Friday pregame: Twins/Tigers
Posted on September 5th, 2008 – 3:49 PMBy Joe Christensen
OK, to recap the day’s news so far:
(*) White Sox left fielder Carlos Quentin is having wrist surgery can could be out for the rest of the season
(*) The Twins traded pitcher Brian Bass to the Orioles for a player to be named.
(*) Mike Lamb signed with the Brewers.
Updates to come…
Update (5:25 p.m.): Michael Cuddyer swung a bat and played some catch today for the first time since breaking his left foot. He said he hopes to be able to resume running in about 7-10 days and said he remains optimistic about being able to contribute before the regular season ends.
The Twins did not take batting practice on the field today, allowing players to get some extra sleep after the late night arrival. Hitting coach Joe Vavra has players coming through the batting cage, so they’ll get the swings they need.
Twins (77-63)
1. Denard Span, RF
2. Alexi Casilla, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Jason Kubel, DH
6. Delmon Young, LF
7. Brian Buscher, 3B
8. Nick Punto, SS
9. Carlos Gomez, CF
Starting pitcher: LH Francisco Liriano (4-3, 3.45 ERA)
Tigers (67-73)
1. Curtis Granderson, RF
2. Placido Polanco, 2B
3. Magglio Ordonez, RF
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
5. Gary Sheffield, DH
6. Marcus Thames, LF
7. Edgar Renteria, SS
8. Mike Hessman, 3B
9. Brandon Inge, C
Starting pitcher: RH Armando Galarraga (12-4, 3.17 ERA)
Metrodome. First pitch: 7:10 p.m.
152 Responses to "Friday pregame: Twins/Tigers"
Gotta admit, I’d like to see Pridie in CF against a righty.
I dont …He has shown that he is a bit of a liability in the field. I wonder if Gardy has a “no error” lineup?
I did a podcast the other night and interviewed Josh Whetzel, the play-by-play guy for the Rochester Red Wings. He saw Pridie all year and Span the last two years. He said something like, “It may be sacriligous to say it, but I think that Pridie is every bit as good, if not a little better, defensively than Denard Span.” He is a very good outfielder. We shouldn’t let one play in his big league debut alter that thinking.
when we were playing well the lineup was the same no scuffling or shuffling. maybe gadry should pick one try to get a little rhythm. this new lineup every night hasn’t had great results.
Pridie has not been in the field enough with the Twins to have “shown” himself to be a defensive liability.
Hope Liriano keeps his pitch count down and can go at least 7 tonight.
I hope Joe doesn’t mind, but here is the link to that podcast (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/SethSpeaks)… I spent about 25 minutes talking with Pat Neshek, and then the final 25-30 minutes with Josh Whetzel. We discussed the September call-ups and other guys who have come up from Rochester this season and some other things.
God I hope they have some life tonight and that hellish trip and no day off. Galarraga and the Tigers will be tough. Who is driving Mike Lamb to Milwaukee?
But Seth is he that much better in CF then Gomez because looking at his AAA strikeout totals they’re the same type of hitters.
Not to mention, this is not Rochester and this is not the time to be experimenting with a new CF in the Dome. I like the defence in the field the way it is.
in the OUTfield, that is
Seth, with the Twins in the hunt, at what point should they put guys like Pridie into big games? I know that some have been struggling on the road, some may be close to being gassed…Right now, I do think Pridie would not be a whole lot different than Gomez, who is a fright at the plate. Hasn’t had a month of over .240 for a couple months.
I just want to clarify that I would like to see Pridie in CF, not that it necessarily would be better. Defensively, I think we can all agree that Gomez is probably better than the other two, but I don’t think that it is a huge difference.
Based on Pridie’s numbers (particularly the strikeout numbers), he isn’t a guaranteed bat. But with how well he hit in the 2nd half, I do think a platoon would (or at least could) be worth considering. Gomez bats right handed. Pridie bats left-handed. At this point, I can’t imagine he would be much worse, and who knows, maybe he’s this year’s Michael Ryan!?
