Twins-Blue Jays: All Lefties On Deck!
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 – 4:58 PMBy La Velle
Because of contractual obligations, the final game of this series on Thursday is a night game. So the Twins will end this long road trip by tucking in around 2 a.m.
Francisco Liriano, however, will to the Twin Cities at 1 p.m. tomorrow so he can rest comfortably for his start against the Tigers on Friday.
Delmon Young is still bothered by a sore right ankle, which is one reason why he’s not in the starting lineup today.
The other:
Left-handed hitters are batting .272 against A.J. Burnett. Right-handed hitters are batting .242. And there’s a OPS difference of more than 100 points L vs R.
So Twins manager Ron Gardenhire’s lineup on Wednesday reflects that. Welcome back, Matt Tolbert.
Lineups
Twins (77-61)
- Denard Span, RF.
- Alexi Casilla, 2B
- Joe Mauer, C
- Justin Morneau, 1B
- Jason Kubel, LF
- Brian Buscher, DH
- Nick Punto, SS
- Matt Tolbert, 3B.
- Carlos Gomez, CF
Pitching: Nick Blackburn
Blue Jays (71-66)
- Joe Inglett, 2B
- Marco Scutaro, SS
- Alex Rios, RF
- Vernon Wells, CF
- Adam Lind, LF
- Rod Barajas, C
- Lyle Overbay, 1B
- Scott Rolen, 3B
- Travis Snider, DH
Pitching: A.J. Burnett
Programming note: The Thursday, Sept. 11 game against Kansas City has been picked up by FoxSports North. And the Sept. 20 game at Tampa Bay will be televised nationally by FOX. That game time has been moved from 6:10 CST to 2:55.
776 Responses to "Twins-Blue Jays: All Lefties On Deck!"
Would have gotten pretty long odds before the season started on the chances of a late September meeting of the Twins and Rays being picked up for national broadcast by FOX.
the twins absolutley need this game
blackburn will need to pitch a gem
Gardy packs the lineup w/ lefthanders today, but starts Buscher against a lefthanded starter yesterday.
Did he just notice this platoon advantage stuff overnight?
Looks like a solid defensive lineup. Probably the best they could put out there excepting for Kubel (Need his bat of course). I will take Kubel over Buscher in the field.
does anybody else think that blackburn is starving for a good start??
I would expect what we have gotton out of all of the starters lately, 5-6 innings and a lot of pitches. The bullpen needs to step up one of these games.
Gardy has to be smiling from ear to ear with the thought of playing both Nick Punto and Matt Tolbert in the same game!! 
I’m excited to see Tolbert on the field…I haven’t seem him play in so long, I am beginning to forget what the guy looks like
Blackburn needs to prove tonight that he is deserving of a staying in the rotation in the playoffs, or else he is the clear choice to move to the pen
There’re lots of Tolbert and Macri fans out there because of their April flashes. Macri was a downer last night. Let’s see what Tolby can do tonight.
Nice Stat:
According to Inside Edge’s scouting data, the Arizona Diamondbacks have shown the most patience on three-ball counts this season, chasing just 23.6 percent of pitches in these counts (league average is 29.9 percent). The Minnesota Twins have been most likely to swing their way out of a free pass this season — their chase percentage in three ball counts is 36.7 percent.
Good to see gomez back in the line-up to keep this stat up.
LEN3
Regarding last nights sixth inning.I noticed on TV that Crain was warming up in the fifth.No mention was made of Bonser doing so as well,yet Boof started the sixth inning.Given the fact that it was reported that Bonser sometimes needs more time to warm up,why did Gardenhire opt for Boof? I could understand if Crain said he couldn’t go,but he pitched the seventh inning.Was Boof ready to pitch the sixth?
without a pen, it’s looking really grim. I think Blackburn will pitch good tonight, but I’m afraid Burnett might shut down the O….they NEED this game
TC fan in LA–I get your knock on Gomez, but the statistic itself is pretty meaningless. Look at the records.
take a look at some of the D-Backs hitters, Mark Reynolds, Chris Young, now Dunn, Snyder..they all strike out about as much as Go Go
If the Twins lose, they will be 1 game out of first. I think it is safe to say some of you are hitting the panic button. They don’t need this game. Or tomorrow’s, or the day after. It would be nice to stay in a tie for 1st, but I think the Twins NEED to win when we play the Sox at the end of this month. Or maybe we’ll already have the division wrapped up by then….
I would have to disagree with Gomez helping that 3 ball chase percentage stat. Because, honest question, how many 3 ball counts has Gomez even seen?
