Twins thoughts: The, `You-Go-Girl’ edition
Posted on August 21st, 2008 – 11:23 AMBy La Velle
Over the past 12 hours, the USA women’s beach volleyball team and the USA women’s soccer team picked up goal medals in Beijing after some intense games. Props to them. Too bad USA softball lost to Japan in the gold medal game, but we’re having a great run over there.
Overheard after Michael Phelps won his eighth goal medal: Can he hit lefties?
Sorry, I’m a sap for major international events. I’ve stayed up late and have been up early to surf the NBC family of networks for Olympic content. Back to baseball….
There were some interesting comments on this blog after yesterday’s game. It looks like Twins Nation is wound up big-time for this road trip. I think this would be a huge trip even if it was just a 10-gamer.
The Twins have grumbled about this road trip for weeks. And they seemed to be a little on edge after two losses in Seattle about playing better on the road.
Now that The BIG Trip is here, the challenge is to not make this more than it is.
“It doesn’t matter how long the road trip is,” Justin Morneau reasoned, “Any time you have a four-game series, it seems like it’s too long.”
“I think we have to remember that this is no bigger than any other road trip,” Scott Baker said. “Just because it’s toward the end of the season, it seems like the games mean a lot more.”
I agree somewhat. A team shouldn’t get wound up about big games at this point of the season. But the Twins need to be fired up this week against the Angels to get this thing off to a good start.
They’ve got to execute. The starters need to pitch into the final third of games. If they get a lead, they’ve got to keep attacking. No one should more motivated than Glen Perkins, who twice has had big leads against Seattle but failed to reach the seventh inning.
My prediction for the road trip: 7-7 - and that’s not a bad thing. It’s hard to win on the road.
All I know for sure is that Mike Redmond is ready to pull out all the stops to get the Twins fired up for this trip.
“We have an opportunity to go out there and control our own destiny and get to the playoffs, that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “Not all teams can say that. If that doesn’t fire you up I don’t know what will. That’s it. That’s what it’s all about. A shot.”
7-7 I say……….what say you?
161 Responses to "Twins thoughts: The, `You-Go-Girl’ edition"
YADOT!
8-6. They have to consider 8 wins a success, and 7 wins not good enough. They play two not very good teams in the M’s and A’s, one ok team in Toronto, and one darn good team in Anaheim.
They are playing well, hitting the ball pretty well. And Punto is going to be seeing less time. Even though he is hitting pretty well right now, he should not play regularly against RH pitching.
Casilla back really fortifies that lineup. And hopefully Harris can hit like he was. I don’t think Everett’s defense makes up for his lack of a stick.
I say, 8-6.
“…Mike Redmond is ready to pull out all the stops to get the Twins fired up for this trip.”
Considering his naked locker room strut, a statement like this probably strikes fear in the heart of his teammates.
Maybe Redmond should strut naked in the Angels locker room for a distraction. The Angels will get so disgusted and flustered that the Twins would win easily.
7-7? Really? I would be pretty disappointed in a 7-7 road trip. We all know of the Twins’ struggles on the road, but why can’t this be the time they turn it around? I’m thinking 9-5 or 10-4. Think about it. Split with the Angels, 5 or 6 wins next week from the A’s/Mariners, and 2 out of 3 from the Blue Jays, who will officially be out of the wild card race by the team the Twins roll in. They play the BoSox at home then go on the road at Tampa and the Yanks before the Twins series.
I say it’s time for naked BP. Get the vision of a flabby white guy with gray chest hairs in the minds of all the Angles hitters. Then we’ll see a lot of weak dribblers to second off the bat of Torii and his new posse.
LETS GET IT PUMPED UP AROUND HERE!
ANGELS!…..DEAD
7-7 is my prediction, too.
1-3 vs LAA, 2-1 vs SEA, 3-1 vs OAK, 1-2 vs TOR.
Take it as a baseline and build from there.
Common…you better hurry up and get ready to jump in your chair at the fair! PA and Dubay are almost done. Or are you still “prepping” for your show?
I’m going with 8-6. Split with the Halos, 2 of 3 from Seattle, 3 of 4 from the A’s and a disappointing 1 of 3 from the Jays as they wear down a bit toward the end.
It’s all going to be about the pitching.
hoping for 2-2 v LAA
3-1 Oakland
2-1 Seattle
Toronto it depends on if they still think they are in it. They are fringe now
i’ll call er 1-2 for now
8-6
Is there a reason the Twins wouldn’t stop over in the Twin Cities between the series with the A’s and the Jays? Sunday day game in Oakland, Labor Day Monday off (why in the world is that, by the way?!?), and then they don’t play until Tuesday night in Toronto. Seems like they could break up the road trip a little by stopping in Minny for some home cooking.
I won’t call it a “must” 9-5 but that is what I think it is going to take to keep pace with the WS. I think we lose too much ground at 7-7.
Last time the twins got all fired up for a road trip it was the Yankees and Red Sox. Albeit not the same trip, they were fired up playing in Yankee stadium and Fenway park. All 6 games minus the 1-0 loss in game one to Boston, they have played freaked out. They make mental errors, physical errors and can’t hit. I hope I am wrong in worrying and they prove me wrong because I want this magical run to last into October!