[…] Originally published by Around the Majors […]
Glad to see Gomez out there again. I think he is going to have a big week. (You heard it here first, if he does; otherwise, never mind.)
I hope the Angels can give us a hand, tonight.
How bout some comments on Bill Smith…how would you rate his first year?
Livan, Monroe, Lamb, Everett signings did not work out. Passed on Bradford and Hawkins, bought in Eddie G with not much to show for it, has mostly utility players (Buscher, Punto, Harris, Macri) at short and third, did not make a big trade (Beltre), almost got stuck with Weaver and salary from Seattle (Thanks to their stupidity)in waiver deal.
Lucky that Casilla and Span worked out better than anyone could have imagined. Did not address bullpen woes all year; Had to eat Rincon’s salary, plus Lamb, plus Hernandez.
Any real positives from him? Gardy has made the team play above their heads, and the continued excellence of Morneau and Mauer are huge.
Comments
Weaver?
“Gotta admit, I’d like to see Pridie in CF against a righty.”
Welcome to the dream world of Twins minor league bloggers…
Not only do I not want to see Pridie in the outfield tonight, I didn’t want to see him in the outfield Wednesday night in Toronto with the game on the line, either.
September call-ups should not be used in situations where the game is still in question when the team is in a pennant race. I know Gardy loves his minor leaguers, and why not, they’ve done well for him through the years…but now is not the time. If anything, I’d argue for an outfield of Young-Span-Kubel before I insert Pridie..(if the idea is to take Go-go out of the lineup–because right now we have two No. 9 hitters at the bottom of our lineup).
I’d have to agree with Seth to at least platoon Gomez with Pridie. Pridie swung a hot second half bat in AAA. He certainly wouldn’t be any worse than Gomez at the plate. I can’t blame Gardy for playing it safe however, especially after the flub Pridie made in the outfield. In Pridie’s defense, he WAS voted the International League’s best defensive outfielder.
It is nice to see that ESPN in general is glazing over the loss of Quintin because they have a lot of outfielders.
…slow, aging outfielders…
Hey Seth,
How’s Neshek feeling?
You are right, Shawn…I mean Washburn
The white sox losing quentin is the equivalent of the twins losing morneau. Although the twins are playing so poorly now the sox will win the division by default.
So who has to pay Lamb since he signed with Milwaukee — do the Twins owe him any money?
The twins are on the hook for his salary. Of course…
Minnesota has to pay it….. Milwaukee played it smart waiting until he cleared waivers. I hope he does well in Milwaukee, or atleast gets a chance with Branyan getting hurt
The time to step up is now. Quentin is done, that is going to hurt the Sox. The Twins need to figure out how to put their clutch hitting and good pitching days together.
On that note, they need to win 5 of 6 on this homestand and go at least .500 on the next road trip.
Chris rose calls baseball games? I am sorry for you guys who get to see the Twins/Tigers game tomorrow….. I can’t see him do anything other than an poker guy
i wish i couls see chris rose call the game…. oh well…. xm in the car it is.
Well I am in the XM party too but I would not want to hear Chris Rose….. he is annoying on Best damn and only good for poker……
i should have gone to the mets game tomorrow, lousy guilttrip
i like that kid
wow, where is everyone? Do they need to be talked down from a ledge? or are they busy celebrating the news on Quentin?
gave it a ride koobs, gotta get to this ball throwin machine
pitcher cant throw a strike and Young grounds out on first pitch. Classic!
Bases loaded with 1 out and the Twins get 1 run…….That’s Twins baseball!
Thay got a run without getting a hit. No wonder Detroit is doing so bad if this pitcher is their ‘ace’. Not impressed.
i agree stinky. delmon has no common sense at the plate
Really annoyed Angels are sending out a pitcher with a 7.15 ERA against the Sox. Thanks alot, Angels. Wish that they could have been that helpful when the Twins played them.