I bet he’d be in the lowest rung in all of baseball for that stat as well…just sayin…
Like gardy goin out a limb like this with all lefties, hopefully it works out.
Macleod, you’re absolutely right, however, they need a road series win so bad, just to get a streak going, but you’re right
I have totally forgotten what Tolbert looks like. Not that he’s “the answer” but I hope to see him add a new spark to our dragging offense.
Gardy is such an idiot, Ozzie and the White Sox will smash the twins, all twins fans are lame!!
Boston Rob
Your mother didnt think I was lame last night. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Hugs and kisses, Robbie.
Now watch Gomez have a 5-hit night. That’s the kind of guy he is.
Thanks Bostonrob, go suck an egg. Glad you are keeping tabs on us hayseeds here in MN. I predict a win by our junkyard maddog mutts tonight. GO MUTTS, WIN TWINS!!!!
Gomez strikes out every 4.05 AB
Harris every 4.27
Young every 5.64
Ruiz every 3.53
Monroe every 3.4
The Jays’ DH is 20 years old!
Buscher starts against a LHer, then gets PH for against a LH reliever.
Gomez gets the day off yesterday against a LH starter, but starts today against a RH strikeout pitcher.
Curious choices, Gardy, curious indeed.
And the DH is batting 9th…
Who bats a DH 9th??
Nice inning blackburn, nice and quick!
Buscher’s coming back down to earth
I have looked at the records - Twins have lost 7 of the last 10 games - in part due to a lack of patience at the plate and chasing bad pitches.
Span finally gets a hit.
Buscher starts against a LHer, then gets PH for against a LH reliever.
Gomez gets the day off yesterday against a LH starter, but starts today against a RH strikeout pitcher.
Curious choices, Gardy, curious indeed.
BYTO is turning you into a cynical fan…
Come on Blacky!
game over
Grrr. To a guy with only 2 hrs before.
agreed
2-0 is just so insurmountable. Geesh. At least wait until further in the game to say it is ‘game over’ Have you watched baseball before? It wasn’t ‘game over’ for the Jays and they were further behind then this.
not good, lets see if the boys can respond
Okay so who kicked a puppy or something before they left for the roadtrip? What lead to the karma butt kicking the twins are getting on this trip?
I mean. Jays were further behind yesterday.
Giving up 2 run HR’s to Joe Inglett is the ingredients to winning division titles.
burnett is an ace….blackburn isn’t getting any ground ball outs…he is a sinker pitcher. our bullpen sucks…he shut down the yankees…HAVE YOU WATCHED BASEBALL BEFORE????????
I mean. Jays were further behind yesterday.
Yeah…they were also facing Glen Perkins rather than AJ Burnett.
Quite a difference there, kid.
Didn’t realize that was a stat. LOL
Doesn’t Burnett have an ERA of over 4? He is not Cliff Lee this year.
LOOK UP HIS LAST TEN STARTS
I AM CALLING A DOUBLE PLAY HERE
SHOULDA BEEN
Left handers are also hitting .272 against him.
Buscher with a few stellar AB’s…along with Punto.
FACE IT. THEY AREN’T GOING TO BEAT A.J. BURNETT. MAYBE IF THE JAYS SCORED ONLY ONE RUN BUT THEY SCORED TWO
I wonder how many wins would Toronto would have if they played in the AL Central?
Oh goodness when did Burnett and his ERA over 4 become Santana in his cy young years.
all Chris Carter does…”catch touchdowns,” all the Twins do…”blow leads and ground into double plays.” All I’m asking for is a well hit flyout once in awhile, not even asking that they score!
Gottas love the faith in this room down by 2 to apparently Johan Santana 2. LOL
Gottas love the faith in this room down by 2 to apparently Johan Santana 2. LOL
It’s called reality, bub.
It’s called pathetic is what it is called.
There is no reason to call this game over. Gotta believe!
I don’t give up on this team down by 2 with half the game left.
yep Blackburn needs a very good game tonight.If he does not get it. Then he along with Glen Perkins can join another would be starter boof Bonsor…
good job matty!
Keep the faith Nora!!
Blackie’s pitching good tonight.
Cmon guys! Get some runs!!
OK. Need to make Burnett work this inning, he’s at 61 pitches entering the 5th.
If they lose fine, but I certainly won’t give up on them yet. That is sad.
USAFChief, I guarantee the Twins would have won last night if Tolbert was 3B.
And I wrote that 2 minutes ago. Now he gets his triple.
That’s actually the first Xtra base hit of the series?!!!?!!
Where’s BC Benecke when you need him…….
why Gomez is not bunting there? Gardy wake up
Tolbert for President!