5-9. Too long and the team is simply going to struggle beating the Angels even once. Chicago is really on fire and will have a good lead going into the series at the dome. I hate to say it, but realistically, they have played over their heads and the trip doesn’t look good.
2-2 vs. Anaheim
2-1 vs. Seattle (don’t pitch to Ibanez and good things will happen)
2-2 vs. Oakland
2-1 vs. Toronto
8-6.
I see them getting swept by the Angels, and then bearing down to get 9 wins the rest of trip. A nice demonstration of the organization’s knack for bearing down when the going gets rough.
Alexi Casilla will come back to Los Angeles and haunt the Angels for trading him for J.C. Romero. I like an 8-6 road trip. Especially now that Brian Smallmouth Bass is gone!
I think the key to the whole trip is getting off to a good start with the Angels. The twins HAVE to win 2 of those four and I think they need to take advantage of the schedule to take game one. Our boys were checking into their hotel rooms at about the same time the Angels were finishing a game in TB. Despite being the visiting club, the Twins should be the more rested team for tonight’s game. If they can split this first series, then I think an 8-6 or 9-5 road trip is possible. And with the way the Whities have been playing, 7-7 won’t be good enough.
W 7-6 @ LAA
L 3-5 @ LAA
L 6-9 @ LAA
W 8-6 @ LAA
W 11-9 @ SEA
L 6-8 @ SEA
W 7-0 @ SEA
W 3-1 @ OAK
L 6-8 @ OAK
W 1-0 @ OAK
L 5-6 @ OAK (12)
L 2-5 @ TOR
W 11-4 @ TOR
W 7-1 @ TOR
rushfan,
You can bet that John Lackey has been back in SoCal since Tuesday and HE (at least) will be well-rested.
A 7-7 trip is optimistic but achieveable. Angles will be happy to get home after dribbling down their leg in TB. Sweep. Good thing that the Whites won’t have gimmies for the next nine.
Twins bullpen . . . it all rests on the shoulders of the bullpen. To a greter extent, I suppose that means it is all on the shoulders of the starters to get the game- with a lead- to the bullpen after 6-7 strong innings. The bats have come back, and the fielding is still there; the pitchers need to stay strong, dominant, and confident.
8-6 would be considered a success . . . I’m going with 9-5 to really catch up to the W.Sox!
Do not get fired up. This is not football. Be calm and collective.
OK, I’m gonna say it… I predict a perfect road trip. Offense goes nuts and the pitchers decide they are virtually (or perhaps totally) unhittable. Based on what, you say? Facts? Stats? Unbelievable baseball analysis and knowledge? Well, actually, no. It’s what I want to happen and since it’s my birthday season, I will get what I want… Right?
Yep, I’m sticking to it… 
By the way, 2-2 vs. LAA, 2-1 vs. Sea, 2-2 vs. Oak, 2-1 vs. Tor…8-6 trip.
Without LNP in starting line-up 14-0
LNP at SS 5-9 with two busted fingers and a blister to Busher
bring on the Harris/Casilla era NOW
sane:
Good point about Lackey. Maybe he will be too rested and a little sun burned for tonights game!
okobojicat,
Who says that Punto will be playing less now that Casilla is back? There is another article on the Strib that has Gardy saying the Punto will be playing everyday. So I’m guessing that he’ll be the starting SS.
The only plus with Casilla back is that Punto will no longer be in the 2-hole.
1 of 4 from Angles
2 of 3 from Seatle
2 of 4 from Oakland
a tired team 1 of 3 from Toronto
= 6-8
0-4 vs. Angels
2-1 vs. Mariners
1-3 vs. A’s
1-2 vs. Jats
4-10
Sorry, I guess I’m setting myself up to be pleasntly surprised. The trips to Boston and New York still have a sour taste in my mouth. I wish this teeam could think of the Mariners and A’s like they do the Royals. We always seem to take care of business in KC.
There is another article on the Strib that has Gardy saying the Punto will be playing everyday.
Where?
I said earlier 10-4…I have high hopes for this series, the Twins are going to prove to the AL and to us that they are serious about the post season…Get after it Twins!
LEN3,
I agree with you about the Olympics. I watch everything I can. Been a little too much diving and not enough track & field… but otherwise, cool. I wonder how Gomez would do against Bolt in the 100. They have similar body types. I wonder if Bolt can hit a slider?
Big road trip, but the season will be decided 9/12-25 (at Balt, at Clev, at TB (4), home Whities).
I think we go 9-5 on this trip.
Oh, and another thing. LNP will play EVERY SINGLE GAME on this trip. Mark it down. He’ll start at SS and then spell Casilla at 2B a couple games because Gardy pampers his players and they think Casilla will die if he plays 14 games in a row coming of an injury. Punto has started 27 straight games and Gardy plans on letting him break Ripken’s streak.
