Sunday pregame: Mauer and Redmond in the lineup
Posted on August 31st, 2008 – 1:57 PMBy Joe Christensen
OAKLAND — The Twins are 4-6 on this road trip and have suffered three walkoff defeats and another loss (last Sunday in Anaheim), when the lead changed in the opponent’s final inning at the plate.
Yet, the Twins are still sitting a half-game behind the White Sox. It’s possible they could leave for Toronto today sitting atop the AL Central, though the Red Sox would have to cooperate again.
Joe Mauer is in the lineup at DH today with Mike Redmond at catcher. In two days, Manager Ron Gardenhire will have an extra catcher on the bench in Ryan Jorgensen, but doing this today speaks to the importance of this game.
“We’ve gotta win a ballgame, and Mauer’s been swinging pretty good,” Gardy said.
Update (3:30 p.m.): OK, scratch that thought about first place. The White Sox just finished a 4-2 victory at Boston.
Twins (76-60)
1. Denard Span, CF
2. Nick Punto, SS
3. Joe Mauer, DH
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Jason Kubel, RF
6. Delmon Young, LF
7. Mike Redmond, C
8. Brian Buscher, 3B
9. Alexi Casilla, 2B
Starting pitcher: RH Scott Baker (7-4, 3.75 ERA)
Athletics (63-73)
1. Rajai Davis, CF
2. Ryan Sweeney, RF
3. Bobby Crosby, SS
4. Jack Cust, DH
5. Kurt Suzuki, C
6. Daric Barton, 1B
7. Jack Hannahan, 3B
8. Aaron Cunningham, LF
9. Eric Patterson, 2B
Starting pitcher: LH Greg Smith (6-13, 3.90 ERA)
McAfee Colisuem. First pitch: 3:05 p.m.
100 Responses to "Sunday pregame: Mauer and Redmond in the lineup"
Harris should be at third today. Don’t make him the total goat from last night.
Fuggin Punto is in the lineup again, I’d rather see Casilla in the #2 spot and Harris instead of Punto.
I’d normally be surprised to see Buscher in versus a lefty, but not after Harris’ performance last night.
I’m curious how many straight days Punto’s been in the lineup…
Harris is a joke. Well below average defender at all 3 positions he has tried, and nothing special at the plate. Utility player at best
Punto has been hitting pretty good. (Except for the last two nights.) And he is the Twins best on defense.
Harris has a cannon.
Sorry, Span is better than Punto.
Good decision with Mauer. That’s what I was hoping for. Please move Punto back to the bottom of the order. I believe Harris is second on the Twins in 2B’S, but no surprise he’s not in the lineup today after last night’s performance at the plate. We need a bounce back win with an off day tomorrow.
[…] Originally published by Around the Majors […]
With a White Sox win today, the Twins will be no worse than 2 - 4 games behind at the close of business on Labor Day. Not too bad.
They really do need to win 3 of the last 4 of these road games though.
2 - 4 games behind in both the WC and Central races…….
romer….that makes it 2 races in 1 to cheer about, we buy one and get one free, what a great season to keep our interests up, and our cheers flowing for our PUPS. Our junkyard mad-dogs can do it, like a wild bunch of overachieving mutts…Go MUTTS, WIN TWINS!!!!
The umps are deciding the BoSox-ChoSox game with very nit picky 3rd strike calls in total favor of the ChiSox’. Really makes you wonder.
TwinsFan….I have noticed 2 different strike zones today too. It’s happened before. Such is life in MLB.
I can’t believe I’m going to say this but I’d rather see Denny Hocking out there instead of Punto and Harris.
First inning and Punto already scored 50 percent of all the runs from yesterday’s game. Woohoo!
DrDon, I’m perfectly happy with the Twins this year, except for 3B. And I’ve been harping about that for a whole month now.
Still believe that this will become their achilles heal.
Happened last night again.
good job Casilla
Casilla’s ready for the WS. Punto too. M&M too. Starting pitching too. I think Guerrier too.
I missed it. What happened in Redmond’s AB in the 1st?
A few too many pitches, but a 1-hitter through 3 for Baker.
Smith’s fastball in the mid-80s. Hmmm, wonder how that will hold-up.
