
twins need to get this kid a run, just cant let him lose this well pitched game….what a shame if they dont cover..
Yup! It’s Nick and Nick tonight. Nick at Night. Now drive in Cuddy.
i dont know about you guys, but this is painful to watch…morneau must be feeling the pressure of the contract…
Wasting Beeeebeeee’s very nice first outing. Shame.
BBs was awesome tonight. I do believe he earned another start. Missed bunt opportunity in the early innings when Go Go was on first and Harris hits into DP. Guys sure don’t have their swings in shape yet. I call a Go Go run in the 9th… just hope we hold Angels to 1 until then.
What the heck is wrong with Morneau? He is sucking hard core.
Something about that Go Go moniker I don’t care for. It’s kind of unmanly, frankly. Please stop.
carlos should have stolen the last time he was on ….gardy misplayed that …gonna be tough from here on because the angels bullpen is pretty tough also….bees deserves better
Geez, this offense is painful to watch.
what a pitch….now get a few runs….and let nathan shut the door…bees gets a win and we kick ass tomorrow at noon and take 3 of 4 …not a bad script….can they do it.
error…he cant get the win…sorry..oh well hell of an outing
Avg Joe:
I believe Go Go gave himself the nickname. As I recall in one of his humble spring training moments he was explaining how the other hitters would be much better with him batting leadoff, since the pitcher would only be thinking of Go Go Gomez.
That pitch should help the bullpen’s 18.00 ERA.
YOU’VE GOT TO BE SHIOTTING ME! ! !
gardy deserves to be fined….
Uh, Gardy. That wasn’t gurrero at the plate. the automatic call is a BUNT!!!
youd think gardy had seen enough double plays….god what does it take…damn anyhow
routing play for punto. ho hum.
I call a no-Punto bashing day for all of tomorrow after that play.
I meant “routine”……..(must still be a little excited)
no punto bashing here….what a play…
this one rests on gardys shoulders, im my book…
BUNT HIM OVER DAMMIT! ! !
I hope something really bad happens to LNP
Well, Morneau got his big payday and now he can’t even hit one passed the infield! He is pressing big time and needed to get off to a great start because he seems to lack confidence! Same old team just a dfferent year!
He should have squared up. He didn’t need to be running out of the box.
I give up.
Not our night.
How about that new, high powered offense? Eh’?
how pathetic is our hitting so far this year its worse than last year.
May be a little extra bunting practice tomorrow, but Gardy missed too many bunt opportunities. Gotta love the way BBs looked tonight. 160-2 is still possible. and, we’ll see you tomorrow night…
what is the single season record for a team to bat into double plays? I’m thinking after today and yesterday, the twins may have a shot at that by the time the season is done.
some losses are hard to swallow and this is one of them….gardy is the one to blame, and thats all there is to say….carlos should have been bunting to sac not a base hit..no sense to that…Bs pitched his guts out and this is what he gets….shameful gardy…i hope you read these, but with a day game tomorrow i doubt it…hopefully they learned something from this evening …this one sucks………
carlos, if youre still here, the game is at noon tomorrow…
all i got to say is 4 runs in 3 games. wow we must have a brad childress kick ass offense in the dome here.(minus ap)
Here’s hoping Nicky and Gardy play in oncoming traffic tonight.
Adrian Peterson went to University of Oklahoma. Gardy is from Okmulgee and Blackburn is from Ada, 90 miles away.
Bunch of Okies.
Okay, I missed it. Was the throw from Tolbert on the ball hit to deep short by Matthews, actually an error on Tolbert, or was it a base hit, as called?
Blackyburnsy has the stuff. That guy has to have the field staff and front office excited.
Gomez has to get that bunt down. He has to get over himself and just make the sacrifice. It’s a team game, kid.
Tolbert and Punto came off the bench and played decent games. Good job.
Morneau? It’s probably still the home run contest affecting him.