Casilla batting 2nd instead of Punto ought to be worth a couple of wins. I think the Twins are going to get swept by the Angels, and then win the rest of their games on the road trip. 10-4.
not sure it was “another article” but Gardy was quoted as saying that in comparing the two SS (everett and punto) that punto was more athletic. that he was a gold glove player anywhere in the infield. so unless i missed an article where punto was specifically named the SS, it was inferred in his recent quote.
It was in the article called “Casilla takes Bass’ roster spot”
It said: Nick Punto, who started at second in place of Casilla, is expected to get most of the time at shortstop. But Everett is expected to get some starts, too.
6 - 8 is best they will do. Mark my words but the rest of September, the Twins will charge the Sox and at least tie for the lead (the Sox have a tough remaining schedule).
7-7 would be marginally acceptable. 8-6 would be better, 9-5 should be the expectation! They go 10-4 they will come home in first place. The White Sox have their own challenges ahead.
3 vs TB,
3 @ Balt,
3 @ Boston
3 @ Cleveland
Then they come home for 3 each against the Angels and Blue Jays. All of their opponents are playing good baseball right now.
Gold Glover huh? How many of those awards does Punto have now?
Like I’ve said before, Punto is OVERRATED defensively. Everyone talks about his great plays but nobody talks about his errors. Here are his fielding stats.
2B: .985 with 2 errors
SS: .973 with 4 errors
He doesn’t have enough chances to “qualify” at either position but if he did, he would rank 8th among MLB 2B’s and 13th among 3B’s.
Gold Glove my a$$…
“Chicago is really on fire and will have a good lead going into the series at the dome.”
The sox aren’t on fire - they are 8-1 in their last 9 games because they played KC, Oakland, and Seattle. We’ll see how on fire they are after they play Tampa (just won 2 of 3 against LAA), at Baltimore, and at Boston.
we could easily survive with 6-8. We’d just end up a a couple more games back of chicago. We would still hold our own destiny in our hands at that point. I think September callups will really help us out as we can get a guy like Humber up here to eat some innings in a relief role. I think that will help refill the tank for our main guys and they will be strong until the end. Why not us?
i menat 13th among SS not 3B. He’s only played 4 games at 3B.
The gold glove quote came from Gardy. It was in the “Team Notes” section of the Strib a few days ago, may have been the Sunday edition. Can’t recall his exact words but he definitely referred to LNP as a gold glover infielder and said he would be in the starting line-up when Casilla came back.
6-8, and that’s being generous. For some reason, I have a sick feeling that our young pitchers will play young over the next 14 days. If they don’t, great. But, I’m trying not to set myself up for a big letdown. I’d be happy with 6-8.
Brasky,
If you think # of errors is the best way to judge a SS then I can’t do anything to help you. Let’s just say that Punto is above avg at both SS and 2B, but he’s not great. If you evaluate his range factors, he’s pretty good. In 2006, when he was playing 3B, he was awesome defensively.
However, his bat doesn’t make up for that.
sweetone,
wow, I refused to believe that until I went and read the article. That is too bad. Hopefully Harris will get some at bats, especially at 3B against LH pitching. I personally think the Twins should have put Everett on the DL, even if he wasn’t hurt, because they will want Bass’s arm some place in the middle of that Oakland series.
[…] Originally published by Twins Insider […]
“he definitely referred to LNP as a gold glover infielder and said he would be in the starting line-up when Casilla came back.”
Punto backed by Everett, THEN Harris is the SS situation.
Buscher-Harris platoon is the 3B situation.
Casilla is the 2B.
Lamb will play 3b on days that DON”T end in “y”.
What about the next road trip? They come home after this trip for 6 games and then go to Baltimore (who always kill the Twins) and then to Tampa Bay for four games. I hope the Twins don’t focus to much on the west coast road trip and overlook the next one.
At the risk of sounding negative, the Toronto series concerns me. They swept the Twins at home and are playing pretty good ball lately. You’d think the Mariners would be packin it in, but they seem to have the Twin’s number..even the sweep at the dome wasn’t comfortable. I’m thinking 6-8 or 5-9.
Twins
Angels: 1-3 Tough offense, tough starters and bullpen. Hoping to win one at least.
Mariners: 2-1 Seem to have our number with the late-game comebacks. But we should handle them for the most part.
A’s: 2-2 Decent bullpen and young guys fighting for jobs.
Jays: 2-1 Twins gut out the end of the road trip for a couple of wins.
Chisox
Rays: 2-1.
O’s: 2-1.
RSox: 0-3.
Indians: 1-2. Lee takes one.
It’s gonna come down to the wire, folks. Fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride!
Guess that’s a 7-7 road trip.
I suppose all you people who think the Twins will have a 9-5, or 10-4, or better road trip also think that the Vikings will go to the Super Bowl this year and Tavaris Jackson will be Pro Bowl bound?
I would be pleasantly shocked if the twins go .500 on this road trip.
I generally am pretty cynical, but these Twins have me puzzled.
Whenever I expect good things they flop, and when I expect bad things, like I do with this road trip, they go the other way.
