Sunday pregame: Twins/Red Sox
Posted on May 11th, 2008 – 3:51 PMBy Joe Christensen
The Twins will be on ESPN tonight, trying to hit Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball. He is 7-3 with a 3.95 ERA in 11 career starts at the Metrodome.
Craig Monroe is 6-for-19 (.316) with two home runs against Wakefield for his career. Justin Morneau is 3-for-10, Joe Mauer is 5-for-10 with one home run, and Delmon Young is 3-for-17 (.176) with one home run.
Note: Check out today’s earlier post on Carlos Gomez and Jacoby Ellsbury.
Red Sox (24-15)
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, LF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. J.D. Drew, RF
7. Coco Crisp, CF
8. Kevin Cash, C
9. Alex Cora, SS
Starting pitcher: RH Tim Wakefield
Twins (18-17)
1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Matt Tolbert, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Craig Monroe, DH
7. Delmon Young, LF
8. Mike Lamb, 3B
9. Adam Everett, SS
Starting pitcher: RH Nick Blackburn
Metrodome. First pitch: 7:05 p.m.
362 Responses to "Sunday pregame: Twins/Red Sox"
Is Harris available tonight?
thanks joe….so glad to see monroe back in the picture…they really need to grab this game tonite…we have had enough of wakefield over the years…its our turn and national tv…hope the guys have a ball and kick their arses….
I can’t wait to see gomez get a look at wakefields knuckler.
already detroit and clevelands games were postponed today…
lets hope gomez takes a look at a few of those knucklers…lol - he probably will just screw himself into the ground literally…….
“already detroit and clevelands games were postponed today…
lets hope gomez takes a look at a few of those knucklers…lol - he probably will just screw himself into the ground literally…….”
sounds about right…..
sounds like this should have been the game for Young to sit out, not Kubel. .176 against Wakefield=bench for tonight in my opinion.
Not trying to be down on DY, just would have been the right day to sit him for a game. It worked wonders for GoGo to sit a few weeks ago for the one day in Oaktown
guess we better hope that nick can hold boston to 4 solos and count on the twins to score 5 or more…whats more amazing is that ortiz and ramirez have not hurt us a bit yet, its the rest of the lineup…thats pretty scary-hopefully they stay quiet thru monday…
i agree with you fcm if we had someone like punto to play left field, but kubel is just nothing but dead weight right now and i think gardy realizes this….
The issue with sitting Young is that his arm is much better than Kubel’s and with a good running team like Boston that can make a difference. Like it did in the last couple of games… I wish there was a stat about runners frozen at 3B with a fly ball hit in the outfield. I bet that the Twins would lead the majors…
good point thry…easily overlooked fact..
Oh man - Gomez will need one of those big fat red whiffle bats tonight if he’s going put a ball in play. This should be interesting. Hopefully, I’ll be eating my words after he puts one over the left field fence…
I would prefer Casilla at 2B, Tolbert at 3B and Lamb the DH. That would give the team more speed, and more range at 3B.
It would be nice to see Young drive a few more balls into the gap for doubles, but otherwise he’s doing an adequate job.
Casilla at 2B
I think that this is probably one of the last chances that Casilla would have to stick with the team. Since spring training it seems that Casilla would be considered in the mix for shortstop and no other position for next year and maybe beyond. I really cannot see them use him on 2B (and if they do, it would be wrong). He might start a couple games for Everett or come in to pinch run for him. Unless there is another injure, with Tolbert being available and Harris being ok, I do not see him get used much…
It would be nice to see Young drive a few more balls into the gap for doubles, but otherwise he’s doing an adequate job.
.268/.345/.430/.775 - Average LF production
.271/.312/.308/.620 - Young
Not adequate.
The way Casilla played last fall, he sure doesn’t deserve to play. Hopefully, he has improved. Apparently, Gardy isn’t thrilled about the guy. I’d like to see Casilla get another chance to play everyday for a few games. It might not happen, though.
I think Gardy is close to fed up with Harris and Lamb in the field. I understand Gardy. I think a couple of more bonehead plays, and the pot will boil over. Punto is Gardy’s man. I’ll bet Gardy is nervous not having Nick available.
Compared to other LF, Young’s OBP may be inadequate, but his arm is superior, and his speed is above average. He’s adequate, overall.
on the radio this am gardy was very plainly not happy with having to bring up casilla, but he was all that was available for middle inf, which is what he said they needed…kinda forced his hand….hopefully he has matured somewhat..
I still don’t like Casilla getting the callup over Buscher…but i suppose with Harris possibly still down due to the hammy and Punto on the DL they’re short in middle infielders.
This is about the best lineup the Twins can put out there at the moment. Hopefully Harris can get back to full and take over 2B again.
Morneau, Harris, Tolbert, Buscher…I can get behind that infield for a long time.
Lamb and Punto off the bench to finish up the season. Though I have heard slim murmurs that Garret Atkins may be up for grabs. Though I don’t know if the Twins would have what it takes at the moment to bring him in. (Especially with Neshek, Baker, and Liriano all in injury related issues…they may be short on young pitching to spare)
gardy also made a big point of his pleasure with the play of tolbert at 2b when they turned that dp the other day…said he hadnt seen that kind of speed in turning dp in some time…wonder if we should read into that….
I think that Gardy should go manage the team that Punto signs with next year…
Kubel may be struggling but now is not the time to bench him. It will only make his struggles worse and he will press harder. Why not just play him everyday for the whole year and make a determination on him once and for all when the season’s over. Instead Mr. Retread Craig Monroe.
“Mr. Retread” leads the team in slugging percentage last time I checked 
The Twins could have brought Chris Basak up as a reserve. His bat is light, but otherwise he is okay. They would have had to add him to the 40 man roster. Buscher or Macri could have been removed. Either would have had to clear waivers. It’s unlikely any team would have taken either one. Example: Garrett Jones. No big loss if any team did.
Young is terrible on offense compared to other LFs. You can’t have that, and have a bad 3B, DH, SS, below average RF. It is just too little offense. Young has been the biggest disappointment of the year so far for me.
I think Lamb eventually makes his way to the DH spot. He isn’t an everyday 3B, but he is a superior hitter to both Kubel and Monroe. That’s not saying much to his credit, but he is a pretty good hitter when he plays on a limited basis. He seems perfect to improve the Twins pathetic DH spot.
i still believe our dh is ok with monroe, if he is just put in there and leave him alone- give him the job and let him get some consistent time- he has a good bat- we know that..and he has much more power than the rest kubel,lamb, etc….he has been pressing this year too, trying to do too much possibly with the lack of offense, but given time he will be fine and we will love it…jmho
“on the radio this am gardy was very plainly not happy with having to bring up casilla, but he was all that was available for middle inf, which is what he said they needed…kinda forced his hand….hopefully he has matured somewhat..”
