Twins send another S.O.S. for pitching help
Posted on August 1st, 2009 – 11:21 PMBy Joe Christensen
All I could think about tonight was how much the Twins need pitching reinforcements. They can’t stick with this rotation — Blackburn, Swarzak, Perkins, Baker, Liriano — and expect the sort of consistency it takes to make the playoffs.
There are going to be some serious ups and downs, as Swarzak gave them in these last two starts against the Angels. And if the fourth best relief options are Bobby Keppel or this version of Jesse Crain, the Twins are in for a long two months.
Besides trading for shortstop Orlando Cabrera, the Twins spent much of their pre-July 31 efforts trying to land a pitcher — starter or relief.
“There were very few relievers who got traded this week,” GM Bill Smith noted. “I won’t claim this, I read this the other day: Every team with a reliever was trying to turn a Larry Anderson into a Jeff Bagwell.”
The Twins remain optimistic they can land a pitcher this month. Players must be placed on waivers to get traded, but several teams are crunched financially, and many expect the high-salary, lower-yield performers to get through. Roy Halladay won’t clear, for example, but countless others will.
Two names to think about include Arizona’s Jon Garland and Doug Davis. Others include San Diego’s Kevin Correia and Seattle’s Miguel Batista. It doesn’t have to be a sexy addition, just an experienced pitcher who can give the Twins more consistency and depth.
There are other teams that needed pitching this week and didn’t get it. The Tigers and White Sox got it, but the Yankees and Angels didn’t.
The Angels pursued Roy Halladay and Heath Bell, and came up empty. Their manager, Mike Scioscia, gave a telling quote: “The bottom line out of all of this is that as an organization if you aren’t developing your own pitching, you’re in trouble. Whether it’s starting pitching or relief pitching, it’s a precious commodity.”
73 Responses to "Twins send another S.O.S. for pitching help"
Amen, Joe.
Had the Twins acquired Heath Bell, it wouldn’t have mattered tonight. If the starter, in this case Swarzak, can’t get out of the 4th inning, you’re probably not going to use Bell, Guerrier o Mijares. It would definitley be nice to have one more. Cla Merideth would have been good. Doug Davis would be good!
Sign them!
If ya like their body and ya think they’re sexy, come on Billy sign them now! (Rod Stewart)
so we are left with hoping a born again mulvey or humber are the answer?
on the other hand they could open the purse strings for a guy picked up off waivers with a big contract that no body wants to take on?
there is hope!
Gardy also needs to start using Mijares for full innings! It is a total waste to use him for 1 or 2 ABs to match up against a lefty. The guy is the 3rd most effective guy in our pen, PERIOD. We don’t lose the game before if he pitches a full inning.
(Sorry for the re-post)
Pitching. Pitching. Pitching.
This team is good enough offensively to win its share of ballgames, but the guys taking the mound, from the rotation to the relievers, are the reason we are nothing more than a .500 ball club.
There are other teams that needed pitching this week and didn’t get it. The Tigers and White Sox got it, but the Yankees and Angels didn’t.
A. I don’t think the Yankees or Angels need pitching all THAT bad…they’re both in first place last I looked, and both 20+ games over .500.
B. In any case, I don’t really care about the Yankees or Angels…we’re not competing with either of them for a playoff spot. We ARE competing for a playoff spot with the Tigers and W Sox.
I think that the bullpen (less Nathan, Guerrier, and Mijares) is simply overmatched and it was a concern before the season even started.
But what is the reason for the inconsistent debacle that is our rotation? Before Opening Day, the Twins were favored by experts to win the division because of our solid, up-and-coming, young starting pitching.
So is it the injuries? Youth, without a veteran presence? Too many similar pitching styles? Coaching? One year wonders?
It’s too bad we aren’t seeing the progression everyone was hoping for because stronger, longer, consistent starts means our bullpen gets less exposed and we could be well on top of this weak division.
There are other teams that needed pitching this week and didn’t get it. The Tigers and White Sox got it, but the Yankees and Angels didn’t.
• Tigers: Got Washburn. But will their bullpen hurt them in the long run(would apply to the Twins as well) Washburn would have looked good in this rotation.