If you had an over under number for number of wins on the road trip, i would say 7.5
Have very mixed emotions. Part of me worries that the pitching won’t hold up and the sloppy play of late (even though we got wins) will carry over to this road trip. On the other hand, look at the teams the Angels play regularly - just how good are they? It will be a great test for our team plus if we can’t do well against the other three teams at this point - then we don’t belong. 8-6 split with Angels and always-tough-on-us A’s, win the other two series.
I think the Twins better hope they go 8-6 and the Sox cool off. They don’t want to fall 3 or 4 games back at this point.
Angels……DEAD!
A’s………DEAD!
Mariners….DEAD!
Blue Jays…DEAD!
Their all DEAD!! Ain’t no stoppin’ us now. We’re COMIN’ We’re COMIN’!
I think the four game series in Anaheim will tell me a lot. If they get swept there, they really don’t deserve post season. On the other hand, if the split with the Angels, or do even better, I will be fired up. 1-3 would be luke warm.
They’re dead. They’ve already psyched themselves out. Yesterdays game was a lethargic, pathetic effort.
8-6
Angels-split
M’s- will win 2/3
A’s-will win 3/4
Jays-will win 1/3
A lot of great analysis of how the Twins will do on the road trip. Fun to read.
For me, I am setting the 7-7 mark as the base. Anything over that is a plus, anything under is a minus. Only a total breakdown could put them out of it and even then if the Sox take a dive over the same period it could still be OK.
My mind frame is Win as many as we can, hope Soxs lose as many as they should and see where we are after the trip.
Fun to be in it this late.
I could care less what their record is for the road trip. I care more about where they are in the division and wildcard races afterwards. If they go 3-11 while the White Sox go 1-13, I’ll take it.
I think big - 14-0
Good call, Lavelle. Regardless of how they did in Seattle last time, they should win 2/3 there and really ought to take 3/4 in Oakland. The bookend series bother me. I hope they split in LA and play better against Toronto than they did earlier this year (remember the mid-May debacle?) I’m going to give them an 8-6 based on
1-3 in LA
2-3 in SEA
3-4 in OAK
2/3 in Tor
- but I’ll be much happier with a 13-1.
I’m behind you Dane…Get after it Twins!
benitofinito - they play 4 in LAA
It seems like there are a lot of folks which fall into one or the other of these camps:
a) One which expects “our team” to perform worse than they should, prepares for the worst, complains about not being the best, and accepts better than the worst as only an anomaly — as it is going to get worse soon.
b) One which expects average, revels in better than average, complains about those who don’t enjoy the pleasure of being better than average, and accepts worse than average as only an anomaly — as it is going to get better soon.
Each has legitimate basis for being in their groups — history, facts, etc. Just find it interesting. Carry on.
@Tony Unless the Tigers and Yankess both go 12-2….
Calling it…10-4
2 of 4 LAA
3 of 3 SEA
3 of 4 OAK
2 of 3 TOR
thanks situ - I meant 1 out of 4
With the way the bullpen looks, particularly on the road, I just don’t see the Twins doing any better than 4-10 on this trip. I really hope I’m wrong.
Guys,
Chicago actually plays 4 against Baltimore next week. They are finishing a suspended game from April on Monday.
I think 8-6 should be our goal. All the series are winnable except for the Angels series (we need to split that one). If we can go 8-6 that should be good enough to keep pace with the Sox. They don’t have the easiest schedule coming up either.
08/22-08/24 Rays
08/25-08/27 @Bal
08/29-08/31 @Bos
09/01-09/03 @Cle
The O’s are no pushovers and the Indians have been playing ok ball recently. Then they have 2 of the best teams in baseball. Immediately after the Cleveland series they play the Angels at home.
It’s good timing for us to go on this mammoth road trip, but like LENIII said, we need to execute. We need to beat the teams we’re supposed to beat. No more road implosions for the bullpen!
Carlos you are forgeting the larger group of us that expect the Twin’s to do better then they have done (win in the playoffs) get angry when it didn’t happen.. watch a team be dismantled and refitted for 2010 only to be amazed and happy they are contending this year!
the more I look at the halo’s lineup the more I cringe.
my 8-6 comment earlier is going down as my hope pick.
my reality pick is 6-8 and that’s thinking we can take one game in LA. If we can’t do that I think we’re toast.
The key is going to be the pen on this series. 14 road games in 15 days will take a toll on the starters. The one shining light is that prior to the Blue Jays series, rosters expand which means that Korecky and others will be recalled adding depth to the pen.
Angels 2-2 (K-Rod will blow a save against us)
Seattle 2-1 (Ibanez will hit .800)
Oakland 3-1
Toronto 1-2 (I just have bad feelings)
So…8-6….
The key is going to be the pen on this road trip. 14 road games in 15 days will take a toll on the starters. The one shining light is that prior to the Blue Jays series, rosters expand which means that Korecky and others will be recalled adding depth to the pen.
Fire,
Thanks for the note. But, I made sure to say that “a lot of folks” fit into these two camps (not all folks). It would seem by your moniker and many of your posts in the past that you would be in camp A. I mean, c’mon, “FIRE GARDY & VAVRA!!!” does not sound like a happy and amazed Twins fan.
