Mauer back in the lineup again; Baker, Everett pass tests
Posted on April 30th, 2008 – 9:55 AMBy Joe Christensen
Joe Mauer is catching a day game after a night game, as Twins manager Ron Gardenhire seems to be taking advantage of the team’s two off days this week to go with the same lineup as Tuesday for today’s series finale against the White Sox.
Update: Adam Everett (strained right shoulder) will be activated from the disabled list in time for Friday’s game after a successful fielding session this morning. Everett said his shoulder felt the best it’s felt in a long time, and I saw him make several strong throws across the diamond.
The Twins will likely announce the roster move after the game. The guess here is that Brian Buscher will be sent back to Class AAA Rochester to make room for Everett.
Scott Baker felt good in a bullpen session this morning, so he is on track to make Saturday’s start against the Tigers.
Francisco Liriano is pitching for Rochester as I write this. Track his progress here.
Postgame update: The Twins did indeed activate Everett and send Buscher to Rochester.
White Sox (14-12)
1. Nick Swisher, 1B
2. Orlando Cabrera, SS
3. Jim Thome, DH
4. Jermaine Dye, RF
5. Carlos Quentin, LF
6. Joe Crede, 3B
7. Brian Anderson, CF
8. Juan Uribe, 2B
9. Toby Hall, C
Starting pitcher: RH Nick Masset
Twins (12-14)
1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Brendan Harris, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Jason Kubel, DH
7. Delmon Young, LF
8. Mike Lamb, 3B
9. Nick Punto, SS
Starting pitcher: RH Nick Blackburn
Metrodome. First pitch: 12:10 p.m.
414 Responses to "Mauer back in the lineup again; Baker, Everett pass tests"
I love it. Punto gets a chop infield hit and slides head first into 1B and he gets another 7 straight starts.
Wake up Gardy!!! Punto is not a major league baseball player. ZERO extra base hits and ZERO RBI’s.
Relax Brasky. If all we have to worry about is our nine hitter were in pretty good shape.
Why is today’s game in the afternoon?
The Twins stay home to play Detroit this weekend and the White Sox next game is Friday in Toronto? Why is this all of sudden “get a way day”? With school still in, it doesn’t make any sense, plus with a day game it’s not going to be televised.
I agree with Brasky, Tolbert and Buscher are both just sitting on the bench, with the off-days it’ll be from Sunday to Friday for Tolbert and Buscher will be back in the minors with Everett’s return.
I found the answer as to why Punto is playing over Tolbert, Tolbert is 1 for his last 15 while Punto is 3 for his last 16……HES ON FIRE WITH BAT!!!
I’m glad Gardy is going with Joe again like he did in Texas on Sunday. I was just surprised in the blowout Sunday, that Mauer didn’t come out of the game in the late innings with Redmond going in. It’s a bonus that Konerko is getting a day off for the Sox.
Buscher isnt a shortstop and Tolbert is scuffling a little bit. Punto isn’t great but he plays solid defense and isn’t going to kill us batting nine. The only problem I have with this lineup is Mauer batting 3. Id love to see him stick in the two hole and work counts while Gomez steals his way to third (If the man can ever reach base)>
fine to leave Mauer in w/ the two off days…but play Tolbert! Another Punto slide into first last night. Not that I wish injury on anyone, but it would have set an example of why not to do it anymore and maybe also send a message to Gomez had he come up with a bent finger or something
Let’s lay off Punto a bit…So far this season, the keys to our offense seem to be Delmon and Carlos. Two 22 year olds. If Carlos gets on base and Delmon can drive the ball we are about a 4-5 run team. If not, we are a 2-3 run team. On average thats a big difference.
He’s a utility infielder at best but he’s started 8 of the last 10 games, missing Sat & Sun.
9 of 11 with today.
To constantly rail on our nine hitting shortstop just doesnt make sense. Sure he might not be the best option but every other spot in that lineup is more important as far as getting a Twins win. The criticism is disproportionate.
It’s ridiculous how much posters here are obsessed with Punto. When Everett comes back and is presumably penciled in the nine-hole are 80% of the posts going to surround Everett’s battling average? Jeez…
Perhaps Gardy feels that Punto is more dependable from a standpoint that he can play every day and slide immediately back into his pinch running/defensive replacement role when Everett comes back. Maybe Gardy feels like Tolbert’s spot-starter role didn’t need to change or that the kid could get over-exposed and face undue pressure playing every day while Everett is out.
Another note: The Twins pounded Massett is their first series with the Pale Hose in Chicago earlier this month. Here’s hoping Massett’s spot start nets the Twins a two-game sweep!
All I know is that I HOPE Gardy finally is in our “Free Kubel” camp. Kids a stud and should be back to his days rollin’ in the minors. Expect .280 25 85 this year. Pretty close to Cuddy numbers.
I knew Gardy would sit Tolbert until he cooled off. Punto cant get the ball out of the infield.
I am not obsessed with Punto.
I never think about Punto.
I never talk about Punto.
I never discuss Punto.
I never dream about Punto.
I never bitch about Punto.
I never angst about Punto.
Are my 50 minutes up yet, Doc?
and lets not forget Tolbert is a career
.280/.345/.405 minor league hitter in almost 1400 at-bats. He likely isn’t going to hit .300 all year.
Any word on how Baker’s bullpen session went?
Nothing like having the same line-up that produced 0 runs on Sunday and 3 runs yesterday. Serioussly. Gomez needs to bat 8 or 9. Mauer or Harris (team leaders in OBP) need to be lead-off. Just kills me to see a .263 OBP guy leading off. If he bats 9th…he can still gets on in front of Mauer 3 times a game.
Punto will hit under .200 this year, But we need to keep him in there. He will slowley but surely get out of his slump, probably around August of 2011.
Poor poor Joe Mauer has to catch the next day. That seems very unfair no one else ever has to do this so why poor old Joe
When your only other option at the moment is a career minor-leaguer and utility guy in Tolbert, whats the big deal about playing Punto? The issue is that when we traded Bartlett, we don’t have any viable SS prospects in the system to take his place. Moreover, we were unable to pick-up a solid FA SS, because there wasn’t really anyone available. I’m not sure any of us are more excited to see Everett bat then Punto…but its all we got.
If Gardy is going to start Punto in front of Tolbert, We may as well release Everette. They are the same player good glove horrible bat.
*reads lineup*
…
*leaves*
JJ: not true of his hits one was a line drive to the outfield along with 6 ground ball hits (2 were infield hits) and 2 bunt hits. He’s also hit 7 fly ball outs. So you can see he can get the ball out of the infield. He’s only struckout 7 times so get off his back. See that great slide into first last night and the great play on the bad hop to get AJ?
Yes, scored 0 runs Sunday, 3 yesterday, and oh yeah 12! on Saturday. It’s cyclical. They’ll start hitting. However I do agree we need an OBP guy leading off. Preferrably Harris, for now. Book on him is that he a fast starter that cools off by August.
Not quite the same player. Everett has been a league average hitter for most of his career, only seeing a horrible year last year. Punto has had below league average production every year except 2006. Also, though Punto is solid defensively, Everett’s defensive stats have been other-worldly prior to the leg break. I do agree though…if Everett’s defense remains average or just good…there isn’t a need for him on this team.
Roto….line-up for the 12 on Saturday was no-where close to the past few days. Tolbert was lead-off and Monroe batted 9th. Interesting….no Gomez….hmmm. Still, I agree. I would love to see Harris lead-off right now have Mauer back in the 2 hole. You want your best hitters getting the most at-bats throughout a season. Getting Gomez 600 AB’s is a waste.
Harris
Mauer
Cuddy (though morneau would be solid here)
Morneau
Kubel
Young
Lamb
punto
Gomez
T says:
April 30th, 2008 at 10:52 am
*reads lineup*
…
*leaves*
agreed ha ha ha ha lololololol
T and jimmy bee… on the other hand:
I come in. Read lineup. Note the similarity to last night’s winning lineup.
Smile. Leave happy.
Everett IS Punto. Have you ever seen them together? Have you ever seen them hit a home run, triple, etc?
Blackburn induces a lot of ground balls, so I like Punto getting the start today. I guarantee he saves a hit or two.
Another note, DY is a Career .449 hitter against the Sox.