Let’s go to the beer tent.
See ya, everone.
If its high, let it fly. Nice job by Casilla
Good news is that the Jays have lost two players this week…
yeah but Eckstein was more of a backup wasn’t he? More of the clubhouse guy?
Well, at least with more arms on the way they don’t have to worry about conserving anyone in the BP. Baker’s high PC is going to demand a move sooner rather than later. Will we see the Boof?
I nominate Young to be a lifetime DH. Talk about a butcher. What is that, like the fifth or sixth of those this year. He really seems to have troubles with those hard hit singles that bounce at his feet.
Where is Denard going to end up with the BA? I say .280 - 67 games in and the advanced scouts are taking away the little flair to shallow left that Emil got last night. I think GO-GO hit the wall around 90 games. Rookies can’t handle a full 162 games. The twins should continue to bring in vets to play the first month or two and bring rookies up in June. It is genius and it explains why we suceed with young players so much more than other teams.
Now let’s see if the Twins offense can do more damage against today’s version of Lefty Grove…
time to blow this one open!
HUGE HR!
108 RBI speak for themselves.
Morne hit it out of the batters box…
Kubel has really done well against lefties lately…
MVP
Ahhh keep it coming!
anyone else forced to listen to the A’s announcers? Brian Boooooscher
I was on my way into work….. now, I get to hear Dick and Bert…. yay….
Gomez and Young walk in the same game? what is going on in this world???
and back to back? wow? I think the world is going to end now…..
Earth opens and swallows A’s pitcher as he walks the unwalkable.
Two walks by Go-go and D-Young in a row?!?
Breslow and Reyes have both pitched 38 innings and have given up 10 ER. 2.37 ERA for both.
Nevermind
Gameday must have thought that was a homer…
how many runs has Oakland scored this series and the best we can do is a split?
Punto 2 for 4 with a couple of runs scored (game still going on as I type this). Looking up at the first few comments after the line up was posted, there’s the obligatory objections to him being in the line up (or breathing air, for that matter).
The guy’s hitting .289 and playing decent defense no matter where he’s at in the field. At some point, shouldn’t people admit that this is not the 2007 version of Nick Punto and get off the guy’s back? Two out of the past three years he’s been a critical component of a team in a pennant chase. Just maybe it’s ok that he’s allowed to take the field for the Twins.
funny seeing adam ant hit for a batting champ. :>)
oops, my bad. thought the Big E was hitting for Joey.
I think it is the fact that he made one costly error in Seattle and was able to continue starting, unlike Harris, even after he didn’t own up to the mistake like Harris did and the fact that there are nights that Punto does well, but there are also times he does TERRIBLE!!! and he has been in the starting lineup for the past 30 something games and there were times he didn’t really deserve those starts. I do believe he deserves to breathe air, just from the Twins’ bench, but I also prefer to watch Everett and Harris, see what they can do every now and then
Justin the Destroyer!
Good to see the same Eddie I saw in Texas is now in Minnesota….. no bases loaded walks now, that would be bad, and I think Nathan would prefer no save situations today…..
.286/.341/.401
.207/.267/.319
.259/.318/.388
Those are the BA/OBP/SLG numbers for the three guys you mentioned. Tell me again who should be on the bench and who we should “prefer to watch.”
You can bet that if Punto had had the kind of night Harris had last night, he’d have been fileted alive on this board today… regardless of whether he “owned up to” anything.
I’m not saying the guy is an All Star and I’m not arguing that he should get some kind of huge contract this off season. I just think people arguing that Harris and Everett should be getting the starts ahead of Punto aren’t bothering to look at things at all rationally based on how those three guys have been performing on the field.
I can’t speak for Twitchy, but I know I’D prefer not to see any save situations today.
that 5 spot in the 6th looking mighty big right now.
Hon, I am just saying personal preferance I would like to see those two get to play more than a game or two at a time, no need to pull out the stats. I dont really give a damn about them to be frank, I just think they need to be given opportunities as much as LNP, because they have also had their moments, the only difference is that when the other two struggle they get buried on the bench unlike Punto and when they bocth a ball they man up to it, unlike LNP, trust me, I heard the sound bite of Harris all morning on XM about how he should have made the play and how there are 30 more games to play, etc. Not everything is stats related.