I’m sure if Beltre were 3B he would be hitting these Minnesota Nice singles this series. He’s such a wimpy guy ya know.
Norwood, is he crabby enough for ya?
I don’t think I’ve ever had as little faith in a player at the plate than I do Gomez.
and gomez k’s on a pitch out of the zone - what a shock.
Is it just me or is this home plate umpire’s strike zone all over the place tonight?
they have to score here
Wow
REMINDS ME OF SANTANA NORA
Quite the clutchness displayed by the Twins tonight.
Leadoff triple…and it looks like he will not score.
If they don’t score here I will have to lose some faith. Geesh.
absolutely horrible
and then Span doesn’t bunt… what is going on there?
Man, this Burnett guy is terrible.
UNFUCKINGBELIEVAFUCKINGBULL
very dissapointing…not even a bunt attempt?
That was ugly…
Unbelievable. That was really bad. A leadoff triple and no score. *sigh* Maybe he is Santana 2 at least to the Twins.
And this team expects to win a division?
Ha!
NOT A PLAYOFF TEAM WE MUST ADMIT IT
This one is on Gardy 100%. Man on 3rd no outs, bunt. Until there are 2 outs. Horrible management
Erik, he is not terrible but a guy with an ERA over 4 is not unhittble.
You can practically see the young Twins having trouble swallowing at this point when they come to the plate.
The twins need to get after it and make up for these runs
It should not take a bunt to get a runner home from third with no out, thrylos.
There’s no guarantee they’d put that in play either, and then you run into an out at home.
Can our young pitcher have 1 inning that is a 1-2-3? Guess not.
Who is the best bubter out of Gomez, Casilla and Span?
I AGREE USACHIEF. SHOULDNT HAVE TO BUNT WITH A LEAD OFF TRIPLE TO SCORE ONE RUN THAT WOULD DO US NO GOOD WHEN WE NEED 3 RUNS TO WIN……….
I remember when Santana would mow down teams comprised of a lot of rookies. Burnett is doing the same to us. He might top 11 K’s tonight if he stays on top of it. The inability to score from Tolbert’s triple shows that power hitters often make the difference in pitching duels, which is why we are down 0-2 tonight.
Those calling for a bunt are clueless.
Play for one run early in the game down by TWO RUNS.
CLUELESS!!!!
*bunter
Perhaps the Twins should IBB Inglett here…?
okay okay…way to get out of that
Well, sid Twins have 0 runs after not bunting.
Erik says:
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Perhaps the Twins should IBB Inglett here…?
I would not, just puts another runner on base for their meat of the order. Later innings maybe.
arschlach,
“power hitters often make the difference in pitching duels, which is why we are down 0-2 tonight.”
Joe Inglett will be astonished to have been called a “power hitter”.
Blackburn’s pitch count isn’t too bad right now, I would like to see him go atleast 7.5 innings
A sacrifice bunt given the players involved (Gomez, Span) was the suremost way of bringing a run home.
That would have made it 2-1.
what’s wrong with that?
7 1/2 INNINGS IS IMPOSSIBLE
A bunt for a base hit would have been kinda sneaky. A safety or suicide squeeze effectively ends your rally.
Need a solo job, MVP.
THIS IS PAINFUL TO WATCH
Why don’t some of you folks go for a walk or something?
How many innings will it take to overcome a 2 run deficit?
I am setting the over/under at 20 of comments saying Twins season is over if we lose tonight. The over/under is 100 if we lose tonight and tomorrow.
For some, we have already had 61 times this year that the season has been over.
Stress is a silent killer folks.
Nora,
“Well, sid Twins have 0 runs after not bunting”
That proves NOTHING!!
Sometimes a 9-high wins a poker pot!
That doesn’t make it a smart bet.
Smart baseball is smart baseball and stupid baseball is stupid baseball, REGARDLESS OF HOW IT WORKS OUT.
If I bet on a jackass to win the Kentucky Derby, its a stupid bet, EVEN IF THE JACKASS WINS!!!
Buscher doesnt have a clue up there tonight
“That would have made it 2-1.
what’s wrong with that?”
My opinion, it will take more than 3 runs to win this game. But, you have to get it started somehow, don’t you?
I would have taken my chances with Randy Ruiz or Delmon Young as the DH tonight over Buscher.
Sid–You win, Jackass.
Buscher has been crap lately
DELMON YOUNG HAS A SORE FOOT
*I would have bunted
This team looks like it needs a spark, anything to get going. One run could have changed the mood in the dugout for the better
Butcher at DH was proven an inept experiment tonight… I hope Gardy will wake up from his nap soon to PH for him
Blackburn is pitching pretty well
A sacrifice bunt with a man on third.