• White Sox: Got Peavy. He may not see the mound until September so the guys they called up better be able keep the Sox in contention until then.
• Yankees:Might be strong enough offensively to make up enough for some inadequate pitching but they could have used a starter.
• Angels:Hot club right now and their staff, while it may not be filled with all-stars, is in fact solid enough to win it all. Interesting tidbit I heard during MLB TVs deadline coverage, the Angels haven’t made a trading deadline acquisition since like 2004 (yes, they make them all in the off-season).
Doug Davis, Jon Garland or any of the other starting stiffs that are still available are not worth the prospects you would have to give up. Bannister is probably the best of the bunch and Dayton Moore won’t trade him to a division rival. May be better to bring up a kid from AA and let him take his lumps. Every team in this division is flawed! The First team to 87 wins gets the crown and the priviledge of getting massacred by the BoSox or Yanks in the playoffs.
AaronK
Mijares’ .301 Right Handed opponents batting average may be the reason that you don’t see him vs the righties more.
I know this has nothing to do with the rest of this year, but does anyone think Neshek will be back to his old self next year? He’s been gone for 2 years now.
I’m amazed at how the Twins bullpen has gone down the tubes over the last couple years. They were one of the best and now they’re below par.
Joe, I am well aware of those numbers against RHP. He however did the job at the end of last year and has been pretty consistent this year. Despite the ave against RHP he manages to get the job done more then not. That makes him our 3rd best option out of the pen. I don’t want to waste our 3rd option.
“the Angels haven’t made a trading deadline acquisition since like 2004 (yes, they make them all in the off-season).”
We got Teixeira last year. Doesn’t that count? Most of the time though the Angels don’t make a trade or if they do it’s minor. We have the pitching to win if All-Stars Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders start pitching like they did last year and Jered Weaver gets going again.
How fast can a guy get traded after the deadline?
Anytime he passes waivers.
Stop worrying and be happy..I feel like a prophet out in the wilderness..it’s over! Stop stressing..with BS at the helm, BS is what is put on the field. Nothing now can be done now to change that sad fact..this season as I’ve said since March was blown in the past off season, with ramifications for years to come. The worst Off Season in Twins history and mark my words..it’s going to take a Cleveland., Pitt. blow up very soon to get started on a new Track. AFTER BS is canned of course. Or if the new Pohlad regime is really the problem, then I’ll grow old knowing that at least we won two WS in my lifetime. The last round of the Buick Open should be great today..glad I’ll be watching that, as opposed to that other BS.
I know that one or 2 sentence’s didn’t make sense..in my comment..let me try again.
“Nothing can be done now to change that sad fact. This season, as I’ve said since March, was screwed up in the off season, with ramifications for years to come..etc etc etc..sorry for the confusion.
Anyone understand why Armando Gambino hasn’t been given a shot? He seems to be one of the better pitchers at Rochester.
You wanted Orlando, you got him!
Good luck with that…..
cabrera was not the problem tonight he went 2-5 with an rbi and solid defense. If he can do that everynight that was a good trade. our pitching problems have nothing to do with cabrera
as an aside, I really enjoy Reusse saying in his column that people that post on this blog are “non-ticket buying”. I know that I buy tickets and go to games about 10 games per year, usually lower club along the third base side. Also, I live outside the metro area, and i am far from rich. Needless to say, it is extremely offensive to me to have that slob say that i don’t by tickets, and, by extension, should not have an opinion about how the twins are playing or how their front office is performing. that is equivilant to me saiying that because Ruesse is a big, fat, sweaty old blowhard, who has never played an organized sport in his life, he should not be allowed to be a sports columnist. Also, the people that post on this blog, and the people that simply read it, make sorely needed money for the Star Tribune, as I am sure their online advertizers pay for pageviews. And, furthermore, debating players, trades, free agent signings, and the like are one of the things that makes pro sports great. I know that a great deal of posters to this blog also go to a great deal of games, at least as many as they can afford in this economy. Hell, I’m sure that there are a few season ticket holders among us.
Somone should tell that fat slob to be less insulting to people that read his rag’s website.