There is a big difference between tolerating costly errors committed by good infielders (Punto) as compared to tolerating costly errors committed by below average infielders.(Harris/Buscher)
Punto has earned the slack he gets defensively.
If he hits like he did in 2007, then the slack should be reeled in.
Eddie, Eddie, Eddie… that was embarassing.
and downright ugly
plus, if you get 30 straight games with 4 or 5 abs your percentages would be better, Harris’ stats were a hell of a lot better earlier in the year, and Everett coming over was not known for his bat, so yes, if Harris was given the starts Punto was then he would be batting closer to .300 or atleast back near the 280 he was around the ASG
eddie looks more and more like “yesterday eddie” with every inning he pitches
Im fuggin curious why everyone’s got to be hating on punto he’s having a good year
Boof is looking fresh…96-97 mph fastballs. We could use a fresh Boof down the stretch. and finished it off with a great curve. Booooooooffffff
Every-Twelfth-Day Eddie!
We’ve got some relievers not looking so good (Eddie, Crain), but others who are looking better than they did not so long ago (Guierrer, Bonser)
I would say I’d put Harris in before everette though
The Twins are pretty solid at 2B and SS, with Casilla and Punto playing everyday. mlb.com indicates Tolbert will see some time at 3B. My thoughts are, if he plays well, the spot should be his for the taking. No one else has truly grabbed hold of the position. mlb.com also indicates Buscher will see some time at 1B with Morneau resting in the DH role. Macri will pinch hit and is a right handed hitting option at 1B. Gardy is happy to have the new additions.
Can we get Hamburger back?
Boof is starting to look like he’s got the reliever thing figured out.
Good thing we only traded a Hamburger for Guardado…had we thrown in the fries and the shake it would have been a rip off.
9 walks for the lads today. helps make the 9 hits count.
AJ– for the record I was answering someone’s question as to why people were hating on Punto, and then it escaladed….. I was trying not to hate him today….. I have other targets today….
Hamburger……great slider, I’m told.
sounds good honey
good for him the deals done were stuck with guardado
Crain in for the ninth! I’m looking forward to seeing what he does in a no-pressure situation
Add Tolbert to Gomez, Span, Casilla and Punto and the Twins will be the Running Runts!
Mr Optismist– are you located in Chicago so I can make you a personal punching bag?
Another good pitcher can’t field a bunt either. Sabithia dropped a bunt he barehanded and it cost him a no hitter. It is funny because his manager swears his player made an error.
Yeah, right.
Dang, he was warming up… guess it’s better to give him more rest.
The guys name begs for the double entendre.
Mr Optimist says:
“sounds good honey”
Damn, that is funny!
So the White Sox are playing terrible lately? They haven’t gained any ground in the standings!
Unbelievable!
Boof’s e.r.a. at about 3 for Aug. as he shuts the door.
Mr Optimist says:
“sounds good honey”
Sounds patronizing to me…
actually i am located in South Dakota: the land of 10,000 indians
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF
Bonser needs to cop an attitude, grow a fu-manchu, and throw some 97 mph brush backs. Then he’ll be a set up man.
hey im from SD to
Good win after blowing last night’s game. The plane ride will be much more enjoyable with an off day tomorrow in Toronto. And we miss Halladay in the series so that’s a bonus. I guess Eddie’s performance today will have Gardy going to Reyes first over Guardado from now on. It looked like Reyes had been moved behind Guardado on the depth chart earlier this week.
eh, I work in a man’s field, I am used to patronizing people……
The A’s have three players from SD.
Twins have one also.
L-rod had his first career walkoff hit
Lil Luis???
“I work in a man’s field”
Tractor and manure spreader?
Farmer=outstanding in his field
man, i wish…… what is the pay in that field?……but wait, I hate sunlight
Buscher with another hit against a lefty. He’s finally relaxing and hitting the lefties. 2- 4 with an RBI.
Go Twins.
The boys will play over .500 for September. Will it be enough? If we are the 2nd youngest team, will we have “fresh legs” for the playoff push or will we “choke” on the pressure? Time will tell. Go Twins!