Ask your favorite baseball expert why it is almost NEVER attempted.
1)A bunt can be popped up (ask LNP last year).
2)The bunt goes back to the pitcher with the runner at 3B breaking on thew downward ball angle off the bat - out at home.
3) The bunter fails twice then strikes out.
4) even if successful, the Twins are still down one run and have forfeited their chance for a big inning by bunting it away.
We tied for 2nd to last in HRs. Granted, the Jays are not the best example, but you know what I mean.
I can’t believe I’m watching this when there’s a moose eatin’ momma gonna accept the veep spot tonight.
IS ANYONE GOING TO THE BOBBLEHEAD GAME ON SATURDAY?
sane,
one thing that you are forgetting is that this team is leading the majors in bunt hits and sacrifice bunts.
i hate the sox - dont suppose you could take the “all caps” off could you??
There’s no need to shout all your comments….
This game needs something to spice it up. Which number will be higher: runs scored by the Twins the rest of the year or heart attacks caused by Tarvaris this season?
YES KRISSY I CAN DO THAT FOR YOU
that was ball 4
so was that.
i was at a AAA Syracuse game in 06 where Burnett pitched…. never seen a wilder/unhittable performance. It was like Nook Laloush…. 5 IP 0 hits something like 5 walks
come on now. this has to be the inning
“*I would have bunted
This team looks like it needs a spark, anything to get going. One run could have changed the mood in the dugout for the better”
And if we get a one run lead by bunting for a single run three times in three separate innings, our bullpen will make THAT stand up.
Check our pitching in Seattle, Oakland, anaheim and Toronto and tell me that we should be playing for one run.
Our bullpen would have to do a 180 degree reversal to make “playing for a single run” a good strategy.
The way this team is playing we are lucky we will only be 1 1/2 games out of first after tomorrow
pinch hit for gomez!!!!!!!!!11
please don’t swing at the first pitch
Young pinch hitting for Gomez. I appreciate the effort, Gardy.
umm, but alteast we would have a run to build on…..
delmon young??? one free swinger for another free swinger.
but then the relay team will be broken up…. and you know how much gardy takes pride in the relay team
Gomez may have struck out 2X, but he worked alot of pitches…. hopefully young will be patient
The Twins manager has a new line-up for the 17th straight game. How can the hitters find a rhythem? How frustrating for Twins fans. Thank goodness for Yost. Consistency wins September games, and more importantly, wins October games. I hate to say this, but Gardenhire is actually overrated. The young pitching staff and Mauer/Morneau are the reason the Twins are in playoff contention. The pieces are there, Gardenhire just has to use them. And what’s up with Punto always playing? I thought he got cut last year.
DP from Delmon here
naturally….
thrylos98,
“sane,
one thing that you are forgetting is that this team is leading the majors in bunt hits and sacrifice bunts.”
And you are forgetting that our bullpen is leading the league in blowing small leads on the road.
We should be playing for five-run-innings until we get back to the Dome.
Someone else want to rebut against Brewer fan?
Burnett throwing 40 percent of his pitches for balls
So, Delmon makes Gardy lucky, right?
I’m not watching on TV, how did Punto not make it home on that?
Yost? serious? what has he ever done but fought with players, choked in September, and bitched about no-hitters?
i like the brewers. if the twins wouldn’t have got the stadium i would’ve became a brewer fan instantly
3 run blast would be nice
What are the odds that we don’t score here folks?
oh, ground-rule double
ground rule kicked into the stands
lay off the curveball. i haven’t seen him throw one for a strike yet
” how did Punto not make it home on that?”
Ground-rule double.
Does Span need a day off?
Just strikeout Alexi and end this misery.
this will be their last chance obviously
did ANYONE on here root for the white sux in the world series a couple years ago??
No one who said it was over is allowed to watch Mauer and Morneau bat.
Come on Joe, GAP ONE = PLEASE
What’s the call here for Mauer? Flyout? Groundout?
it suckes that the Twins are losing but this has been a well pitched game, well played defensive game.
Have some faith. If you hate the sox stop being so negative!
GROUND OUT TO SECOND
Brewer Fan #5
Yeah, Yost is highly respected by……………..never mind!
i was the Astros biggest fan in 05
“Does Span need a day off?”
He needs to platoon with Gomez in CF. People were quick to jump off the Gomez bandwagon and on the Span one but Gomez has played many more games than Span and the pitchers have seen go-go more. Span is close to hitting the 90 game mark which is where go-go started to struggle. Span will also tail off. We need more Kubel in RF.