I didn’t hear this on the radio, but during spring training, one of the local, veteran sports scribes, said Casilla was deep in Gardy’s doghouse. Hopefully, the kid gets another chance to change Gardy’s mind.
Wow…Joe Morgan snuck a good word in about the Twins.
“If they can stay around .500, they’ll have a chance at the division if they get on a hot streak.”
That’s an interesting point. The Twins haven’t been playing lights out, but are still sitting atop the division and playing well for the most part.
Two big “if’s” — 1) Maybe Vavra can do some improvement with Casilla, 2) Maybe Everett’s automatic mechanics will make an impression on Casilla.
3) Casilla should also be haring from Gomez how good it’s been to learn from the coaching and develop more patience.
every sunday 9:30am on the radio is the ron gardenhire show…
pink bats tonite…wonder if that will provide some power for the twins..straighten out a few knucklers
Don’t look now, but the Rays are 21-16…beat LAA 8-5 today.
There was an exception in the cold weather…But the Twins lock and key has been a good bullpen and specifically Neshek for the 8th and Nathan for the 9th.
Don’t have that anymore.
Haven’t read the blogs this weekend, but has anyone noticed that M&M haven’t really been hot at the same time?
Need that too.
And also need Guerrier to replicate what Neshek has meant to the team, just for the team to get to the .500 mark.
Then Morgan’s comment could become reality.
to be tied for 1st place with this pathetic offense says alot about our pitching and defense….if we had any offense at all this team would be leading this division by 5-6 games…but teams are going to start warming up now and this game or 2 over .500 isnt going to cut it any longer, so they better hope the bats come alive and the pitching stays as well or even improves from here on in…..
Very true romer, but i think the key to any hot streak is the entire team playing well.
Headin’ out to the local tap to watch the game. Have a good night, people.
Twins Seasonal Total Runs Scored:
689 - 2008 pace
718 - 2007
801 - 2006
688 - 2005
780 - 2004
801 - 2003
768 - 2002
The Twins finished in 1st place in the Central Division in ‘06, ‘04, ‘03, ‘02.
mj1, this team is built to win on pitching and defense. That may be enough in this division. I don’t see anything scary from the other teams so far. If anything, the rest of the division should be nervous about us in the lead with all our youth. We shouldn’t be in this position. And, we SHOULD get better based on gaining experience. Don’t think I would say that about the other teams. Of course, injuries always plays a big role in pro sports. Right now, not going our way. But, I like our spot. Long way to go. Although, less season left than when half of the commentors on this blog wrote us off in early April.
Anybody notice Sox hitters glaring at Nick after they both whiffed? And I think Ukelele shouted the ef word in the dugout. Naughty!
I guess it’s beneath the dignity of an arrogant wealthy east coast team’s player to be struck out by a twinkie.
Does anybody know if the tornado damage in Oklahoma was anywhere close to Gardy’s home?
Even Wakefield knows to throw a fastball down the middle to Mauer on the first pitch. It only topped out at 75!
Calm down. Not criticism of Mauer just an observation.
JP, an accurate observation. They gave the stat about first pitch swings for Carlos. Anybody know where Mauer stands with that? He has to be way down the list.
So the Twins face Bucholtz tomorrow? It’ll be interesting to see how they’ll do against one of the “others” discussed during Santana talks.
Carlos G says:
May 11th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
JP, an accurate observation. They gave the stat about first pitch swings for Carlos. Anybody know where Mauer stands with that? He has to be way down the list.
has mauer ever swung at the first pitch?
Yes, Mudcat, that was an F-bomb on national TV.
It will be interesting to see Bucholtz. It’d also be nice to know what exactly was offered. So many rumors. I’m very happy with the trade so far, Gomez, the potential of Guerra, savings of $25 million a year. Even if Humber and Mulvey don’t do much. I do believe Bucholtz was one of Boston’s untouchables though.
Morneau you need to be on second after that pitch. You woulda scored on that double by Cuddy. Good rip Cuddy.
Rory, lol.
I do think I recall once earlier this year. But, I bet you can’t find 5 times. Some site must track it.
Monroe with the 3 run bomb. That’s nice.
Take that, Coco Crisp!
thats the monroe i have been ranting about for so long…hope that jump starts him again….so long kubel….
and that is why craig should play more than once a week sorry all you kubel lovers, but monroe is proven that he can hit the ball at the MLB level,
The Twins need to bring back the Star Wars music for every home run.
Guess T and Sane would credit Gardy and not Monroe for that homer. lol. JUST KIDDING. Nice AB. Gives Blackburn some run support.
Well Monroe making a statement there, why he gets the shaft over Kubel is beyond me
I am so glad I don’t have to listen to Bert and dick.
The EPSN radio guys are a good change…
gil, I’ve got the ESPN TV guys.
…Wanna trade?
Also, great hit by Monroe. I was down on him early in the season, but he’s starting to come around here. And he’s got three homers this season…all of which were towering shots.
Everett….I’ll be danged!
That’s gotta feel REAL good for Everett.
Well that just takes the shine off Monroe. IF Everett can hit one, then I can’t give any props to Monroe.
wow…..
Are we watching the same game? these two are clowns compared to Dick and Bert. Go Adam- Go GOGO!
Was he using an aluminum bat? just kidding great to g et production from everett
damn, see what happens when you get and occasional homerun….wonderful….we better sit back and enjoy this one for a bit….no lead is safe in this game tho
Gomez reties Ichiro for the AL lead in SBs.
Send him!!! NICE!!
Jussi, Gil’s got the radio crew.
Twinkies really swinging those pinkies.
Adam Everett is the all-time home run hitter at shortstop in the 40 something year history of the Astros.
Well, that explains it.
So, how many days until the Twins annouce they’ve added Carlos Gomez Bobblehead Day to their 2008 promotion schedule?
Joe Morgan thinks the Metrodome is a home run park?
Everett all time home run hitter for Houston at SS? wow. Tejada will soon erase that record.
Casilla sucks at 2B, his future (if he has one is at SS. Although I don’t think Casilla will ever be a major league hitter, I think Punto has a better bat than Casilla.
Five runs.
This one’s over.
carlos
yah it’s amazing the eye that he has at the plate, but every once in awhile it’d be nice to see him without having to work out of an 0-2 count
Royster,
I agree - and the fact that Gardy hates Casillia and probably will do anything in his power not to have him on the squad (which I am fine with)
As I recall they went to town last year on Pink Bat Day - cant recall what the score was - but I recall Twins did win.