That was one freaky looking cross eyed Aguilera bobblehead.
4-0 Sox, thanks for nothing Angels.
Angels don’t owe the twins any favors. If the twins did their job and won some games, it would not even be an issue.
Angels should not make things this easy for the Sox either. They are doing the Sox favors by throwing out a bad pitcher.
weaver is out injured.
Is he really injured or is this to give him more rest? That is what I wonder. They have the season sowed up.
I don’t think it was the Angels choice for Weaver to cut his finger….. I think they would have prefered him to be pitching instead of Mosley
They are in the playoffs no matter what.
cut his fingers in the dugout in detroit - twins should take it out on the tigers and score some runs here.
or at least get a hit
Contray to what you may want to believe there is no conspiracy against the twins, Weaver cut his finger on his pitching hand on the bench in detroit, he was going to try to pitch against the White Sox knowing their games were important but it wasn’t going to happen. It might be better for the Twins that the sox get Mosley over Weaver because he would be serving up BP with a bad hand and would injury himself for the playoffs, which the Angels would not let happen
Wow, how did he manage to do that? Did not catch the story.
Sorry it was Moseley….. I should pay more attention….
Not saying it didn’t happen but as a a fan who was not in the dugout I don’t know what happened.
Twins got enough breaks today. Time to do something on our own behalf.
No-no still intact…
nice at-bats. 6 pitch inning for a guy struggling for control.
well for the record, I am not allowed in the dugout either….. or the clubhouse, I just get to hear the mellow dramatic postgames shows
The Twins finished their road trip 3-9, choking away multiple games they in which they led.
I don’t think that’s the Angels fault.
Win some damn games.
Well, he was in the 1st inning but a 6 pitch inning doesn’t reveal alot about the pitcher. Our hitter need to be a little more patient like they were the 1st inning.
I don’t recall blaming the Angels for those games.
I blame the stupid convention for a hideous road trip. LOL
Two quick observations:
1) Cisco is going to have dominant #1 stuff next year…you can see it coming.
2) Cabrera doesn’t look as doughy as he did earlier in the year. He’s still pretty damned good.
Ok, boys. You can now hit the ball. It’s ok.
amen to that USAFchief…… and you can win some games by getting some hits!!! unless we want to give the Tigers a loss Jered Weaver style (without the benefit of a hit), but with the bullpen the way they have been lately, I think it might not be good…..
i blame the twins for the hideous road trip
was that a nice enough hit?
I blame the Twins but 14 days is ridiculous. I also blame the convention
You can put it on the board…
Would’ve been nicer if there was someone on base at the time but we will definately take it.
um, why is Buscher trying to bunt? Hessman isn’t a bad fielder you know?
every now and then, even a blind squirrel finds a nut. way to go delmon. if only you had some plate patience, you would have so many more of those.
I said it a while back, but no one hits a HR with less obvious effort than DY. Too bad they are so rare at this point, but I do believe he could be hitting a lot of those in a couple of years.
Thames, a Twins killer. Luckily nobody on base
I don’t live in the Cities, can someone answer a question for me? Why did the Twins have to go on the road for the Republican convention? It was at the Xcel, not the Dome. The only thing I can think of would be if a large chunk of the Minneapolis PD was helping out in St. Paul so they weren’t available for traffic duty. Just curious.
I am sorry, but I severly doubt span went up to the plate saying “I think I am going to line out to Placido and not advance the runner” the way coomer said it made it seem like it is a concious effort on their part not to advance the runners. I know it is annoying, especially when the next out is a potential sac fly but geesh…..
come on joey single
zwiefz,
I believe the Twins asked for the schedule change for this week. I think the preliminary schedule already had them on the road, that is why it got so long.
Trust me, it was a good decision to not have one more event for the anarchists to disrupt this week. Those idiots did enough stupid stuff and screwed up traffic enough without giving them another target.