I like the call i hate the sox.
Twins fans have to be the most fair weather, pessimistic, and whiniest fans in baseball. Mauer is coming up with the bases juiced lets be a little optimistic.
YES!!!!!!!!!!
Take off, Hosers.
there! shut up f*c#ers
Would Scoscia have intentionally walked Mauer there? LOL. Fear Mauer Cito.
MVPII comes through.
I would substitue Red for him when this half-inning is over.
Games over shut off your tvs… oh wait
Gotta have faith!!
Brewer Fan #5,
Ask ESPN, SI, Sporting News and Baseball America to compare Yost and Gardy for you.
That way you can be laughed at Nationally.
Ain’t over till its over!!
Game over huh? This is why you don’t give up on them down 2-0. Now let’s hope the BP can hold up somehow.
Do you ph for kubel?
if burnett wouldve stayed in it would have been a different story. it isnt over. our bullpen sucks. neshek could pitch better right now than any of em
We got that one wrong I hate the sox
Damn kubel, nice inning
i know i hate the sox even more. everyone thinks it is over but our bullpen is junk.
Mauer puts the wheels back on! Rollllll
Twins!!!!
If the Jays thought it would be a diff. story with Burnett in (who got himself in this trouble) why did nthey not keep him in then? Gotta have faith.
nobody faces reality on here. i love the twins and want them to win more than anybody, but the way they have been playing is not twins baseball. they are just lucky that chicago is playing like shit too.
Did anyone say the game is over? I don’t recall that unlike those who called the game over after 3 innings.
“Do you ph for kubel?”
Would ya pinch hit for Giambi?
I know. I’m getting ready to be losing after this half inning or even better, have Nathan blow another one in the 9th.
because for some reason NORA managers like to pitch to the m & m boys with lefties and it never works that is why
Getting nervous, Sox fans?
We should have been bunting.
We could have had a one-run-inning and still be trailing 2-1.
A one-run-lead now means that our bullpen has to protect it.
Every team has bad stretches where they play poorly every year no matter what. Its just a matter of playing better more often then playing poorly and the twins have done that.
Everyone needs to think positively. Faith!
i am glad there was no Twins blog in say 98.
of course no one would have bothered to show up to complain.
A team has to be good enough to be bitched about this much.
we just better hope gardenhires dumb ass doesnt pull blackburn out even if he gives up one run…that would be a huge mistake
i do have faith but i also see reality
blackie is gonna go 8 full tonight.
i hate the sox hates himself.
Don’t you just hate that i hate i hate the sox.
Is it too late to sign Bob Tewksbury for our pen?
Assuming Blackburn makes it through the 7th with a lead, who SHOULD Gardy turn to in the 8th?
or terry mulhulland?
Blackie may be done
he should leave blackburn in there or bring in korecky
Blackburn
May as well live and die with Blackie til the 9th.
I like the Sox better than i like i hate the sox
or humber. anyone but the usuals. hell warm up liriano at this point
and how about Butch Huskey for a power hitting right hander?
wtf?
Distracted by the runner again.
how about don baylor. bring ron coomer in
way to go Punto…
Oh-Oh,
Can Blackburn stay composed?
Tough Break
the Twins are setting themselves up for that magical losing formula again…it’s hysterical, it’s like the movie Groundhogs Day, same thing day after day
Red meat for the Punto bashers.
Tough play but he needs to keep that in the infield at worst.
“tough play?”
It was a hard ground ball right to him.
hahahaha, like I said, Groundhogs Day…either a Punto error or bullpen explodes EVERY NIGHT
Red meat for me, a Tolbert doubter.
That’s too bad for Blackburn. He pitched his butt off.
Wow, what a disaster. Guess Tolbert was feeling bad for Punto and decided to wear a suicide bomb.
fire gardy. seriously.
Did you see the hop it took. Let me hit a few to those and see if you have any teeth left.
Bad play by Punto but I’m not going to bash him. He’s a hell of a lot better than Harris.
That’s what they call “Airmail”.
brother!
GAME OVER!
HAHAHAHAHAHA….it’s hard to win at small ball when your bullpen sucks and your defense is horrible
Gary Gaetti: “It’s tough to throw with both hands around your neck.”
Fire gardy? for bone head plays in the infield? hes doing the right thing, blackburn is probably losing his mind
How many times have we played defensive guys (Everett, Punto, Tolbert) and gotten badly timed errors and little or no hitting. Meanwhile Harris is scrutinized for not having range and all his doubles sit on the bench. Gardy Sucks.
and there goes Tolbert…
just fantastic
Boy, the defense is stellar tonight.