There must be some young pitchers in the minors that are deserving of a chance. Give them a chance.
all this talk about the bullpen needing help is great, but lets get real and know that the real problem is our starting pitchers….so much enthusiasm this spring over our young starters, and i know i thought we were going to do well and maybe even be lucky enough to have 2-3 20 game winners..ouch, ouch…way to much enthusiasm, and as it has turned out, none of them other than slowey were/are dependable, so this front office should have been working on fixing this problem back in may, when it was obvious we didnt have as much talent as we thought we did in the starting 5…no bullpen can be abused as this one has been and be effective, now that said we still need to upgrade that also, but first of all, lets find some guys that can go 7 innings—you will then find the bullpen much more dependable also…….paul bryd for one is out there unemployed- he would help alot, as he has always been a gamer and will ususally get you thru 7
USAChief,
The Angels are giving up a lot of runs and depend on their offense to bail out their weak starting pitching.
Yeah, it looks great when the Angels score 8, 9 and 10 runs. But, when they regularly give up 6 or 7 runs, that isn’t good.
It’s a trend that doesn’t translate well into the post season.
Okay…seriously…BB2N is getting weird right now.
It started about foot position, which makes sense. But now they’ve started transitioning to great butts (called “high-butts”), beautiful faces, supple wrists, and brown eyes.
Also, Albert Pujols is a great hitter because of his square jaw, and brown eyes.
This is the most awkward conversation in sports reporting history.
Joe I was saying this for the last 2 weeks. Everyone should be fired. But what good would it do? As long as the CHEAP SOB’s(Pohlads) own the team it’s going to stink. Even if the team is good it’ll never win another championship. This is my last post until ST. I won’t even start posting then if the Twins don’t get considerably better in the off-season. I suggest EVERYONE do the same….abondon this team until they make an HONEST effort to put the best product they can on the field.
Good ridsance
OK I can’t type
How about
Good Riddance
Much like most everybody who “leaves”…shazel will be back. Because the beauty of the Strib is that you can “leave” and keep posting simply by changing your name.
paul bryd for one is out there unemployed- he would help alot, as he has always been a gamer and will ususally get you thru 7
Don’t you think in a sport where pitching is such a precious commodity that if this guy had anything left at all he’d already be on one of the 30 teams???
Okay…so I saw this “Gem” from last night’s blog regarding a theory as to why Buscher was sent down:
It was to punish Morneau for speaking out.
Riiiight. It had nothing to do with Harris being a better backup 3B/1B than Buscher, and swinging a better stick.
Man. People hate the FO for keeping Buscher up here, and then when he’s sent back they hate them more.
Only the Strib…
Maybe we should have traded Santana for either Lester or Hughes and not traded Garza.
The Twins were scrambling before the deadline to make deals, when all of these concerns could and should have been addressed in the off season.
I can’t believe the Twin’s ownership doesn’t follow Shazel’s advice. He/she always seems so well spoken and balanced when writing comments.
The biggest unaddressed concern is the rotation. Unfortunately, several starters regressed simultaneously. It’s frustrating to watch, but it isn’t negligent managing to give these 5 guys starting jobs. Prior to the season, where were the know-it-alls who were so sure this group wouldn’t be a solid rotation?
pop: It hasn’t helped that Slowey, Perkins, and now Liriano are all suffering from soreness/injuries.
Going into the season, it was looked at that Liriano and Baker would lead the rotation, Slowey would provide stability, and Perkins/Blackburn would be the guys that were there.
I don’t think anybody expected this degree of struggle with the rotation, which has caused the other issues to become more apparent.
Because how nice would it have been to not see Blackburn piss away that 12-2 lead in Oakland? That was sort of a disheartening kickstart to a long period of struggling.
“paul bryd for one is out there”
“Don’t you think in a sport where pitching is such a precious commodity that if this guy had anything left at all he’d already be on one of the 30 teams???”
Paul Byrd would be the exception.
He couldn’t have LOST anything, because never HAD anything, except his brains,…even in his prime.
He could not lose his approach…”1000 ways to fool the hitters, while throwing nothing on the ball”
Glavine?