So to recap:
Morneau: 6
Kubel: 4
Monroe: 3
Harris: 2
Gomez: 2
Cuddyer: 1
Everett: 1
Whodathunkthat?
Yeah, because Boston has no offense what-so-ever.
Mudcat should be in the booth w/ Joe Morgan with insight like that.
“Casilla sucks”
With punto and harris hurt its not so bad to have Casilla for a few games…
If we had Punto or Harris, Buscher would be better…alas.
Yes they beat Detroit on national TV, but I don’t remember the score either.
Krissy…went and looked that up for ya.
Twins win 16-4. Boof Bonsor over Virgil Vasquez(?) of the Tigers.
Royster…that’s right. That’s where Torii had a monster night (2 homers, 4 hits and 7 RBI)
Redmond had a homer in that game as well.
ND TWINS FAN:
Before I was rudely interupted by a five run inning (I lost count, don’t matter) I was looking up the Oklahoma tornado that killed six. Here’s the map from Gardy’s hometown to the damage area.
finally we plunk a couple guys, but i dont think this is what we had in mind…
I think Casilla will be an okay OBP hitter, but he needs to do the little things well, since he has no power. His BA is low at Rochester, but it was way below .200 until a week ago, or so. He really can run and having him and Gomez hit consecutively would be fun to watch.
No shiot, MJ. Now, don’t throw a grand slammer.
Blackburn….buddy.
PS: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=270513109
You can see how ESPN’s player pictures work. Some kind of archive/databse system I’d guess. (Considering Hunter’s in thie LAA cap in that article)
Monroe strikes out too much to play everyday. He’s a part time player, at best. Gardy does a good job, trying to put him in situations where he might succeed.
I don’t care what anyone says. Morgan is the worst announcer to listen to. Anybody hear him talk about the mechanics of turning into a pitch (showing back to pitcher) to avoid getting hit instead of opening up (facing pitcher) to avoid getting hit? Awful announcer.
OMG Shut up Joe Morgan great play by the Sox???? WHAT ABOUT LAMB????
Blackburn really does seem to have trouble when he has a lead.
BISONAUTDIT:
i should have used the “sarcasm” key, i guess LOL
“Good baserunning by the Sox”
Seriously? They didn’t have time to run Morgan. *sigh*
I’m not appologizing for Morgan (I’m in total agreement with you all on him) but maybe if Cuddy hadn’t of kicked the one before he may have had more to say about our defense. That and he knows where his bread is buttered (Boston and NYC).
Thanks Mudcat…..tough week for those Oklahomans
Flatblade has a good point.
Craig I agree with you on Craig. Play the stats. Go with the hot hitter. And play the Lefty Righy matchup with Kubel.
Whew, two hbp and an error and we got away from the middle of the order w/ only 1 run.
That was near Hudini-like there Blackburn. Let’s call it a growth experience. Now, don’t do that again.
they havent given monroe enuf of a chance to be a full time dh to know how much he would strike out…i dont know how you make a statement like that…i sure will take my chances with monroe…i think he will hit a ton and we will all love it…
Heckuva job by blackburn getting out of that. if Cuddy makes the catch (which I’m sure even he would say he shoulda caught) we’re outa there with no runs given up. however 1 run after bases loaded and no outs, great job. did someone switch the teams? MN hitting homeruns. Boston getting only one run on bases loaded. lol
Two pitches? Now take some to draw a wild or passed knuckleball.
Reminded me of the jam Livan pitched out of against the Tigers last homestand.
Morneau ready for it this time.
Royster says:
May 11th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
“Casilla sucks at 2B, his future (if he has one is at SS.”
How did you arrive at those conclusions?
…Okay, how does one become a “Knuckleball Catcher”?
Thats two Morneau you should have advanced on.
We’re up 4 and a base hit scores two, I’m fine with him not ending the inning getting thrown out at the plate.
Would Ortiz advance on a passed ball? Morneau’s job is not to run the bases.
Great job Lamb! Did we just knock out Wakefield?
“T”:
I think you play catch with the “JUGS 101 Baseball Pitching Machine M1010 with Dial-A-Pitch”
Thank you not trading for either of those CF’s arms (crisp or ellsbury). Uggghhhh
Now when he didn’t go to second the first time…
So Blackburn needs to go out there when it’s his turn and shut down that lineup some more. The offense is giving him a great shot at getting a big win tonight.
He needs to go at least 6 or 7 tonight.
Ortiz? With Manny batting? Or back to reality, the Twins with Lamb hitting. It was nice to see Lamb deliver, but the Twins win in part by aggressive baserunning.
Just my opinion.
Wonderful!!!
Let’s repeat the Pink Bat Day Massacre
of last year!!
So if they’re pullling the knuckleballer…are they going to go ahead and pull the knuckleball cathcer?
Very true JP, but I think back to Delmon getting cut down at home Friday night to cost the Twins the tying run.
Listen to those announcers beg the people of New England not to change the channel.
“the Twins win in part by aggressive baserunning”
Yes, but not Morneau he gets a pass because he is the only one in the lineup with true power. IMHO
Agreed T. Blackburn’s biggest problem has been the big inning. With a 6 run I won’t mind a solo HR or 1 run innings but he has to avoid the big one.
No Walks! Go Blackburn!
Seriously, Coco’s throw from shallow center field doesn’t reach the pitcher’s mound. Ellsbury needs to throw rainbows.
I think he did fine his second time running the bases. He should have taken 2nd the first time around, but I don’t think you go home in that situation unless you can make it standing up.
Misplayed there by Young
Yes, Carlos G, that was sad. We’ve got some hoses, they’re not really fielding the ball too well tonight, but they can shoot peas. Boston’s got a collection of noodle arms out there. Of course they play in a band box half the year so maybe it’s not a priority for them.
Toughest thing to do in sports? How about playing hockey? Skating (which is tough for many people) handeling a puck, and getting drilled at the same time. I think golf is even harder.
As a guy who can’t skate and plays double bogey golf, I’m going to a agree with the boys from the 4-letter. Hitting a baseball is the toughest think to do in all of sports.
Next to typing.
T, The only reason Delmon got cut down at home Friday was because the throw missed the cutoff man and luckily bounced right to the catcher.
Trying to do tooo much tthere.
Morneau is an awful base-runner. He has been his whole career. Few guys do everything well. Morneau has holes in his game, like most players. His hitting compensates for his slowness, and his base-running and fielding ineptness. He is an adequate player, overall.
I know Blackburn was pitching around him, but that was a strike at the ned.
