Friday game thread: Twins/Angels
Posted on August 22nd, 2008 – 5:29 PMBy Joe Christensen
ANAHEIM — Nick Punto moves to third base, with Adam Everett at shortstop and Alexi Casilla at second base for Game 2 of this series against the Angels.
The Twins are facing lefthander Joe Saunders. Glen Perkins, who is 8-1 in his past 14 starts, takes the mound for the Twins.
The Twins have announced their Arizona Fall League assignments: Pitchers Jeff Manship, Rob Delaney, Tim Lahey and Anthony Slama, infielder Steve Tolleson and outfielder Dustin Martin.
Class AAA Rochester manager Stan Cliburn will be their skipper on the Phoenix Desert Dogs.
Update (5:55 p.m.): Torii Hunter is the Angels’ DH, with Gary Matthews, Jr., getting a start in center field.
Update (7:55 p.m.): Mike Herman, Twins director of baseball communications, just discovered this interesting tidbit: Barring a change, the Twins are about to face seven consecutive lefthanded pitchers.
You’ll notice that Oakland is going with an all-lefty rotation. Well, starting Monday, when the Twins visit Seattle, they’ll face Ryan Rowland-Smith, Ryan Feierabend, Jarrod Washburn. Then in Oakland, it’ll be Dana Eveland, Dan Meyer, Dallas Braden and Greg Smith.
If it holds up, the Twins will be the first team since the 1991 Mets to face seven consecutive lefties. Two teams have faced six in a row this year — the Giants and Cardinals. That last factoid is courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau.
Update (8:45 p.m.): When told that Pat Neshek’s latest blog entry had indicated the injured reliever likely wouldn’t return this season, Gardy gave a classic response:
“I’m not a blog guy,” he said. “I’ll let the trainers and doctors tell me, rather than the blog guys. Haven’t had an update since a couple days ago. Says he was progressing fine and [throwing from] 75 feet. So that was the last thing I heard.
“You guys believed Lexi [when Casilla said he would need season-ending surgery] so you’re probably going to believe Neshek too.”
Update (8:55 p.m.): The Twins are currently 23-15 against lefthanded starters, though Saunders beat them on April 2.
Update (9:05 p.m.): Scratch that earlier note. The Mariners actually are scheduled to use righthander Miguel Batista on Monday, followed by Rowland-Smith and Feierabend. So that’ll be six lefties in a row for the Twins.
Twins (73-54)
1. Denard Span, RF
2. Alexi Casilla, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Randy Ruiz, DH
6. Delmon Young, LF
7. Nick Punto, 3B
8. Adam Everett, SS
9. Carlos Gomez, CF
Starting pitcher: LH Glen Perkins
Angels (77-49)
1. Chone Figgins, 3B
2. Erick Aybar, SS
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Vladimir Guerrero, RF
5. Torii Hunter, DH
6. Garrett Anderson, LF
7. Howie Kendrick, 2B
8. Gary Matthews Jr., CF
9. Jeff Mathis, C
Starting pitcher: LH Joe Saunders
Angel Stadium. First pitch: 9:05 p.m.
402 Responses to "Friday game thread: Twins/Angels"
Dustin Mohr? I thought he was out of baseball.
Interesting to see Slama in there, I wonder if a good AFL showing will increase the likelihood that he would skip New Britain next year and go right to Rochester.
Although, they say the jump between A and AA is one of the biggest in baseball, so perhaps not.
Punto 7th???? One word for the bottom of the order…… UGH!
need a laugh ?
from gleeman:
First Batgirl and now Ubelmann. Sadly, real-life responsibilities have robbed the Twins blogosphere of another great writer. Luckily, I’m in no danger of getting a life.
he’s in no danger of getting a life or being a great writer, he’s got all the bases covered !!
Has anyone ever bunted 5 players in a row?
Looks like Gardy is going all defense tonight. Trying to help Perkins go 6+ and keep our 11 man staff alive?
Like it or not, Gardy is viewing the first two games of this series as pitching duels, reliant on dee-fense. If we can steal a single run out of Punto, Everett, Gomez, that’s a coup. Interesting to see Ruiz get locked in right behind Justin tonight.
Torii goes to DH, so I can’t cheer against one of my former favorite players in the field. 
My instruction? Adam needs to lean and let two separate pitches hit him.
T-Mouse, applauding Don Baylor play for decades
Dear Joe, T-Mouse has a suggestion. How about we name your column and the other columns here with brands that actually mean something?
Why is your article known as “Around the Majors” when I get the lineup from you each night? Why doesn’t that appear under “Twins Insider”?
I don’t want to pigeon-hole the writers, but as a reader, it would be helpful to have the section titles mean something.
Okay, so maybe I’m just passing the time til game time!
T-Mouse, loves a good brand
Bottom of the line-up. K, K, K, K, K.
Where’s Harris against the righty?
Nico,
That is the first post you have made I agree with. There MUST be room for growth
Regards,
John Q & T-Mouse…
Gomez & Punto had 40% of the hits last night 50% of the RBI and 100% of runs scored.
Maybe the ML’ers on the club can pitch in tonight. BUT, just remember Punto & Gomez have their backs.
Regards,
Nico,
why do you read gleeman if you hate him?
Interesting to see Lahey in the AFL list. I am sure that Delaney and Slama will get a long look next spring training, but Lahey has not been that productive, probably because of lack of conditioning (he is listed at 5′11″ and 235 lbs, but is closer to 5′10′ and 250, and we are not talking middle linebacker body type here…)
Family and I just woke up from a nap poolside…heading to the park in a few minutes. Gorgeous day here, but HOT. We have crappy seats, better ones tomorrow, and even better ones on Sunday. Disappointed in the bottom of the lineup as well. Would much rather see Harris and Kubel in the lineup.