Everett averages about 10 homers a year
“If Gardy is going to start Punto in front of Tolbert, We may as well release Everette. They are the same player good glove horrible bat.”
We need two of them since the rest of the lineup doesn’t require a pinch-hitter, but Lamb (and maybe Harris or Tolbert) require late inning defensive replacements.
Everett isn’t a league average hitter. His career OPS is .653, and LNP’s is .634…..Both are horrible. But, not many options right now.
Tolbert has played well but at some point it will be clear that he is not an everyday SS and never will be.
Punto has a stronger arm and we know Punto a whole lot better than Everett so if one goes it should be everett
If anyone is interested… you can listen to the Rochester Red Wings game right now (start time - 11:05). Francisco Liriano is starting for the Red Wings.
Listen here (http://www.wysl1040.com/?pg=livestream)
We will never know if Tolbert is a everyday SS until he play’s everyday at SS. Not once a week or pinch hitting in the ninth. The one thing I do know is Punto is not a every day SS, 2B or 3B and never will be.
Hey, what’s with Konerko and AJ needing a day off before a white sux off day? Luv it.
1st inning - 1, 2, 3 for Liriano.
With Blackburn pitching, Punto and Tolbert should be in the lineup at 3B and SS to close off the 5-6 hole.
Later, it should be Everett and Punto at SS-3B on Blackburn’s starts.
If I had my way, we would’ve signed Eckstein in the offseason. He’s just scrappy enough to remind Gardy of LNP.
LNP annoys me as much as the next guy, but to be devil’s advocate, I wonder if there is a study out there comparing the Hits/Runs Punto scores/produces vs. the Hits/Runs his stellar defense saves. I would think Bill James has got to have that statistic somewhere.
I like this lineup but i’m still wondering what Tolbert did to get into Gardy’s dog house. Oh well the good news is that Punto has not sucked as bad this year.
Minnesota is a native American word that when translated to English means “Land of no warmth or Sun”
I feel like a fargin Eskimo living here
Might as well change the name to Minnesnowta. Hilarious.
2nd inning -
1st batter - 5 pitch walk.
2nd batter - 5 pitch walk.
Note - it’s snowing in Rochester, NY.
Snow sucks and it is depressing
2nd inning continued:
3rd batter - fly out to RF.
4th batter - sacrifice fly to LF.
5th batter - fly out.
Prior, K Wood, Gagne, Liriano
Seth is the Lariano?
“Seth is the Lariano?”
Huh?
Hey, they went with the same power-packed lineup as last night!
Let’s hope we get that one hit that puts us over the top this time, too.
Hey, Tolbert….keep that extra-base power on the pine where it belongs!
“Punto…don’t talk about Punto…are you kidding me, Punto? Punto?”
So, if I were to get mlb pass from direct tv or whatever it’s called. Would I be able to watch the game today? I don’t have MLBTV and I’m too close to minneapolis(Fargo) to where the restrictions wouldn’t let me watch Twins games anyhow. So does anyone know if I’d get to watch them on directv?
Liriano will be the fastest throwing employee in the food industry.
“Liriano will be the fastest throwing employee in the food industry.”
Leave it to a twins fan to bring a whole new definition to the word “bandwagon”.
Sorry i meant is that Lariano?
Seth has some hotties on his blog
Yes, it’s Liriano pitching for Rochester…
3rd inning -
Gil Velazquez (former Twins farmhand) singled up the middle to lead off.
Jeff Bailey - 2 run homer.
Down 3-0.
I agree with East coast Twins. When Gomez gets on base the Twins have a shot to significantly boost their chances of winning. When Gomez gets on there’s pretty darn good chance he either steals second or distracts the pitcher enough for Harris and Mauer to drive the ball and knock him in.
When Young comes around, we’ll have a core of young sluggers to knock the top order guys in. I’m loving Kubel and him ripping the ball.
Overall, it starts at the top. Gomez, take a pitch once in a while!
Who r all the hotties on your BLOG Seth
Yes, it’s Liriano pitching for Rochester…
3rd inning -
Gil Velazquez (former Twins farmhand) singled up the middle to lead off.
Jeff Bailey - 2 run homer.
Down 3-0
*sigh*
The Franchise is being foreclosed on
Garret “the answer” Jones saves a single!
It’s not happening today. The Swish man is going to see to that personally. First pitch in a half hour? Yep …”Long fly ball!”
Thanks seth the two 5 pitch walks are not encouraging but thats why he’s there i guess.
I can’t believe there are still fans out there that think Punto should be on the field let alone on the team. He hit .200 last year. Worst offensive performance in 20 years and the last regular player to do that at least hit some HRs. It isn’t Punto’s fault so I will give him a break for now but Gardy and the front office don’t get enough criticism. They are paying Punto $2.4M this year to hit .200 and Everett another couple million to hit .220 and both will have 0 HRs. Look at the teams that actually compete, how many consistenly start players who hit below .220 (for a season) and have 0 HRs? The Twins are so stuck on Twins baseball they need to wake up and realize that shortstops in today’s league hit 20+ HRs and actually drive in some runs.
Here’s a question…
Why is Howie Clark in the organization?
Don’t the Twins already have enough no hit, scrappy middle IF’ers in their organization?
Can’t answer on the Howie Clark question, but you could ask the same thing about Chris Basak and Alejando Machado and several others from this Red Wings roster. Way too many veterans with no big league future.
So let me get this straight…we are giving up on Liriano in the middle of his rehab year. Yes rehab year…look at AJ Burnett. He’s back in form, and he was terrible the year back from TJ Surgery. I know, he was on my fantasy team.
Honestly, patience fellas.
Can’t answer on the Howie Clark question, but you could ask the same thing about Chris Basak and Alejando Machado and several others from this Red Wings roster. Way too many veterans with no big league future.
Well yeah…but Clark was just the latest to commit a screw up.
Liriano had the guy 1-2, and gave up a single.
That’s not Liriano prior to the TJ.
Baron Von Boofenheimer AKA Boof Bonser. His hair looks like he is wearing a French Beret
…but what they’re doing is allowing patience with guys like Trevor Plouffe or Brock Peterson. Keeping Felix Molina at New Britain allowed Brian Dinkelman to get a fast start at Ft. Myers so when he gets called up (hopefully in a month!), he’s better prepared for AA. And that allows Steve Singleton a little more time to have success and develop some confidence at Beloit, but when Dinkelman moves up, maybe Singleton moves up to Ft. Myers. I think there is something to be said about that.
“That’s not Liriano prior to the TJ.”
Of course it’s not, so the results of Liriano’s outings are not what matters. Its’ about gaining strength and working on his control. Who knows if he’ll ever be what he was pre-surgery, but what he was pre-surgery makes taking whatever time he needs worth while! I hope no one is giving up on him!
FL stands for 2 things that have a common theme.
Francisco Liriano and Finish Line
…but what they’re doing is allowing patience with guys like Trevor Plouffe or Brock Peterson. Keeping Felix Molina at New Britain allowed Brian Dinkelman to get a fast start at Ft. Myers so when he gets called up (hopefully in a month!), he’s better prepared for AA. And that allows Steve Singleton a little more time to have success and develop some confidence at Beloit, but when Dinkelman moves up, maybe Singleton moves up to Ft. Myers. I think there is something to be said about that.
Yes, I realize that.
My question was how many of these no hit, scrappy middle IF’ers do the Twins need in their organization?
I know what they’re trying to do…I get it.
But perhaps someone like Luke Hughes should be moving up to AAA, considering he’s already got a year at AA under his belt, and he’s a considerably better baseball player than Basak and Clark.
twins need another good game today…get this ship turned around…only 2.5 games behind the sox before todays game…these are big games, even at this time of the year if the twins want to contend ….great game last nite ….get em goin gardy….no tv …damn i hate these day games…why the hell are they scheduled like today…waste ..not even wgn covering …
Jimmy, while I would be happy to have a 20+ HR SS. Didn’t the Sawx just win the WS with Julio Lugo, who I think hit .230 w/ 4 or 5 homers last year, but played great defensively. It’s not just “Twins Baseball,” it’s baseball. Raffy Furcal, Orlando Cabrera, Stephen Drew, Ryan Theriot. All SS with less than average power, but get the job done.