Gotta disagree bisonaudit. As someone who played college baseball, I’ve also skated with nhl hockey players and caddied for a friend who played on the nationwide tour. You can’t imagine the speed and skill of nhl hockey players. well maybe you can. but thats my opinion.
This one is not on Blackburn.
*grr*
Some baaaad luck this inning.
Morneau is an above average 1B defensively.
JP:
dunking a basketball looks difficult to me for most people. should get four points for that
Joe Morgan has already called Ellsbury “Ellsworth” and just called Joe Mauer “Moyer”. And that’s WITH mute on 90% of the time on my end. ESPN is trying to get me to kill myself, I know it.
I see it this way. In hockey and baseball the object is to hit an object with a wooden stick.
The difference is that in baseball you’re not running around while trying to swing the bat.
That and the ball is being thrown to you. Whereas a hockey puck is all over the place.
lol fair enough mudcat. morneau is probably the third best fielding first baseman in the A.L. behind Youk and Kotchman.
Did Francona just say that?
“Morneau is an above average 1B defensively.”
Nah.
s/b 7-2 and the guys in the executive suite in Bristol are breathing a sigh or relief. We’re letting these guys hang around.
That pitch was LOW.
OK, probably 7-3 but still…
julian tavarez …easily qualifies for all ugly team….
I would call Morneau an average fielding 1b who seems to be improving.
With calls like that, the ump isn’t helping us teach Gomez any patience.
articulate and convincing, New and Improved Craig.
Points for brevity though.
kent hrbek ALWAYS amzed me!
Boy, I didn’t realize the Interleague season started this weekend already. Can’t wait to see Livan hit.
Speaking of interleauge, would that be a good time to sit Young for a game or two? Bring in Kubel or Young in at LF for a day?
Or would the thin air out in Coors maybe help get his confidence back?
Thats great baserunning by Mauer!
morneau is turning into mauer…..taking that m&m stuff a bit too far
Is Morgan honestly saying the infielders would get to that ball on grass?
I would give Young a day off in the next week.
“I would call Morneau an average fielding 1b who seems to be improving.”
Yah.
GoGoMez could be a lot of fun in Colorado if he doesn’t get it in his head to swing for the fences he could run forever in the that place.
honestly T i block out Morgan. but yeah he was trying to say something like that.
They are probably afraid to sit Young. He might be trying to do some streak or something like Ripken. Last year he blew up when he was pulled.
I too try and block him out…but occasionally he has somethign so dumb it just weasel’s its way in.
“If it weren’t for my horse…I wouldn’t have spent that year in college.”
Twins get one back the same way they gave one up.
WHEW! Double play ball botched. Gardy is a genuis for playing Monroe.
Astroturf?? C’mon, Joe Morgan! Seriously??
That’s a gift. Not routine but he’s a big leaguer. Just like is counterpart at first.
OOPS there were two outs. thats what listening to morgan does!!
No kidding UofM. I thought the Twins were awesome baserunners on that play.
We learn something every day. It’s the middle hop that’s so hard to field.
I don’t know about the turf but he’s right about the in-between hop. That’s a tougher play but Youk made a similarly tough play on the next ball.
You know if a big market team loses to Minny at the dome on national tv it’s because of the “astroturf”
drew crisp cash.
sounds like an ATM lineup.
There we go, 1-2-3
I think we’ll be seeing that one in Elysian Fields Quarterly before too long, mudcat.
Good bounce back inning by Blackburn there.
“drew crisp cash.
sounds like an ATM lineup.”
Hah.
Mudcat says:
May 11th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
drew crisp cash.
sounds like an ATM lineup.
Good one.
And, Papi and manny sound like the guys to protect the ATM
I know that his fundamental statement was right, but just the details being so wrong is what stuns me. That play is just as hard to make on grass as it is on fieldturf. I don’t think it took an awkward hop other than the normal consideration of ball position versus player position and the rotation on the ball from initial contact.
I just can’t stand Joe Morgan, if you couldn’t tell, and there are always so many examples to support his firing.
Well, unfortunately, until he gropes an intern his job is probably safe.
Had to google “Elysian Fields Quarterly”. Are you calling me short on hype and long on content. Intelligent, quirky, iconoclastic, funny, and opinionated?
(prolly none of the above)
Are you going to subscribe?
And now ESPN’s “Overanalysis Minute” in which they try and make something sound as confusing as possible.
T,
That’s why I mute ESPN and stream the radio broadcast 
T - good one… how to hit a ball…
Yeah!
Everyone should subscribe, it’s a Twin Cities product and they’ve got a great recurring feature on silly lineups just like “All ATM line up” or “All food lineup” or what have you.
next up for instant analysis….how to catch a ball
FSN’s Sports-Science already did this whole analysis of what it takes to hit a baseball.
They were far more concise, understandable, and interesting.
For example: Did you know that when the ball is within 15 feet of the batter it is essentially “invisible” as there’s not enough time for the eye to send the image of the ball to the brain?
Angular momentum is a B.
Now for T’s Instant Analysis of that Segment:
“It sucked.”
Thanks T!
Of the probably 10 regular first basemen in the AL, I think Morneau belongs in the middle defensively.
I think having Kubel in left and DHing Monroe would make some sense, but I also think the Twins are afraid they might “lose” Young if he feels he is being jerked around. The numbers say Young is among the worst regular left fielders and while he has a great arm, he has made some glaring misplays in left.
Also, I think people have given up on Everett a little soon. Since his return from injury, he has made all the plays at short and has hit a little bit. Granted, he will always be a drag on the offense, but if he makes all the plays at short and provides something offensively, that is better than any other options.
“For example: Did you know that when the ball is within 15 feet of the batter it is essentially “invisible” as there’s not enough time for the eye to send the image of the ball to the brain?”
Kubel?
What an astute observation there Joe. The slower a pitch the more time you have to hit it.
At times it’s so stupid it’s actually amusing.
Sports Science. They had a guy and a gal throw pitches at a machine to measure pressure. 90 MPH fastball didn’t do much. The gal’s underhand softball throw broke the machine. She’s engaged to a Twin farmhand. And she was hot, but that doesn’t matter, but I thought it would be good to know.
No, Craig. Not Kubel. In general. The FSN break down was rather cool. They had “checkpoint” times when certain things happen.
There were three check points.
1) Pick up the ball out of the pitcher’s hand.
2) Decide to swing or not.
3) Start the swing.
Another weekly Joe Morgan feature. Barry Bonds blah, blah, blah…
Mudcat, are you referring to Daigle?
Also, who had “Top of the 6th” in the “How Long it’ll take Morgan to mention Bonds” pool?
he almost made it 2/3 of a game without bonds
SHAZAM! Great pitch by Blackburn.