But, that’s cool. I think a lot of people that predicted 70-75 wins are amazed right now. Hard to tell by reading their posts just how many of them are happy yet though.
Sorry guys - this is the beginning of the end for our team. Their pitchers are too inexperienced and they can’t possibly hope to compete with veteran clubs like the top AL teams. Even if they made it to the playoffs by some fluke, they’d be dumped in the first round yet again. Its been a fun season but this is where it gets ugly. Go Vikes.
5 - 9 tops and they come home 5 games behind the sox with no shot at the wild card.
Carlos I have already gone on record that I will change my moniker when/if Twins reach 90 wins this year
I expected low 80’s in wins this year
I think folks are so stirred up because this team has very quickly raised expectations that they can win the division this year and because of that we would like for Gardy for 1 thing to play his best lineup for winning (PUNTO should not start and bat 2nd) it would be a shame to waste such a poor performance by the division rivals
I’d like to stay positive about the road trip, but the Twins haven’t won an away series against the Angels since 2003. They are 4-11 in regular season games at LA since 2004. The Twins are just 1-5 at Toronto the last two seasons.
“it would be a shame to waste such a poor performance by the division rivals”
White Sox are on pace to go 94-68.
Not THAT poor!
Why be positive?
Why be negative?
Just watch the @#$%@#$%@#$% games!
If the Twins want to make the playoffs, they need to be at least 9-5. That’s a split with the Angels and A’s, a sweep of Seattle and 2 of 3 from Toronto. It will all depend on the bullpen.
I can’t believe a lot of the posts I’m seeing here.. THINK ABOUT IT!
The very worst the twins will do in Anaheim is 1-3
The very worst they will do in Oakland and Seattle is 4-3
The very worst they will do in Toronto is 1-2
So the worst they will possibly do is 6-8
But how can anyone say that they will go 6-8, this is a team that has won 7 of their last 8 series regardless of whether they were at home or on the road. They are hungry, and are determined to keep winning. 7-7 on this trip would be a major disappointment and would likely put them 3 or 4 games behind the Sox. The Twins will stay hot and will go 9-5 on the road trip to stay around 1 game back of the Sox.
Whoever here thinks they will go 6-8 on this trip just doesn’t know anything
Chuck -
The worst the Twins can do is 0-14. It’s simple math.
Chuck THINK ABOUT IT the best Twins can do is 14-0
Someone way back in this blog said something about no wold card possibility. Check it out:
Boston has lost 6 of 8 to the BJ’s this year - they have 10 games left with them.
They also have 6 more with the Rays (6-6 so far) and 5 with the Yanks (7-6). Then they have Texas (yawn), Cleveland (hmmm…), Baltimore and the Chisox. We should go right down to the wire, the series w/TB and Chi at the end of December. We end w/KC, the Bosox end w/NY.
“at the end of December.” I’m really on today…make it September and give me as much grief as you like
FIRE GARDY & VAVRA!!!
Do you actually believe what you say in your name? Or is it just an attention getter? I am just curious…
It’s important for the Twins to tip the scales during this trip. We don’t need for the White Sox to open up a 3 or 4 game lead at this stage. The Sox are at home with the Rays while we play the Angels.
Well, figure in 2006, the Twins turned it around on the road at the end of the season to win the division. This would be a great oppportunity for the Twins to silence a lot of critics. MN teams always do well when they are the underdog and horrible when they are the favorite. I predict a 3-1 or 4-0 vs the Angels. They’ll play “Twins Baseball” but then choke away on the rest of the road trip for an average 7-7 after everyone jumps on board and thinks they’re the real deal. Remember, the Twins have not been in first place for two days in a row since the beginning of the season. Angels have struggled the past week vs. the Rays and Indians.
Question: How much will Dick and Bert give to the Angels organization and try to compare them to the Twins?
Some of us would like to see the breakdown of hits that LNP has against each team. And we can count dribblers if you want.
I would tend to believe the majority of his hits have come against teams that are below .500 and don’t have any grit.
anyone have time to chart his 59 hits
7-7 would put them 4 games out when they return home….
I think we’re in line for an 11-3 road trip…who’s gonna stop us?
Go Twins!
Statboy
They will not compare them. They will contrast them. Big, evil, rich, homerun hitting angels vs. The Little Team Theat Could.
*That
They will, however, compare the managerial styles of Gardenhire and Socia.
What’s with all the negativity here?????
Look at what we have going for us:
Punto’s finally getting after it!
Span is the best rookie not on the DL at the moment…
Mauer is Mauer
Morneau is like a Canadian God or something
the starters are rock solid
Kubel kicked butt against Seattle over the weekend…
the Manager has everything under control…
Stelly has that bullpe…
Stelly’s maki…
St…
The bullpen is about to come around big time!
Like I said, it’s all about 11-3 on this trip!
Remember….the Angels had to fly 3,000 miles home after last night’s game!!!!
How many “when Hunter was with the Twins” references will be hear out of Bert “at the major league level” Blyleven??
The Twins are getting after it!!!