“already had them on the road in previous week”, that is.
c’mon justin. now’s the time.
there we go
Welcome home, Dudley. You did right.
Finally!!! WTG Morneau!
MVP!
Home Sweet Home.
finally. he has seen so many bases load and not done it. way to go justin.
hopefully that will be the spark that ignites the rest of the bats.
Delmon wastes no time getting an out right after.
Gotta love the Twins…the pitcher walks 2 guys this inning then gives up the granny…what do Kubel and Young do? Kubel 2 pitches…Young first pitch.I’ll never understand.
I am hoping Twins can keep the lead now.
I agree Razz. Without fail, after a HR their are quick easy outs from our hitters.
I’d be more comfortable with 6 more, but I’ll try to be optimistic.
Nice inning Liriano! Pitching a gem!
Liriano looks good.
6 runs on only 3 hits. Pretty good. LOL
I believe Gomez now has as many strikeouts as hits. That’s not awesome.
Delmon did something good on defense! Mark it on the Calendar.
Lets see.
The blog hates Delmon, Gomez, Kubel, Punto, Buscher and the bullpen.
But they hate the White Sox and Angels worse.
I hope hate is good for your health.
We love Justin though, esp. tonight. LOL
Yea, Jon, even though DY hits a HR and Gomez nearly a HR (double) for the first two twins hits (out of just 3)… and DY makes a fine play in the field… ah well, just no explaining some things
Keep adding on boys!
we’re an angry group
Things already looking good at home. Getting a little less angry–for the time being.
well the blog still has Nicky and the bullpen to gripe about tonight.
Memo to Billy Smith:
If Casey Fossum is available in the offseason…take a pass.
Thank you,
WN
Now the score is entering my comfort range…things are looking good…home sweet dome!
I am hoping Mijares gets a crack…he’ll be nervous at first and walk a guy or two, but once he settles I want to see if he has some juice. We need relievers with juice and not more tricksters.
I hope he’s got some hop.
Tonight would be a good time to give him a try.
Now would have been the time to let Pridie make the debut…. oh well injuries make situations happen
Rincon had juice…oooohhh different kind of juice.
Good call Willie for Mirajes.
Thames again. Twins killer. At least he is killing the Twins with empty bases.
Anyone know if Thames can play 3B?
Too long of a wait between innings?
Let the regular bp guys rest Gardy! Sheesh
Well they’ve all kinda looked like mop up guys lately so Gardy has lots to choose from!
Another great game from Frankie
Gardy has a pretty quick hook considering how much ‘relief’ the BP has given.
Seven innings, not bad. Lets hope he gives up 2 runs and no more…
Thames is the current version for the Tigers of Craig Monroe (and he hits the Twins like Monroe used to). I guess we will see him in a Twins uniform in 3 years as a bargain level back-up.
The 9 Ks isn’t to shabby either…
Big G looked really good in that inning.
Nice job Matty? Please do that when the lead is not so big also.
Nice to see Matty come in and be effective!! What a difference being back in Minny makes!
Ok, without jinxing this game…assuming the playoff’s started tomorrow and the Twins were in…what is our playoff bullpen?
Nathan to close. Check.
What then? Who is the 8th inning bridge?
Who is the 7th inning guy?
Who is the LOOGY?
Who is the first long reliever?
I’ll assume that whoever the starter is that doesn’t get into the rotation is the long reliever (Blackie or Perkins?)
Sampler probably is still effective as the LOOGY.
Do you go with another lefty and designate Breslow as the 7th inning guy?
Is Guerrier the 8th inning guy?
I am just trying to figure out who, among the 10 guys in the pen look like playoff bullpen guys.
Right now, it is a crapshoot given the effectiveness.
Thames… I guess we will see him in a Twins uniform in 3 years as a bargain level back-up.
Not until his tank is empty.
Make it five years.
I like it that those that are usually here after losses (esp. on the bad road trip) have yet to make an appearance. Nothing to talk about now I guess.
