Friday: Twins-Tigers. Gardy is fired up
Posted on July 11th, 2008 – 5:25 PMBy La Velle
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is still talking about Thursday’s win, during which the Twins took an early lead, fell behind 6-2 but chipped away for a comeback win. Given the three losses at Boston earlier in the week, another loss would have been tough to take.
You get the sense that when Gardenhire looks down his bench, he likes what he sees.
“Yesterday was a big ballgame. I really felt that,” he said. “The way it went down. And that says nothing about what’s going to happen tonight.
“We got down and you can see which way the guys what to go with this. And there was no quit in that baseball team. That’s all I care about. We kept grinding and kept rooting for each other. And that’s why I’m impressed with this baseball team.
“We were like, `Get one here. Get one there. Good at-bats, boys.’ And we just kept grinding. And I really enjoyed that game. It got me fired up on the bench. I try to be as calm as I can but I was pacing. That’s because it was exciting the way the guys were into it.”
The coaching staff spent batting practice figuring which relievers were able to pitch tonight, but it would help if Glen Perkins goes seven strong innings. “He knows,” Gardenhire said.
Since his recall on June 30, Denard Span is batting .467, fifth best in the majors. Justin Morneau, by the way, is third at .474.
Morneau on Thursday was the first player to go 5 for 5 with an extra-inning home run since Tony Perez of the Reds did it on Sept. 21, 1973.
Again, I can’t stress enough how much Gardy’s eyes are twinkling today.
“You look at (Boston) and you look at (Detroit), they are two of the best teams in the league. There are two of the teams here, Detroit and Boston, that were supposed to win their divisions. So were not playing patsies here and we are playing with them. Toe to toe, Nose to nose. Muhammad Ali!”
Lineups
Twins (51-41): 1. Carlos Gomez, CF. 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. Denard Span, RF. Pitching: Glen Perkins.
Detroit (46-45): 1. Curtis Granderson, CF. 2. Placido Polanco, 2B. 3. Carlos Guillen, 3B. 4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B. 5, Marcus Thames, LF. 6. Gary Sheffield, DH. 7. Matt Joyce, RF. 8. Ivan Rodriguez, C. 9. Ramon Santiago, SS. Pitching Armando Galarraga.
145 Responses to "Friday: Twins-Tigers. Gardy is fired up"
Gomez STILL in the leadoff spot?
*sigh*
Well, I hope for Gardy’s sake they can put together a strong showing tonight, otherwise he’ll hear those words all the way through the end of the season.
If some of these other guys don’t produce, move Span into the top spot or even the six spot.
Gomez STILL in the leadoff spot?
What…you want his legs broken too now I suppose?
So will this series take a back seat over the weekend while the Vikings apparently pursue Brett Frackin’ Favre?
Frankly, I would LOVE to see Favre on the Vikings. Not because I like Favre (I think he’s washed up), but just so that they have his jersey retirement with him getting suited up on the opposing bench.
And because I think Damon’s worn out “Judas” as a nickname by now.
Galarraga pitching for the Twins?
Gotta like that trade.
Especially with nobody on the mound for the Tigers.
Do the Twins get to hit off a tee this weekend?
If the Vikes sign Favre, start him at Nose Tackle.
If the Vikes sign Favre, start him at Nose Tackle - helmet not available.
get span in that leadoff spot…it only makes sense…i figured that was a done deal now that hes been in the leadoff spot yesterday…..damn it gardy…use your head…
worst hitter in the lineup gets the most at bats in this most important game of the year now…..makes no damn sense at all
Faux Erik, Gomez has been a spark plug at the top of the lineup. He’s struggling but leave him alone.
The real erik doesnt wish for him to suffer an injury…just pain and suffering for all eternity for the Punto family.
from the previous thread….
Howard,
There is some imposter using BC Beneke’s moniker.The imposter completely blew his cover by saying good things about Punto and Span.”
sane,I’d don’t care who you are, that’s funny!
BC, I love the fact that you found kind things to say about Span and Punto. I’m glad that your previous pleas to keep these two inept players out of the lineup were not heard by the Twins. Neither are likely to be as good as they have been lately forever, but they’re nowhere near as bad as you made them out to be earlier this year. Now, if you drop using the Punterrible name I’ll know you’re really coming around!But at least you have the courage to acknowledge them now!
Finally, a I know that a big portion of the blogs is speculation with regards to trades, etc. and I’m good with that. However, with the potential “log jam” that may exist in the Twins outfield, I think the Twins should employ the old Bud Grant rule; “make no personnel decsions before you have to”.