And, it is Dustin Martin, not Mohr…believe Martin was the player obtained for Castillo. Can’t wait to see him in the AFL
I like the lineup tonight. Like plugging Ruiz in at 5 and see what happens. Gomez has swung well lately and Punto has also gotten on base so I don’t think all is lost at the bottom.
Dustin Mohr is still playing in Independent ball
I noticed Dustan is in Wichita and played against the Saints the other night.
thrylos98,
Tim Lahey is 6′6″ tall.
See Red Wings Roster.
He would still be a catcher (or out of baseball) if was 5′10″.
I am of the opinion that Ruiz is still auditioning. He has done fine to this point, but will he have a spot on the 25-man playoff roster or will he be demoted if (when) the Twins return to 12 pitchers? Apparently, the Twins will face four consecutive lefties in Oakland. If Ruiz doesn’t “pass the audition” (apologies Ringo), then this lineup (with Harris at DH) will be facing Oakland.
thrylos98,
“but Lahey has not been that productive, probably because of lack of conditioning (he is listed at 5′11″ and 235 lbs, but is closer to 5′10′ and 250, and we are not talking middle linebacker body type here…)”
Source?
sane,
Those are the stats on minor-baseball-reference
Ruiz is on the roster for the rest of the season. This decision has already been made. He’s getting coaching guidance on spraying the ball all over the field — not blindly, wildly swinging for power — and, most importantly, he’s taking the guidance.
Ruiz is HIGHLY coachable. He is thrilled to be up. Never wants to leave. Is listening intently. And will be with the team the rest of the way. (Not that you’re asking for my opinion, but I think it’s the right call.)
T-Mouse
Harris can PH for Everett in the late innings against Saunders or another LHP.
Harris would stay in to play 3B, moving Punto to SS.
Looks like Rochester site has him as sane states. 6′6” 250
the Dragon, thrylos98,
My source for Lahey’s height is:
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ros&did=milb&cid=534
I have seen him on “Squeeze Play” and he looks 6′-5″ or 6′-6″.
Delmon Young? Runs like a bull in a china shop on balls on the ground to him.
T-Mouse,
Glad to hear your insight on Ruiz. You talked to him lately? Maybe talk to Gardy? Good to know he’s happy to be here
I agree Ruiz has already passed his audition. Otherwise, he would have already been sent down and the Twins would have kept 12 pitchers.
Also, Punto’s bad season happened so long ago I don’t even remember it. All I seem to remember is Punto being an asset to this team both in the field and at the plate. Not to mention what a bargain his salary is. Most guys hitting over .280 command a much higher salary. We might want to extend his contract before he puts up monster numbers in the playoffs and we lose him, ala Hunter.
I will apologize ahead of time. I had a very nice meal with a lot of wine and aperitifs. My first reaction to this lineup is……blecchhhh!!!!
We are giving the Angels a win.
I will also note that I will speak in absolutes only to serve as an “I told you so.”
So here goes: We have no chance of winning tonight with this stupid lineup. I’m saying it because then we’ll go out and kick their ass.
I’m going back to the cocktails…have fun bitching at this ludicrous lineup tonight. Then you can come back, after we win, and tell me what a dufus I am.
We have no chance tonight.
We’re in trouble. Some drunk nobody doesn’t like the lineup Gardy is trotting out there. I guess I’ll skip this game.
I too will be having a very nice meal and beverages.
In N Out double double and a beer.
I am only offering myself up as the sacrificial lamb…I called my son in NY and ranted about this lineup. Then he and I agreed that we would talk in the a.m. and laugh because they found a way to win.
I am taking one for the team. I think they will lose giving up three spots in the lineup. I have proclaimed it from the mountains. Then I’ll wake up, check the internet, and find out we won.
I live to serve.
Punto’s bad season?
How about bad career, as a hitter:
.250 AVE .317 OBP .333 SLG .650 OPS
Sure you can disregard 2007. But those numbers are over 1700 career ABs. He is awful as a hitter.
Has anyone seen the score of the white sox game?
“Sure you can disregard 2007. But those numbers are over 1700 career ABs. He is awful as a hitter.”
Same posts over and over again.
pp - score is 2-0 White Sox - bottom of the 4th….
Bartlet at the plate, hitting .267 on the year with 0 HR and 22 RBI. Very impressive.
POP QUIZ: Here are two batting lines. One of these guys is called a major catalyst for our season and one of the most important pieces of our offensive puzzle now that he’s back from his injury. The other guy is constantly dumped on. See if you can guess which is which:
PLAYER A: .282/.340/.417; 8-for-12 in SB
PLAYER B: .309/.347/.418; 4-for-6 in SB
Punto stunk in 2007, the same year the Indians were a playoff team and Jimmy Rollins was considered MVP material. Things change.
I’ll keep you posted on Sox game until the Twins game starts.
2-1 Sox. Top 5
Thanks for the score! I am stuck at work and have no way to find out.
I’m watching the game. Going to bottom 5, still 2-1.
I didn’t realize Vegas was in Casilla’s head
sane,
Lahey’s vitals are all over the place in different web sites. I did get my info from Baseball-reference that was wrong. I do remember watching a way overweight shorter reliever at Ft Myers a couple of years ago and based on the numbers I saw at baseball-reference, I assumed that it was Lahey… Apparently it was Korey Feiner, mea culpa
Player B also has 38 R and 39 RBI.