Punto, you da man!
Tolbert should not have been getting fielding tips from #8.
Blyleven drives me nuts. His excuse making is just unbelievable.
Why do these Twins have to give me a bigger ulcer?
Oh here we go. Tie game and its over. If you are going to whine then leave
why pull Blackburn after he’s just served up 2 ground balls????????
Harris and all his doubles? How about all his double plays.
look at it this way…. all of these tight games will be useful if the team makes the playoffs
I’d rather have Everett at SS and Harris at 3rd (since Lamb is long gone) trying to protect a lead than those clowns that Gardy is putting in…
blyleven and dick are the biggest homers in the world
did anyone hear hawk and dj on the sox game today ripping old cleveland stadium?
Hawk was saying how they used to have rats the size of yorkies, it was pretty funny
check the stats
Ok, going to the bullpen…..time to change the channel. Please don’t bring in Guerrier.
why do you burn the bullpen, why does gardy always have to play the matchups, guerrier sucks
the dr will get the job done.
Great.
Guerrier, again…does Gardy want his right arm to completely fall off?
Seems like kind of an important game to start a rookie at third, but I didn’t think that when he hit the triple, aw who cares…………….
Like I’ve been saying for a long time, who cares if we somehow choke a little less than the White Sox this last month and win the division. If we continue to play like this on a consistent basis, we will be embarrassed in the playoffs yet again.
About as hard a smash as they come. Tough error on Punto.
Can no more keep that in the IF than a catcher can keep a ball in front of him on a WP that rolls up his arm.
Great strategy there Gardy! I hope Reyes isn’t too tired after that.
What just happened?
we are looking to get the fifth out this inning
If you thought Blyleven was bad you should listen to the radio, they are making just as many excuses
Gardy is absolutely panicking right here.
Removing a SP that was rollin’ to hand the ball to a suspect pen…
Unreal.
If you’re going to give up the game Gardy, might as well show some consistency: Guerrier.
that is what happened
Scutaro 2-6 lifetime versus Guerrier.
The error on punto was the result of him moving to the side of the ball…pussy. At least get infront of the ball and let it hit off your chest. Of course Punto never did remind me of a manly man.
If you thought Blyleven was bad you should listen to the radio, they are making just as many excuses
What they saying?
“we will be embarrassed in the playoffs yet again.”
Please let us be embarrassed in the playoffs while the White Sox are home raking leaves.
I agree about pulling Blackburn. There is absolutely no need to pull him in that situation with less than 90 pitches.
Yep, Gardy is a stats guy. Basically a computer could manage this team. He has very little feel for the flow of the game. Most everything is by the book. That way no one can criticize his moves.
Once again the defense has killed this team. LaVelle, how many games has the defense cost us and how many games have the bullpen cost us? I’m sure it’s more than last year.
Here’s something to ponder:
Does Everett boot that ball?
Why didn’t Gardy just have Blackburn IBB Inglett?? He’d still be on the mound!
dick bremer needs to get his eyes checked. his deep balls lately are actully medium deep
we should have a starter go into the game and intentionally walk home the winning runs, then it won’t be the bullpens fault for once
I saw the throw was gonna be high as soon as it left Tolbert’s hand. He was thinking too much, trying to make the perfect strong throw.
The playoffs are a crap shoot just get in and see what happens because if you are at home in october you stand no chance at all.
That the Twins bullpen is wore out and that they still have an easier schedule down the stretch than the White Sox
Time to get the bats going now.
Please let us be embarrassed in the playoffs so I can put off raking leaves.
Now what for the Twins. Who to pitch next…I would NOT leave Guerrier in.
it is a lot more than last year ML
A battle of the bullpens great, our bullpen vs the solid jays pen
Everett does not boot that ball… for some weird reason he is deep in Gardy’s doghouse along with Harris…
Gardenhire is a dunce. Tolbert at 3rd with no one out and the strikeout king of the AL up, who CAN bunt, and Gardy lets him swing from the heels. That one at bat typifies why Ron Gardenhire is the most overrated manager in baseball. (That and his atrocious playoff record).
Groundhogs Day, Twins up by 1 run after 6 innings, world explodes, they wake up the next day and world has unexploded, repeat…
ERIK:
Adam would have airmailed the throw.
You pull Blackburn after two consecutive muffs because he is talking to himself at that point already. It was the right move.
People want Everett in the game? WOW, does that tell you about the depth of this team or what!!
Harris is such a douche bag.
Erik says:
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Here’s something to ponder:
Does Everett boot that ball?