Gardy should have twinkling eyes today. I had the game on at the office and had little hope for the comeback after Slowey left early. Let’s hope we can keep beating up on the Tigers before the all-star break. Also, glad to hear how Liriano is doing. Go Twins!
coomer is so right and as usual souhan is full of….coomer is pushing for the twins to make a trade for a rt handed bat to help this lineup out….good for coomer…[EDITED: You don’t have to use foul language to get your point across.]
[
Spark plug… yeah, never being on base really does a lot for the rest of the lineup.
harris should be at short.
Flipping Span and Gomez makes sense. Take some pressure off one kids and see how the other one handles it. We need the #1 hitter to be on base more often.
1st inning IBB? haven’t seen one of those in awhile
I guess the Tigers are not going to let
Morneau beat them anymore this series.
not much commentary today huh
Span has reached base in eight straight plate appearances. Punto has reached in seven straight.
One of the Detroit writers just exclaimed, “Who are these Spic -n-Span guys.!”
Span to the top, it’s gotta happen.
If teams start to pitch around Morneau all the time the Twins will be forced to go find a bat at the trade deadline.
“Again, I can’t stress enough how much Gardy’s eyes are twinkling today.”
I take it Morneau is Gardy’s MVP.
Punto for MVP, romer…
can anyone tell me how buscher score from first on a single by punto??
Punot should be riding the pine! Gardy’s trying to give this game away…
scored*
0ff…
3-2 count, 2 outs
why-oh-whyyyyyy is span not leading off??? he’s taking good at-bats, peppering the ball everywhere, and gomez is 0-for-june & july
How much longer do we need an automatic out at the top of the lineup?
… and a new blog punching bag emerges …
Another K for go-go. He needs to work out of this slump. He’s young enough for the pressure to eat him up. He can work it out at #9.
… Or he could work it out in Rochester.
Trying to catch up on reading comments, I thought I was on the Vikings blog. Frett Barve comments and T-Ball comments. Those guys can swap T-Ball stories for two days. AND it’s hilarious!
LAVELLE:
Sooooo, now we have Spic Punto and Darnell Span. Spic and Span? LMAO!
Love the attitude–now if only Gardy would send Young up to the plate without a bat for the first pitch, then MAYBE he wouldn’t fly out every other at-bat. Dude’s talented, but desperately needs a reality check.
DRAGON:
“Punot should be riding the pine!”
I think you meant “Pu-knot”.
big spot for gomez to break out of it
leyland? why take out a guy gomez has looked bad against?
How many IBB does Go-Go have this year?
Mudcat,
Actually I am lysdexic. 
is anyone else’s FSN f*cked up?
I have much more respect for the coaching in the Twins’ minor league system after watching supremely talented players (Gomez and Young) from other organizations who simply don’t know how to play baseball. Compare to Mauer, Morneau, and now Span and Casilla, all of whom have good at-bats and know what they are doing.
Another first pitch, wild swing, easy out. Wouldn’t it be easier for him to work out these issues against AAA pitching? If Cuddy were ready…
Gomez is very versatile - can ruin an inning at the start or the end - as in “end of the threat”. New nick(teehee)name - Rallykiller
or StopStop
Ha!
I like CarGo, because of all the baggage he brought from the Mets system…
Go-Go is one of the most exciting players to watch on the basepads. But if he never gets on base, well, that kinda detracts from his effectiveness.
you win
Shooter Hunt struck out 10 of the 18 batters he faced tonight.
5IP 2BB 10K
Rest are zeroes
least joe can’t ground into another dp
i was impressed by scouting videos i saw of shooter hunt, and even more impressed that the twins stole him at 31 when he was predicted to go as high as top 10.
Hunt - now 8IP, 16SO’s 0 hits, 2BB
go to Beloit, Mcardell to Ft Myers, Devries to NB, any starter to Roch to relace Graves and all the other relief pitchers who”start”
If Young hits the first pitch into a DP. Grrrrrrrr.
Holy cow DY didn’t ground out!
Not exactly a good AB, though, after the walk to Kubel.
Shooter Hunt for the 8th inning setup spot.
10 LOB in 7 innings. Guess we’re coming back to the pack in RISP BA.
AJ:
you asked “is anyone else’s FSN f*cked up?”