T, thanks for expanding on the point. I agree with everything you wrote.
I have been disappointed to see how it has played out. I think the struggles of the SP has been the achille’s heel this year, and it was unforeseeable. That being the case, I think it would be pretty unfair to punish the FO for a disappointing season. I hope most of these starters get to give it another shot here next year.
…and Paul Byrd. Interesting. I’ve always thought he looks like he should be the worst pitcher in MLB, but he kept getting people out while having “stuff” that is as impressive as beer league softball pitchers. He might make sense. If anyone “knows how to pitch,” it’s him. Maybe he could positively influence our young 5.
Pop and T,
To take the point a different direction, the holes the Twins appeared to have at the beginning of the season were the bullpen and third base.
Everyone was thrilled that Joe Crede was signed. He’s played very good defense and has the right handed pop the lineup needed.
Ayala actually looked like a decent signing. He didn’t work out and was let go.
Matt Guerrier was looked upon as being unreliable. Yet, he’s been very good to excellent this year.
The starting rotation looked to be solid. The front office had no reason to suspect the starting rotation would implode like it has.
My point being that the front office of the Twins tried to address what appeared to be holes in the lineup across the off season.
You cannot blame Bill Smith for not being prescient and addressing a need that wasn’t there at the beginning of the season.
What you can do, though, is fire Anderson. It’s his pitching staff and therefore, his responsibility.
This emphasizes the need to act on pitching during free agency. There were several relief pitchers that the Twins could have signed if they had shown a similar sinse of urgency. Let’s hope the FO learns from this Trade Deadline and does something this off-season. 2010 may be our last chance with the nucleus we have.
Okay…so I saw this “Gem” from last night’s blog regarding a theory as to why Buscher was sent down:
That ‘gem’ came from Kelsie Smith, via Gardenhire. There is another MSP newspaper, y’know.
BTW, you’re the guy who was astounded to learn last night there’s a major league team called the Florida Marlins, right?
Chief,
Where (in that article) is Gardy saying that Mauer/Morneau are the cause of Buscher’s optioning?
UpNoth what reliever were available? Didn’t seem like there were many available.
35 RUNS IN 3 GAMES AT HOME??? WHAT KIND OF PITCHING STAFF IS THIS??? WHEN DOES POHLARD STOP SCREWING AROUND AND STOP LOOKING AT HIS PLAYERS AND START LOOKING AT HIS MANAGEMENT? LET’S FACE IT. GM SMITH IS INEPT AND GardenFIRE ISN’T ANY BETTER. I DON’T GET IT. COLORADO FIRES CLINT HURDLE AFTER LEADING THEM TO THE WS ONLY 2 SEASONS AGO AND GardenFIRE HASN’T LED ANYONE TO ANYWHERE (EXCEPT INTO LITTLE BIG HORN).
OBAMA PROMISED IS “CHANGE”. WELL, START WITH THE TWINS ORGANIZATION.
it’s time for gardy and bill smith to go. and if the pohlads cant step up to the plate then it’s time to sell.
Where (in that article) is Gardy saying that Mauer/Morneau are the cause of Buscher’s optioning?
Here’s Smith’s blog entry, Sane. You be the judge:
By Kelsie Smith on July 31, 2009
Lots going on here, but wanted to throw up a quick blog. I originally thought the Twins would send Alexi Casilla down to Rochester to make room for Cabrera, but some of Gardenhire’s comments pregame have made me change my mind.
Morneau was very vocal about wanting Bill Smith to make an addition. He’s also very good friends with Brian Buscher, who does have contract options and rarely plays. Here’s what Gardenhire said this afternoon, and you can read between the lines, just like I did …
“Sometimes it’s be careful what you ask for with players, though, too, huh? We’ll see. We’ll see how it all works out.”
It’s sad but our pitchers are good right when they come out of AAA ball, and worse and worse the longer they are under Rick Anderson’s tutelage. Why? Why don’t we find out who is the pitching coach in AAA? Maybe that guy and Rick should switch jobs or something.
Chief,
I interpret that to mean that Gardy is saying:
“Morneau should have realized that Buscher was low man on the Totem Pole before he popped off!”
