Twins-Jays: Reinforcements (minus Mijares) arrive
Posted on September 2nd, 2008 – 4:25 PMBy La Velle
Lefthander Jose Mijares won’t join the Twins until Friday at the Dome because of visa issues that won’t allow him to travel to Canada.
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said the problem stemmed from the offseason, during which Mijares was involved in an automobile accident that led to a broken elbow. Sounds like paperwork was overlooked because the focus was on his recovery.
Everyone else is here. That includes Matt Tolbert, who flew in from Connecticut today. Tolbert immediately had to explain why he slept in the trainer’s room in Fort Myers, Fla. during the first days of his rehab. He apparently tossed and turned the first night and missed his wake-up call, so he slept on a trainer’s room table for a few nights before he was up to sleep his hotel room again.
But he then set up seven alarms to make sure he wasn’t late again. Three wake-up calls, three cell phone alarms and the clock radio in the hotel room. He had to beg the front desk to give him three wake-up calls.
“They said, `The most we can give out is two,’ ” Tolbert said. “I told them, `this is life and death.’ ”
Gardy wants offense today……
Lineup
Twins (77-60)
- Denard Span, CF
- Alexi Casilla, 2B.
- Joe Mauer, C.
- Justin Morneau, 1B
- Jason Kubel, RF
- Randy Ruiz, DH
- Delmon Young, LF
- Brian Buscher, 3B
- Nick Punto, SS
Pitching: Glen Perkins, 12-3
Toronto lineup to come.
354 Responses to "Twins-Jays: Reinforcements (minus Mijares) arrive"
Two right fielders? Now that’s what I call a permanent shift. Good lineup Gardy. I think were going to see less of Gomez in the starting lineup down the stretch. Sure wish Cuddy could get healthy.
This should be the primary lineup the rest of the season.
I love this lineup…
Offense isn’t sacrificed for Defense…
Although I do want Gomez’s speed in CF…
I hope Buscher is relaxed tonight…watching the video preview of this Purcey guy, he could give our lefties fits all day… meaning Kubel/Morneau/Buscher… he’s a rookie and a lefty, which we haven’t done well against in the past. Need to be PATIENT and wait for some fastballs down the middle.
It comes down to a question of whether you’d rather have Gomez’s defense or Kubel’s offense/bat. I think Gardy made a good choice with this lineup. Gomez is going to be a GREAT player soon, just not this September.
Butcher starting against a lefty? hmmmm
another nail in harris’ coffin, he’ll be gone this winter.
he is a better fielding and throwing 3b and hits better against lefties so this tells you how far down the bench gardy has pushed him.
5 lefties in the lineup? gardy did you really make this out doesn’t seem like you.
Why not Tolbert at 3B? What are they waiting for?
This is life and death, baby.
Span plays CF as well as Gomez.
yeah, I would have Harris in a SS instead of Punto though (despite him “tearing it up” lately)…
but I guess you can never fully get your wish with Gardy filling out the card… at least he’s in the 9th hole.
When we have this lineup it will be a track meet
Span
Casilla
Mauer
Morneau
Kubel
Young
Tolbert
Punto
Gomez
Gardy trust the veteran Kubel to not get fooled as much as the free-swinging GoGo, even if it’s a lefty.
Dang, I temporarily forgot Tolbert’s back. Yeah, I’d like to see him in there.
buscher .147 ave, .171 obp against lefties, would that be considered scuffling?
harris .244 ave, .313 obp
gardy must have a gut feeling on this one.
I like Buscher at 3rd right now…while I like Tolbert, “you gotta play the hot hand”
Seriously, what is with the Twins and all the players visa problems. Someone needs to be in charge of player visa’s.
I’m liking the line-up. I’m glad to see Casilla back in the two-hole. I was getting worried Gardy might keep him down in the order, since he started hitting better. And as long as Punto doesn’t annoy me with his bat flipping or first-base sliding, I can live with that. But barely. I still think Harris makes the Twins a better team since he was our starting SS when the Twins won 17 of 18, but what the hell do I know. I’m just a computer nerd.
Situationer, it’s his “hot” arm that’s the problem. Been watching? We’re losing too many one-run games lately and have lost two games on this RT because of 3B defense.
Tolbert should be in the lineup everyday.
God Bless this Kid.Gotta love him.
Where do you guys find all these great stats?
Kubel, at 26, is no veteran. Compared to Go-go, however…
I’m going to throw this theory out there on the table; This is the 7th lefty in a row that the Twins lineup has seen. I would think that hitting off another lefty tonight won’t be as difficult as facing a lefty earlier in this stretch. My point is that our lineup should b e used to it, thus shouldn’t be such a factor.
Hmm, two right fielders. Should be interesting.
OK.
DH Buscher, put Ruiz at 1st(The position he can play), and see if Morny can play 3rd.
Romer - how many games in the past 20 has Buscher errored in? I realized he sucked it up one game, but what about the others?
With the extra infielder called up, I doubt we will see Harris at short again, Mark.
In 50 games he has 9 errors…not great, but not terrible by any means
Game starts in an hour. Where is the Jays lineup LVEN3?
In comparison, Harris, while playing 3B, has 3 errors in only 22 games. If Harris played 50 games at 3B, he would be around the same amount of errors
Heatonator,
That may be true, but Span in CF means Kubel in right, and the trade-off between Gomez/Span and Span/Kubel is noticeable.
Span might actually need a day off or something sometime soon here… he’s dropped his average 24 points since his big game against the Angels, and he’s currently on a 6-36 stretch at the plate… batting .167 with .285 OBP in this slump.
Regardless, I like tonight’s lineup, though it’s a little shaky on the defensive side of things, and we’ve got Buscher against a lefty. Eesh. I’d prefer Harris or Tolbert as well, but I suppose Buscher should be given a shot to see if he can do something in a start versus a lefty someday.
SPAN THE SPAN-MAN
Look at that lineup and imagine that we had a solid everyday SS…man that lineup has potential
Scutaro
Bautista
Rios
Wells
BarajasLind
Rolen
Overbay
McDonald
buzz that is one of the dumbest things i’ve ever heard, take morneau out of a position that he plays better then most, and put him in a position where he has never played? and in place of morneau at 1st, put a guy there who really can’t play defense at all?
Situationer,
Harris can at least make the throw across the diamond and the throw to second on a DP.
Buscher’s defense is worse than the number of errors show. I sometimes wonder how poor of a situation we’d be in if we didn’t have one of the better-defending first basemen in the league with Morneau. His digs, stretches, and reaction times have saved Buscher on numerous occasions.
The same is true for all infielders I’m sure, but I think it’s hard to argue that anyone has as much trouble with it as Buscher.