Player A has 29 R and 23 RBI.
Player A has struck out in 11 more times with fewer ABs. Player A can’t get a bunt down to save his life, and makes more baserunning mistakes than anyone else on the team.
2-2 top 6 in Sox game
sid says:
August 21st, 2008 at 11:40 pm
The Twins need a good hitter to protect Mauer. They keep walking around him.
first!
JP,
Players A and B should both play middle infield for the Twins - and they do!
JP,
Those are inteesting stats.
I suspect they were ALL accumulated on August 21, 2008 and prior.
Please check your calendar. Today is August 22, 2008. They meaan nothing today or tomorrow or whenever. They tell us what has been, they may be instructive of what will be. But just as Ebenezer Scrooge asked the 3rd ghost “Are these images of what WILL BE?”.
That we will know in the fullness of time.
Regards,
ps: How good have they been in predicting Punto’s past 10 games? Answer: Not very good. .400 vs .250 but what’s a .150 understatement between friends?
Humber with a CG 1 ER 5 H 0 BB 8 Ks
118 pitches
he’s been pitching great lately
Rays lead WS 3-2
the Dragon
disregard a players past performance? novel idea. guess we should go with nathan as a mop up guy and have boof close.
regards,
p.s. how good will they be in predicting the performance of punto moving foward from august 22nd? i guess we’ll see.
JP,
One fact you forgot in your little scenario.
The Twins at a .618+ rate THIS YEAR when Player A starts. 2nd on the Team to Ruiz (.875).
I realize on these blogs actual wins are irrelevant, and the mantra of “giving the team the BEST chance to win” is the Goal. I’ll take actual wins to theoretical wins EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK.
Regards,
Here is some food for though about Punto:
year before became free agent 1 (2006): .290/.352/.373
year before becoming free agent 2 (2008): .282/.340/.417
Rest of career:
.225/.298/.356
draw your own conclusions…
“disregard a players past performance? novel idea”
If you don’t, Span and Casilla are still at AAA.
thrylos,
my conclusion is if the Twins have to sign him a 1 year deal would be best
actually sid they were brought up because of injuries. both are under 25. horrible examples.
good stuff thrylos98.
“Bartlet at the plate, hitting .267 on the year with 0 HR and 22 RBI. Very impressive.”
- Barty has been very close this year to having more errors then extra base hits. Right now it is 19 to 13, HA! He has been a little hotter at the plate recently.
I think that Tolbert/Harris/Macri take your pick can put the same numbers as Punto next year at about a $2 mil discount. I say take that $2 mil and add it up to the pot (-Monroe,-Everett,-Rincon,-Livan - about $13 mil) and trade for a 3rd baseman… Then with the other $20 mil under budget get a SS and sign a reliever or 2 (Juan Cruz, Scott Downs, Rafael Soriano, Dan Wheeler, Will Ohman, Brian Shouse are all free agents…)
I hope that Bartlett has a fantastic night at the plate…and a great series.
HE has driven in 1 tonight.
In N Out double double time
Seriously, does anybody know why Harris has lost most of his playing time. Tonight should be his night to play.
Pathetic AB from Casilla.
JP,
Of course you disregard past performance in any given game or at bat.
Morneau has much better stats then Punto, AND twice last night they pitched around Mauer to get Morneau, and that was the correct play and it worked. Morneau is in a slump (I don’t care if his stats were to say he has hit .800 for 20 years. Right now he is not approaching his yearly or career nummbers). Players have bad streaks and have good streaks.
Last night, a player who is a failed 1st round pick, a player who this blog believes should be in A, or AA ball, and the most hated player on this blog went 6-14, scored 2 runs (If you do a bit of research you will find those were the ONLY runs the Twins scored.) Knocked in BOTH runs. While the beloved ML’ers on the Twins went 4-29, and were quite useless. Punto, Gomez & Span had Morneau’s back last night.
Baseball happens to be a team game. Individual stats are interesting, yet tell you very little about any single games performance by the WHOLE TEAM.
Regards,
JP,
They had bad career minor league numbers.
There were other players at AAA who had better minor league career numbers.
With your logic, Darnell McDonald and Chris Basak should have been promoted.
Luckily, the Twins disregarded Span’s and Casilla’s career AAA stats.
GreenManalishi , Gardy has a strange, almost disturbing, fascination with utility players who remind him of himself. A player who hits the ball hard and plays only average defense upsets Gardy cause it is the sort of player he never got to start in front of. Harris is likely Bill Smith’s guy.
Wow, nice strike zone
Rays up 3-2
Down on the Farm.
Humber had a good Complete Game Start/Win at Rochester.
9IP 5H 1R 1ER 1HR 0BB 8K
Really how much more can dick talk about hunter, seriously, its getting old hearing about the former twin’s all the time. They’re not here, forget em.
Dick needs to become a former Twin.
Ruiz…with an infield hit?
Why doesn’t he talk about our buddy Livan who gave up 6 runs in 3 2/3 for Colorado tonight?
nibbler,
the irony is that Gardy sucked defensively, too… in his only full time season (1982) he led the majors in errors by a SS (29)
sid
with my logic? my logic is using past performance of MLB players to make determinations. i didn’t bring up minor league players.
don’t twist my words.