NOT
“We are going to make Morneau pay for popping off by optioning his buddy”.
“It was to punish Morneau for speaking out.” is not my interpretation, although I could be mistaken.
Buscher is hitting .227. He deserves to be sent down. That said, Casilla deserved it more. It’s stupid because Harris can play 2nd, and now we have no one to back up Morneau. I’m thinking we might have a new manager in a week or two.
“It’s stupid because Harris can play 2nd”
Not in Gardy’s opinion.
“I’m thinking we might have a new manager in a week or two.”
The last Twins manager to be fired was 23 years ago, (Ray Miller) so that prediction is flying in the face of history.
I’d bet the farm that you are wrong.
Eddie Shore says: “Angels: … Interesting tidbit I heard during MLB TVs deadline coverage, the Angels haven’t made a trading deadline acquisition since like 2004 (yes, they make them all in the off-season)”.
Didnt they get Texiera last year??
Sane’s interpretation of Gardenhire’s comment makes sense, especially when you read the article he linked earlier.
Rick needs to learn that he won’t be taken seriously if he writes in all caps.
Gardenhire’s job is not on the line. Maybe Anderson’s is. The rotation has vastly underachieved (at least partially due to injuries), and that is costing the season. However, we’d be fools to think that Gardy’s job this year is to win at all costs. 2009 was and is and always has been about getting ready for 2010. Winning is a bonus.
Players are being evaluated (or DY wouldn’t have started FOREVER) and holes are being identified.
I’m still going to closely follow the rest of the season, and I’d love to see a playoff push, but it isn’t likely. If it happens, it’ll be due to the guys here stepping up and that will be especially gratifying and fun for me as a fan.
I highly doubt Anderson’s job is on the line. He’s one of if not the best pitching coach out there. It’s hard to keep turning coal into diamonds
The blame for Twins performance falls on the Pohlads. Everyone presumes their number one objective is to win a championship. Their #1 objective is to make money, lots of money. The payroll is the third lowest in the AL. They are drawing big crowds. The people from Iowa and outstate MN will continue to come no matter what. They don’t make trades because of the salaries. Oakland paid them $500,000 to help pay Cabrerra’s salary. You get what you pay for. This team will probably always be competitive but will never win because they won’t keep their stars and won’t add salary. Enjoy M & M until they leave and hope they develop some new young stars.
The rotation has vastly underachieved, only if people thought Liriano would ever be good again. There wasn’t a ton of evidence of that last year. slowey has been slowey, and Perkins and Blackbutn have been what you’d expect out of number 5 starters.
Anderson and Gardy won’t get fired– even though they probably should. The old saying is you can’t fire all the players so you fire the manager.
It won’t happen during the season.
What about Ben Sheets - he’s supposed to be pretty close to healthy by now and with Peavey in Chicago, we need help not just now but next year as well.
Over the years as I’ve watched Twins baseball, I’ve noticed the stark difference in how young pitchers perform when they are trying to EARN a job versus how they perform when they’ve got one.
I know that the league scouts start to catch up with them, but I do believe there is some emotional let-down.
For example, I think Baker has decent stuff–but he has the mental toughness of a 3 year old kid falling off his bike. Perkins has had flashes of the same.
They all had better get it together quickly or next year, they’ll be back to pitching FOR a job.
These pitchers ar not any better than what they have demonstrated. No one should be surprised. They are all, at best, #4’s and #5’s. They need that #1 horse that can put a stop to a skid and a guy that, by leadership, can show these guys how to win. If that guy is not obtained (nobody in the organization now), the season will end at the same record (percentage wise) that it has now.
2009 was and is and always has been about getting ready for 2010. Winning is a bonus.
???
This team missed the postseason by 1 game in 2008, and you think 2009 was solely to prepare for 2010?
That’s ridiculous. I will bet dollars to donuts everyone connected with the Twins expected to contend in 2009.
Not too many people will agree with me on this because the guy has had a hard time staying healthy, but I would’nt mind seeing the Twins pick up Jason Schmidt in the offseason. If they can get him for cheap(is there any other way that they would), by trading for, or signing him. The guy is a bulldog, and would hopefully help to give these young guys the type of additude that they need.