Is Morneau turning into the next Doug Mientkiewicz?
morneau should step it up.. us small market teams cant afford for him to do poorly… btw.. im very sorry blackburn.. you should have and deserved to win that game.. heck ive never heard of saunders before and heard he really isnt that good, still cant get a run.. and blackburn did all he could… so sorry
also… seeing great signs in tolbert tonight… i hope by midseason he replaces everett
Different year, same terrible hitting team. Great job by Blackburn tonight. I hope once Franchise comes back, Blackburn takes Boof’s spot in the rotation
I have said it countless times. Nick Punto equals a loss. Some will shoot back about his great defense. There was no one else on base at the time… so was it a huge important play that had to be made in order to save the game… no. Was it nice… yep.
BC Beneke 1 Punto and Vavra 0
5 letters for worthless in tomorrow’s New York Times crossword puzzle. try Punto, and if that isn’t it then it has to be Vavra.
On the other side of it, kudos to Dennys Reyes for coming in and being awesome, and Nick Blackburn who pitched like a 5 year vet tonight.
Send Boof down to AAA and let him figure his crap out!
Gardenhire takes all the blame for the loss tonight. That lineup was brutal. Black hole from Monroe on down…
Monroe needs to be on the bench.
Way to start Punto over Lamb against a LHP.
Lamb against lefties last year: .362
Punto against lefites last year: .175
Good call Gardy. Good call.
Also, does anybody know how MLB tv works when the Twins aren’t on Tv tomorrow? Do they show the Angels channel or do they black it out here in Minny since nobody is carrying the game tomorrow?
Craig reminds me of The Common Man. Craig are you really Dan Cole?
“Gardenhire takes all the blame for the loss tonight. That lineup was brutal. Black hole from Monroe on down…”
From the loss tonight:
Beloved Stars:
17 AB - 2 singles - 0 base on balls
Black Hole:
10 AB - 2 singles - 2 base on balls
I don’t know who The Common Man or Dan Cole are, except that they aren’t me.
Did anyone see the Tolbert throw, on the Matthews hit? It was the only run to score. I am wondering if it was a clear base hit, or if it was a bad throw. The official scorer seemed to hesitate. I heard it on the radio, but didn’t see it.
Glaus, Giambi, Sheffield, Polanco, J. Jones, Morneau.
All players without any hits this year.
Didn’t see the game on TV tonight.
Three quality starts in 3 games this year for the Twins.
Black Mamba destroyed Vlad tonight. Held him to 0-3 with 2ks. That is filthy stuff right there. Damn shame he loses.
craig - that’s funny about the home run contest.
Romer,
Finally someone mentions Morneau. How come we aren’t ripping his 0 fer? He signs the big contract then doesn’t show up for the first series. Thanks Justin. Also, I would like to remind the faithful that Red dawg had a better BA than Mauer last season. And remember all the “Mauer should never bat 2nd” band wagon jumpers last season? I guess he can bat 2nd in even years but not in odd years? All of a sudden in 2008 he becomes the ideal 2 hole guy? You guys confuse me.
bigdawg,
Mauer batting 2nd is influenced by Carlos Gomez leading off instead of Luis Castillo.
Castillo at first - Mauer grounds into 4-6-3 DP or flies out to LF.
Gomez at first, steals 2nd, Mauer advances him to 3rd (with one out) with a ground ball to 2B. - Or Mauer singles in Gomez. Score 1-0 Twins.
Craig,
What you ACTUALLY should have repeated this winter was:
“Trade Morneau for badly needed HITTING”
Way to start Punto over Lamb against a LHP.
Except Punto got a hit, a SB, and was the only Twins runner to get to third from what I recall.
Whoops.
“Except Punto got a hit, a SB, and was the only Twins runner to get to third from what I recall.”
“From the loss tonight:
Beloved Stars:
17 AB - 2 singles - 0 base on balls
Black Hole:
10 AB - 2 singles - 2 base on balls”
Small sample sizes are fun, aren’t they? Tell you what, you take the black hole, and I’ll take the players who were on the bench last night. At the end of the season my guys will have far outhit your boys.