When’s some guy in a suit going to tell him Barry is bad for business. If 30 big league owners can figure that out surely the WWL knows it too.
“T”
I was told it was Daigle, but right now I’m laughing at the rook striking out Big Papi.
Mauer power
Otiz story makes you get serious.
If interested:
Well Joe Morgan giving us a physics lesson tonight! What DOESNT this guy know?
” In general. The FSN break down was rather cool. They had “checkpoint” times when certain things happen.
There were three check points.
1) Pick up the ball out of the pitcher’s hand.
2) Decide to swing or not.
3) Start the swing.”
Amazing.
Twins Inning Ending Double Play (TM)
Craig…i’m not explaining it well enough. They had the different speeds and timing. So like they’d tell you at half a second or a quarter second where that pitch was.
Well Joe Morgan giving us a physics lesson tonight! What DOESNT this guy know?
When to shut up?
“Rare play on artificial turf?”
huh??
“Coaches teach players how to play.”
Really Joe? Really?
Somebody needs to write a book of these things…
Bahhh
I miss Neshek…
“Craig…i’m not explaining it well enough. They had the different speeds and timing. So like they’d tell you at half a second or a quarter second where that pitch was.”
Just funnin’ ya, a little, T. I wish I could have seen the program.
Morgan reminds me of some people around here. Wait until after something goes well or wrong before stating that you always knew that it would go that way.
Thanks Craig, after you quoted it I felt like I had a Morgan moment there.
Not Terry Ryan — actually, a bunch of other teams have the patent on that play. Twins actually are near the top of the league in terms of fewest GIDPs this year…
crisp still wouldn’t look good in a twin’s uniform
my bad — wrong stats…
8 to 6……..”It ain’t over ’til it’s over” - Yogi Berra
And Morgan of course the hip and intelligent person he is has Frank Sinatra on his iPod already.
See, he’s better than all of us…naturally.
it ain’t over ’til frank sinatra sings
A two run lead is not that big of a deficit?? How long did it take to figure out it was TWO, Joe!?
BINGO
Is that because we don’t ground into many DPs or is it because we’ve got the 3rd worst team OBP in baseball.
Oops he did it again.
Monroe rocks tonight.
FREE MONROE! FREE MONROE! FREE MONROE!!! PLEASE!!!!!!
Nice, a little pressure on Kubel.
Monroe needs to be the everyday DH.
monroe looks good in a twin uniform
Apparently Monroe doesn’t have a fever for more Kubel!
Monroe definately is making a case for some interleague ABs.
At this point I’d consider sitting Young a few days while in the NL.
Monroe copying Torii from last year…
OK by me!
ive said it before…this man is meant to be our dh…please dont mess with him now….say it again…so long kubel…
Hey Johnrambo, why don’t they play Kubel every day and get that retread Monroe out of there. Good call!
At the beginning of the year, it looked like the idea was to use Monroe/Kubel as a two-headed DH.
If we comine their numbers, how are they fairing in that role? Between the two of them that’s 8 homers (which would make our DH the best HR hitter on the team at the moment.
Jaig Kuroe for MVP?
T = I think we’d have to check to see how many, if any, of those came while Kubes or Monroe were playing in the field (remember the cuddy DL stretch).
damn these red sox just dont quit…need 5 tough outs …sounds so easy doesnt it…
Speaking of boneheaded ESPN commentary…I was watching BB2N prior to tonight’s game, and whoever it was (I think Berman) was discussing the weakness of the “Bullpen by commitee” concept.
Now, while I was fairly certain they were referring to “closer” since it was in regards to Gagne’s struggles…they continued to say “bullpen by comitte”
I couldn’t believe it.
Carlos G…I think there’s a place where you can check productivity from “Position X”. So that would account for ALL players who have played in the DH role.
Though as you said, the important stats would be for Monroe and Kubel.
I hope the boys have a 9-spot tomorrow. I’ll be sittin’ next to the boys in the pen.
glad to see both homers for craig came against rt handed pitching, so we dont have to have that argument, that he should sit on rt handed days…
Kubel/Monroe 180 ABs
Young 133
Morneau 130
Don’t have production by position but definately too many ABs to just accept the raw total.
Jaig Kuroe for MVP?
Crason Monbel.
If we comine their numbers, how are they fairing in that role? Between the two of them that’s 8 homers (which would make our DH the best HR hitter on the team at the moment.
A couple of those homeruns came while Kubroe was playing the field.
c,mon nathan …dont make it too exciting…one at a time…..even 3 runs and ya still cant take a breath…lol
hate the red sox…
Kubel/Monroe 180 ABs
Young 133
Morneau 130
Don’t have production by position but definately too many ABs to just accept the raw total.
Coming into the came the DH position had 136 at-bats and 4 homeruns.
Well Ellsbury…wow.
“[Mauer] is from nearby St. Paul. The ‘Twin Cities’ of Minneapolis/St. Paul.”
Thank God, Joe. I’m sure people that watch ESPN don’t know what the Twin Cities are.
“Somebody call a cop! He just got robbed!”
Wow.
ManRam’s not getting to that ball.
Can you say “webgem”? That was one hell of a catch.
I have no problem riding Monroe while he’s hot. he does have pretty bad stats the last three years against RH pitching which would suggest this game is an outlier. be intersting to see how soon the coaches run Kubel out there again.
TwinkieTown blog states that the Tribe brought up Tyner
Nice play by Ellsbury and can we get anymore cliche jon???
Now it’s up to Nathan to close it out.
According to: http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/bsplit.cgi?team=MIN&year=2008 Twins DH this year are hitting .243/.262/.390, so an OPS of .652.
That said, Monroe’s May is shaping up nicely!
ball tailing away. watching ellsbuy run there was a point where i thought he’s got it. no chance. oh what a catch. great camara work there.
TwinkieTown blog states that the Tribe brought up Tyner
Somewhere Craig sheds a tear.
I’ve never been a fan of “ManRam” as a nickname.
It seems more insulting than anything else. And I’ve never been a fan of “combination” nicks like that.
Which is why I hate “TomKat” or “Bennifer” or whatever other things they use…
Nathan has to get through Ortiz, Youkilis, Lowell and possibly Manny for Drew if it gos that far…..Let’s go Joe!
Another “astroturf” comment…
Oh hey — detail if you click on DH:
Kubel .215/.228/.380 (79 ABs, 3 HR)
Monroe .271/.314/.417 (48 ABs 1 HR)
Monroe .400/.400/.400 (5 ABs)
Stats are obviously not including tonight’s game.