Now, now. You are asking WAYYY too much of this manager to make a key defensive substitution when his team actually has the lead in the late innings. Besides, Punto is up this inning and we can’t take any ABs away from him.
Dave,
“IBB Inglett??”
It would be fun to hear Gardy explain THAT thinking post-game!
Erik says:
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Here’s something to ponder:
Does Everett boot that ball?
Who knows, but does Everett draw a walk the previous half-inning to start the rally?
If Gardy could have relievers throw one pitch instead of one hitter, he would, one pitch per reliever a night, it’s all about strategy
Maybe Tolbert lost the grip of the ball.
Squirm, Sox fans.
Yeah…the playoff record of Gardy is really pathetic. Managing in the playoffs is much more critical than during the season. Gardy has been schooled by every playoff manager he faced.
Harris seems like he doesn’t fit in with this group of guys, he seems like a prick
why bring in pridie against a lefty rather than young?
Who knows, but does Everett draw a walk the previous half-inning to start the rally?
Umm, the error happened the half inning after the walk.
“Everett does not boot that ball… for some weird reason he is deep in Gardy’s doghouse”
TWO weird reasons.
Hitting and throwing.
Pridie is going to put one nicely into the gap.
is Darryl Strawberry still available? we could pick him up
why bring in pridie against a lefty rather than young?
Pridie pinch ran for Young…and then replaced Gomez in the OF.
Tolbert is a designated pinch runner from now on.
cuz it’s one, two, three strikes your out at the….you get the point
Maybe Tolbert lost his sight during that curveball?
LOL @ sane
maybe the Twins could have called up more than 1 OF
Paul Molitor are you in toronto?
The Twins are about due for someone like a September call-up to provide a big hit.
6 rooks playing in the field and at the plate during this game, most still in. you have to admit it is still rather amazing that the Twins are even pushing for a play-off spot. dunno where it will end for the team, but would you rather have the yank fossils out there?
yeah call up strawberry
Downs will throw that breaking ball here on 3-2.
You watch.
Erik says:
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Who knows, but does Everett draw a walk the previous half-inning to start the rally?
Umm, the error happened the half inning after the walk.
Ya, and Punto drew the walk. Who are you suggesting Everett be put in place of? Punto isn’t exactly a slouch defensively that needs to be pulled in late inning situations. The Twins have plenty of those on the team and he’s certainly not one of them. Would Everett have singled the next half-inning too?
Very good debut for Pridie.
Told ya.
Span now has a chance at redemption from his previous AB’s…which were terrible.
Great…what are the odds Span will fan again.
do you have one more strikeout in ya denard?
PRIDIE!
Span playing like a minor leaguer tonight.
Good for you Denard!
Holding my breath….what are the odds the Twins bullpen can pitch 2 scoreless innings? Slim and none?
this team is so hard to watch right now.
Our CF are only capable of playing 2 mo of good ball. It’s time to give Pridie his turn.
Great…what are the odds Span will fan again.
He never gave himself a chance to.
Twins now have to face Rios, Wells, and Lind in the bottom of the 8th.
“maybe the Twins could have called up more than 1 OF”
Right on, Shawn. Redmond should have been pinch hitting there, but they were out of OF’s.
Span has become Gomez at the plate…we are done.
Gardy has to move the runners to get the pitchers to lose their focus. Also, to move them into scoring position. Gardy has all that speed, but won’t use it.
Span’s AB is the 2nd one tonight where the Twins have BB’ed in the previous AB, and they’ve gone on to swing at a pitch before seeing a strike in the succeeding AB.
Kubel’s AB in the 7th was the other.
I bet we would be ahead if Harris had been playing.
Did I hear Eddie is warming up. If it is Eddie as of his last outing….game over.
Erik–Big deal. Did you ever play baseball?
Eesh… talk about an ugly game tonight. Seems like no matter who we put at third, we’re not safe. And Punto’s error was just painful. Blackburn pitched a great game, and our left side of the infield threw it away.
Span needs a day off here, and soon. He’s looking worse and worse as this road trip goes on…
Let’s hope Guerrier can hold it, and then Casilla/Mauer/Morneau can get something done against a strong bullpen.
Oh no the game is tied an we are a half game out of first the season is over the world is ending…
BOOOOO says:
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:31 pm
this team is so hard to watch right now.
This blog is so hard to read right now.
No Guardado or Breslow here?
What’s the point of having them on the team then?
Erik–Big deal. Did you ever play baseball?
Yeah, I did…and we were taught to, in a tie game that is late in the game, take a strike before doing anything…unless your name is Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau.