Will Go-go ever play the corners?
Scutaro
Bautista
Rios
Wells
Barajas
Lind
Rolen
Overbay
McDonald
There we go…
Didn’t Buscher play on Sunday - with a lefty pitching? And had at least one hit? He can hit lefties, he just needs to believe it. He hasn’t had all that many opportunities this year to turn his average vs. lefties around.
It was a joke.
Steve - I agree with you on that, but Buscher is not so terrible that we should sit him for a back-up. If Buscher is going to be our everyday 3B next year, which it seems he might, let him get his hacks in now
Rogers Centre has so much foul territory…
We are pushing for the post season, and Buscher’s bat is one of the reasons that we got this far
Um, Buscher has absolutely sucked vs. lefties this year. But you want to let him get his hacks in now? Now, in a pennant race? How about letting him get his hacks in during spring training?
Buscher gets an RBI ever 4.22 AB.
Situationer “HERE, HERE”
Gotta love Tolbert too though. TRACK MEET!
every*
If Buscher is our everyday third baseman next year, I will be very disappointed.
Put me solidly in the “Buscher at 3rd against a lefty?” camp.
Buscher’s lone redeeming quality is an ability to hit RH pitching decently.
Tolbert played running back in high school. During his senior year, he ran for 2,561 yards on 326 carries.
“Tolbert played running back in high school. During his senior year, he ran for 2,561 yards on 326 carries.”
Where’d you find that out?
It’s not even that Buscher is hitting .147 against lefties. It’s that he has looked lost at the plate against lefties. Those aren’t line drives that are finding fielders. Those are weak swings or called third strikes. He is hitting .353 against righties. That is what is helping this team. Not fielding, not hitting against lefties. With enough players on the roster, let’s juggle that line up to get the right match ups.
What do you all think of the Jays lineup tonight?
“…that hitting off another lefty tonight won’t be as difficult…”
I do believe you’re right, Jimmy Jam. Thanks!
Steve - I hear you on that, but for now, he is it.
Macleod - watch and see tonight, have faith…Buscher can be a pretty clutch hitter, leave him in
Lind and Overbay are the only lefties batting tonight for the Canadiens.
“…but what about the others?”
No room for error in a pennant chase, Situationer. WE’VE RECENTLY LOST GAMES on this stuff.
And just because you have this alleged man-crush on Buscher……..
:)>
Where would the Twins be without a Gold Glover like Morneau at first? Saves a lot of outs and probably some runs each game.
Louie, wikipedia.
Hey, way to call out my man crush…if Buscher dissappoints tonight, then I put my foot in my mouth, but if he succeeds, I get to yell at you nay sayers
AHH
“In comparison, Harris, while playing 3B, has 3 errors in…”
Maybe you missed my point, I don’t want Harris or Buscher starting.
I believe my friends. I BELIEVE!!!
romer - did not catch that, my bad
I’m off to go watch the game with some friends… good luck Twins, let’s get a win!
Maybe Buscher will have a good game and I’ll completely forget about my never-ending dream of a Garrett Atkins trade this offseason.
…Somehow I doubt that. 
While I do like to see Go-Go out in CF, the nice thing about having him on the bench is it gives them an incredibly potent pinch-runner that can come in to help get that crucial late inning run they’ve been lacking alot lately.
It also isn’t going to hurt to rotate the outfielders so they all get a chance to get a day off every now and then.
Will Gomez ever play RF?
61.3 vs 44.8
Did everyone go to their television?
Buscher’s arm at 3b scares nuns, bunnies and small children.
We’re down to the end of the season and putting in a scatterarm now is not comforting. I’d rather see Tolbert or Macri over there if Gardy isn’t going to play Harris. Hell, I’d rather see Punto at third and Tolbert at short.
You’d like to say it’s Gardy’s funeral, but it really isn’t. There may be no safer manager in baseball so Buscher against a lefty it is. I’ll have the fingers crossed that this turns out well.
I will say I like Buscher’s bat off the bench in a big situation.
I would have preferred Macri to Buscher or Harris. Macri has been playing more than Tolbert, who rehabbed in AA for about 6 games, and he has had a power surge lately. He has also faced the pitcher this year 9 times.
Let’s see how they do against their seventh straight lefthander. Until Rowland-Smith beat them, they had beat 10 straight lefties. They are 3-3 in this stretch, but have only lost one decision to a lefthanded starter.
BTW, the Twins have just over 30% of their plate appearances against lefthanded pitching. This is quite a bit above average which usually runs between 20-25%.
Brian Buscher = Nice Rhubarbs
My last comment about Buscher today…..he very well may win the game for the Twins tonight. He’s good. He’s helped win a lot of games this year.
But he’s lost a big crapload of them too.
Pitchers dual.
Everyone taking a nap? Tough weekend? Are you all Republicans and watching the convention?
rehab from the long west coast trip…those 9 pm starts really get to a fan
[…] Originally published by Twins Insider […]
I’ve got the baseball package, so have the WSox-Cleveland game on. Thank God no IDIOT Harrelson tonight!
Carmona mowed em down in the first. Konerko had an IF single, with E5 to reach second, in the second. Followed by a single by the rail-thin Alexi Ramerez to move Kornerko to third, but Crede’s FC ended that. Grady had a leadoff single in the first, but then a DP erased that.
0-0 after 1 1/2
Cleveland just cranked a two-run HR to lead 2-0!
Way to move them over NIcky!
Punto is THEE Pop-Up king.
That is why he is Pop-Up Punto.
There is not another player in the Majors who pops it up more than our beloved #8.
Had the sound off, with the Twins game on. It was V-Mart’s first dinger of the year.
You guys will have to check out BJ Upton’s great catch off an ARod ball just now. It wouldn’t have gone out, but what a catch! Garza was pretty appreciative.
BTW, Cleveland has hammered a couple of long foul balls of Danks. He’s lucky they aren’t down more than a couple. They’ve loaded them up now, with only one out.
Scott Rolen ……. he’s on my All-DL Team.
Nomar Garciapara - SS/3B
Troy Glaus - 3B
Eric Chavez - 3B
Bobby Crosby - SS
Jeff Kent - 2B
Grady hit one about as hard as you can for the second out and Guttierez K’d to end the inning. Danks threw 34 pitches in the inning, so it doesn’t look like he’ll last too late in this one.
2-0 after two.
That was a nasty, high slider, Perk. Beautiful.
Let’s go to the third……
Let’s get some runs…’Gardy wants offense today.’
Two threats in the first two…hope three is a charm
MARK:
That idiot Sizemore can’t get a hit when we need it and Gutierrez strikes out, both of them with the bases loaded.
Stupid!