NO TV period….unless you have MLB.TV or the baseball package and are out of market
here is a list Prior, K Wood, Gagne, Liriano
jimmy bee says:
April 30th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Prior, K Wood, Gagne, Liriano
Thanks again for that Jimmy Bee. Did you just need acknowledgement. You’ve been acknowledge.
* Sees Mauer not in the 2-hole *
** Leaves **
How about looking in Asian markets or asking Lew Ford and seeing if there is a SS or 3rd baseman available also this may add revenue for the Twins from an oversea market.
“But perhaps someone like Luke Hughes should be moving up to AAA, considering he’s already got a year at AA under his belt, and he’s a considerably better baseball player than Basak and Clark.”
Erik, I actually agree with this, but I also think that you have to have more than a month of time. In other words, Hughes isn’t going to hit .360 all year, and he isn’t going to hit 8 homers every month. If he’s doing that in another month (or still doing well), then the Twins can drop some of the excess weight in Rochester.
Same thing with Brock Peterson at 1B. After a slow first week or two, he’s been very good. If he’s still doing that in a month, you get rid of Ruiz and move up Peterson.
my guess is that liriano spends the whole season in the minors getting back in shape mentally and physically–maybe a september callup, depending on the race and if he could help….thats ok to take that time to recover..there is no point in trying to rush him back, as we have already found out ….
BC of ND….. I take it you believe everyone on earth who spells the name “Liriano” is wrong? I admire a guy who sticks to his guns.
Seth so whats your take on Chris Parmalee do you think he’s got a future with the Twins?
What is this, “Ask Seth” hour?
Of course he has a future with us…he’s a No. 1 draft pick and he hit 15 HRs last year…he already has Joe Mauer jealous
Luis Rivas’ power has Mauer jealous
Seth,
What do I need to do to please my girlfriend?
“Seth so whats your take on Chris Parmalee do you think he’s got a future with the Twins?”
Like Jason said, I definitely think he has a future with the Twins. He’s a first rounder, meaning first round bonus, so they will give him every opportunity.
But he’s got home run power and takes a lot of walks. Yes, he strikes out a lot, something we’d obviously like to see him cut down on.
If he can cut down on the strikeouts, he could be an All-Star. If not, he could still be Adam Dunn-like. (obviously these are ceilings) He’s just turned 20, and I like the fact that the Twins kept him down at Beloit to start the season.
Ask Kleiner says:
April 30th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
BC of ND….. I take it you believe everyone on earth who spells the name “Liriano” is wrong? I admire a guy who sticks to his guns.
Sorry about the spelling I’ll be more careful next time. I‘ll stick with Frankie or Franchise from now on.
How’s this for a comparison on the Mauer hitting 3rd bit…
Tom Kelly:
Puckett hits lead-off until he proves he deserves the 3-spot…subsequently moved to No. 3.
Ron Gardenhire:
Hands the Prophet the No. 3 spot…prematurely…now realizes he has lead-off hitter power…too stubborn to move him where he belongs.
I think it’s interesting to note that Tom Kelly has often said the one thing he felt like he did as manager that made a difference in terms of those World Championships was moving Puck to the 3-hole.
The obsession with Punto on Twins blogs is because anyone with an average baseball IQ can see Punto is not a major league player, yet starts on a major league team. It’s actually kind of a feel good story. Another fascinating aspect is that his contribution to the team is no mystery, as he batted .210 last year with only 25 RBI’s, yet still starts on a consistent basis. There should be a movie made about him. The premise would be how a no-talent no-hitting player that slides into first base defying the “Twins Way” to play baseball can consistently start on a major league team. It’s fascinating, really. I’m guessing Disney is negotiating the rights on this feel-good story as we speak. It will probably be animated. I’m guessing Punto will be played by a beaver. I know I would pay to see that movie! It can’t be any worse than me paying to see him slide into first base after hitting a chopper to the shortstop.
Now if we run out of time to ask Seth questions he can be reached at all times by e-mailing him at
I agree with AJ 100%
Not a good start for Blackburn.
If I were Morneau I’d ask Swisher if he could part with some of his dip…
LOL Thome…what a fool.
Although he did manage to “errr” drive in a run in that 3-hole….imagine that.
what was thome doing stretching it to a triple anyway? did gomez fall or something?
You guys are funny and the next hour will be questions for jimmybee and Jason on what they think of Bonser and Punto. Oh wait that’s been covered every day for the past two years. Thanks Seth i now you cover a lot of minor league games thats why i asked.
ole ozzie gotsta feel like pullin his hair out…lol….white sox baserunning is a joke…thank god for that
9 hits for Punto and I would guess 6 of them are infield chops. 2.4 million for this stiff. Why can’t we gripe about this AA’er, no one in the media has the guts to write about what a joke this “gritty” guy is. You gripe that Gomez isn’t hitting well and we should ship him to AAA. He has a great glove and is unproductive at the plate. Does this sound familiar, yep, so let’s start him everyday like Punto.
Did anyone hear how good a year Punto had two years ago and that he takes 9 hours of batting practice before each game. Can you say TOWN TEAM # 3 hitter.
PUNTO PREDICTION TODAY: 0-1 GROUND OUT TO 2ND;0-2 POP OUT TO 3RD;0-3 STRUCK OUT SWINGING;0-4 GROUND OUT TO PITCHER
BTW: How many of you youth baseball coaches out there will cover how not to slide into first, it is ideal to fake bunt, saw one off over the 3rd base dugout, and then gripe at the ump when the 3rd strike is right down the middle and you think you were screwed over!
The jimmy bee Talking about Boof Boozer and Inbreed Kubel hour will now commence. I will be fielding questions from 1-2 p.m.
BALK!
I don’t think there’s been nearly enough discussion about Punto on these blogs….
Here we go, Golden Boy….RBI chance!
ahh just saw the replay….he did fall . . diving . great try though
I want to see a 60yd dash between
Reyes and Guardado
Walk would be money here…
What the hell was Morneau swinging at?
On Gameday, the pitch hit his friggin’ knee!
Gordon called it a “nasty pitch”
I wish Gardy would have let Harris hit away. A single drives in a run.
Cuddy delivers! 1-1
What is Gardy thinking? Doesnt Mauer melt or something when he is forced to play twice in 24 hours?
I guess Masset is a strikeout king?
Morneau was swinging at a low and inside pitch; same with Kubel.
there is not much doubt that cuddy is the Leader on this club…i never realized how much until he was out of the lineup, how it hurt the twins….just seems to be mr clutch,
I can’t believe I am going to say this, but playing Punto is the right choice. I’m pretty sure that everyone here would agree that Punto is the better defensive player than Matt Tolbert. So then we can turn our attention to the offensive side of the game.
In Tolbert’s past 9 games, he is 5 for 32 with 0 walks and 6 strike outs. Punto hasn’t been much better, going 5 for 28 with only 1 walk. But he really isn’t doing worse either.
So if they are going to hit the same, why not play the guy with the better defensive skills?
Good eye Nicky!!! ha ha.
He’s such a dangerous hitter too….drawing walks left and right.
Sorry Pete, you will not convince me that playing Punto everyday is the right answer.
I don’t think Pete is saying that Punto should be playing every day. He’s saying he’s the right choice today. He’s also saying that he’s probably a better choice than Tolbert. I happen to agree.
How sad is it that Twins have to choose from either Nicky or Tolbert to be the starting SS? Do the twins have any young guys that in the Minors that will eventually be a SS in the majors?
Punto best shortstop in the majors, probably save 4 or 5 runs today with his glove.
Everett isn’t the answer!
Also, can you imagine playing all these home games outside? There’s still snow outside (and the high temp is suppose to be around 37 on Friday)! It’s May tomorrow!
Well, here’s the problem though, Seth, it’s the same line of garbage that resulted in Punto getting nearly 500 ABs last year…basically Gardy came up with an excuse to get him in the lineup every single day–whether it be Jason Bartlett struggling in the field, Jeff Cirillo refusing to play everyday, etc. etc…
The point is this: You cannot set your team up for that culture; as has been said, you cannot have Punto in there 8-of-10 games…or you’re going to end up with the 2007 Twins offense.
So for those reasons alone I would say play Tolbert. Tolbert did hit a double on Sunday, did he not? I guess extra-base power is best reserved for the bench, however.
Starting Punto in any game except the 2nd game of a Double Header should be only option.
stee-rike one, steee-rike two,
steee-rike 3
Drive ‘em in DY!