Think of it this way…it’s not a nickname, it’s his NAME!
JoeNat. JoeMau. JusMor. DavOr. JacEll.
See what I mean, it doesn’t actually mean anything. At least “Gogo” or “Gogomez” is how fast he is.
great range by everett. gotta say i really like the infield with harris or tolbert playing 2nd/3rd. and or tolbert as utility infield.
If Nathan can hold here, the Rays will be a game back of the Sox.
Take a moment and ponder that.
The RAYS.
Can’t disagree w/ you T.
I’m a little gitty what with my Jim Rhome conversion on Friday, so you’ll have to forgive me.
I never liked the guy and never listened much buy Friday on the way home, he airs on delay during drive time in my market, he did this bit about nameing his new racehorse and I could not stop laughing. War, astroturf.
See now if I’m Francona…I’m PHing “ManRam” here.
“I don’t think he’d pinch hit for Crisp”…
Then you, Joe Morgan, are an idiot.
Smart, GoGomez. Leave the DP in order. Runner on 3rd means nothing.
Can someone translate that for me??? who is defensing?
I’m defensing myself at the moment with this AB…
Twins are holding the runner at 1st to keep the DP in order. Morgan is taking the position that it’s better to play the hitter straight up and not worry about the runner. Trade runs for outs because the game is extremely short at this point and you’re up 3.
Poop
Crap…crap crap crap.
Miller couldn’t sound happier.
*sigh*
AAARRGH!
“TwinkieTown blog states that the Tribe brought up Tyner
Somewhere Craig sheds a tear.”
A tear of joy, for Tyner. A tear of sadness for Luis Orlando Rodriguez (broken hand). A huge tear of sadness saying sayonara to Lew. Bring back LEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW to play CF.
During that replay you can hear a “GWAA!” from somewhere in the stadium.
I’m thinking it’s Gardy after Nathan struggling and Gomez having a mindfart.
Well, there’s Gomez showing his inexperience–he should’ve caught that ball.
“You’re in a situation where if you get Coco Crips you don’t have to pitch to Manny”
Unless the Sox make a boneheaded base-running move…I think Manny’s going to come to the plate.
Morgan, stop trying.
There’s way too much grittiness in that post for my tastes Craig.
Gomez blows another play in CF.
HEADS UP JOE!!!
Incredible play by nathan!!!!
WHAT A RECOVERY BY NATHAN!!!!
Funny. No mention of “turf” on that one there.
FANTASTIC heads up play to go to 3B.
Wow, that’s a silly play by Nathan and a stellar tag at 3rd.
Silly = good.
And apparently the Red Sox invented stealing.
WALK MANNY
Do these guys know anything about baseball you DONT put the go ahead runner on base!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
or not!
whew nice to get the win for blackie
whew!!!
LETS PITCH AROUND HIM, NOT!!!!!!
Suck on that Joe Morgan
YEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Nice, our million dollar closer shouldn’t fear Manny.
You don’t walk Manny. You pitch carefully.
Hard fought game tonight. Pitching struggled, but the offense didn’t let up and the fielding had some big plays to bail out some tight situations.
You are very correct Dan. Especially in a lineup with as much danger as the Sox.
i woulda put the go ahead run on base if its manny up to bat and cora is up to bat next.
OK. 9 runs was just enough. That’s what I want from you guys tomorrow night.
Sunday Night Baseball=Twins/Sox
Monday Night Football=Vikes/Pack
priceless
“offense didn’t let up and the fielding had some big plays to bail out some tight situations”
You forgot to mention that the fielding had some blooper reels just to be sure the pitching could hold their own when it really counted.
Has anybody else noticed that ESPN this season has been horrible when it comes to scheduling their national games?
It’s been good at getting a variety of teams on national broadcasts…but for the most part it’s been “___ vs. Red Sox/Yankees”
I mean, look at Sunday & Monday. Do they really have to put the Twins/Sox on back to back national games? There isn’t some other pairing of any interest elsewhere?
First ball I’ve seen Gomez mis-play (not counting throws). Wow, that could have been a miserable ending. Tough ball to judge coming right at you. Glad Nathan bailed him out.
UofM, while the fielding had a few bothces (Lamb and Gomez)…for the most part the pitching was the one getting beat up.
Blackburn gets a big win, but he still struggled.
No post game pawwwty for the chowders tonight…
That, and I hope Kubel was comfortable on the bench…Aaron Gleeman still is busy scaping the egg white of his face.
T - i don’t think anybody ever “struggles” against a lineup like that. The Sox do what the Sox do. Good thing they have to pitch and play defense against us also.
By that, I mean that Blackburn probably felt pretty good about his game. I thought he was throwing well. The other team just has some good hitters. So, I don’t think he “struggled” in the classic sense of the term. I would say he battled through a tough lineup and came out on top. Nice to get him a win.
Thanks, T !
ESPN: Red Sox vs. Twins
Monday at 8/7 Central.
be there!
tough win, but a great win….this red sox team is absolutely loaded….one big hitter after another, not a weak out in the damn lineup…..but 2 of 3 thus far- couldnt be any happier- hope they can just clean up tomorrow and send these big boys home…i wont miss them…
great nite for monroe…
Yeah, I’m definitely not complaining, any way we want to look at it. A W is a W, no matter how it’s done, and the BoSox are a great team. Pulling out a split (at the minimum) against them is a big victory in itself. 3 of 4 would be nice, of course…
Mudcat, my ticket says 6 PM. Did they change the start time?
LOL
Time to bury Kubel? His career is done?
And on a different note, show some class Jason. You might be right on Kubel, but you look pretty small calling someone else (Gleeman) out like that.
My thoughts on Blackburn. Decent start. Not dominating but did well against a tough lineup. And I would say he didn’t get great help in the field either. but the bats made up for it. if the bullpen hadn’t lost two leads for him he’s 5-2!
hats off to blackburn who bent a little but didnt break and hung in there and battled his ass off….great win….congrats
CARLOS:
It wouldn’t surprise me if ESPN made them move start time. Just go at 7:00, I doubt if you will miss any runs or homers if you’re late. These two teams always are boring.
(insert sarcasm button here)
ESPN tv listings for tomorrow night show game time at 6 PM… just like my ticket. You’all do your best again tomorrow night. I’d like another 9 runs. that should be enough for Livan. Be interesting to see how the Sox like his slow stuff. Could be scary stuff. But, maybe he keeps the magic going and the big boys off balance.
And on a different note, show some class Jason. You might be right on Kubel, but you look pretty small calling someone else (Gleeman) out like that.