Morons! ! !
deja vu. This time, score!!
thank you MVP.
Hey MudCat,
Can’t fault Grady too much. He damn near put Kornerko on the DL with his smash.
Twins finally break through. With two runners on the first three innings, we needed that.
Chisox are out in the third, still 2-0
Grady Sizemore = Dream Size Gyro
Sizemore’s a big guy, and having a big year. 31 homers, 30 stolen bases.
They should trade him to the Brewers also.
Great AB by Kubel. Finally moves the runners up…….and there’s your second run. Thanks, Jason.
He’s not having any trouble handling the lefty. He should be in the lineup every day. He’s ready for the WS.
Leadoff double for San Francisco, but he died there. I must say, Danks is living on the edge, though. Crede made a diving stop to steal a hit and Garko blasted one to the warning track in dead center to end the inning.
2-0 after three.
Delmon drives in the Twin run. Garko didn’t drive in the Indian’s run. Still 2-0.
Moron.
“He’s not having any trouble handling the lefty. He should be in the lineup every day. He’s ready for the WS.”
Not so, Buscher…..
Perkins is definitely the Twins’ 5th starter. But he’s good. And actually, I think he’s very good.
But he’d better start getting the ball down though.
Very quick inning for Carmona, still 2-0 through 3 1/2
BTW, as we approach nightfall, you can pick up the Chisox radio on 670 AM, The Score.
Bosox are up 3-0 on Baltimore, I don’t think we can count on the O’s for any help.
Span The Man! I love this kid!!!
Span the man
Span the man perkins needs to calm down
WOW WOW WOW WOW!! What a throw by Span!!!!
Pretty funny story about the Twins and Carlos Quentin….
Span is a friggin’ gold glover
Twins are leading;
White Sux are trailing;
Nothing else matters, fans.
GO MUTTS!!!!
WIN TWINS!!!!
LOSE WHITE SUX!!!!
Indians got a couple of one out singles, but Grady popped out (insert “moron” here :*)
Gutierrez just hit a two-run double over Dye’s head, 4-0!
Nice! Thanks for the update
Swisher just made a nice little jumping catch on a rocket, to save another run. Danks is lucky this isn’t an 8-0 game.
4-0 through four.
“Nothing else matters, fans.”
No, Punto just stole 2nd. Punto matters VERY MUCH!!!!
Carmona is sailing along, only three runners (two singles and a walk) allowed through five.
Danks has thrown 72 pitches in four innings. Carmona 60 in five.
4-0 half way through.
Well, that’s the end of those 7 frickin’ lefties in a row!
What a bunch of whiners in the stands. That Punto score was wide open to see that he was safe. What’s wrong with these people?
romer, and the the Puntz hustled in for another run. As long as the Twins’ Pups lead, and ChiSux Trail, nothing else matters, no matter who helps the junkyard mad dog MUTTS keep winning, now 5-0 in favor of the junkyard dogs, the PUPS, WIN MUTTS, WE LOVE YOU MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!
Danks got yanked and Carrasco is in. OCabby made a great play at SS to end the inning. First time the Tribe went out 1-2-3.
4-0 through five
Boston is up 4-1, at least Baltimore scored.
If you’re listening to the Twins on radio, they have someone from the AAA Red Wings talking about the callups and other Twins players that came up earlier this year. Pretty interesting.
My bad, MUTTS fans….5-1 in favor of the MadDog Twins Pups….
GO PUPS
WIN MUTTS
TWINS RULE
CHISUX DRULE
Wonder what the Perk pitchcount is. I wanna see nobody but Nathan from the pen tonight.
Mark -
Gordo and Danny are talking to their counterpart for the Red Wings - the radio announcer.
60 through 4, romer. Or do you mean, will the staff let him pitch 100 or more?
tough spinner handled by Mad Dog Casilla, the next best 2nd baseman in Twins history….Rod Carew before he became a 1st baseman. That is one fantastic comparison, I saw the Rod man when he was a PUP himself.
Josh Wetzel - the radio guy for the Red Wings. Lots of great insights about all the new players.
yeap, Butcher is really contributing tonight, isn’t he?
Great for people who can’t watch or listen (no I don’t work for ESPN.)
66 pitches after 4.
UGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
I sure love leadoff walks, up by 4.
DOUBLE UGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Get him out of there.
Ouch and Ouch……Now Perk will bear down, just watch.
Did I miss something or are they just showing BP?
White sox threatning
Checking out some other games. Reds CF Patterson just stole a HR from Adam LaRoche.
Anywho, Alexi Ramerez just won an Emmy for faking being hit. They showed a replay and it clearly hit the bat, knocking it out of his hands. They award him first base and it’s helped propel the Sox comeback. Carmona is gone like that. 4-3 with two outs and runners at second and third. The only suprising thing with the Ramerez deal, is that it WASN’T AJ.
Well, well, no one said this thing was going to be easy. C’mon, Twins!
alright… what is Gardy waiting for to pull Perk?
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!
If Gardy leaves Perkins in there much longer, we can lose this game. It’s been obvious that he doesn’t have ANYTHING tonight. Take him out already!!! GREAT, another one just left the park! He’s still pitching though, guess he hasn’t thrown enough pitches yet!! Sox scored 3.
Get Perkins out of there! Perkins has given up multiple HRs in a row. Don’t like it.
Indians Up by 1
Twins Up by 1
Twins Still Lead
ChiSux Still Trail
MUTTS RULE
SUX DROOL
Carmona has also lost it, it seems.
Betncourt came on to K Owens?
4-3. B6
Oh, joy. Crain is warming up. Why not just bring Ron Davis out of retirement?
We brought up Korecky, Humber, etc. Do you think we could give Crain a rest?
Punto saves Buscher. Ok, let’s reclaim this game.
People complain if Gardy doesn’t let the young pitchers learn how to get thru a tough inning, Yet when it’s time to let the Pup Perkins learn, you want to Yank him. Nothing satisfies better than perfection, and Mr. Punto/Mr. Morneau just showed perfection.
TWINS RULE
SUX DROOL
GO MUTTS, YOU CRAZY MAD DOG JUNKYARD FIGHTERS!!!
Nick “Ty Cobb” Punto Up!
Bottom 4, Atlanta 10 Florida 9
Is there hope for Baltimore? Naaah. :*O
Why Crain gets to pitch in any close game is still beyond me. I’d rather have Perkins pitch
This is not a time to ‘learn’ they are in a race! But the way our bullpen is lately it probably doesn’t matter.
Punto, do like Carew told you, put it down and use your speed.
Nice phantom call dick, that wasn’t even close
OK, Perk, mow ‘em down the rest of the way, your bad inning is behind you, now time to work with BoyJoe your battery mate to go the route!!!!