I’m disappointed in La Velle…first he brings soccer into the conversation, then he predicts the Twins will only go 7-7???
Where’s the faith, La Velle?
Yeah, save soccer for the soccer blog.
You wonder how long the Twins are going to stay with the free swinging Gomez out in CF. He’s hitting about .250, but take away his 27 bunts hits & he’d be hitting .192. Carlos doesn’t make enough contact, especially with runners on base — is usually a rally killer. Plus, he’s on track for about 140 strikeouts … vieing to break Bobby Darwin’s Twins record from the early 70’s. Only because the Twins have been winning do they have the luxury of keeping Gomez around while he figures things out. May be better off giving Span the CF job & let Carlos hammer out his game in AAA.
If the Twins win tonight they’re tied with the Red Sox for the wild card and only 1/2 back of the Sox. I honestly think the worst case scenario is 7-7 the best being 10-4. Let’s hope both Boston and Chicago hit a slump right now.
Situationer - what does your moniker mean?
anyway my moniker is part making fun of the knee-jerk reactions on the blog and part being disatisfied with Gardy/Vavra
Take away Morneau’s 19 home runs and he’s hitting just .269. How long are we going to wait for this guy to produce. He should be in AAA until he figures it out.
My realistic thoughts about it - 0-4 at Anaheim is likely. They should have a decent chance in Seattle and Oakland but will likely lose one game of the series in each. They could run into trouble in Toronto as they have in the past and lose 2 of 3.
For ES16,
I think you know exactly what I meant when I said the worst they can do is 6-8. They have stellar starting pitching and the chances of them getting swept in any of the series are 0 to none. Oakland and Seattle are quite frankly awful and there is NO way that they will lose more than 4 games there. If the Twins catch both Burnett and Halladay in Toronto they MIGHT lose 2 games there, but I don’t think would even if they faces those 2.
So anyway, people like you suck for 2 reasons.
1. You point out the obvious to try to make yourself look good.
– 0-14 is clearly the worst they could do, but you know exactly what I meant when I said the worst is 6-8.
2. You try to bash people’s comments, but have nothing real to say.
– Next time you want to bash something I say, look at what I’m actually saying, or are you too stupid to read between the lines?
And for FIRE GARDY AND VAVRA, I never said anything about the best that the twins would do.
MORON
Totally off subject, but does anyone have any legit insight on what is up with Deolis Guerra this year? I realize he is very young, but his stats this year are very mediocre compared to the hype he has as a prospect. Judging by his stats, he has some major control issues. I’m wondering if coaches are working on things mechanically or with certain pitches that are causing some problems with his control. I’ve never seen him pitch or anything so it’s tough to go by anything but the stats. Anyone have any insight?
6-8. I think the twins will lose three games against the angels and it will be a .500 road trip after that series.
going on a limb and saying we go 10-4. Should sweep Jays and M’s. and take 2 from each A’s and Angels…. It can be accomplished.. we should have swept the M’s last week, so we know if our bullpen stays in one piece we can hold off the M’s on the road.
Good time to call up a relief pitcher.
geeeesh…we need to pump it up around here….it’s all good, everyone…
Let’s see…veteran righty going tonight…our lineup should be:
Span
Punto
Mauer
Morneau
Kubel
Young
Lamb
Everett
Go-Go
Sounds like a W to me…
Here comes the throw!
the twins will never lose another game for as long as they exist…They’re the equivilent of the Womens US softball team…untouchable….. What? Japan beat the US 3-1 for the gold???? Well I take that back, the twins will never win another game as long as they exist…
Chuck,
I feel worthless. Thanks for putting me in my place. You are right, you know everything and make great observations. I, on the other hand, don’t know anything and posts that are of litte value to true fans like youself. You have gotten after it. Good hustle!
ES16 …. All I’m saying is Gomez isn’t going to be able to make a living bunting for most of his hits. He’s got to learn how to make contact “at the major league level” (where’s Bert when you need him?) You can’t have a light-hitting guy striking out 140 times when you’re trying to get into the playoffs.
I haven’t read all the comments, so maybe someone’s already said this… but as good as Lackey’s been, the Twins don’t seem to have a problem with him:
Morneau: 7-24, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Mauer: 6-14, RBI
Kubel: 3-10, 3B, 3 RBI (and a SB??? Ha)
Delmon: 3-6, RBI
Lamb: 3-10, RBI
Casilla and Harris are a combined 0-7 against him. The only Twin who’s really struggled with him is Punto, who’s gone 2-15. Everett, Span, and Gomez have never faced him. Ruiz (obviously) hasn’t either.
That’s not too bad though, all things considered. If our lineup tonight goes: Span, Casilla, Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, Young, Lamb, Harris, Gomez… they’re a combined 22-71, making for a .310 average.
Naturally, I assume Punto and Buscher will be out there instead of Harris and Lamb, but Gardy likes to play matchups a lot, so maybe Buscher and Punto get a night off. I highly doubt it though. Still, that’s my vote for the lineup tonight.