Apparently he’s forgotten how ridiculous he sounded trumpeting LEWWWWWWWWWWWWW’s horn continually last season.
So…(a show of hands)
if Monroe is not starting tomorrow, who would blame Gardy?
thry…i dont even want to think about that scenario..lol
Yeah, the game is 6pm. ESPN monday night.
Hmm, I was thinking of going tomorrow…this may change my plans based on when I get off work.
Livan has pitched well against some powerhouse lineups (Anaheim and Detroit come to mind)
It will definately be a true test of just how “set” Hernandez is this season.
With the young Bucholtz on the mound though, the Twins have a chance. Bucholtz is good, but the Twins showed they could hit off Lester. And coming off the last few games they’ve got to be confident that they can play even with the Sox.
I’ve said since before the series started I could live with a split against the Defending Champs (TM).
I would consider sitting Young tomrrow. Go Kubel in LF and Monroe at DH.
It’s not shaking things up…but Young’s had some ugly ABs lately. The day off worked for Gomez right?
put monroe in left and bat casilla in the dh spot 9th befor gomez—
please release kubel
good call snepp.
be interesting to see how livan does tomorrow. he’s been worth the money and more so far. my bar for him is 6 innings and 4 runs. hopefully he does better!
i agree T. i would def give Young a day off at some point this week.
nice win. lets not lay one tomorrow like we are inclined to do! lets take the series!
Kubel had worse ABs than Young the last couple of weeks… and Young saved probably 4 runs within that span…
Interesting Game. Funny how Pedroia went from slugger to twinkle toes after getting it in the ribs. The Bosox are a great hitting team but didn’t look all as comfy at the plate tonight as they have the first two. Nice to see Blackburn pitch inside. Hope his teammates take note!!
hey we get to do this all over again tomorrow nite…cant wait…how sweet 3 could be……out
Another thing: Everett and Monroe should swing those pink bats for the rest of the season
Agreed thrylos. I wonder what the MLB ruling is on bat colors. I know pitchers can have red gloves (Livan’s used one) and blue gloves (Martinez used one)
So can hitters used “off-color” bats?
Show some class?
How about be accountable for your takes? If a blogger wants to chest thump about how much baseball they know and how they have all the answers, then I think it’s fair to call them out when their grand proclamations turn into garbage.
Gleeman’s implication (and that of many others on these blogs) was that Gardy is to blame for holding Kubel back. That claim was repeated often last year. Well guess what–turns out Gardy isn’t all that dumb after all. Jason Kubel is what he always has been–a below average hitter with no speed and moderate power. If you guys want to keep dreaming about his minor league, pre-knee surgery days, go ahead. And as for my admiration for Lewww…recall, Lew would not have even been in the mix last year had it not been for the continued mediocrity of Kubel. I stand by everything I ever said about Leww…he had a nice presence with the Twins…Kubel lovers can get back to me when their guy hits .299 in a full MLB season.
Funny. someone ripping Gleeman for not taking accountability for his takes. He’s one of the few bloggers who goes back and looks at what he says, and either takes credit or rips himself. As a matter of fact, he ripped himself for being wrong just last week.
As for Kubel, um, taking a stand and guessing a guy will be good or bad is a bad thing? Some of us thought Kubel would finally show he’s back to what he was a few years ago. We appear to be wrong. But, some of like to have mature baseball conversations that don’t involve ripping other people when they are wrong, but just, you know, talking baseball.
I think Harris will be back on 2B tonight. I’m comfortable with him or Tolbert out there.
I was at home depot yesterday and I almost fell over. I saw a very pail 7′ ft caveman walking through the aisles and said “what the @#%?!!! is that”. None other then Kevin McFail.
McFail was probably scouting some more dead wood to draft for his team!
McFail doesn’t walk very well the court must have really wrecked his knees
Let me see if I have this right, mike…you want to give Gleeman credit for “taking a stand”?
I quickly skimmed over Gleeman’s last few columns and couldn’t find a mention of Jason Kubel. Yes, we can all get things wrong, I get that…but there has been a movement which has proclaimed the Twins wrong on Kubel that has been going on for quite some time. These people claim that he’s hitting balls hard right at people and it’s Gardy’s fault for benching him after an 0-fer night or what have you…but the bottom line is it’s all a pipe dream; the Twins have approached this thing just as they should. Next thing you’ll hear is someone throw out the most classic Twins hitting excuse of all-time, Doug Mientkiewicz’s claim that the baggie in right field is hampering Kubel’s HR total or some similar excuse.
10,000 bloggers were wrong and have been for quite some time…Kubes will continue to get the at-bats as a platoon–which, unfortunately, is when he’s most effective…as soon as you give him the spot long term (i.e. “free him”), he comes up with a .238 avg and a lot of strikeouts.
Give Gardy a break on this one, folks.
Good morning guys does anyone know who’s taking Nesheks spot on the roster?
BC Crain is the paper said
perkins takes his roster spot, korecky would have gone down when perkins came up but now he stays.
BC I think I misunderstood the question that you asked but Crain will take Nesheks role and not his spot in the rotation
Crain didn’t take his role last night (Reyes pitched the 8th)
Jason it was in the USA Today in Mondays edition of the Sports section.
Ok i wasn’t sure the only call up i read about was Cassilla. So do you guys think Reyes will be the set up guy now or maybe Rincon? Crain would be ideal but they wont use him in back to back games.
Jason, no.
I don’t think anyone should be ripped for taking a stand, nor should they be praised. Just becaue people make a prediction, and are wrong, doesn’t mean they should be ripped.
It’s easy to come on line and switch your position every game, and to not make predictions. I just don’t understand why anyone should be ripped, and we shouldn’t just have a conversation that doesn’t degrade into name calling and other straw man tactics.
As for Gleeman admitting he was wrong, did you read the May 8 posting? He calls himself a moron for dismissing the Hernandez signing, and also questions himself for questioning Gomez’s major league readiness. How many other bloggers admit their mistakes on line?
BC of ND,
I think Gardy and Andy plan to use Crain, but you are right, they also seem to be worried about using him in back to back games. So, maybe it is Crain’s when he has not pitched the night before and Reyes and company if they are trying to protect Crain
I would like to see more movement on Crain’s fastball, otherwise I like his potential.
As for Aaron Gleeman….I respect him because he is willing to throw his name out and stand behind his points. It is the people that hide under fake userIDs that rip coaches and players that annoy me. No accountability. At least we know who Gleeman is and he stands behind his point and doesn’t hide like a little child.