GO MADDOG MUTTS!!!
JUNKYARD MAD DOGS!
TWINS RULE,
SUX DROOL!!!!!!!
If alcohol was an issue with the car accident, that may explain the Visa issues with Canada. Canada has a strict policy about not letting convicted felons or persons with alcohol related driving offenses on their record to enter Canada. If you have a DWI on your record you will not be allowed to enter Canada.
The Boof for the Perk…..BOOOOOOOF!!!!
Boof is awesome now.
Carrasco has done a nice job for Chicago. One single this inning. Both bullpens are questionable, so it’s anybody’s game.
4-3 Cleveland heading to the seventh.
This game has got “loss’ stamped all over it, thanks to Perkins not having much. Boof is not looking confident or competent at all so far. Be a miracle if Twins win this. Oh well.
Dont kid yourself Louie
Wow, am I prophetic or what?
Nora….Every game every day is a learning experience in everything….Even Boof just learned that….uffda.
GO BULLPEN!!!!
Get Boof out of there right now! He has nothing.
Well, we had well-deserved confidence in Perkins and Boof. Just one of those nights I guess.
(throws up)
Boof! You make me wanna puke! Perkins, you too!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
I repeat: Not one single reliever they can trust…
It’s official!! Twins are afraid of success. They can only play good if they are behind in the standings. Who needs Ron Davis to come out of retirement? We got Boof!!
We had a 5-1 lead. How fast it changes!
What, now he’s Steve Carlton? Guess he had to give up the obligatory 2-run homer.
6 weeks or so ago I would have questioned putting Boof in this situation. Although I still don’t know if he should’ve been in there, it’s hard to point the finger on this one when no one else out of the ‘pen has done any better.
It is pretty amazing we are still in the race with nobody in the bullpen can get it done when it counts.
That’s the problem Dan. There isn’t one pitcher (save Nathan) that Gardy can look at and say “That’s the guy I need right here.”
He’s got Nathan…and then a bunch of guys who can throw the ball.
Give the Twins about a C - for this road trip. Unbelievable, Thought for sure the Twins would win
Tou can never think a wi is ‘for sure’ with this bullpen. All you can do is hope and pray–mostly in vain.
Games are 9 innings long, fellas. Game’s not over.
you, I mean
Sure would be nice if the Twins instituted a conditioning program for some of these pitchers. Perkins and Bonser do not look like they are fit. This is pathetic for young professionals seeking a career in ML sports. And Perkins “smirky” concern needs an attitude adjustment.
boy, but sometimes the pitching sucks!
Uh-oh. Leadoff walk for Chicago. One out, Dye up.
Interesting fact mentioned on radio. Last night was the first time two players have hit for the cycle on the same day since 1920!
does anyone know what twins are arbitration eligible for next season and what ones are free agents besides reyes and punto?
You have got to be kidding. I wonder how mentally tough Boof is. He comes in and tries to over throw, blames it on his landing spot (which he couldn’t work on during his warmup), walks the leadoff guy, and gives up the go ahead HR. NICE!
Let’s not forget, Nathan had two blown saves on this trip. Why not try Humber? Then if he throws bad, we can really get on Gardy!! Thank Goodness we still have all our prospects down on the farm, cause that will really help rally here in the late innings!!
Bring in Gomez to pitch. He has a cannon!
Always nice when you get down a run and the next inning you have your 3 - 4 - 5 hitters coming up. 3- ground out to second, 4 - ground out to third and 5 - lazy fly out to right. WAY TO RIP IT!!! Now that’s a feared middle of the line-up right there!!!
And the lefthanders just chew up the middle of the Twins lineup yet again.
Well, now we need one of the “straws” to wake up the team and change the mojo. Right now this smells like a loss unless a dramatic turnaround ensues…not likely with the parade of lefties the Birds have.
I’m hoping that a three game sweep loss leaves the boys no more than two out.
They really need to get home or they need something to stir up some confidence. I have to admit, though, that it would be tough to have any confidence in the bullpen. It’s hard to believe that it could be so bad…10/11 pitchers and not one who inspires confidence. Must be hard to manage under these circumstances.
Dye struck out, then Cleveland brought in Perez to face Thome. Thome is 0-11 with 5 K’s vs. Perez.
Make that 0-12, Cabrerra (2nd baseman) was playing like a softball short OF’er and threw him out from shallow RF.
Didn’t the Twins score 5 against a left hander? Pirching failed the Twins tonight, not hitting.
LEad off walk for Chi Sox and no score!
Pitching
Twins this year so far against Toronto 0-3 in the metrodome
Yep, because the middle of the lineup for the twins was unable to get a hit, they must therefore suck…
Hey T cool it with the language!
T says:
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:18 pm
QUIT BITCHING YOU FUCKING WHINERS
I think it’s past your bedtime T!! Good Night!!
Oh yay. Now the namestealers are out in full force.
YEAH GO TO BED!!!!!
Oh yea, it’s that fuckhead ump. He should have been fired a couple years ago.
The parade of bad bullpen pitching continues. What a nightmare they are.
Hey T cool it with the language!
I think it’s past your bedtime T!! Good Night!!
Anybody who knows my habits on here knows that’s not me. Hopefully the culprit will be caught and quickly banned.
This is the kind of immaturity that is driving me away from this place.
there goes Butcher again… two hops
“Hopefully the culprit will be caught and quickly banned.”
We all know that unfortunately it will not happen…
T
I knew it wasn’t you. I wish there was a board operator here to stop this stuff.
Wasn’t it Perkins who hit a wall in his last start too? I seem to recall somebody crusiing and then suddenly *BAM* there went the game…
Crain needs to be put out of our misery. He has no clue where the ball is going. Maybe next year.
I wish there was a board operator here to stop this stuff.
If they required registration to post (not just view stories) all of this nonsense would go away.
It worked on the Vikings side…
Had to take a short break. Cleveland just scored to go up 5-3. Nobody out, runners at first and second. New Chicago reliever.
gatty790 says:
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Yep, because the middle of the lineup for the twins was unable to get a hit, they must therefore suck…
Not what I said or implied. Just thought it was nice to have the middle of the line-up coming up after we had just lost the lead. And in these particular at-bats, they did indeed suck!
I’m with T (imagine that!)
Registration is long overdue.
You can’t READ a story without registering, but you can WRITE anything you want?
Now, maybe a Twins player will hit a home run. Okay, maybe not.
T,
(just ignore the trolls, they’ll go away) and yes Perkins has been hitting the wall in the 5th inning in most of his starts. That’s why he projects as a reliever…
Good job Denny! I actually hope they keep him around, when used correctly he’s pretty effective. I also hope they keep Breslow around for next year!