I agree Sid. It’s absurd how much the media continues to talk about Santana, Hunter, blah blah blah, I mean look at todays trib articles nothing about how Span and Baker performed last night, all about how torii “should have caught the ball” - He’s past his prime, he maybe would have caught it in 2002. If teams want to over pay our average to above average talent, let them
Punto 0-1. He must be an awful player, using only present performance.
Dotel looks sharp today
Man Dick got fired up for that call
LEX!!!
Punto 0-1. He must be an awful player, using only present performance.
Well…it’s happened already so it’s past performance.
As Henri Bergson would say…
“The pure present is an ungraspable advance of the
past devouring the future. In truth, all sensation is
already memory.”
more runs for the rays
I hate the camera men in LA.
4-2 Rays… Rocco Baldelli of all people hit one out of the park.
6-2 rays
“Dotel looks sharp today”
?????
Ozzie took dotel out. I bet his brain is about to blow up…
Dotel looks sharp today
Sarcasm, ever heard of it?
Sox announcers were talking earlier how Baldelli has had extremely bad luck when it came to injuries. He had great potential but then spent 15 months out of baseball.
JP,
You are correct.
He’s crap:
Just like Casilla, Mauer, Morneau, Ruiz, Young and Everett. ALL are 0-1. You can trot out ALL the stats you want to dispute that fact, BUT so far tonight They SUCK!
The only one’s on the team tonight who don’t presently suck are Span & Perkins.
Anybody else getting crappy sound on the Twins broadcast for the 2nd night in a row. I think they hired a bunch of illegals to work the games this weekend.
Wow, gomez made contact with a breaking ball outside!
Dragon,
Ruiz and Gomez are 1-1 last time I checked,
regards
Gomez, Gomez, Gomez
What, does 3rd base have Crisco on it? Jeez…..
They ruled an error on the Ruiz AB.
I don’t mind that with Gomez…good aggressive play…just a little unlucky. i can’t believe he beat that throw to 3rd so easily.
Should be 2-0 right now if we do the little things.
Talk about an inning killer…
Let’s keep that lousy throw from center field in the back of our minds. I’m sending runners rounding 3rd after I’ve seen that.
thrylos,
Ruiz reached on an error thus 0-1. I posted before Gomex hit.
Regards,
Looks like we need some lead off HRs instead of leadoff hits to score in this game.
I gotta tell ya, I’m not very impressed with the Angels so far. These games are going to create a lot of confidence in our team.
Nice K for Perkins
Sox got two back
This Ump is out of control.
here come the sox. 6-4 on a ramirez HR.
What the hell kind of strike zone do we have tonight?
The Sox motto this year is “Just a Homer away.”
Look at that great play by Denard.
Wow. Just Wow.
JP,
I didn’t realize you were referring to MLB stats only.
My bad!
tell me again why Span should move to left. I don’t care about Cuddyer coming back or how Delmon cannot handle left. Park Span in right and leadoff
Lead off man on again…
Anyone else think Nick Swisher looks like a thug?
We will score this inning.
Swisher did play in Oakland. That automatically makes him a thug.
Span should move to left in the dome because it is a bigger field and he is faster than Young.
At least Swisher is abiding by the rules of his parole by staying gainfully employed.
Man Morneau is starting to concern me with this funk!
We need Ruiz to hit his first HR…
Better head up there swinging the lumber, boys, this guy is throwing nothing but strikes.
Nobody throws Ruiz fastballs though. At least not near the strike zone.
“Anyone else think Nick Swisher looks like a thug?”
I disagree.
IMO he looks far too goofy to be a thug.
Actually, I was thinking “dirt bag” better fit Nick Swisher.
I had felt like Morneau has been in an extended slump lately…then i looked at his 7 day splits: .375/.484/.625
YES
Way to go Delmon! That was a poke!
DYOUNG!
Delmon knew it right away
I wonder how opposition hit balls are distributed for the whole season and by pitcher. It sure seems like Span has a lot more opportunities in right.
Delmon played HS championship games at the Big A and hit about like that!
It didn’t look like it was a HR off the bat, but you could tell by Delmon’s reaction that it was out. He hammered that ball.
this is going to be a repeat of last night. games like this are always won by execution.
Morneau is 9 for his last 32
Nice to see the “trade Delmon” talk has disappeared all together. Of course, it was insanity in the first place.
Young is good.
Punto is not. 0-2
In the metrodome pitchers usually pitch to left-center because right field is so short.
Delmon hit 13 last year and has 8 this year. Wanna bet on over or under 13 for 2008?
Morneau hits a skid every season where he just doesn’t hit the ball the other way, which results in a lot of crappy outs. He’ll shake out of it. In the meantime, the other boys are picking him up.
Well, I’m glad I offered myself as the sac lamb and opined on the inadequacy of the lineup tonight. So far results are as expected.
Ok, we need a booster shot. This team has no chance with this lineup. They couldn’t beat a rug on the clothesline. They are so weak that Punto looks like Harmon Killebrew.
There. That should get us a win.
Did I mention how the bottom third of the order sucks? How can we win?
Strike zone is really tight today
Delmon will be right around his numbers from last year. And he is just learning how to play.
And Casilla doesn’t have many chances at 2nd. really?
Angels telecast question.
Who won Gold Gloves as a Twin and as an Angel?
Answer - Vic Power
Incredible first baseman!
Rays get one back
Willie, shouldn’t you be passed out by now? Or did I miss the part where you said we’d be winning 2-0 halfway thru the game?
Man Perkins is locked in so far.
AMF Torii!!
The Ump is finally doing his job. Although if you’re the Angels you gotta wonder why that was a strike when it’s been a ball the whole night.