Oooo, Ozzie’s team playing dirty with the chin music. Who’da thunk it……
I meant Kubel.
Blackburn better make this right…don’t back down.
just dont throw at delmon please….we dont need to start any of that crap….lol
Nice work Kubel!
we will see the size of gardys balls now…i wouldnt want to be a chicago hitter this inning…
Blackburn better plunk one of the sox.
Why is Punto playing and Tolbert sits?
I can’t understand the thinking there.
Punto can’t hit. It seems the best of that would be for Tolbert play short.
He can hit some. Alot more than Punto.
Punto is a sub not someone who plays everyday or even every other day.
Tolbert was hitting a hot bat until Gardy cooled him off on the bench whilst inserting his little buddy into game after game after game…. And Gardy is apparently the only person in the universe who fancies that Mauer is a no. 3 hitter.
Hate to say it, but I don’t think this team will ever go anywhere, other than perhaps 1st round of the playoffs and done, as long as Gardy is in charge.
I also do not understand why Vavra is still here. It is not like the Twins’ offense has suffered a temporary collective slump - we are well into year 2 of lack of offensive, excepting occasional, unsustained spurts. Even if Vavra is “a great clubhouse guy” and “works his tail off,” what could it hurt to shake things up a little and bring in a fresh persective?!?
I bet blackburn wont throw at anybody. Gardy says thats not how we play “Twins Baseball”
Romer,
What do you mean ozzie is playing chin music?
Franchise was knocked out of the game
Awesome post, Kay.
Get two outs and plunk a guy, rookie.
Has there been a better offseason pickup than Carlos Quentin this season?
Thats why you hit the batter with 2 outs, no balls Gardy
Nice…hitting him would’ve been better than him going yard on you….
That’s what Blackburn gets for not having a pair…and don’t give me Gardy’s orders, a pitcher needs to get his teammates’ back on his own…
Geeze if Blackburn would not be afraid to drill somebody, that was the perfect opportunity. 2 outs and nobody on. You gotta protect your own hitters. Instead of course he elects not to and he pays the price for it in the form of a homerun!
The problem is, a pitcher should ALWAYS establish an inside threat. Why does it have to be follow-the-leader and wait till the other team does it?
Now another twin will get hit then the warning will come
Now masset can throw inside all he wants. Stupid not to get the warning.
I think we should drill AJ
is AJ playing?
stop all the punto b.s…..i like tolbert also and would like to see him play, but lets face it, puntos defense is second to none, as he just showed it again on that double play. this guy is just a magician out there and continues to do little things (actually big things) that alot of people let go unnoticed…just because he doesnt hit alot for average or homeruns doesnt mean hes not valuble to this team..hes one of the best at what he does if not the best, yes the best..im not sure everett, as good as he is, is equal to punto now….thats my punto preach for the day , now lets get back to winning this game…. go punto….lol………
Shoulda plunked the rookie.
Because, Tyler, I presume the Ozzie/AJ style is to plunk hitters whenever.
Kay, I thought Gardy sat Tolbert because he had the flu.
Hey…leave it to Nicky to get him back with his bat!!!!
Drill Thome than we have a threat to get a DP because he is slow and clogs up the basepaths
mj1 you better either be joking with that sermon or 10 years old…anything less is worthy of a commitment.
“he’s a magician out there” Wow. It is time to move on to something else…
The Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde of Gogo…strikeout / RBI double…
hey, this punto guy looks pretty good. any opinions on him?
Initially. But he continued to sit Tolbert long after he was better. And still he sits.
mj1, this is the MLB and Punto is getting paid a LOT of money to be a complete ball player. A team cannot afford to carry someone whose only real contribution is defense.
That would have been an out if the infield would have been playing normal depth.
No AJ today, Tony. jimmy bee was just kidding, as usual. BUT….
That’s a good idea, jb….plunk Thome — especially since we have th lead now.
good AB by harris
Sorry, sometimes it’s hard to tell if jimmy bee is kidding or on crack or something.
Couldn’t he just throw one at AJ in the dugout?? That would send a message. LOL
Would you sign a hockey player who couldn’t skate backwards, a basketball player who could shoot but couldn’t dribble?
Can we bat 8 when Punto plays?
Sorry Romer didn’t look to see if AJ was in the line up today. AJ would enrage the Sox if hit. Drilling Thome just enforces the chances of a DP
Mauer’s biggest downfall is that he is too patient, if that is a thing. As a #3 hitter, he needs to drive runners in and not take 3-0 and 3-1. He needs to eat that fastball down the plate for lunch.
Hallelujah Kay!
AJ’s a sissy, not being able to play a day game after a night game and with having tomorrow off. Mauer can do it. Sure glad we got rid of that classless punk AJ
Brian would you sign a Center who can dunk on anyone but can’t shoot free throws? Of course not that would be stupid. Sorry Shaq your of no use to any team.
bad call by the ump. gomez catches the front corner of the plate away from the ump. the tag was on the back of the gomez. thats how before the ball arrived gomez was. if that makes sense.
saw the replay twice.
Brian,
Dennis Rodman made a lot of money and collected some nice rings without being able to do anything offensively.
Gladden says it was a good call. Catcher blacked the plate and Gomez never touched it.
I’m gonna love to hear the argument when Everett comes back. Everett’s D is second to none, his range is unbelievable. Wait a minute so is punto’s. Punto sucks at batting wait so does Everett. What does Gardy do? How about get rid of both those no hitting dead beats sign a qaulity SS and keep Tolbert as Utility. That would be to logical though.
Gee, Dennis Rodman, Shaq and LNP. Yep, they are most definitely all comparable. LNP is the team superstar. How silly of me not to realize it. And BC, free throws are what? 10% 5% of basketball player’s game. Hitting the ball is 50% of LNP’s job.
Brian:
Ozzie Smith
Brooks Robinson
gladden is an idiot. like i said the front part of the plate is where gomez touches. and the throw was very late. perfect time to drill the catcher ala hunter though.
I left when I read the lineup, but I came back when I saw the following:
“Gomez steals (11) third. Gomez out at home…”
What the heck happened there? In my mind I picture a wild throw getting away and Gomez testing his speed (and failing) against a ball that didn’t stray too far from 3rd.
better throw by cuddy and uribe is dead at home. tough short hop for mauer.
CBS also says that Gomez beat the throw but Hall had the plate blocked so Gomez never touched it.
I take their word over yours.
did somebody just really compare Punto to Shaq? that is the dumbest thing i’ve ever read.
that punto argument is so old and worn out…the man does what he is supposed to do, catch the damn ball- hes a utility guy thats good enough to play just about any position except catch and could probably play 1st if he needed to…its pretty damn important to any major league team to have a guy like that…there are alot of managers out there that would kill to have a nick punto on their team, that you can bank on….i know u wont agree, but thats ok, im only 10 so what the hell do i know…lol
t
that is what happened. ball dribbled away towards the dugout. gomez took off for home. beat the throw by quite a bit. catcher did a nice job blocking the plate, but imo gomez touched home plate on the front side away from the umpire. gardy argued it for quite some time.
I am following on Gameday (no picture, no audio) - anyone know the reason for the pitching change?
T,
Gomez was actually out at 3rd, but Crede dropped the ball. He actually beat the throw home but Hall had the plate blocked and Gomez never touched it and was tagged out.
JP, did Gardy get ejected? I’ve been waiting a while to see him kick into Showtime mode and fire this team up.
LOL Gladden taking some shots at Vavra on-air….
I love Gladden…best Twins broadcaster, by far!
There’s no 10 year old mentality going on, Jason. You and Kay are preaching like it’s still 2007.
Punto is doing okay. Check the stats. His defense is superb.
Did TK ever get thrown out of a game?
JB,
I think TK got thrown out about 3 times in his entire coaching career.
lol
whatever sweetone.
Is TK an alky he always souns 3 sheets in the wind whenever they have him live for an interview
When everyone except you sees he never touched the plate, I take the assessment of the “pros” over some joe blow fan on a blog.
Thanks for the updates, sounds like a heckuva bang-bang play.
Too bad Silverlight (or whatever the MLB uses) didn’t have an instant replay of that one available…
I never remember TK getting tossed
Gardy didn’t get tossed. Argued heatedly for quite sometime. Ump disengaged and walked away. if gardy takes a step or two to follow he’s gone. instead he turned and walked back to the dugout.