No sh!t! The pitcher barely raises his leg and it’s in the mitt! That’s gotta be 200 MPH on the Juggs gun! Punto looks like some kind of roadrunner cartoon out there. They showed gardy leaning over the fence and it stopped so long I thought he was impaled on it. Perkins was picking his nose when the stream stopped. Thought they were gonna have to call a tow truck.
sane,
If you are on here tonight, what do you hear about Aaron Hicks so far?
Wowza. Perk hitting a wall here.
Not watching the game. Did the hit by pitch on Granderson look intentional? Makes sense to set up the double play.
Liddle encouraging an appeal?
Eitherway, take some time. I think Crain should come in here. They’ve suddenly figured out Perk.
Nah Razz, wasn’t even that far inside. Just barely knicked his had or elbow. Maybe 4 inches off the plate.
Razz: the HBP loaded the bases with only one out. I doubt you want to give this lineup any free outs. Also, the DP was already in order.
Thanks guys. My bad I thought I saw it was second and third.
Too bad cuddy is out for a while. Gomez needs a little time off. He isn’t having fun anymore. He needs some coaching/counseling and time to relax and refocus.
Razz, they were 2nd and 3rd. So, it wasn’t a terrible thing to put him on. It did setup Double play. but we did have lefty-lefty matchup and then moved to Polanco. So, not by design, IMO.
*phew*
Bullet dodged.
Gomez can smile again chasing down that deep ball. Whew
gotta love that 420 foot fence out there…yikes.
Rallykiller - both teams
Now the question is who do you give the 8th to? Can Crain possibly go another inning after going 2 innings yesterday? It sure would make things a lot easier if they could get some insurance this inning.
I hope the Twins can get a couple more runs. Otherwise let Crain maybe go a few (since he only got the one out in the 7th) and then see if Guerrier has it in him to finish it off.
Nathan for the ninth god willing.
So if Punto’s hurt (cue crass celebration posts), Harris will likely move to SS and Lamb finishes up at 3B.
Hopefully it’s nothing serious. You hate to see a guy get the monkey off his back and then get hurt.
T:
so punto is hurt? i didn’t understand.
not more missed calls like in boston i hope!
dang. Gomez could have used that line drive to be fair.
Mudcat: Punto was wincing there during his AB. You can see it earlier in the AB. But it could be by the end of it he had worked it out.
DnB suspect it was his left hand.
Austin, with the 3 tough righties coming up, it needs to be Crain or Guerrier. Reyes can face Joyce if it gets that far.
Interesting choice. Though I suppose Gardy likes having a guy start an inning vs. the risk of bringing him in with guys already on.
Good to see Gardy’s faith restored though. Let’s hope Guerrier builds on it.
And there’s the answer… c’mon Matty
Why sub for Buscher? Don’t give me the lefty/righty thing. Gardy should stick with the hot bat! Gardy subs Harris for Buscher at the first possible chance when they bring in a lefty to pitch but he doesn’t do the same when Harris starts against lefties yet later they bring in a righty. Examples include the second game at beantown…He could have subbed Buscher once they brought in the righty but NO they leave in Harris who grounded into a double play with runners at 1st and 3rd.
Last night he could have subed Buscher again when they brought in a righty with Harris starting…..But NO he leaves in Harris who makes an out…..Later in the game Gardy even brings in Lamber to bat against the righies instead of Buscher. Lamber went 0 - 2.
Then again tonight……Just go with your gut and leave Buscher in….Harris struck out by the way after bringing him in.
Gardy and managers use the lefty/rigthy lineup too much.
By the way, Buscher scored from 1st on Punto’s single because it was two outs and a full count so Buscher was running.
matty’s looking like he’s on his game tonight!
Wow! Matty!
Wow. Matty G. coming out strong after a rough stay in Boston.
Great inning by Guerrier. Let’s hope Nathan is back to his usual self tonight in a save situation.
Rocky,
I tend to agree. when a guy is swinging a hot bat, I would ignore the lefty/righty matchups until he proved that he couldn’t do it. I think Gardy is probably quick to do it because he sort of wants a reason to get a better glove at 3b in late innings with the lead.
Matty G., 3 innings, 37 pitches, 1 hit in Detroit. Well Done!
delmon is as good as a promotional spokesman as he is a LF
Maybe we can “Rap” out some hits off F-Rod. (his photo looks like a rapper, thus the reference……..aw forget it.)
C’mon Kubes!
“Slammin’ Jammin’ to the new swing sound
Yeah, everybody let’s move–”
(Vanilla Ice-Ninja Rap)
Kubel, that was about as terrible of an appearance at the plate as you could possibly have.