The 2008 Twins are an inept road team and are swept regularly on the road against quality competition. The bullpen is awful on the road and cannot hold leads against weak teams like Seattle.
I can see the Twins getting swept by the Angels and limp home after a 4-10 road trip…5-6 games out of first place and effectively out of the playoffs. This road trip will be their “Waterloo” for 2008… Start thinking about 2009 after this road trip cause this season is effectively over…
Mr. Doom and Gloom Realist
Reno says the over/under on the Blyleven “When Hunter was with the Twins” comment is 6.
Kudos to Glanzer for taking a game by game shot at prediction…FWIW, here are mine:
W 9-4 @ LAA
L 3-5 @ LAA
W 11-7 @ LAA
L 4-5 @ LAA (10)
W 11-9 @ SEA (can’t disagree here)
L 5-7 @ SEA
W 6-3 @ SEA
L 1-4 @ OAK
L 4-7 @ OAK
W 3-0 @ OAK
W 8-5 @ OAK
L 1-3 @ TOR
W 7-5 @ TOR
W 4-3 @ TOR (10)
Good luck Twins!
Can we get Johan back for four crummy players?
Sure Craig.
Got $150 million handy?
Carl does!
Look at the FACTS: Only 1 team… LA Angels in the AL has a winning road record. Only the Phillies, Brewers, and Cardinals have a winning road record in the NL…. so that means…only 4 teams in the entire league have winning records on the road… and yet, twin fans still put the Twins on the burner for being 5 games under .500 on the road…..The world series will run through the metrodome…
ES16,
For once you are right.
Chuck
chuck, you’re gay
A lot of posters talk about the Twins more with their heart than their head.
Fact-of-the-Matter: The Twins almost always have lousy west coast roadtrips. In close games they crumble and give Twins fans watching/listening back home heart attacks. Their 7th & 8th inning guys are fire starters right now.
But even if they go 4-10 or 5-9 on the trip, Chicago probably isn’t going to play any better than .500 on their road trip, so the Twins would be just 3 or 4 games back as they come back to make some hay at the Dome.
I don’t think the boys are quite ready for prime time, but if Chicago plays bad enough, the Twins could win the Central with 88-90 wins.
Screw it. I say 14-0. Leap of Faith!
Un,
I’d be willing to assume that as Guerra continues to move through the system, and plays some winter ball, his control will improve. He’s only 19, and he can already throw in the mid-90s. That’s a big-league arm right there, especially if he can really develop either a good slider or good curve, and a plus changeup.
He’s young enough that he’s still at the learning structure, more than the fine-tuning and development process where you start to see that potential translate into results.
I know his control has gotten worse, but I’m willing to attribute that to the fact that I imagine it’s difficult to maintain your technique when your body grows another 2 inches between seasons. Hopefully he hammers out the details, but we won’t know for another 3 years, in all likelihood.
Samm, please stop insulting the gays. Thanks!
Carl is worth about 2.8 bil
Since 1 billion is 1,000 mil, that’s 2 thousand 800 million. If Carl earns 10% on his money (I’m sure he does way better than that) that would earn him 280 mil a year in interest. Since Santana only earns 150 mil for his entire contract, Carl has more than enough dough. We haven’t even factored in all YOUR money that Carl is earning money on, that you have in his bank.
Check my numbers, you math whiz types.
Very good, Craig!
Next step: Write a letter to Carl Pohlad and explain that to him. I’m sure he’s just never thought of it that way before.
While you’re at it, ask him if he can spare a measly $20 million or so for me, so I never have to work or do anything again. Thanks!
1 of 4 vs LAA (Lackey and Baker have both been getting roughed up in 2nd half so I can see taking that game if Baker is sharp. I like the Blackburn and Garland matchup, but the other two’ll be tough)
3 of 4 vs OAK (I know Billy B is of the ‘if you can’t win 90 you might as well lose 90′ mentality, and he is doing a very good job at that, but it seems like even the rebuilding OAK teams of years past have been better than this….)
2 of 3 vs SEA (after the performance in SafeCo last time, no excuse not to win that series)
1 of 3 vs TOR (Burnett has been lights out and Halliday is Halliday…. at least they can’t hit too.)
7-7 sounds about right to me.
Steve,
I’ll try to get 20 mil for you and 20 mil for me.
When I get my 20 mil, no one would ever hear from me again. Not family, not friend nor foe. I would vanish. Interpol wouldn’t even be able to find me.
You guys would finally be rid of me. Haha.
Craig–You could spend the rest of your life tracking marksor.
Excited to get Casilla back, he is going to help a lot. A Punto and Casilla up the middle combo is going to help these pitchers going strong through the end of the season.
jake,
Who or what is marksor?
The Johan deal is ancient history. I still think that Hughes and Gomez will end up being the two best players thrown around in those trade talks. In hindsight the Lester, Lowrie, Masterson deal was the best of the bunch. Lester has proven to be a number 2 or 3 pitcher for a playoff team and Lowrie and Masterson are going to be quality major leaguers. But for star quality it is going to be Hughes and Gomez.
“Next time you want to bash something I say, look at what I’m actually saying, or are you too stupid to read between the lines?”