Nice to see the rays helping out the twins
The foxsports box score shows Willie with a sacrifice!
18 games in 18 days back in 61. Now that would suck.
Everett is good.
Punto is not.
Does anybody else think Everett looks like Herbie the Elf from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?
that was an inch from a HR
Mac,
The bourbon and waters are weak tonight. I’ve been trying to get them to work better. So far my negvibe is working but,honestly I don’t know if I can hang on for this lead to hold up.
I think I’ve got one more “this can’t happen” in me before I nod off.
Oh, and Gomez couldn’t hit the outfield wall if his life depended on it. Who put this lineup together?
Gomez is very good.
Punto is not.
I thought Ulger would send gomez for sure
Does anybody else think Everett looks like Herbie the Elf from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?
I’d say DJ Qualls
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Qualls
full windup. send him…..
Everett=Gollum. Not Hermie the dental elf.
Span is kinda good.
Punto is bad.
This game should be 5 or 6 to nothing
Ha…and on everett’s wikipedia page:
In 2007, Everett became the all-time shortstop home run leader for the Houston Astros with 34. He is also often mistaken for actor D.J. Qualls, who listed Everett as his favorite baseball player in a 2004 Hollywood survey.[citation needed]
Doing the little things right.
Oversliding third base.
2nd and 3rd, no out, followed by a base hit. One run.
Sheesh. Sometimes you have to ask yourself how this team wins.
Rays 9, WS 4, top of 9th in Chicago
Man the white sox bullpen is imploding today
“Sometimes you have to ask yourself how this team wins.”
Fire the baserunning coach!
9-4
The ever dangerous 3rd time through the order looming for Perk.
Perkins looks a little drowsy on the mound
That pitch was not a strike, but I will take it all night!
So the gazillion dollar question presents itself. Perk has 64 pitches. Can he get past the sixth inning? If he can and extend this to 8 with the current score then you gotta like the chances.
Glen needs to get through the next inning, his personal bugaboo, and lead this team to first place. Who’d a thunk it?
Rays one out away fom a 9-4 win over White Sox
Rays beat White Sox 9-4
Span - good eye
Casilla - good eye
Mauer - excellent eye
Morneau - usually good eye
Ruiz - good eye
Delmon Young - ok eye
Punto - ok eye
Everett - fairly good eye
Gomez - usually poor eye
You can take it off the board! YES!!!!!!!
Delmann!!
Looks like Delmon is on the ball today
LMAO. Hold up Gomez, Send Ruiz.
Welcome home Delmon!
Ruiz can fly.
Just touched the bag
Anderson makes Young look like Willie Mays.
“Hold up Gomez, Send Ruiz.”
Yeah, wierd!
The left fielder is just dogging it out there tonight.
Delmundo extraordinario!
This is the Delmon the Twins traded for!
Nice base running by young
PUNTASTIC!
10 GAME HITTING STREAK!
Punto good!
Saunders good bye!
10 GAME HITTING STREAK!
Yeah…well…but…he had a bad 2006.
Trouble!!! Perkins’ ERA is now 3.99. Danger Will Robinson!
Joe Saunders, AL all-star pitcher, strikes out nobody before leaving in the 6th inning.
Rehire Vavra!
Hey, remember that time when Everett pulled all the teeth from the Abominable Snowman for Yukon Cornelius?
punto is incredible.
Punto with a great play at second!
Now that’s hussle for Puntober!
Punto out-hustles the force play!
MVP!
MVP!
MVP!
A good at bat by gomez nonetheless
If Everett is Herbie then the Twins are the Misfit Toys and the King Moonracer, Terry Ryan/Bill Smith….Livan, Monroe, Boone, Lamb….
SPAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DENARD!!!
1 Ringy Dingy…… 2 Ringy Dingy!
Say hello to my little friend!
And the rout is on.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR EVERYONE!
WITH FRIES AND A SHAKE!
span is team mvp
Twins lead 8-0. 2-3-4 hitters don’t have a hit.
Hopefully Perk doesn’t need the 8 runs… Critical inning for him
I already had my double double, and I did it animal style!
Punto gets his uniform dirty every night (whether or not he’s playing). he really gets after it. ok i’m done bashing Puntilicious. too many other things going well… why gripe? just enjoy the wave…
I have noticed that Punto slides into home plate even if the ball is still in the outfield. He’s like a big kid out there. He’s having fun and enjoying the game.
Perkins is mowing them down
“Barring a change, the Twins are about to face seven consecutive lefthanded pitchers… starting Monday, when the Twins visit Seattle, they’ll face Ryan Rowland-Smith, Ryan Feierabend, Jarrod Washburn. Then in Oakland, it’ll be Dana Eveland, Dan Meyer, Dallas Braden and Greg Smith.”
I think that Harris and Ruiz will get plenty of at-bats next week.
Punto = Brett Favre?
Great job by Perk…
only 6 lefties, JoeC made a change
Shawn,
Punto is less overrated than what’s his face
couldnt have begged for a better start to this marathon road trip…what a boost, especially starting in the big A…just get on a roll and take em 1 at a time….makes for a fun weekend of baseball
Mr. sane, Thanks for being one of the few who lives up to his name. Nice to see Delmon have a fine, to-date, homecoming! Let us hope that the Twins don’t become too complacent in this series. Mr sane, enjoy your youthful and honest enthusiasm… you’ve witnessed it and helped develop it! My thanks, sir!