Ouch. Tough pitches to Kubes. Go DY
Hammer one Delmon!
Too legit… Too legit to quit (three times)
Sweat running all over my chest (chest) i don’t quit no!
well, that sucked.
TYPICAL
Dude has some serious heat. If he throws his pitches where he intends and gets his changeup across, he is pretty tough to hit against.
Slam the door JOE!
“U cant touch this
I told U home boy
U cant touch this
Yeah, thats how were livin and U know
U cant touch this
Look in my eyes, man
U cant touch this
Here, let me bust the funky lyrics
U cant touch this”
(M.C. Hammer)
TWINS WIN EVERYBODY!!!
Good job Fat Joe!
- (Dat Gangsta lyrics).
Yeah, uhh, dat gangsta / Uhh, yeah, dat … that ever happened, in this rappin beyond rappin
[No foul language, please]
Nicely finished by Nathan!
that doesn’t make a lotta sense, does it.
My favorite Tiger pitcher (get a load of that ERA):
6 of our 9 have an average over .310 thats looks crazy as hell.
Gotta love it. Punto has come on strong since coming back. It’s great to see him coming back with confidence after how 07 went for him.
Nick Punto: The only guy on the Twins fans hate more the better he does.
5 of the 9 are .320 or better thats really crazy ben.
How can we continue to play LOSERS like Punto and Young? What have they done recently to earn any admiration? Woe is me.
Yeah, JJ. I like our bats. Can’t see bringing in a bat before the trade deadline. It could disrupt things. Rotate the four outfielders with the DH when Cuddy comes back, if and when.
I am on the verge of getting on the Punto BandWagon. I expect him to go 0-4 every night and he knocks the shit out of the ball and helps us win. Sorry guys I have to get on the wagon now.
No only change I would make is have Tolbert on the bench instead of Lamb, when he gets healthy.
Ben D.,
Sorry, that wagon left. The blog already DFA’ed Punto months ago.
Good one Dragon.
I don’t know that we ever took a vote. I’ve been a Punto “apologist” all year.
Actually, I just want people to wait until he actually performs like 2007 before they cut him this year. He hasn’t reverted to 2007 yet. Hope he didn’t tweak his wrist though.
Well that was a fine game. But, we need Gomez to get going again. What he is going through is common, but now is the time for teaching. Even without cuddy, we might give him a few days off.
Coomer is right. The lineup could use a good righthanded hitter. They lean heavily left, with Morneau, Mauer, and Kubel being the three best hitters (using OPS). The supporting cast has strengths and weaknesses. All in all, a pretty good offense, but one that could use a substantial RH bat with power.
Boston loses to Baltimore. Take that you trolls. LOL
Ms. Nora, You need not worry about the nation….he and barney f. have a date tonight. As we say here in the southwest, occupado!
Poor White Sox. Two aouts away from getting beat 7-2.
(texas strangers)
You’re right flatblade. Tempting to give Sexson a try. He went to the manager about more playing time. “You’re hitting .205.”
He went to the GM about getting released. “You’re batting .205.”
Pretty good Whitesox game. Bases loaded with Konerko batting. Still 7-2 Texas.
Carlos G,
“what do you hear about Aaron Hicks so far?”
Hicks is playing CF for the GCL Twins.
He bats 1st, 2nd or 3rd.
He is hitting .313, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 2-2B, 1-3B.
He has not even attempted a SB, although he had a ton of SB in HS. The Twins are obviously protecting him so he can develop his hitting uninterrupted by injuries.
His stats are about as I expected at this point with Hicks learning how to operate the wood bat. His second year with the wood bat will tell a lot more about his projection as a hitter.
C’mon TEX, finish off the Sox..
So…will Smith make a move before the trade deadline? Anyone? McFly?
Senor Smoke Jr. (Guardado) gets the save for TEX, Twins move to w/in 1.5 games of the Sox!
Everyday Eddie came in and put a stop to THAT ! White Sox lose 7-2
sorry drew, couldn’t believe it was OUR eddie!
Stinkin’ Chicago has 1 title in the last combined 200 seasons and Eddie Farmer/Steve Stone/Hawk Harrelson/Whoever act like they hung the moon. The Twins have retrieved two games in two days. As Mel used to say, “How ’bout that”?
Go grab some BENCH Sox! What a fun season so far, no expectations…all we need is power bat at 3rd, Atkins, Beltre..or (gulp) Bonds at DH?