50%..haha… i cant even go there….
MJ1
Are you high or drunk? Your defense of Punto is getting just silly now.
sweetone
all the pros? whatever. i said it was my opinion. take it for whats its worth. i saw it, you didn’t. offered my opinion. get over it.
get the bullpen up. even on the outs blackburn is getting hit hard.
I am on the lookout for a video of TK getting tossed
I would hit crede now
Nick Punto is to the twins as Booty is to the Vikes!
Mauer the worlds wimpiest #3 hitter is striking fear into the hearts of Whitesox pitchers!
What is it going to take to get rid of Punto….I don’t think that he shouldn’t be on the team I just think the reasonable way to use him is as a late fielding, running substitute for some of our real hitters!
I’m honestly starting to think that there’s something going on between Gardy and Punto….either they’re secret lovers or Punto’s got compramiseing photo’s of Gardy or something.
I don’t get it!
Gomez actually was safe. The catcher did completely block him initially but also never tagged him with the ball until about 2 seconds later, by which time Gomez had gotten a piece of the plate. Not a blatantly bad call, but still wrong.
good pitch to get crede there.
why hit Crede when you can strike him out
i missed gladden takin a shot at vavra…anyone want to sorta repeat what he said….
Good job by Blackburn–get the kid some runs so he can get a win!!!!!
Come on DY
Whether Gomez was safe or out, what the h#%@^ is he doing stealing 3rd with two outs?
FYI, all the bitching about Punto day after freaking day on this blog makes it almost unreadable. The reality is that the difference between Punto, Tolbert and Everett is negligable. Punto and Everett are basically the same player as you all note, but Tolbert’s not going to hit .350 for a season either, and he is a step down defensively. All in all it is a wash no matter which of the 3 start, so quit whining about it.
DY needs to show his ability to go deep here!
“he’s a magician out there”
If that’s not a 10-year old mentality, romer, I don’t know what is…even Dick Bremer would think a line like that is too cheesey to utter…
Look, you guys can go on the the delusional view that Punto is something that he isn’t, if you prefer, but what we have is a very good fielder who flat out does not belong in a major league batting order–nevermind the average (we know that will be down in Punto-land in no time…0 extra base hits; 0 RBI…)
It’s an insult to Matt Tolbert that he’s out there everyday.
Gladden re D Young not having a HR yet:
“It’ll come, but not on a swing like that.”
Gardy still letting Young swing away apparently……letting Young do on-the-job training.
GBG–it was a calculated decision based on our No. 3 hitter’s RBI totals…they figured they had a better shot stealing 3rd AND home…
careful howeda7. don’t give differing opinion than what cbs and gladden (the pros) give. but i agree, gomez was safe at home but not a horrible call by the ump.
that was funny, romer…Gladden is hilarious to listen to…love the voice of reason…
mj1 i guess if your a five tool player only %50 or 2.5 of those tools will be used during the game. Thanks for the math lesson Kay.
C’mon Nick!!!!
Gordon and Gladden both confirmed Gomez never touched the plate…
Great AB there for LNP.
You gotta wonder if he goes home every night and reads these friends (to Gardy at the foot of his bed).
Great AB there for LNP.
You gotta wonder if he goes home every night and reads these threads (to Gardy at the foot of his bed).
lol
funny stuff jason. steal 3rd and home. although it did work against mauer in the pitching matchup. instead of facing masset still, he had to face the tough lefty thornton.
PJS, It’s not even that some of the critism isn’t warrented, it’s that comments like yours stopped being funny last July.
Nick Punto hits a baseball like Shaq
Sounds like the average joe ump made the wrong call.
Tolbert needs to replace Lamb now.
Come on Blackburn One more inning
Is the bullpen ready if they get to the top?
anderson the baserunner leaning the wrong way. good throw by cuddy there and he doubles him up.
oh gosh i hate working percentages…someone else take over, please!!!
Nick Punto shoots freethrows like shaq
50% of the time
Solid outing for Blackburn.
Now let’s get him a win!
Cuddy’s throwing is still a little off, isn’t it?
quality start blackburn! well done. lets pick up a run and get the kid a run…
i mean win…lol
Nice advice there Rick A to Blackburn. Another great outing by Blackburn. This could be really good.
How about a run for Blackburn?
now let’s get Blackburn a win
I think Punto has pictures of Terry Ryan and Gardy at “Naked Bowling Night” at Cedar Lake Lanes.
run em wild gomez…
Bill Brasky - Nah Punto has pic’ of Gardy and Redmond naked doing the cha cha in the clubhouse
Gomez should just bunt every time
romer.
cuddy still looks rusty on the throws. not quite the velocity and the accuracy is def off.
the pitcher almost broke off his ankle trying to throw gomez out. and he had no chance!!
well, here it is Golden Boy…
why do they need to sacrifice there? Can’t he just steal it?
lets keep that hitting streak alive Joe!
JP, who was the injury timeout for on Gomez’ bunt?
I would have taken my chances letting him steal. Then bunting him to third.
Hope the Twins score befroe Kubel bats. What’s with HIM lately?
Bottom line BC, mj1 and other assorted Punto-lovers, Shameless nailed it - he’s a good fielder who provides value in coming off the bench for late innings subs. He is NOT your everyday starting SS in any MLB line-up, except the Twins.
Mauer is not a no. 3 hitter.
Vavra is not a hitting coach.
Gomez is exciting. Boof looked awesome last night. Young will be a power hitter when he finds someone else to get hitting instruction from. Mauer would be great in the no. 1 or 2 spot.
Go Twins.
Exactly, it’s going to be hard for him to take 3rd with Mauer (a lefty) at the plate
wish they would let him steal second, then sacrifice him to 3rd …makes more sense to me, but then again…
You mean “Free Jason Kubel”, romer…
10,000 bloggers can’t be wrong…
He’s free (and he’s hitting .240)
Carlos, the injury TO was for the Sox pitcher, who rolled his ankle trying to make the throw to first. ….
Go for home, Gogo
Kubel stinks and he looks inbreed
Now that this phantom hitting streak hype is over, can we all agree on what has to happen with Mauer????
like PJS said. sox pitcher came off the mound on the bunt and nearly threw it into right field, and chopped off his ankle all in the same motion.
on a side note I would rather not be dragged out of a pond in tights dressed like William Shakespear
another sweet ground out to 2nd by Mauer
Atta boy Morneau!
Mashing LHP!
Now there’s an RBI man!
NICE!!!!!
Kay…our shortstop is everett, and hes coming back now, so buscher is going back to rochester and im sure punto is going back to the bench…punto is the utility guy…i never claimed him to do anything more than that….i have to stop this stuff…my hair is starting to hurt….
YES!!!!
What’s with the Kubel hate? He’s one of the only guys that can put it over the fence.
Excellent AB for Morneau. Maybe he was a little down today for some reason. I got the impression he was trying to not make an oyt.
And he comes up with the big double!!!
And Morneau comes through again!
Morneau = Mr. RBI
Mauer - not so much
Jason, I don’t think there’s anybody who disagrees Mauer should bat 2nd.
The problem is do you think Cuddy or Young is hitting well enough to hop in and take over?
They COULD just put Cuddy or Young in the #3 spot and hope they pick it up, but then they risk the offense struggling while the kinks get worked out.
Which means they may lose some important games early in the season.
I can live with Mauer, Young/Cuddy, Morneau, Cuddy/Young…but can a majority of Twins fans?
Can’t spell Kubel with out a K! Damn it!
Can anyone tell me why Monroe didn’t PH for Kubel once they walked Cuddy? 2 strikeouts already and lefty/lefty…gotta go with Monroe there Gardy!
Jason Rubel
No Reyes today. Interesting. I missed the 8th last night, so did I miss something with Neshek?
wow nasty change up on 3-2 with runners on 1st and 2nd. misses there and he loads em up. lot of confidence with that pitch right there.
Reyes in today. Interesting. I missed the 8th last night…did Neshek get stretched last night?
Oh. For Thome, that explains it.
Razz thats a good question but i think there saving Monroe for the next time we face Joe Blanton.
Reyes for Thome probably
Maybe Gardy is doing what evey single person at the begining of the year except 4 me on these Blogs wanted and is playing Rubel.