The way the BP has looked so far I’d let one of the starters handle the 8th. But I have my fingers crossed that someone from the BP will emerge with a hot hand in the next few weeks. And frankly if someone doesn’t the Twins probably aren’t making the playoffs.
Willie Norwood,
IMO if they keep 3 LHP’s, they will split each of the 8th, 7th and 6th innings between a RHP and a LHP.
My choices would be:
8th - Breslow-Guerrier
7th - Reyes-Bonser
6th - Eddie-Crain
I know gardy really is afraid to lose this game… but really why not mirajes tonight?
I agree Carlos. You won’t find a better situation to put him in.
I’d like to see some new blood too, but maybe Gardy’s trying to get some confidence back in his regular guys while the game isn’t on the line.
Razz
I know. I was trying to think ahead optimistically. Baseball managers love guys in roles and I’ve been trying to think of who might fill those IF we get in. It seem like, as it has been all year, that the real hole is the 8th inning bridge. Boof? Guerrier? Breslow? Crain seems to be a DMW (Dead Man Walking)
I was trying to visualize the playoff bullpen and see if there is any hope.
Mijares maybe hasn’t bullpened since Labor Day.
Well looks like Matty and Boof can pitch with 8 run leads. That’s good to find out.
There appears to be more multiple personalities on this blog than there were in the movie “Sybil”. Glad you’re all enjoying the game.
That’s a good game to come home to. Good job guys, even if there weren’t a whole lot of hits.
At the start of the year, I would have thought the Tigres were the 1. But their pitching and chemistry seem to suck. How has Verlander gotten so bad? For all the Twins shortcomings and our carping (or bassing), at least the team is within smelling distance of the division title.
Daniel,
We had to talk to ourselves tonight. Nobody showed up. Must be in jail yet. Lots of folks arrested last night.
Nope nothing to complain about tonight. Solid night by Frankie, DY and and Justin with big nights and an anxiety free mop up!
Hey guys, sorry to see you didn’t have much company tonight…thoughts on the game?
Mr. Carlos, Please don’t ask me to send a contribution for bail $$. Francisco looks better every time out. What a wonderful come back for the young man. If Delmon would take more first pitches, the sky might well be the limit.
no arrests in Binghamton
Dan,
Team looked tired but determined. 6 hits. 2 by DY with 3 good swings from him (HR, Dbl, and CF warning track); Gomez with a couple of ugly K’s around a nice Dbl that just missed HR. Justin goes yard with GS at just the right time to give us the lift and take life out of Tigers. Can’t remember any other good swings than those 3 guys.
Frankie looked rested and sharp. just one walk and scattered hits. Thames with 2 HRs were only really good swings.
Glad to get one under the belt. Boys will sleep better tonight.
Daniel,
Good one. Yea, don’t send any bail money. Those guys can’t stay in jail long enough if you ask me.
DY with really high ceiling potential. Time will tell if he achieves it. He really can put a nice swing on the ball once in a while.
Thanks Carlos.
I read the box score, looks like Gomez supplied 2 k’s as usual. This guy is really becoming a hindrance in our lineup. The way he’s been free-swinging and making ugly strikeouts, Gardy and Vavra must not be working with him at all, which is a shame.
Mr Dan, It was mentioned on the telecast tonight that Gomez has been spending extra time with Vavra. Maybe there’s hope.
Didn’t hear that Daniel, thanks for the update. I sure hope so, it might be too little too late. This guy has looked terrible at the plate for a very long time; this help is long overdue.
Just read the AP article on ESPN. Apparently, Crain came in after Liriano left and Cuddyer will not return before the ‘regular season’. Great reporting.
In case anyone is interested, a Seattle rookie named Morrow has a 7 - inning no hitter against the Yankees. Pretty auspicious first start!
The shutout and no hitter gone.
Blue Jays beat Tampa Bay.