Lets get the bats going
Reyes took Overbay to handling school in that at bat…
Can somebody please just accidentally put one over the fence?
That’d be SUPER.
I heard OVERBAY hit his head just before he went up to the plate and Mauer told him he was a left handed version of Gomez!! He almost touched one of those balls!!
The Jays pen is stacked…
Just when you think Boof can finally help you the real Boof pops back up. God is Crain horrible. But this a game where the offense somehow has to pick up the pitching. Perkins needs and extra day or something. He is really struggling.
Glen Perkins BA’s by inning:
1st - .247
2nd - .310
3rd - .268
4th - .322
5th - .243
6th - .288
7th - .371
8th - .294
It’s time for someone to go Kirby on the team and tell them to hop on their back. We have voluble superstars, guys who you’d like to buy a beer or marry your daughter. It is time for one of these guys to become a surly butthole (Morris, i.e.) or shout some bravado and tell everybody on the bench that the Blue Jays chose the wrong goddam rec room to break into! We need someone who leads the league in most offensive categories, including nose hair.
Do we have a grizzled, crabby guy on this team to grab the team by the throat and make it happen? I kind of doubt it. I expect a whimpering ground out parade.
Bases loaded, two out for Cleveland against Dotel.
Still 5-3. Here comes Ozzie for another pitching change. Can any reliever get anyone out??? It’s not just the Twins!
Does anyone else think RUIZ is faster to first than YOUNG?
With the Twins blowing leads like nothing lately, it seems to have gone highly unnoticed that the Sox have not pounced on this. As bad as the Twins have been, the Sox have to be upset they haven’t been able to capitalize on our record lately.
Do we have a grizzled, crabby guy on this team to grab the team by the throat and make it happen?
Redmond?
Grizzled, yes.
Crabby?
At least when the Twins have to score 4 runs to tie the game up in the ninth, the top of the order will be up with one out…
Well, only two whimpering grounders. And a strikeout on a sweeping curve. No barking from this bunch so far. I’m trying to work the reverse psychology here and it ain’t working.
“Do we have a grizzled, crabby guy on this team to grab the team by the throat and make it happen?”
I hope and pray it doesn’t, but if this score holds up the postgame will frustrate me even more. Instead of being the good manager he supposedly is, Gardy will most likely mutter a few phrases in his barely audible monotonous tone, mention that a few guys could get key hits, the bullpen made some mistake pitches, blah blah blah. This isn’t early April anymore, start playing with some fire!
I didn’t know that the Jays cloned nick punto…
LNP gonna spark the rally.
Well, Twins are not the only team with a bad bullpen. Luckily so do the White Sox.
You know, it’s really interesting to hear a FEW of you whining so much. That tells me you haven’t followed ball very long. If you had, you’d know just how fortunate we are to be where we are this year. NO ONE expected us to be anywhere near first place come September. The young starters have ALL pitched well, as their ERA’s all being under four proves.
We’re not going to win every game 10-0. We are going to blow some, we’re also going to win some we shouldn’t. It’s not a perfect world. The key is to win more than you lose each series and hang close. I’ve said for quite awhile, it’s all going to come down to that series with Chicago the last week.
Relax, enjoy the ride. It’s not that often we get to have such an exciting pennant race. Hell, we could be Detroit or Cleveland or the Yankees or Atlanta or… get it?
Having said that, Cleveland is putting away Chcago, now up 9-3!!!
and the bullpen whoas continue
8-3 Indians!! You know what that means? There is NO WAY the Twins will win tonight! I just turned the game off!! Tomorrows another Day!
Final - Fort Myers 2, Dunedin 1
First game of FSL Semi-final Series.
Dunedin was 48-20 in the second half.
Fort Myers was 32-35 in the second half.
Mark, in the words of the great Ricky Bobby, if you’re not first, you’re last.
Mark this bullpen has blown ALOT esp. on this roadtrip.
Bullpen woes continue.
At least Gardie is being nice and giving Ozzie some company
The great D in the Twins IF tonight (not counting 3B of course) reminds me*…..
Here is my personal AL All-Star squad –
C- Mauer
1B MVP
2B Casilla*
3B A-Rod
SS Pedroia
LF Quentin
CF Sizemore
RF Suzuki**
DH Hamilton, J.
LP Lee, Liriano
RP Matsuzaka, Halliday, Mussina
CL Nathan
*No better 2B on defense. Always good to have a rookie type on your all star squad — keeps the boys loose.
** Yes I know he’s been in CF. But he’s still the best pure leadoff hitter ever. He’s got the same disease Beltre has, total disappointment over the M’s performance.
You know for about thirty seconds back in the fifth inning I actually thought the twins would win today. On the plus side it is around 9pm instead of 12am when the game can be pretty much declared over with, thus saving me some time…
Well neither of the teams if they make it to the playoffs is going to get very far if the bullpen woes continue.
there are 2 laws I know about 1)gravity, drop something it falls to the ground 2) bring a twins relief pitcher in you will lose the game…there may be some less known ones as well
Bonser, Crain, Guerreir…. Totally Worthless
HOLY CRAP…
I have defended Gardy all year, but his bullpen management tonight has been indefensible. Crain and Guerrier have been getting pounded for a month, but he finally has some extra arms to use. What does he do? He goes to the same two guys, and what happens? They get pounded again!!! What a surprise!!!
Hey Gardy. Crain and Guerrier are known to be bad. How abot trying someone that MIGHT not be?
Mark says:
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:43 pm
You know, it’s really interesting to hear a FEW of you whining so much. That tells me you haven’t followed ball very long. If you had, you’d know just how fortunate we are to be where we are this year. NO ONE expected us to be anywhere near first place come September.
YOU are the type of Fan that the Twins market for. “GOOD ENOUGH” “SO PROUD” and of course “NO ONE EXPECTED”! Until TWINS fans get higher expectations we will always get “GOOD ENOUGH” Maybe your happy with that, but I’m sick of it. And I’ve been livin’ and dyin’ with this Team (ALL MN Teams) for over 40 years now. If Your happy with one and done or second place, you must not have been following this Team long enough!! The Vikings may never get it done, but at least they spend the money to give it a try!
romer,
A-Rod at 3B ahead of Beltre?
Didn’t see that coming….
The third law is conservation of offense. If they score over the quota, the next game will make up for it.
“Well neither of the teams if they make it to the playoffs is going to get very far if the bullpen woes continue.”
Who knows. This bullpen could be, and has been, good. They didn’t start this trend of not getting anyone out until mid- to late-August. That’s what’s frustrating, I used to have confidence in Guerrier and Crain, so I have no idea what happened to them.