No
Punto > Brett Favre
Perkins 6.0 IP and only 69 pitches… hope he gets a complete game after the extra innings drew on the BP yesterday even though Baker went 8 innings.
daminals, make that 79 pitches…
Daniel,
i live up to my name… almost
i am shawn, but i live in the suburbs of binghamton 
Time for Randy to go park
Thanks, Daniel.
Let’s enjoy the ride!
I heard after punto retires from baseball he is going to quarterback the packers for 17 years and break favre’s TD record.
thyrlos,
thanks, i guess yahoo sports didnt update pitch count even though it did for IP! still…. he can do it!!
two errors on the SS when ruiz has hit!
moving on up with George and Ruizzie
Punto would get killed as a QB, since he would dive headfirst.
Ruiz’ speed is really making the Angels throw wild. LOL.
And they hit delmon
Make em pay Punto!
kick his a** youngbass
Punto, GS?
Shawn,
Thanks for keeping me updated on the updates.
Welcome home (again) Delmon!
will gardy plunk someone next inning??? any bets ???
was it deliberate?
It didn’t look deliberate to me
RBI for MVP!
thank God DY didnt throw his bat after that… you know like he did in the minor leagues? man, how long do you guys think DY has to play in his career to live that thing down?
why did punto head first slide into first. That was unnecessary, but whatever. It wasn’t as bad as the ellis slide.
Gardy won’t plunk anybody… he didn’t do it in KC when it was needed, why do it now. It was not intentional
I had my double double tonight.
damn it PUNTO!!! quite diving and quite getting your damn jersey dirty!!!
The catcher was sitting outside, the ball went inside, just a bad pitch
Why does Punto even bother washing his jersey? If he could, he would warm up before the game by rolling around in the dirt.
my fiance and the kid have been to MN once and due to all the Menards commercials, they have the song memorized!
That was a really difficult play by casilla
i think punto may sleep in his jersey
sweet play Casilla
“Save big money” is the team song.
Delmon. Is there anything he can’t do?
Don’t lose the SO glen!
“i think punto may sleep in his jersey”
That bed has to be steam cleaned!
didnt the Menards guy die?
Do we even need everett at short with punto playing third?
Angels announcers on MLBtv said after Punto’s slide to first. “That’s the 3rd time Punto slid into first tonight. Agressive player. Just like the Twins play”. (rough translation).
Regards,
Save Big Money, you save Big Money, when you shop Menards…
“didnt the Menards guy die?”
I think he did. He always got so hyped up when saying “at menards!”
didnt the Menards guy die?
I think he just retired.
“Delmon. Is there anything he can’t do?”
Take a walk.
I would always like to have an aggressive team versus a complacent team!
i remember when i moved back to MN in 03 they tried a young girl and then brought the guy back…. moved away again, so i dunno if he died
Holy crap the state fair fireworks are loud tonight.
According to Wikipedia, Ray Szmanda is still alive.
sane,
i think he sleeps on turf - he’s such a natural bb player - he was concieved during a bb game and born in the infield, and sleeps on turf. (i think i’m losing my mind staying up late on the east coast here)
Delmon. Is there anything he can’t do?
Gain the respect of a plurality of twins fans.
the Dragon,
Punto’s career numbers did a pretty good job of predicting what Punto would do. Career .250 hitter, 1-4 tonight.
Regards,
Delmon has walked the same amount as last year but in 43 less games!
danimals,
tell me about it, its 12:11 and i’m having beers
Ruiz is starting to look faster than Gomez.
“how long do you guys think DY has to play in his career to live that thing down?”
Apparently, longer for you.
Perfect spot for Gardy to put in Harris at third and Lamb at 1B…
danimals,
Punto was nursed by the Coke machine in the concession stand.
Shawn, how’re you cathing the games? mlb.com?
Finish eight perkins!
agreed thrylos
and get redmond in there for mauer….
Ruiz IS faster than M&M.
nah, i got the Extra Innings on Directv
I like Gardy’s infield. Could be a nice option for 2009.
USAFChief, actually the Angels play by play guys brought it up again tonite. that’s why i mentioned it.
JP,
Fair enough.
How did they do with Casilla & Morneau?
Regards,
just wondering how good this outfield of young, gomez and span will be if they continue to play together - looks like delmons power will come around - this could be the best outfield in baseball both offensively and defensively with their speed, etc……wonder if delmon and span will ever swith positions….
Telly, making the english language his bitch
Nobody is faster than Morneau from the plate back to the dugout.
And bert must be feeling the effects of the whiskey
Anyone for Perkins going out for the ninth?
Little known fact. Tele Hughes’ full name is ‘Television’
Shawn and danimals.
The best feature of the Pacific Time Zone:
Eastern afternoon games - start 10 AM
Eastern night games - start 4PM
Western Night games end around 10PM
Everybody knows Bert drinks Coors Light, not whiskey
“Telly, making the english language his bitch”
Strange but true…
needs to go for the complete game so
I love how Telly just grabs hold of the language and grinds it into the ground.
I found something that Delmon can’t do. Dive for a ball.
Perhaps Punto could teach Delmon how to dive head first.
Well, at least the M&M boys will have a little fun at Torii’s expense after the game when they hit the night life.
sane,
i was in San Fransisco a couple years back watching the Vikings game at 10 am…. it was one of the greatest experiences. game at 10-1 and then i could go about my day.
Let the kid go out for the ninth!
I have to set my alarm for the 8 a.m. NFL pregame shows! Even better, 6 pm Monday night football.
Delmon is too clumsy to dive.