I don’t like Billsmith’s comment, Drew.
“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
I haven’t got my hopes up.
brett favre is looking for a team!
*ducking stuff being thrown*
Nothing is broken right now except for Livan’s ERA, let somebody else and eat innings..look for Franchise to be back in the rotation in August.
The Twins could either be up on the Sox by half a game or down by 3.5 by the end of the Tiggers series.
Depending on how they’re sitting going into the Break, I’d say Smith will start assessing potential trades then.
I do fully expect a new face to join the Twins by the end of next week. I’d say as soon as after the All-Star Break (like Stewart), but I think there may be some competition (or at least attempts to block) by other players in the AL.
In the 3B race, I think the Twins have the edge. As I’ve said before, most of the major players (except the Al West which I’m not familiar with) are locked down at 3B (Longoria, Lowell, Rodriquez, Crede, Guillen/Cabrera)
Twins can put together a serious push, and if another team attempts to block and play it off as a phony push (similiar to BoSox potentially boosting the Yanks in the Johan deal)
Thanks Sane on the Hicks update.
The trouble with these winning streaks is that you forget about your weaknesses. Right now, I am fine with our IF. Buscher hitting well enough to cover for his throwing errors… so far. The 3b guys being discussed aren’t superb fielders either… Now, if Buscher falls off, then I may wish we had made the trade. But, I vote to let the kids develop (Buscher and Harris).
OF will be fine when Cuddy gets back and Gomez can get some time off the field to get himself straightened out… and I believe he will.
So, I only see addition by subtraction. Livan, Lamb, and maybe Boof and Bass. I would be inclined to go with what we have and add from the minors, except for trying to move any or all of those 4. Of course, as has been frequently pointed out, there won’t be much coming back for these guys.
As I’ve said before, I like this team. If we can improve without giving away any of the other 20 or so guys, then ok. That’s my vote and I’m sticking with it.
This blog does not let you forget about the teams weaknesses lol
Carload:
I hear alot about the need for a set up man type pitcher. Pat Neshak type, that’s what we lost. I’m okay with the scrappy offense, look at Boston.
But who and how much? To me, everybody is either untouchable or untrade-able.
that wasn’t too clear. i just don’t think bass, everett, lamb, or monroe are trade bait at all and the rest of the twins are untouchable.
Lamb isn’t going anywhere. He’s on the roster and it’s written in ink. They still owe him 4.5 mil. This is the Twins! What are people thinking? He’s also untradable, because of the contract. I personally guarantee that the Twins will still have him, next season.
Carlos Gomez:
OBP SLG AVG
.266 .309 .236 JUNE totals (123 AB)
.244 .211 .184 JULY totals (38 AB)
As elated as Gardy was prior to tonight’s game, Jim Leyland was not. On the Tiger’s radio pre-game show he said that yesterday’s loss was the most gut-wrenching loss since he started managing the Tigers. I guess tonight didn’t help either.
“I personally guarantee …”
that made me laugh, craig, in a good way. and you’re very likely right. on occasion they can package a guy. like, “ok, we’ll give you cuddyer but you’ve gotta take lamb.” i don’t see it happening.
funny thing, i read that everett is eating tomatoes in a-ball. poor guy. have another smoke.
hey, do you think it’s time to bring up liriano? if so, then what? livan isn’t exactly trade bait, either.
mickey,
Twins are stuck with Livan, at least until September, I would say. Someone might take him in September. The Twins could release him a little before that.
Monroe has to be close to a release. They still owe him about 1.6 mil.
Everett may be kept. Middle INF are in short supply. The tomatoes, cigs, and, if that doesn’t work, a release, is probably the plan, though. He’s no longer owed much.
I don’t know about Liriano, but they have to have someone better than Livan. Boof would be better than Livan.
I don’t think anyone would take Cuddy’s contract right now. I don’t think a team can trade a guy on the DL, anyway.
If Cuddy comes back and really hits big, someone might take him, but then no one here will want to trade him.
I would say, at this point, release Monroe and send Gomez to AAA until September. The opposing teams have figured out Gomez. He needs to make adjustments. At AAA, he can work on his hitting approach. The kid has become an easy punch out. Check the stats I posted.
Boof may be able to pitch his way into a set up role. He can come in and throw hard - plus he could eat whatever he wants and be happier.
i made the greatest bet in my life last march. i bet 100 dollars the twins would win more than 74 games this season.lets see they need 22 more out of 67