This bullpen needs Gardy to come down on them hard. No time to pussyfoot around the issue any longer. Gardy needs to call these guys out before it is too late. What else can he do at point???
Breslow is solid
It is all up to the offense. 3-run shot by Morne?
all I have to do to appear as someone else in this blog is change my required name and e-mail address. There are too many vulgar comments because of this fault by the blog that allows this. I agree that registration is required, and proof of age also. Kids, IMO, love ruining things like this. I do not mind an occassional hell or damn, but the “f” word is going to far.
Sorry for the change in subject, but even one comment with the F word makes me want to puke, and not even read anymore, just stay away, and the advertisers will require it.
DrDon
wipron-
Well said. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear this conversation in the Pohlad’s office:
“You know, we said we’d suffer this year and spend some money this offseason, but they’ve played well this year with the team they have. Screw any offseason signings, let’s just continue with what we have.”
This bullpen is toast…at least Guerrier Crain and Bonser. They remind me of last years Juan Rincon. If they never pitch another game for the Twins I wouldn’t shed a tear. Neshek…man we need ya!!!
DrDon, it was not a change in subject as many of us have been tired of it for a long time…
“It’s time for someone to go Kirby on the team…”
Yeah, Willie, but they’re all so young. I think Puck was in his 7th year.
If I got paid millions of dollars to play baseball and suck every night I think it would warrant some criticism…hey, what the heck, let’s give them all trophies so we don’t hurt their feelings
These guys are going to go down quick
When opposing pitchers throw strikes a lot, the Twins batters almost look like deer in the headlights.
Off topic but Let’s hope the Vikes win next Monday Night
“If I got paid millions of dollars to play baseball and suck every night I think it would warrant some criticism”
Especially since the opposing teams are NOT being paid.
Somebody tell me how many games the bullpen has blown since the All-star break..
Sure they have, Nora. But, what team’s hasn’t? How’d you like to be a Mets fan? How many games has their bullpen blown? They also blew a 5-1 lead tonight. Atlanta blew a 10-3 lead. And Ozzie is losing his marbles in Chicago so much that they’ve rushed Linbrink back! Their bullpen is getting kicked around again tonight.
Their are only two teams in MBL with winning records on the road - the Angels and Cubs.
Like I said, calm down and enjoy it. It could be a lot worse.
Pitch was major-league too high to Span. Not our night.
All in all, a well-deserved loss.
Span’s last strike was high
how pathetic
wipron says:
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:44 pm
8-3 Indians!! You know what that means? There is NO WAY the Twins will win tonight! I just turned the game off!! Tomorrows another Day!
Game was over 15 minutes ago, why are you still watching??
If Twins had a decent front office they would have shored up their bullpen months ago and they’d be running away with this division right now.
Twins lose in front of 6,743 Jays fans.
Yet another solid performance by the bullpen. And I agree…Gardy must put his hand on the hot stove every day and make the same comment…ouch.
“If Twins had a decent front office they would have shored up their bullpen months ago and they’d be running away with this division right now.”
Ding ding ding ding ding ding!!
guys, guys, looks like the white sox are going to lose tonight, that means we need to keep pace and lose too
The Twins and White Sox deserve each other. There are 7 or 8 other American league teams who are better than either of those two right now.
It was very nice of Perkins and Boof to groove three HR balls tonight. If the Twins homered three or more times in a game I think the world just might explode.
“T says:
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:18 pm
QUIT BITCHING YOU F***ING WHINERS”
Actually the T-impersonator made some sense.
We can’t make ANY trades because ALL of our prospects are future HOFers and we just can’t part with ANY of them!!
And the whining continues…because that makes everything better. LOL
it’s a good thing they’ve never hit 3 home runs in a game before!
romer,
I was more referring to the personality, not so much Kirby per se. These guys seem so nice, so Boy Scoutish. The past Twins’ title teams had a bunch of guys who seemed just as happy to kick your teeth in as smile. Gladden, Morris, Knoblauch (rookie), Blyleven, Gaetti, I could go on and on.
When Smith addresses the team’s needs in the offseason I hope he brings in a noted crank…I can’t think of one off the top of my head but this team seems to be made up of a lot of nice guys.
They obviously need bullpen, RH power, 3B but I hope one/more of these are down and dirty grinding butts. We need a little of that.
I literally do think the world would explode if the Twins did hit three home runs. In cheers that is…
Nice moves off the bench Gardy! He bats Macri (30 career AB’s) ahead of Harris (1028 AB’S) who is also second on the team in doubles this season. Then in the 9th, Punto leads off. Way to try and restore some confidence in your players down the stretch Ron! Perkins walking the leadoff man in the 5th with a 5-1 lead can’t happen. That was the beginning of the end. Don’t get upset fans. The Toronto broadcast showed Perkins laughing in the dugout after Boof gave up the go ahead HR. If the players aren’t upset folks, why should we? Thank you Cleveland.
I’m jealous of the Jays’ bullpen. Dick and Bert mentioned their success early in the game and they proved it. The Jays are all but out of the race…can we just trade bullpens?
You’re RIGHT!! No more whining!! Twins are”GOOD ENOUGH” for all!! Kumbiya-my Lord, Kumbiya…………..
Its fun to hear the whiners, who quit watching the game when things went bad, complain about the Twins not competing the whole game.
no one expected them to be in this position this year, so we should be happy with finishing last…at least they’ll all get trophies!
turns out we pay for tickets to go see games which pays their salaries, so we can complain when a bad product is continually and knowingly put on the field
Hey Wlpron. I never said I was happy with second place. Of course I’d be disappointed if we don’t make the playoffs. Like you, I’ve followed this team for over 40 years and seen the good and bad. I was there at September games in the 90’s when it was literally considered and embarrassment to wear a Twins hat by the kids (teenagers & college kids) How that’s changed, since our run started in ‘01.
Just don’t think you should fly off the handle with every loss. We’re 16 over, still tied for FIRST, coming home in a couple days after the “deathknell” of a road trip where most fans (including a lot of Twins fans) thought this was the beginning of the end. Chicago fans sure did. I was driving through there last weekend and listening to their sports radio, the common theme was, when are the Twins going to go away??? Pretty hilarious. I actually called in to tell them we weren’t.
So you don’t need to tell me anything I haven’t already experienced or call me out on my fandom.
Tell me, what were YOU expecting from this road trip? 10-4? Better?
I think you need to be more realistic. The Twins are good, better than expected, but let’s not think they should be taking this in a cakewalk.