It would be a train wreck!
sane, what’s the deal with DY’s fielding? it seems like his ball judgement is always off? but it cant be his vision. i know he tangles up his feet, but its like he gets confused that last half second when hes fielding.
i do like west coast getaway games. 4 something start time, get home from work in the 3rd inning
“It would be a train wreck!”
Just like in KC…
eight is enough
Major props to Perkins!!!
growing up in MN, 12 pm football was about right, roll out of bed, get ready to go and the game is on.
Angels with replacements. Why not the Twins????
i think Perks should come out. save him.
shawn,
“i was in San Fransisco a couple years back watching the Vikings game at 10 am…. it was one of the greatest experiences. game at 10-1 and then i could go about my day.”
It’s great during football season.
Roll out of bed at 9AM Saturday (or 10AM Sunday) and turn on the TV games.
Not good for church attendance. (or so I have been told)
Delmon just doesn’t have a knack for fielding. His instincts are poor. He could become mediocre if he works really hard at it, but he will never be good.
Instead of beers and brats when I had Viking season tickets, now I have a Mocha and a scone. I’m ashamed at what I’ve become.
ahhh the Dragon,
the debate wasn’t about morneau or casilla was it? it was about punto. but fill free to bring in other players if it helps deflect.
Regards,
MVP MVP MVP MVP!!!
JP,
“Angels with replacements. Why not the Twins????”
The Twins are resting the B-team for Sunday afternoon.
i am ashamed for you Macleod. At least roll with some California Red wine!
They had to pinch run for Morneau. It’s been so long since he’s been on base he’s forgotten which way to go.
Here comes the B-team.
Lamb and Buscher are in.
Dick is wrong. Onyx is a pokemon.
Is anyone watching on MLB TV?
Someone handed a Perkins a cup of Gatorade. It had a hole in the side. Perkins laughed.
Tijuana talk!
wonder if bert will mention a donkey show.
Macleod, stay proud - i too have diversified.
on a side note, they now have Leinenkugels in NJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! only WI thing i like. actually met some Leinie girls who were promoting it.
danimals, you s.o.b. I call the local distributor once a week looking for Leinies. Only Sunset Wheat available. I told her it was too sweet and I need a Leinies brand that I could drink 12 at a time with. She thought I was kidding…
yeah danimals,
think the Leine has gone nationwide. We have it up in NY also. We took a tour of the brewery in the MGM liquor days and Jake got us hammered in good ole Chippewa Falls.
can get Summit in Scranton, PA
Mr Shawn and thrylos, Your imput is also appreciated (Ruiz is yours, thrylos). Having been educated in the East, I know Binghamton to be a fine locale. RE: time zones and now a resident of AZ, it is more than enjoyable to follow ML sports and still get to bed at a decent hour. The Angels are comfortable but in a slump. Let us hope that Gardy keeps the foot on the throttle and helps maintain momentum!
JP,
I thought your point had to do with career stat’s matching game stats.
IF not, don’t really understand the point. Other than to find a way to NOT enjoy a very good game.
Regards,
Butcher at 1B, who would have thunk it…
I said it earlier today: We must get more than 5 strong innings out of Perkins. Way to go Perk! Baker last night, Perkins tonight - this is what our beat up bullpen so desperately needs from the starting rotation.
Did anyone else notice that, until the 5th inning, Everett’s uniform spelled out: MINNESTOA? After the 5th, he was playing for MINNESOTA again.
Buscher firing to….Buscher.
Dick almost said Buscher throwing to Buscher.
danimals,
“sane, what’s the deal with DY’s fielding?”
IMO he isn’t flexible enough to lower his hips (get down) while running full speed. He needs yoga and flexibility training. When you run lower, you can change directions quicker. (left-right-up-down)
I am not a personal trainer, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn.
soon it should be Leinie’s Boch season. i’ll have to look for summit too… i miss MN.
Leinies not quite nation wide. They don’t have it in two states, and on the west coast they only serve up Sunset Wheat. It’s a little “orangey” and sweet. Good for 2, but that is it. I long for a Leinies Honey Weiss. Made a trip back home a year ago and drank Leinies for 16 day
missed that Kay
Leinies not quite nation wide. They don’t have it in two states, and on the west coast they only serve up Sunset Wheat. It’s a little “orangey” and sweet. Good for 2, but that is it. I long for a Leinies Honey Weiss. Made a trip back home a year ago and drank Leinies for 16 days straight.
Good to see Hunter is back to form
Torii swings at The Torii - not The Hunter
danimals…. dunno how far you are from PA, i think Summit is available throughout. 3 Flvaors avail in Scranton stores.
I miss MN too
Torii hitting .227 in August with 1 jack.
dammit Everett!!
Um, Sane? Did you just post a comment about Delmon’s hips and flexibility?
And then you talked about staying in a hotel?
Here comes the @#$%@#$%@#$% monkey!
Shawn,
you can get everything in PA because of the distribution way (but alas only on full cases)… btw is that Utica’s water beer still brewed at your neck of the woods?
First Place!
Morneau also hitting .227 in August, before tonight’s game.
Saranack?
errr Saranac
Leine’s has a variety 12 pack which is how i started up again.
Sane (and New Craig), thanks regarding DY.
actually if you see DY next to Morneau you realize he’s almost as big… so maybe he’s not as limber to flex his hips like our buddy Puntolicious….
Not Saranack, it was an awful local thing that cost about half of what Schlitz cost back then…
the Dragon
I can enjoy the Twins very well thank you. But I appreciate your advice. I’ve been a hard core fan since T ball. Can’t take a little good natured ribbing?