Dennys did his job. He’s been super so far.
need an insurance run or two bad….c’mon twins…take this series….
this bullpen is so tough…best in the business…
Wow…wham, bam, blam. Three Swinging K’s by bullpen. Can’t ask for a better 8th than that.
Mauer should bat second on a team that has a better option to hit 3rd. The Twins don’t, so Mauer should and does hit 3rd.
ha-ha, BC.
T, Young is nowhere near ready for the 3 hole. And the problem is, he’s not ready to bat 5th either.
Kay and others you make great points about Punto — if Tejada or Jeter was on the bench and Nick was playing SS instead of them. There aren’t any other SS’s on the bench. We have two guys who can play good enough defense at SS, Nick and Everett. Everett will return to his position when he comes off DL.
Tolbert isn’t a SS. He has shown that. I like him a lot. He can play 2b and 3b. Tolbert’s hitting, while awful the last 4 games, has been decent. He has a lifetime mediocre minor league record. Maybe he will do that well at major league level; probably not.
You can whine all you want about Nick playing SS, but there is no alternative currently on the team. If you want to whine about the trades not made or the trades made, fine. I have no problem with that. I thought the Twins should have gone hard after Tejada when he was available. But, they didn’t.
To continue to whine about Nick playing is way past old and boring. To whine when he is actually contributing greatly to the team like yesterday and today shows how little you care about results and how inane your ranting has become.
In other words, it makes little sense to whine about Punto playing SS when we have no better options. It makes absolutely no sense and sounds really foolish to complain when he is playing well.
T - just for the record, Neshek looked pretty good last night (1 inning). I think that new little dance of his on the mound, combined with dropping his jaw and making funny faces, is throwing batters off.
Way to go lamb, Buscher/Tolbert keep picking splinters out of your ass.
Kay Neshek looks like a spider with epilepsy
Young is nowhere near ready for the 3 hole. And the problem is, he’s not ready to bat 5th either.
Yeah, that’s the problem. There are guys who SHOULD hit 3rd, but they CAN’T hit third.
Cuddy really is the only option the team has at the moment. Once Young gets it together its his job for the taking though.
why don’t we try Gomez 3rd
That’s right…Buscher’s still up. He got the one start and I haven’t heard from him since.
I still think Everett or Punto should go once Everett gets off the DL. But that’s because I stil want to see this team focus on youth first.
What do ya say Joe?
T I would keep Punto over Everett
what is lamb doing in there still? ball was smoked but still wheres the defensive replacement?
everett coming off dl and buscher supposedly going back…
Cuddyer hitting 3rd???
WWWWHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAA!!1
Seriously, are you here all week?
What’s with booing AJ?
Is it just cause he’s a catcher who can hit it over the fence?
normally punto would be playing for lamb now…damn….
The Twins do not have a 3 hitter on the roster or in the entire organization so Mauer is inthe 3-hole by default. There I said it.
T
I agree with you in that Punto/Everett are essentially the same person but i doubt that they would give Buscher any playing time anyways.
Did you ever notice, it always seems like Nathan gets the first batter he faces out, then the second batter gets on base.
Monroe would be good in the 3rd spot in the batting order
ball was smoked but still wheres the defensive replacement?
Playing SS.
The fans that boo AJ are the same fans that cheer and clap when a Twin reaches base on a FC or when a Twins baserunner tags on a fly ball and advances to 3rd with 2 outs.
Well this just got a little interesting.
ES16 You ever notice how Nathan’s cheeks quiver when he waits to throw a pitch. He thinks he is a horse or something
LOL Brasky’s on a roll…
Nathan always looks like he’s hyperventilating maybe they need to give him some oxygen before he pitches.
Yeah, Tolbert should have been an automatic defense replacement for Lamb.
That’s just how Nathan is. He’s always in control though.
jimmy bee: Yes, but it beats watching Garza spit every two seconds. I’m glad we don’t have to see that anymore.
KKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!
SWEEP!
Yeah!!! Whew. Now I can get some work done.
Thanks Aguilara err i mean Nathan that was an exciting finish.
Seriously, are you here all week?
“Mauer’s unfortunately the only option to hit third…” and you’re crazy.
“Fine then…the only other options would be a guy like Cuddy or Young” and that’s crazy.
Thus proving point one, which is just as crazy.
That’s the problem here. You can’t say ANYTHING without one side or the other calling it insane and going on for half the game.
Nicely done, Twins.
All negativity aside, a beautiful use of 7 runs in two games for our boys!!!!
great, great win….damn these games are too close…but what a lift going into the weekend series….start of a roll, hopefully—–this offense still needs to find the bats, but this was a good win…
Too close. Swisher sitting on a slider?!!
Some Twins fans think they have to boo most ex-Twins (of course not Torii) but AJ actually deserves it. He’s a jerk. We’re not the only stadium he gets booed in.
Good to see Blackburn get the W.
What a mistake signing Nathan. NOT!
Always sweet to sweep the sux. Yes, Tolbert should have been at 3b in 9th. All right, let’s get on a roll at home boys.
Do Swisher and KUbel work out together because they are built identically
Great job by the pitching today. After that ugly roadtrip, Boof and Blackburn settle down for 7 innings (or did Boof go 6?) and the bullpen keeps things fairly entertaining but ultimately quiet.
Offense didn’t exactly explode out of the gate, but they got the lead early yesterday for Boof, and today were able to get fight back for a tie twice and eventually took the lead for good.
3-1 against the current Division leaders thusfar on the season.
Anyway, nice win. Good to see the bullpen operation as intended after those gacks in Detroit.
Tolbert as a 3B defensive replacement? He has a total of 37 games in his minor league career at that position, with about 100 touches total. I don’t think that qualifies him…
Neither the Twins or Sox are very strong teams. Maybe the Indians too.
On a side note the Tigers have been playing lights out
Some Twins fans think they have to boo most ex-Twins (of course not Torii) but AJ actually deserves it. He’s a jerk. We’re not the only stadium he gets booed in.
Ummm…AJ got traded. He did not leave on his terms. He was forced out. Jerk or not, he’s a helluva ballplayer. Torii Hunter took the $$$ and laughed all the way to the bank. If anyone should be booed, it’s Mr. Hunter.
GBG
Buscher, Tolbert, hell I’d even put Monroe in at 3rd over Lamb (sarcasm about Monroe). Tolbert plays 3rd well enough to have started games in the bigs. Almost anything is an upgrade there.
T Boof went 7.
haha i like Nathan’s nervous twitch when he’s pitching.
everett will be back at ss on fri and punto can go back to being the bench guy that he is and then will be in the 9th inning situations like today…tolbert is not the guy for that..hes too inexperienced —too bad they have to have a day off…seems like they always get on a roll of sorts and then a day off…oh well, the bullpen can get a rest and be ready for fri series against detroit..should be good crowds for that series….
twinsfan32 “quiver cheeks”
can watch the 30 min replay tonite..lol
According to Gladden, Gomez would have had an easy steal off the pitcher in the 7th. But Gardy chose to sacrifice instead.
So after giving up the extra out, the Twins were fortunate Morneau got the 2-out double.
And they were fortunate to win.
In regard to Everett. If I’m Gardy I give him a game or two to see how his arm’s looking. It cost us dearly in a few games early in the season. If he has no arm he’s of no value…even off the bench.
At that point, I’d take Tolbert at SS over either Punto or Everett, and Punto can finish out his Twins career on the bench.
In the meantime, let’s hope Casilla can remember that he wasn’t always a head case and pull it together. A Casilla/Gomez 9-1 punch would make a fun lineup. (I say 9-1 because 1-2 is Gomez/Mauer)
Punto is playing his role just fine. All the complaining about him is ridiculous.
So after giving up the extra out, the Twins were fortunate Morneau got the 2-out double.
And they were fortunate to win.
Why fortunate? Morneau’s a good hitter. A 2-out double is just that, good hitting.
If it were Punto or Redmond, or Everett even….I’d say “Yeah, the Twins got a rare lucky strike.” But when you’re cleanup guy strokes a 2-out double, how is that fortunate?
T says:
April 30th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
In regard to Everett. If I’m Gardy I give him a game or two to see how his arm’s looking. It cost us dearly in a few games early in the season. If he has no arm he’s of no value…even off the bench.
At that point, I’d take Tolbert at SS over either Punto or Everett, and Punto can finish out his Twins career on the bench.