The WSox-Twins race right now reminds me of of the last three games of the 2006 season when it seemed the Twins and Tigers were just waiting for the other team to win a game…
why pinch hit Harris when Macri is at your beckoning?
harris may as well just go home for the winter because gardy obviously doesn’t want/need him around anymore.
perkins was visibly upset all night. after every hit you could see him yelling at himself.
leaving mauer in the on-deck circle by going down in order for the last 3 innings is unacceptable.
I said at the beginning of the road trip that the Twins would go 6-8 on this road trip. Dang.
Mr bufftwins, Saw the same “mis-timed” Perkins smirk/grin and mentioned it an hour ago with no noted response. Also, commented on The fitness of Twins’ pitchers, particularly Perkins and Bonser, again to no response. Make one wonder….. That, by the way, was the 7th straight win by Toronto over the Twinkies.
“turns out we pay for tickets to go see games which pays their salaries, so we can complain when a bad product is continually and knowingly put on the field”
If Twins fans paid for THEIR tickets what Yankees and Red Sox fans have to pay for THEIR tickets, the product on the field WOULD be better.
C.C Sabathia’s fitness can be called into question but he is still a good pitcher. He was thinner than a rail when he pitched in the futures game, weird…
the Twins save all the drama for the regular season, then quietly go out in the first round, should be that they quietly win division then have some playoff drama…anyone, anyone, no one? ok
Jon
Unless you’re a Yankee fan this year. ;*)
Blowing a 5-1 lead tonight and the game in Oakland Saturday, we could have a 2 game lead. This road trip can’t end fast enough.
Tonights line for relievers:
Twins - 3 Innings, 3 runs, 7 hits, 2 walks
Jays - 6 Innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 walks
If the Twins lose out to the White Sox, it won’t be hard to figure out where the blame should go… the middle relievers are brutal. You’d think these guys could at least “accidently” get someone out once in a while. What a bunch of underachievers. I think Gardy needs to step away from the “even keel” for a day and lay into these guys because they aren’t responding to the way things are being done now.
We knocked their starter out after 3 innings…that’s usually a good thing!!
Anyway, Blackburn tomorrow, he’s had some decent starts with horrible run support lately. We need a win, cannot be swept by the Blue Jays; it would be nice to beat them once this year. Chicago won’t keep losing forever.
Mark,
“Jon,Unless you’re a Yankee fan this year. ;*)”
Call me an a–hole, but please don’t call me a Yankee fan!
MARK– I don’t fly off the handle after every loss. I just get sick and tired of this “We should just be happy we are where we’re at” CRAP!! My expectations for the road trip was: I though if we could make it back home and be within 2 games of the lead that would be good. I don’t get into the won-lost record deal too much. When the playoffs start the records don’t mean much. Also sick of the FO thinking EVERY prospect we have is just to good to trade. The fact is that they’re too CHEAP to trade! That’s a fact! History proves it. I may need to be more realistic, but YOU and other “FANS” of the “GOOD ENOUGH” crap, need to expect more and DEMAND more. They got their new Stadium, now lets see some money being spent!! But, I suppose I’m being to UNrealistic to expect that huh?
Still think the Twins will lose one more game in this series. May the baseball gods prevent a sweep.
so I can’t complain about McDonald’s coffee but I can complain about Starbucks….your logic is astounding…turns out one just warrants a higher degree of criticism, which is usually the case with a bad yankees or red sox team compared to the twins or other small market team…
The Indians are 10 games back and charging!
I go back to something I said during the last Seattle series: Just because the Twins have played better than most expected does not give them a free pass for poor play.
Jon,
No, I meant that generically. Not you specifically.
It’s good to see them out of it! Hey, I was born in NY and was a Yankee fan as a kid, before coming to my senses. :*)
“This road trip can’t end fast enough.”
The way they’ve been playing lately, I’m not sure coming back to the Dome will help anything. The bullpen has sunk so low I don’t see then turning it around on our friendly field. Hitting needs to pick it up too. We did score 5 tonight, but left 4 on the bases in the first 2 innings.
Wipron- I think we should just give them all trophies and plaques that says something nice that makes them feel good, who cares if they win? the point is they really tried to throw that tennis ball far and hit it well…I’m kidding, I’m with you!
[…] will Jose Mijares fit into this situation? (Note - LaVelle tells us that Mijares can not travel to Canada because of Visa […]
Strikeout pitch in the 9th was major-league too high to Span. Not our night.
We need playoff umps.
Dallas McPherson, any thoughts?
is Frank Viola still pitching, how about his daughter that almost made the olympics, she looks like a good athlete to fill a roster spot
Blackburn vs A J Burnett…finally a RH opponent! Lucky Twins! And Mr. gatty, I hardly compare CC with Perkins/Boof, although I sincerely fear for Sabathia’s health, both short term and beyond. My comment was more a reference to having a talent and not physically preparing oneself to making the most of that gift.
Wlpron,
What do you call the Garza trade??? After getting burned like that (so far) I’d be hesitant as well.
I never said “good enough.” Those are your made-up words. I said let’s enjoy this as it rides out. Let’s win the division and see what happens. But, if you try to tell me that you expected us to win the division in March and go deep in the playoffs, I (along with most sane people) are going to think you’re full of crap.
The Twins are ahead of schedule and you know that. They actually should be better next year and two years down the road. THEN, I think it’s perfectly fine to set expectations higher.
You sound like a typical Vikings fan, in that you think they should win the Super Bowl every year.
And when they don’t, they’re all a bunch of slugs.
I’m just more realistic.
At least now we’re losing at 9:30pm and not 12:30am, much easier to get up the next morning
gatty790,
“Dallas McPherson, any thoughts?”
Why would the Twins want a 3B who hit 42 HR with 98 RBI?
Not up to our standards.
Go Twins, people take the comments in here way too seriously, all we can do is watch…Boof Bonser for president!
I still can’t believe Macri over Harris. Good night Minnesota.
romer,
A-Rod at 3B ahead of Beltre?
Didn’t see that coming…
A-Rod gets one AB. If it isn’t a HR, then Beltre replaces him.
:)>
Physical fitness can play a big role for some pitchers. Just look at Dontrelle. On BBTN about 3 months ago they showed a split frame of D-Willis winding up as a rookie and now and you could clearly see that his extra weight has effected his delivery mechanics…
“Boof Bonser for president!”
I hear Boof is weak on foreign policy…get it? They lost in Canada…Canada is..foreign..get it? No? Ok….
I think that boof just has some bad ‘pitches’.
*Rim Shot*
*Silence*
think the Vikings should win the super bowl every year? how about just win it, I mean ever just once, maybe just get back there again and lose, maybe just have someone on a website say they might get there someday
Boof ‘08, we need “change,” yeah change in our bullpen!
hey, everyone has careers where they throw mostly bad pitches every game every now and then, give him a break!