Lamb looked ok this weekend I thought. Still no improvement for Kubel and Monroe what more can I say about a great mothersday for him. Monroe should use a pink bat everyday if it would help him hit that good.
if livan wins more then 10 games come to all star break we should either trade him for a really good package like a top 3rd baseman prospect and someone else.. cause seriously.. if hes on track for 20+ wins someone will pay a lot for him… and i think a 3rd baseman or ss if better then a pitcher atm…. pitching does nothing if we cant score runs
honestly i feel like the pink bats are jacked for mothers day so they can hit a homer for their moms thats why so many homers are hit with the pink bats and thats why they take the pink bats from them after the game….
Excuse me, mike, when did I engage in name calling? I am nothing if not professional in these exchanges…just because I disagree forcefully doesn’t make me a name-caller.
And yes, if people want to take credit for “being right” in their opinions / predictions, then they better be prepared to face the heat (or be ripped), when their amazing revelations turn out to be false.
As for “hiding” behind comments or statements, I have an email account just like everyone else on here (jiac5879@yahoo.com if you’re so inclined), but I’ll stand to take criticism when warranted in my direction as well (was wrong on Lew Ford, for instance), but to be fair, Gleeman has just as much anonymity as any one of us (we don’t have his phone number; we don’t know where he lives; he doesn’t work for a news organization, etc.)…so I guess I don’t see your point on this particular issue…
So, back to the point, which has yet to be refuted–”Free Jason Kubel” sounded cute at the time, but it’s premise–a long-standing belief by many Twins fans that Gardy is holding Kubel back–is in no way supported by evidence. In fact, the evidence shows that Gardy has been right all along–Kubes is most effective when used in moderation.
Carlos That does sound like the logical choice but with Reyes being the only left hander in the bullpen i don’t see them using him in that role. I’m a little worried that we’re going to see Rincon more. Instead of Korecky why not bring up Carmen Cali, Ricky Barrett or Mariano Gomez? It would be nice to have another lefty in the bullpen.
Did anyone see that Everett actually hit a HR before Mauer and Young did this year
jb: Harris also has hit two homers before Cuddyer. So I guess I don’t see your point.
Blind squirrel/acorn.
I’m happy that Everett put one over, but I’m not about ready to declare him the future at SS for the Twins.
well his point is what’s up with Mauer / Young / Cuddyer…
Especially Cuddy…at least Mauer has a .320 avg. to go with his 0 HR
Interesting point on Livan, liondragon. If the Twins are in it by the trade deadline, and Hernandez continues to pitch as he has…I don’t know if trading him would be a wise move.
If they’re out of it however, it may be smart to see what they could get to help solidify the lineup (provided guys like Slowey, Baker, Liriano, etc are all recovering by then)
But if Livan is still pitching this well by the trade deadline, I’d almost want to see the Twins take a chance on signing him for another year or two.
If you would have told me at the begining of the year that Everettt would have a HR before Young and Mauer, I would have thought someone was crazy.
Jason, sorry, the name calling thing was not aimed at you, but others. I’m done talking about Gleeman now….
As for Kubel, I predicted him to click this year on La Velle’s thread about that. I’ve admitted that I appear to be wrong on that one. I just don’t get how his swing disappeared, and he can’t get it back. Too bad, as he’s one of the few hitters the minor leagues looked like they had developed. Hopefully he’ll turn it around, and those who predicted good things from him this year will be partially vindicated, but even I am starting to have serious doubts.
The bigger issue for me is Delmon Young. He’s been really, really bad so far, compared to what most of us expected from him. And, there is little evidence he will turn it around with this coaching staff helping him. I was against the trade in the first place, and I really hoped I was wrong. So far, I like the trade even less than I thought I would.
I’m not sure what you expect to say about Kubel at this point, other than we look like we were wrong so far. No one can refute your argument that he’s not been good this year.
T: as much as I want to believe, I just can’t see this lineup competing in the post season. It would look a lot like earlier this decade, virtually no runs scored in the post season. This lineup can beat up on bad pitchers, but good ones generally will shut them down. Given that, if someone offered up a probable starting 3B or SS for Livan, I’d take it.
That said, the Yankees can’t pitch, nor can the Tigers. I don’t think the White Sox are appreciably better than the Twins right now….so, they could stay in this race longer than I thought at the beginning of the year.
Has anyone noticed that Craig Monroe is build like a linebacker where as Kubel is built more like a kicker? Monroe just looks like a guy who can hit the ball 600 feet with ease. I like Kubel but he doesn’t look near as threatening at the plate as Monroe.
this year? how about for his career (as I mentioned, this movement began early in the season LAST year)
As for Young, if he’s playing so poorly, why hasn’t he had a day off yet? I suspect that will happen sometime in this 20-game stretch in order to get Kubel back into the lineup if Monroe continues to be the DH.
I’m actually pumped about Monroe after last night…maybe he’s the guy who needs to be “freed”. When you think about it, the dude’s only had 67 at-bats, so maybe it’s time to find out if he can provide the much needed offense at the DH spot on a day-to-day basis.
I’m not sure what you expect to say about Kubel at this point, other than we look like we were wrong so far. No one can refute your argument that he’s not been good this year.
This is not true regarding Kubel. I voiced my opinion on this blog everyday at the displeasure of keeping Kubel and I have had my opinion put down every time oh well
I also said since before the season started that Boof should be in a LR or MR role
might be right about that, jimmy bee…trouble is, our staff is no longer rich with starting pitching.
Jason I have asked from time to time why Mulvey has not come up yet. I thought he was doing really well. Does anyone know if he stumbled or if he is struggling. I really want to see another piece of the Santana trade.
Jason -
For their careers, Kubel and Monroe have put up similar numbers. However, Monroe is on the wrong side of 30, while Kubel is coming into his “prime” years, the same years that Monroe had his career highs. In the second half of last year, Kubel hit .303/.379/.511, which are better numbers than Monroe has ever hit. Even looking at 2007 as a whole, Kubel hit better than Monroe had in all but 1 of his seasons. Pretty much everything from their careers (both minor league numbers and major league) should point to Kubel having a better year than Monroe.
Kubel is having a bad year. However, it’s only a month. Players have bad months. Given his minor league track record, and the numbers he posted in the second half of last year, I think it would be very wise of the Twins to continue to let Kubel bat, and see if he can get out of the funk he is in.
Jason I don’t know what it is but if you rag on Kubel and it is well deserved you will get blind sided by Kubelmaniacs or something. I know he stinks but Minnesota sports fans lust for Kubel. I don’t get it. Oh well
Jason if you rag on Kubel you will need aspirin near by where you are sitting. You will hear every stat from Half of last years run production to when Kubel doesn’t shave he hits for a higher batting avg on Tuesdays after 4:00P.M..