I’m just saying if you’re going to rip Punto (as usual), at least wait until he actually does something that contributes to the loss.
thoughts:
what a shame!!!
blackburn looks like a much better long term starter than boff, based on 1 start. looks like better stuff.
morneau has some real issues going back to the all star game last year. so far 2 so’s and 8 ground outs, can’t get it out of the infield.
will we ever hit again with vavra as the hitting coach? his way is not working, didn’t work last year and so far they look lost.
i was thinking we could be a .500 or a little better team but so far ………
yesterday I was optimistic that the Twins would find a way to win 5-4. Blackburn was far more impressive than I thought he would be in his first start. I am more conerned about our offence after last night than I was the night before. Morneau looks like he is trying way too hard. Gomez is a kid and will have bone head plays that Gardy will have to deal with like the failed bunt last night. It is early and is a long season. I am still excited to see what happens every day. I wish I could blow off work and hit the dome this afternoon to see Slowey.
Craig,
The Tolbert throw was a clear hit.
T,
I think it is safe to rip Punto anytime. I hope you enjoyed his start last night, and his soon to be more starts, maybe today! Punto looked good last night, hit the ball hard three times, could have been 3/3 and made a great play on the bunt. I rip Punto as hard as anyone, but last night he looked good. If I know Gardy, he starts at 2B today.(Just a guess)
Craig,
On Matthew’s hit to Tolbert: It was a Castillo type hit. I high chopper off of the plate to deep short. The throw was a little off line and pulled Morneau off of the bag, but Matthews had it beat anyway.
Craig,
The hit was medium hard and maybe should have been played medium deep rather than deep. The throw was irrelevent by the time tolbert got it, but the scorer maybe didn’t like the approach. He only has two skills, hard charge or sit back and wait. I think this required a tool he doesn’t have in the shed. The 1-2 shuffle, pick it and wing it. Most would score it a hit the average SS would not make it.
I’m a Twins fan, but it can be really painful to read this whinefest of a comments board most days. If you’ve stated something 3 times in the past week, is it really necessary to say it again today?
I can spin that back on you, though, Shaitan….i’m sick of the whining about the whining….
If you want a forum where fans don’t have the opportunity to whine, Dan Barreiro’s blog is always available.
Bottom line is no matter how tireless and repetitive you may think the topics are at times, if they weren’t interesting on some level, no one would respond.
And T is hilarious….last I checked you needed to reach home plate to score a run, not third…
Look, we were all calling BS on this lineup yesterday afternoon when it came out…and look what we got–No runs, four hits, no extra-base hits…
We probably should’ve won anyway, but it was a bad lineup to begin with.
This is a long season, baseball of all sports has highs and lows and streaks. This is true of all teams and players.
The Twins will be competitive over the long haul.
In the meantime, I think some of you would benefit from a visit to a clothing store today, to buy new underwear.
Some here need to get the next size bigger so you can relax and enjoy the game a bit.
The twins lost because our 4,5,6,7 hitters went 0 for 11! Which one of those hitters made the line up BS
Gardy cannot sit Mauer and Lamb in the same game if this lineup is ever going to produce. Somebody please wake Morneau up!! .215 last September, .200 in spring training and 0 for 10 this season. I hope he’s not feeling too much pressure from that big contract.
Ben D….and the other five hitters were mashing the ball all over the park, right?
Face it, it was a B-squad lineup and Nick Blackburn deserved better for the first MLB start of his career.
I’m telling you buff, it’s all about the HR Derby…(joke, joke)
Jason…The other players got on base and gave us a chance 4 through 7 batters were non existant.
bufftwins,
IMO its not Morneau’s contract, not the pressure and not the homerun derby. It’s the swing.
Until he stays on the ball longer and drives it to left and left-center, it’s not going to get any better. He is not getting beat inside very often, but he is getting killed outside repeatedly. Why would a pitcher work him anywhere but outside corner (on or off of it) when he keeps flailing away or rolling it over to the second baseman?
If your talking about Tolbert and Punto being in there for Everett and Lamb, thats a weak argument. I think Mauer should have been in the line up and I would have played Punto on 2B and sat Harris. If Punto has to play
Blame Joe Saunders - not Gardy.
The Twins could have played Mauer, Lamb Kubel, Everett, Torii Hunter or Kirby Puckett. If Joe Saunders executes his pitches like he did last night, he would have shoved it up all their –ses!