That would be of course, if they could get another reliable veteran pitcher to go along with him.
Time to call BS on BS. Much has been said about the failed trade to the Rays. One thing not said is that the motivation for the the trade was the lack of depth in the outfield. In other words there was zero expectation out of Denard Span at that time. Now BS is trying to tell us that he did not make a trade because of assets like Denard Span. Well let me tell you there was no expectation that denard would be doing as well as he is doing. That means the ability of this FO to evaluate talent has to be seriously questioned. Proper evaluation of denard most likely means we do not make the trade for Delmon. How can we not that over the last two years that we lacked an ace on the staff. Instead we have 7 or 8 guys that at best reach the number 3 spot on the rotation. There is no plan here and BS and antony should be fired post haste. We are in serious trouble here. Waiver wire fixes are a joke. What do you mean we just need stability and consistency. Nonsense and a waste of time if you ask me. Give up on this year and figure it out. If you don’t do something this offseason we will stink for years and more importantly watch our best assets walk with getting nothing in return. Mauer needs to be traded on December 1! Do it!
The Twins may have pitching troubles, but too much can be read into the series with the Angels. The pitching isn’t THAT bad.
The Angels are a ball of fire. Red hot. Wow! That is a good team.
They are leading baseball in runs scored. Considering that team is hitting .290, it’s no surprise.
They can just flat out hit. All those .300 hitters, and Vlad isn’t even playing. Amazing. They just tear around the bases.
The Angels remind me some of the Twins in the second half of 2006, but the Angels are better.
Brad Radke is only 37 years old. That shoulder has had a few years to rest!
Wishful thinking.
Two names to think about include Arizona’s Jon Garland and Doug Davis. Others include San Diego’s Kevin Correia and Seattle’s Miguel Batista. It doesn’t have to be a sexy addition, just an experienced pitcher who can give the Twins more consistency and depth.
So “consistency” is the key here, meaning that rather than the “up and down” of the current rotation, we’d love to bring in a guy that’s consistently BAD???
Come on, Joe. The FO blew it, and Billy Smith should be fired for the way he’s handled this major league roster. Let’s not manufacture false hope.
I mean, you’re not willing to give up Glen Perkins for Jarrod Washburn??? It’s not like Perkins has ANY chance of ever being a top-three rotation guy. He does, in fact, epitomize the type of player you DO trade in these situations.
Billy sucks. That’s why the Twins suck. Simple as that.
BTW: It’s going to be an all-LA World Series. I love it! Go Dodgers!
Why not bring in Blyleven as a special/emergency pitching coach to straighten out the young Twins pitchers? Adding one or even two pitchers will not help. Pretty much the entire staff is on the fritz and you can’t trade (fire) them all. Bert knows what he is talking about, give him a call Mr. Smith.
Yes, we do need pitching, lets stop whining about it and do something. Mr. Smith, it is obvious you do not have what it takes to be in the front office and need to be fired. I think Perkins and Liriano are trade bait and we should have traded both of them. I believe the Bucs wanted Liriano and Seattle wanted Perkins. How come no one has called for Gardy to step down? I know the players like him, but seems to be too soft and losing control of Twins baseball. This team needs an overhaul.
No way it will be an all LA series. Dodgers will lose to the Phillies and Angels will lose to NY. Still don’t get why LA people are so in love with Manny, an obvious cheat…wait, Cali is the land of excess and fake everything, makes sense now.
Kirby lives, you are a typical naysayer who has very little understanding of the game. I agree about Denard and hated the trade, but trade Mauer by December? Idiotic at best. Why trade your franchise? The Twins will lose a lot more money if we trade him. Would have been the same if Kirby left. Think about it.
I hope any trades we make involves players that will be pieces that help us next year and no rent a players for a lost season. I would prefer they be sellers and start ridding themselves of some of the deadwood if possible. The team needs to use the offseason better and not wait to be pushed into making expensive moves next year at the trade deadline with a gun placed to their heads. Getting young players for Punto, Redmond ect. would be a good start.