I would vote for Perkins over Boof because no one likes to see angry Perkins…
Tampa lost, their race with the Red Sox is now closer….let’s hope they don’t take it to us when we go there.
K-rod got another save. Not surprised.
Mark, Mark, Mark!!! you said: “NO ONE expected us to be anywhere near first place come September”
Which means: We should be “Happy” that we’re even in a pennant race. Which gives the FO leeway to do nothing to get better now. WHY? Cause we’re “GOOD ENOUGH” the FO says!! OH, and Mark too.
And your “I’m just more realistic.” comment mean: You don’t expect them to win or demand that they do all they can to win? You’re RIGHT I am UNrealistic! If UNrealistic means: EXPECTING your Team to WIN and DOING ALL THEY CAN to Win! YOU ARE RIGHT!!
Yeah and Boof saved the Twins from winning again, which is much more important in CY Young voting
Once a Twin, always a Twin!
Garza loses to the Yankees.
“…Perkins smirk/grin and mentioned it an hour ago with no noted response.”
That was a frustration mock-smile. He wasn’t disgusted with his teammate. He was pissed at himself and fate and circumstance and all that. The alternative is to throw a fit and bash something.
So I appreciate his maturity.
AS far as the GARZA trade, Garza was/is a head case. He didn’t listen to his coaches at all when he was here. Good Trade!! Good Riddance!! I do it again in a minute!
Well good! We agree you’re unrealistic and now I can go to bed.
Nite-nite! ;*)
Looks like an old fashioned battle of the bullpens in Florida…
“If UNrealistic means: EXPECTING your Team to WIN and DOING ALL THEY CAN to Win! YOU ARE RIGHT!!”:
Maybe that IS all they can do.
Expecting a mediocre team to win their division is unrealistic!
Except it is baseball where it happens occasionally.
We also agre that your a happy “GOOD ENOUGH” MN Twins fan!! NIGHT!! Hope all your dreams are “GOOD ENOUGH” for you to sleep tight!!
Atlanta had 47 at bats today, by comparison Texas had 57 in the 30 run game…
To be REALISTIC here for a moment: Baseball is just plain screwed up!! How is a Team like the Twins supposed to compete for the elite players with the New Yorks and Bostons and the Angels? We can’t!! Which is why when you get the chance to do something special, (like the Twins do this year),you have to go for it!! And the Twins did not, and that SUCKS!
jon:”Expecting a mediocre team to win their division is unrealistic!”
Not when ALL the Teams in the division are mediocre!
Boof Bonser is still here? Ugh after tonight. Gardy insert’s Boof and
Poof the Victory is gone. This season is not lost but will be if they continue to hang onto Boof.
i’m pretty sure the twins have a pretty decent record this decade.
wipron,
“Not when ALL the Teams in the division are mediocre!”
The White Sox are NOT mediocre.
Quenton, Thome, Konerko, Dye, Crede, Swisher, Junior, Alexei Ramirez, Uribe, Orlando Cabrera, AJ, Buerhle, Danks, Vazquez, Jenks, Thornton, Dotel, Linebrink, MacDougal and Josh Fields are NOT mediocre.
They will probably win 93-94 games.
Not mediocre.
If the Twins win the division, it will be amazing!
But its baseball and amazing can happen.
I am sure Harris wouldn’t mind leaving Toronto early to go and mingle at the RNC if he isn’t going to get to play. I mean Gardy is not going to play him at all, maybe when the game doesnt matter, but I was hoping he could make it in the Sunday game at Oakland to rebuild some confidence at 3rd after that bunt debacle but nope…. oh well, let the kid go play at the RNC or on the field.
Why has Gardy buried Harris? Does anyone really know?
VERY disapointing loss. The bullpen…sucks. They have a few semi-reliable relievers (Reyes, Breslow) but everyone else is a total coin flip. I think that they’ll largely improve upon returning to the Dome. I certainly can’t wait for them to come home…and I bet they can’t either. The W. Sox don’t look very good either.
The R. Sox, as much as I hate to say it, pretty much have the WC locked up. I was hoping that both them and the Yankees would miss the post-season, but the Twins and W. Sox are not only falling behind in that race, but also battling each other for the division. The Red Sox don’t have to battle for a playoff spot, as they have it locked up. There’ll be no WC for the central division this year. Whoever finishes in second place in the central will be sitting at home October 1st.
Why not Harris? Macri to bat? Macri didn’t play 3rd base the entire time he was back at AAA yet comes up to bat and plays third? WHY NOT HARRIS?????
“WHY NOT HARRIS?????”
Because Harris is currently in a horrible batting slump which he has let get into his head. He is TAKING third strikes and immediately losing his temper at either himself or the umpire.
A batter who won’t swing the bat, will never get out of his slump.
Plus, his defense is not good enough to get him into the game by itself.
The next time he does get an at-bat, he needs to get his hacks and accept the results like an adult.
That’s the first step.
A batting slump is when a batter lets previous bad at-bats ruin his current (and future) at-bats.
With the right temperament, a batter can avoid those situations.
One batter goes oh-for-twenty, but is NOT in a slump; he is just temporarily unlucky.
Another batter goes oh-for-two, but he IS in a slump, because he let the “oh-for-two” get inside his head.
IMO, that is Harris at this point in time.
this isn’t the first player gardy has done this to. harris has been in and out, he can play well and get benched. once a player gets on the bad side of gardy for whatever reason, scuffling, not getting after it or not battling hard enough he is toast. harris will be gone this winter.
i’m wondering if gardy realized that the j’s have all those lh relief pitchers when he made out his lineup? when we depend on 3-4 singles to score the odds are not good with so many lefty-lefty matchups. maybe gardy couldn’t see the bull pen.
Its official!!! I heard my first fat arse talk about how they are so glutinous they are happy it cooled down to 40 degrees outside. I never knew summer started so I didn’t realize it had ended. Twins didn’t look so hot last night.
Tolbert or Harris should have hit for Buscher. I would start Tolbert at 3B next game.
Macri might have just got on the wrong side of Gardy. There are too many options on the bench for a player to K in that position. He will go with Tolbert or Harris next time, for sure.
Indians and White Sox play at noon today. Cleveland has Sowers pitching, he’s 2-7. Sox’ Vasquez is 10-12.
Looks like the Twins face a good one tonight, Burnett is 16-10.
Correction:
White Sox game is at 11:00 Central on WGN. Sowers has only lost once in the last five starts and Sox have only one homer in the last five games. Injuries:
· Carlos Quentin lf - Sep 3: Day-To-Day
· Joe Crede 3b - Sep 2: Day-To-Day
· Ken Griffey Jr. rf - Sep 2: Day-To-Day
Shit