In the meantime, let’s hope Casilla can remember that he wasn’t always a head case and pull it together. A Casilla/Gomez 9-1 punch would make a fun lineup. (I say 9-1 because 1-2 is Gomez/Mauer)
According to Joe’s blog up top he said he saw him make several throws across the diamond before the game…so I think he’s ready.
No. Punto should not be on this team, much less playing every day.
Wow, Boof and Blackburn pitching VERY well this year. No reason to think Baker won’t either.
If Slowey does as well as I think he can, and if Livan quits dinking around, this can be an all right year for the Twins.
Still waiting for Lamb and Young though.
And I’m pissed off at Kubel. Maybe he’s like Santana —- a workaday 1st half, then a great 2nd half of the season.
all of you who say punto should not be on this team — hell you shouldnt be on this blog….grow up and give it a rest …its getting old to have to read this crap day in and day out (including my own comments)…there is so much more to discuss and talk about as twins fans, that knocking punto or saying hes got pictures etc…thats all just childish bullshit, and i beg of you to find somewhere else to play or come around and be true baseball fans…really this just has gone on far, far enough…dont ruin these blogs with the same old drab, drawn out, garbage anymore….
Maybe Kubel is better as a caged animal. Freeing him to run with the other wild animals makes him nervous.
T, I’m just presuming what Gladden said was true, that it was a gift-steal situation.
So I like the chances to score much better with Gomez on 2nd with no outs.
Jeez,
when will the Twins get their heads out of their arse’s and send Gomez down to send a message
How come no one is throwing Lamb under the bus.
Whatever dude. It’s a crime that he collects a big league paycheck. the Twins organization is so inbred and stubborn - it’s quite frustrating. All of their coaches and front office people are promoting from within and they all have the same low budget, inside out swing, and draft nothing but pitchers mentality. It’s getting old.
IT’S OFFICIAL:
On this date of April 30, 2008 —- all Punto bashers are merely trolls and are to be ignored.
Further declarations will be forthcoming if changes in circumstances warrant them.
Lamb hasn’t done much but he has at least driven in some runs. The only thing Punto has accumulated is stupid head first slides into 1B.
Punto is better than Everett. Loose Adam Everett.
i wonder how long the twins will go with this leadoff situation….you would like to get some consistency in that spot…gomez is not really ready, as exciting as he is, he can also put you in some bad situations or get you nothing as a result of his youth and inexperience…i almost would have preferred to see span stay leading off for awhile and see what kind of average he could carry…he wasnt going to hit alot of homeruns, but singles and doubles he might have done well, as he seems to have matured at the plate alot from what i remember….it will be interesting to see what happens, but they do have some options……
lose
Troll. Please. I know just as much about this game and Twins organizationas anyone on this blog. Just because I think Punto is a hack doesn’t make me a troll. I guess nobody is entitled to have their own opinions around here.
LNP tries so hard and he’s a really nice guy so I should be froced to love him. Just like our buddy RonDL White.
GO Nicky!!
lohse
We should make Everett and Punto wear Mexican wrestling masks while they play. We can make a game out of it. I will call it where’s Punto.
mj1….
you’re right, nothing ruins these blogs like completely warranted criticism of a $2.4 million player…
swearing, on the other hand, is perfectly acceptable.
lohse,
everyone I know with that name has it pronounced LOH-SE. Maybe if he had his name pronounced right, it would lead to better pitching
Punto 3B, Tolbert SS, Harris 2B. Why not?
nice post romer…
All this negativity after winning two games from the 1st place team is funny. The players of the game today are Blackburn/Gomez/Morneau/Punto. Why change this order when they’ve won two straight?
I think Punto would be better with the name Dusty.
Punto hasn’t been playing bad so far this year. Better than Everett. If Everett comes back with his lame noodle arm I say start Punto at SS.
Punto was a player of the game, BC?
Based on what…his infield single….or his strikeout?
romer - When LNP is in the game can you coin the Game Troll Ball
romer - Also Kubel looks like a Troll also
first of all jason, you could care less about 2.4 mil, as if it were coming out of your pocket ….dont be foolish and stop being so damn phoney (spelling??)and if you feel better writing like an idiot …go for it, and have the time of your life, as i can skip by your posts…it doesnt matter……
And if you really need reasons to change the lineup, allow me to provide them:
Mauer 1 RBI in last 9 games…
Kubel 3-for-25 in last 6 games…
Lamb (self explanatory)
Harris 6-for-28 in last 8 games (1 RBI)
Twins: 7 runs in last three games; worst offense in AL
I don’t think you automatically have to stick with status quo just because you won 2 straight, but that’s just me…
Punto Sucks!!!!!! hahaha
2nd worst,
always got KC to depend on
Does anyone know what happened in Detroit. They used to have a horible team with nobody’s. Now they are tossing money out there with the big boys
well, mj1, if you really want to go down that road…a part of the 2.4 mil is coming out of my pocket…I regularly purchase Twins tickets and merchandise (this, of course, throws a wrench in Patrick Reusse’s theory that bloggers are not paying customers)…so the Twins are making financial decisions with the help of the profits they get from myself and all of the fans who patronize the team (either directly or indirectly)…
So yes, I think we do have a say in how the money is spent…and at the very least, we have standing to criticize when big money players aren’t producing…but again, I accept that I could be alone in that opinion.
$2.4 million is hardly “big money” by today’s standards.
I’m call Little Nicky Punto Big Noogie Pinto
new ballpark money got the ball rolling and once they got a taste of competeing are willing to pay to keep it up
True ES16, but it’s big enough money where we shouldn’t have to go to confession if we happen to criticize a major-leaguer earning that amount…comes with the territory…you haven’t once heard me engage in the low-blows when it comes to Punto (I’m not making fun of his manhood, calling him names, or anything–I’m simply saying I do NOT want to fall into this trap of having him be defacto in the everyday lineup and hit .210 with 25 RBI–can’t get to 25 if you don’t get your first, LNP–again this year! And frankly, no, I am not convinced that the return of Everett will automatically send Punto back to the bench full time)
we should have Everett and Punto settle this dispute in the octagon
Anyone with a daughter interested in the music biz should conctact me, Rocket. Auditions will be held nightly in my hotel room.
link to a survey regarding Baseball team rankings
link to a survey regarding Baseball team rankings
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/specials/fansurvey/2008/twins.html
Do you think everett and punto would actually be able to “hit” each other?
I’d throw lamb in there too.
I agree with you. Punto is a horrible hitter and has no business playing everyday. His defense is amazing at times, but that doesn’t make up or his lack of offensive ability. He should be used as a utility player and nothing more. Tolbert is also a utility player, but at least he has shown us he can hit. In my opinion, when you have a good young player like Tolbert who is producing, you should build his confidence by playing him. What kind of message does it send to him when he produces, then sits for a week? That confidence level has probably hit rock bottom by now - his at-bats in Texas showed a guy who was afraid to fail, not the confident hitter that started the season with the Twins.
Tolbert looks like a smaller Morneau
Free US of Jason Kubel.
.237 BA
Today 3K, 6LOB
I made my points at 2:34. I haven’t seen a cogent response to those and that is fine. I will put it another way.
There are a few really good SS’s that combine both great defense and great offense. We don’t have one of those in the Twins system. There are a number of SS’s that are good defensively and not so much offensively. We have some of those in our system (Punto/Everett). There are some that are poor defensively and ok offensively (Casilla, at least right now).
Whether you like it or not, this team is built to win low scoring games. It is not built to win like Detroit or the White Sux win. You can wish for it, but that doesn’t make it so.
Therefore, based on what we have right now, in order to win low scoring games, we need to keep the other team LOWER than our score. One of the ways you do that is by putting your best defensive SS in the game. Right now that is clearly Punto. I don’t think anyone has argued that point in a rational way.
IF that becomes Everett, and it should based on his past, then he will play the majority of the time there, regardless of his hitting. IF he fails, due to his arm, then it falls back to Punto. Adding a few % points to a mediocre batting average by Tolbert, for example, does not improve our chances of winning, if he weakens us defensively (and his lack of range seems to indicate that).
You can like it or hate it. You can scream about it or whine about it. It doesn’t change reality. Twins win or lose this year with pitching and defense. That’s the bottom line. And, I will try not to talk about this subject again.