“How good have they been in predicting Punto’s past 10 games? Answer: Not very good. .400 vs .250 but what’s a .150 understatement between friends?”
Remember that post? But feel free to deflect. lol.
Regards,
Macleod,
I deny everything!
The previous post was from an imposter!
there is Genese or Genny, but that is over by Rochester
Shawn, thanks for the tip… i’ll just have to hop over the Ben Franklin or Commodore Barry then!
JP,
remember the under .250 We shall see
Anyway to more important things…ChaChing!!! ChaChing!!! Just won my over 73.5 wins for this season investment…
Regards,
i need to get down to Philly this fall. Fun town
Sane, I suspected as much. You are usually so reliable. I shall conduct an investigation and get to the bottom, um, I mean find out who is the imposter.
Genny, esp. cream ale is alright… that was up in Utica
It is nice to see Stillwater’s own (and the U of M’s), Glenn Perkins, pitch such an outstanding game. Fine job, boys! How about another manana?
Well, baseball is over for the night. On to poker.
Utica is a scary town, did see Dropkicks at the Saranac brewery once though.
Leine has recently come to the DC area.
But as a confirmed Guinness man, it’s almost like Evian. 
Regards
Span 3-5 4 RBI, wow
Twins take out the toughest 2 pitchers…. 1 of the last 2 would be a sweet start.
Macleod,
What’s your preferred poker game?
Dear Telly - if you hold the mike a foot from Delmon’s face, we will not hear his answers to your incredible questions.
Macleod,
“I suspected as much. You are usually so reliable. I shall conduct an investigation and get to the bottom, um, I mean find out who is the imposter.”
My advice is to avoid the bottom.
No limit hold em. Either on bodog or poker stars. Buy in for anywhere between 200 and 1,000
lets get the series tomorrow!! wife says “quite typing, i cant sleep!!” she’s a Yankees fan by birth (and if they’re winning), but recently getting on the Twins bandwagon. g’nite everyone.
Anybody watching the Post Game?
Tele was interviewing Delmon and Span. During the interview the lights went out and the fireworks started.
Denard and Delmon=Lights Out and Fireworks.
Congrats on the bet you won!!!
I do applaud that.
I’ll happily eat crow on the .250 over under. Again if I’m wrong, it means good things for the Twins!!
Macleod,
GL, I play at low levels of 7 Stud. Fairly bad players there, grind out a profit without too much effort.
Regards,
Kay, were you serious about “Minnetoa” or however it was spelled?
I started at low limits but started winning recently and increased my limits quickly. Higher limits only means more aggression but still crappy players. Be selective and the money shall flow your way.
I’ll watch the replay on MLB.com to see if the minnesota was misspelled when it becomes available.
Nite ALL going on 1am in these parts
good night all
saw the clip with perkins and the leaky cup
Twins are now 20 games over .500
Well, watched the game and the A’s announcers kept talking about the Angels and the 15 game lead they have…and now, after tonights loss, the second best record in baseball. One minor problem, though….the Angels are only 3 games better than the Twins in the win column.
The Twins have legitimate competition in the Central with the White Sox and the Tigers..whereas the Angels have no real competition in the West.
I submit that the Angels record, while great, is based on beating up on lousy teams.
The Angels will probably make the playoffs but I think they’re looking at 5 and out.
Yes Mudcat - we were watching via Tivo and backed up and paused to make sure. His jersey clearly spelled out “Minnestoa” until he came to the plate in the 5th or the “fift,” as Bert would say. A mistake you sometimes see on the jerseys of triple A types just called up and they rush to get him a jersey.
Mr dragon, Leine “summer brew” is pretty good, at least by my indiscriminate taste buds. Anyway, worth a try and, on another point, enjoyed the earlier reference and quote from “fine literature”. Regards, my friend!
We need to see Span play an entire season, but he could be right up there with Oliva, Carew, Puckett and other all-time Twins greats some day.
Here are a couple of numbers to sink your teeth in: The Twins are 4.5 games behind the team with the best record in the AL and on pace for 94 wins.
Craig,
remember Marty Cordova? ROY, two very good seasons, then Patellar tendinitis… Let Span play 5-6 years and then we can talk about greatness
thrylos,
I don’t think we have to wait 5-6 years to know if we are looking at greatness. After a year or two, it was easy to see we were looking at something very special with Puck and Mauer. Same with Oliva and Carew.
Another bit of info: 42-19 since June 13. That is 23 games over .500!
John Q says:
August 22nd, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Bottom of the line-up. K, K, K, K, K.
Sorry about using hindsight but:
Only one K.
7 for 20
7 runs scored
5 RBI
2 doubles
1 HR
Hahaha!!!
Thank you sane.
Two questions.
1) Can the Twins overcome their organizational power deficiency?
2) Are we still rebuilding?
I’m with Thrylos. I keep thinking Span will cool off and revert to his spring training and early season form. He really looked lost. But for right NOW, his name deserves to be mentioned with the guys in Craig’s 12:13 post. I’m talking about his performance right NOW.
[…] Originally published by Around the Majors […]
Craig,
We still need two more of your “Punto is going to win this game for the Twins” calls this weekend.
I was looking for a photo of Everett’s misspelled jersey. I found this one of Everett instead. What are these two jokers doing?
They are looking into each other’s soul MudCat…
[…] Recently, Pat Neshek posted on his blog that he’s on the Really Really Slow plan and won’t make it back this season. Gardy was approached about this, and asked his opinion. […]