Anybody else get a good chuckle out of that one?
That would be your mission, Craig, should you decided to accept it–if you get your $20 mil.
USAF,
Haha, I am now…
I know you are all going to talk shit about Gomez, but in 2 to 3 years he is going to be a star. Who knew that Denard was going to be such a solid player? Gomez was not ready to be in the big leagues and quickly ran out of steam in about 2 months. Look at the plus things though; he plays outstanding defense, he has better range than any outfielder in MLB, is the fastest player in MLB, has some pop in his bat and is 6-4 205 and only 22. Yes his throws are usually about 15 feet off target and he can’t hit a breaking ball to save his life, but he will get better. He truly has the talent to be a .280 20 80 guy. If he can just improve enough to get that on base percentage to about .340-.350 he will be an automatic 60 SB guy too. We have a phenomenal core to build around in Morneau, Mauer, Gomez, Kubel, Span, Baker, Liriano and Slowey. Our rotation by the time that new park opens could boast 5 guys who could win 15+ games a year.
5-9 at best. I don’t like the way the Whities are playing now. Hope I am wrong, but it simply doesn’t look very good. I think it is the beginning of a fall out of contention. To get 5 or so behind is extremely hard to overcome. Prove me wrong guys! GO Twins!
This season has just proved that Terry Ryan and his disciples know far more about baseball talent and the business of baseaball than any one of us.
But, all of us together know a heck of a lot more than they do. WE’RE A TEAM TOO, YOU KNOW!! Marksor is a seldom used bench player who gripes a lot and usually eats alone.
Twinkies split with Anaheim, sweep Seattle, split in Oakland and lose 2 out of 3 in Toronto. They go 8-6 which is not a bad 14 game road trip. We come home about 2 games out. We always play Anaheim tough because we play the exact same kind of baseball. Toronto always gives us a hard time and we can’t hit Halladay to save our lives and they will also be road weary and tired by the time that series rolls around.
If the Twins do not start Casilla and Punto up the middle for the rest of the season they are complete morons. Harris is a defensive liability with absolutely no range. He should split time with Buscher and hit against lefties and only OCCASIONALLY spell Punto and Casilla. Everett is absolute junk (one miracle homer against the Yanks withstanding)and would be immediately released once Tolbert is healthy if it weren’t for the upcoming expanded rosters. The playoff roster would have to be a bench of Redmond, Harris, Tolbert, Gomez
Steve,
Deolis Guerra’s (can you believe that there are 2 Guerras pitching in the Twins system? as far as I am concerned, the other Guerra, Pedro, is the boy wonder) control problems is due to changes made to his delivery this year by the Twins minor league brain trust. Let’s see how he recovers..
Tolbert. Now, that’s a good one.
What’s so funny about that? I seem to remember him making hitting about .300 for a month to 6 weeks and playing good defense. He is a better hitter than Everett and is far superior and faster than Harris. I laugh because every person on this thing said Casilla was junk this winter and look how that turned out. I was saying in february that we should be starting Casilla and Tolbert up the middle at the beginning of the year and everyone laughed. Well I still think that is our best combo and Casilla turned out to be quite a 2B/SS. I would only go with Punto the rest of the year because Tolbert has been out for so long and Punto’s exquisite defense is necessary in this pennant race with our young pitchers.
Yes, the Twins are bad on the road, but aside from the Angels, they are playing some weak teams. Seattle is a joke this year (I hope Silva is pitching again!) and Oakland has sucked since the All Star Break. Toronto is all right, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. If the Twins can split with the Angels, they have a chance to do much better than 7-7.
I almost forgot - the return of Alexi Casilla might be just the boost they need to post a winning record.
Tolbert hit .265 in 83 at-bats, three RBI in 30 games, 5 walks, 15 strikeouts. He can help in September if he’s able to play but he’s not on the playoff roster. How do so many people fall in love with Tolbert and Macri for so-so numbers in a short period? They’re intriguing for the future but not this October.
what are u smokin 10-4 these gents are going all the way
Zach knows baseball.
LA will take 3 of 4 from us. They are just that much better then us. We should sweep Seattle but won’t because we don’t know how to pitch to Raul Ibanez. We win 1 there. Thankfully Oakland is horrible so we get 2 of 4 there and way out to Toronto will leave us with a hangover. So we win 1 of 3 there. 5-9 Roadtrip. Gotta get some help or an Ozzie meltdown to stay close.
I predict we’ll win at least one game and lose at least one game, and no matter what happens in the rest of the games, most people posting here will be sure that they could have improved the results if they were in the dugout or the front office.
c’mon people!
The twins haven’t played .500 ball in a 14 game span for a long time… our pitching staff is too good to let that happen. I say we for sure can go 9-5. Let’s aim high here people… With the way the Twins have played this year we can compete with anyone. I say that the Twins aim for 11-3. I really think we can do it.
I’ve said it a few times in the past few days and I’m saying it again, take Livan’s starts and stats out of the equation and you have a Twins team with a winning road record and an ERA near 4.00. I say 8-6, maybe even better.