Jason,
Pet peeve - leaving a comment in the comment section of a blog does not make you a blogger. If you have a blog and write blog entries, then you are a blogger. What’s the URL to your blog? I ate at a restaurant. Does that make me a chef?
Ben–
Bigger Pet Peeve (this coming from the holder of a journalism degree)
Being a blogger does not make you a journalist; many on the internet are very confused by this distinction.
But I guess the blogger / commenter distinction isn’t all that important, in my view, because literally anyone–including that baby from the E-Trade commercials, can be a blogger. Having said that, I didn’t mean to insinuate that I have a “blog” when I used the term “blogger” in describing the Reusse cheap shot (I think that’s what you’re referring to). However, if I wanted to start “a blog”, I’m guessing it would take all of 15 minutes–I simply prefer to participate in a more widely held forum moderated by actual journalists, which is why I’m here.
Carlos G,
“You can scream about it or whine about it. It doesn’t change reality. Twins win or lose this year with pitching and defense.”
You are correct on both points:
1)Twins win or lose this year with pitching and defense. Punto or Everett at SS is absolutely necessary in order to win.
and
2)The frat party on this blog will scream about it or whine about it every day that Punto and/or Everett play.
I,am not ragging on poor LPN. he,s still in my corner, every time he plays 3b,2b,ss, he seems to save a hit,,seems to me I,VE SEEN IT A LOT,,
ES16
I AGREE 100%. When Tolbert was hot, you keep giving him playing time. Instead Gardy sits him on the bench and he cools off. Would he have continued on that pace? No, but why sit him when he’s doing well.
The punto debate is boring. Punto defenders are in love with his overrated defense. His average range factor and fielding % supports that (his D is overrated). He’s versatile and has a role on this team. Just not the role Gardy gives him.
Thank you Carlos G for stating the obvious for people that keep missing it. If the Twins can find a way to score 4 runs a game, they will win the division even without Liriano. I think the Twins have finished the month in 2nd place specifically to annoy all the so-called fans that said it couldn’t be done with THAT lineup or THAT pitching staff.
JP,
The mystery will be Punto’s role when Everett is 100% healthy and hitting .240.
If Punto is hitting worse, but playing ahead of Everett, then the debate will be relevant.
Now, while he is just replacing Everett and outhitting Kubel, Lamb, Buscher, Monroe, Redmond and Everett, the debate is just stupid.
Who are we talking about.
He is NOT a good hitter, but he’s relatively hot RIGHT NOW, so he should be playing.
GARDY’s take.
Punto-YES!,
Tolbert-NO!
Joe Fan’s take.
Punto-NO!,
Tolbert-YES!
Same argument used by both sides.
Liriano’s line @ Rochester is ugly - 4 1/3, 5 hits, 5 walks, 4 runs, 1 HR ….
Geez, please get well, kid.
Dave T,
I agree-but to score runs you have to be able to consistently hit. You can’t go from hitting and scoring 12 runs in 1 game to getting shutout in the next (with bad pitching mixed in). Twins need to score closer to 5 runs a game like they did in 2006 to have any chance of doing anything this year.
The hitting holds the Twins back more than anything else.
not much mystery about Punto’s role now that Everett is up… he will be on the bench, maybe sub in late innings for Lamb and start once every 10 days.
Just watched the replay of today’s game. It was the condensed version, took about a half hour. It was Gomez, Gomez, Gomez. In the field and on the basepaths. The bullpen struck everybody out. And I didn’t have to listen to Dick and Bert. Are we in first?
a game and a half out of first. Detroit and Cleveland are winning, too…
Regarding Mauer’s RBI total -
avg/obp/slg
#8 .244/.253/.311
#9 .224/.283/.247
#1 .228/.241/.325
#2 .314/.366/.402
Consider that the stats for the #2 batter include his own .375/.389/.500, you can’t drive in what is not there!
“You want your best hitters getting the most at-bats throughout a season. Getting Gomez 600 AB’s is a waste.”
“Gomez went 3-for-4 and scored twice.”
“Serioussly. Gomez needs to bat 8 or 9. Mauer or Harris (team leaders in OBP) need to be lead-off.”
Brendan Harris 2B 2 0
Joe Mauer C 3 0 0
kmack, don’t know where you got your stats or what they are.
Span/Gomez/Harris are hitting .273 as a group. Span/Gomez .263. Gomez .265.
So, the leadoff hitter for the Twins is only batting .228 this year?
espn.com. Looking at them again, they aren’t updated to include today’s game, but the jest of the idea is still there.
And yes , Span, Tolbert, Monroe and Harris are a combined 2-16, bringing the lead-off batters average down.
Speaking of ESPN, the Wed. Night game’s turned into a laugher.
So now I have to put up with the ESPN annoucers stating (as though fact) that Cubs fans are the only fans in the world that’ll stick around to watch the end of a ball game when their club is almost guaranteed victory.
Yes, you heard me correctly. ESPN is arguing that Cubs fans are one of the few groups that care if their team wins.
At the risk of speaking for others, the reason why the Punto-bashing gets a backlash has nothing to do with whether he’s hitting .256, .400, or .125. It’s that the purile sniggering gets old really quickly. It doesn’t matter if Punto is taking the day off to file his nails, there’s some lame comment on this board about him.
Basically, we get it. You don’t like him. You don’t want him to ever step on the field again.
Come up with something new to say. Please. Keeping infintile jokes out of the discussion would be a nice bonus. Not essential, but I’m sure appreciated by many.
I think it was Ben Franklin who said “Never speak unless you can improve upon the silence.” I’m sure someone can figure out how that updates to the digital age….
Right, kmack. Updated, the Twins’ composite leadoff hitter is now batting .246, with Gomez batting .265 and non-Gomez batting .125.
Your stats would be more relevant if they were OBP instead of BA. And we’d like to see Mauer batting over .300 again too as a 3-hole hitter.
Wow…Derrick Turnbow has turned a 13-5 game into a 19-5 game.
All with 2 outs.
Brewer’s are going to have to have some guy off the bench throw a few over the plate.
These blogs have become unreadable.
It’s a shame really.
I hope Jimmy Bee, the incessant Punto-bashers and that ilk are happy. Have fun amongst yourselves, as soon you’ll be the only ones left.
USAFChief, you could please try not reading jimmy bee’s posts or any posts with the word “Punto” or “LNP” in it.
I’m empathetic with you.
jimmy bee,
The laughter you hear when you post your “funny” comments is all in your head.
Nobody is laughing.
Its completely silent out here in the web.
romer, obp & slg are included in those stats.
romer, you try not to read those posts…but the problem is there’s so many of them that the gap in a legitimate conversation is almost impossible to overcome.
It’s why the last few games I’ve just read the lineup, left, and come back once the game was over with whatever thoughts I had.
Because any of the following will set off the same comments:
1. Punto in the lineup.
2. Mauer batting 3rd.
3. Cuddyer batting 3rd.
4. Monroe in the lineup.
5. Kubel in the lineup.
6. Tolbert not in the lineup.
7. Everett in the lineup.
8. Punto not in the lineup.
And yes, then there’s jimmy bee.
I’m really glad I’m not the only frequent poster who has these problems. I sincerely think having a registration system to post would calm some of it, as you couldn’t have people randomly switching names to agree with themselves.
I truly don’t understand the issue with Nick Punto. He’s batting an average .256, and while this isn’t great, he isn’t exactly the worst ever to play in a Twins uniform (Tim Laudner batted .191 playing 113 games at catcher in 1987 on a World Champion team). His on-base percentage is a decent (not great, but not terrible) .326. He’s got good speed on the basepaths with three stolen bases, and don’t discount that his attitude in the clubhouse has been complimented by teammates several times.
Finally, lest we forget, the man can play every position except pitcher!
Fine, he’s not Babe Ruth, but get off the guy’s back and go get a freakin’ life!
I truly don’t understand the issue with Nick Punto.
He had a horrific year last year, and since a lot of people around here can’t wrap their heads around more that one issue at the time…they like to just boil all of the Twins current problems down to either Punto, Pohlad, or Vavra.
Gomez grounds into DP? Vavra.
Twins lose 10-0? Punto.
Hunter signs for 15mil more than he’s worth? Pohlad.
It’s much easier to just write “_____ sucks” than to actual analyze the performance of a full 25 man roster on any given night.