NOBODY GETS A DAY OFF!!!
Ned Yost doesn’t rest starters and what’s good for Ned Yost is good for the USA!!!
Well, nice job by Guerrier, shocking..but nice
“Seems like no matter who we put at third…”
I predicted that Buscher’s D would lose 2 games on this RT. Instead, they’ve sat Buscher and his subs are on their way to losing 2 while Buscher already has lost 1.
you’re right about that Carlos.
I don’t know why, the world may explode if this happens, but I feel like the Twins may somehow, someway win tonight….
They haven’t played that well tonight, but this is the best infield the Twins have put on the field all year. Gardy should put Tolbert at 3B for the rest of the season, and call it good.
romer,
Who would you suggest should play 3B for the Twins, Gracie?
“Seems like no matter who we put at third…”
Sorry, people……….
Beltre.
Thank you in advance.
Sorry romer, but I wanted you to have an experienced straight man ask that question.
well, maybe not
Erik:
“Span’s AB is the 2nd one tonight where the Twins have BB’ed in the previous AB, and they’ve gone on to swing at a pitch before seeing a strike in the succeeding AB.
Kubel’s AB in the 7th was the other.”
Excellent point.
I wish I felt your optimism Johnny. Our bullpen blows and we have no clutch hitters. This game goes to the Jays.
Morneau does his job.
Now it’s up to Kubel.
How do we have know clutch hitters when we lead the league by a wide margin in avg/RISP?
And now it’s up to, *sigh*, Harris.
Morneau for President!
no not know
It’s up to Bush League Buscher
They want to pitch to Harris obviously.
Harris, Is this a Sept callup? I don’t remember him.
After a 4 pitch walk…Harris swings at the first pitch.
harris will take srike 3
wow, pitch 3 was too close to take
and strike 4
Please Harris
Mr. sane Burns, I actually gave my Beltre answer before I read your post.
[And come to think of it, George Burns had to remain pretty damn “sane” to turn a buck, didn’t he. Then came the greatest type-casting in the history of Hollywood with John Denver as the loveable schmuck and George as…..well, I shudder to think about it.]
After a 4 pitch walk…Harris swings at the first pitch.
Sign of a bad hitter.
That is what Punto needed to do with the ground ball….KEEP IT IN FRONT OF HIM
Harris is not a clutch hitter. He needs 4 at bats to produce. We deserve a little luck though.
Harris is our 3rd baseman
Harris comes through!
harrrrrrrry! and he is doing it the twins way sliding into first
Thank you.
Harris is so awful. The season is over. This team sucks.
Wow…what a clutch hit. But why oh why slide into first.
Harris haters and Sox fans eat it.
OMFG….all Punto haters stuff yurself (sic).
Sweet disciple Harris comes through.
Punto needs to add on more.
Nice dive ! ! !
Skips eats his words. The world is ending.
Good job by Harris.
There we go again…Bremer soiling his pants on a fly ball.
Man Dick Bremer is such a fruit loop, a routine line out and he creams his pants
Everyone should slide headfirst!
Now, can Nathan blow his third save on the road trip?
Nice comeback, however, not over quite yet
Erik–give it up.
Punto has to learn to swing for the fences every 40th AB the way Casilla does. And he deserves the opportunity too — he plays hard.
Alright, put in some defensive replacements!
But who? ? ?
Nathan coming in.
Nathan to face:
Zaun: 0-5 lifetime versus Nathan
Overbay: 0-3 lifetime versus Nathan
Rolen: 0-2 lifetime versus Nathan
Erik–give it up.
Why? Because I am proving you wrong?
You do realize I was mocking all the people that were freaking out and acting like we were down 26 on the final day of the season and are about to go 0-162?
Nathan just has a case of middle reliefitist. He caught it from the rest of the stiffs. Hopefully he is over it now and will return to form.
Nathan needs a good inning here.
Wells doesn’t look a gold glover out there. He almost over ran the one fly and made ya think on the last one.
Joe struggling to throw strikes.
*sigh*
Nathan looks like he still has a bit of a fever.
The funniest thing about Dick is that it was LNP who doesn’t have the power to hit over the pitchers head much less the CF.
Nathan hasn’t been Nathan.
Zaun is still 0-5 but is standing on first!
Zaun is STILL 0-5 lifetime against Nathan.
Leadoff walk.
Twins are doomed.
Walking the leadoff hitter….absolutely no excuse. Something is wrong with Nathan.
we need some nathamagic
Please don’t Joe, not in this tight of a race
oops, sorry wipron!
Who is this Nathan guy? White sox drugged him!
dubya play
hey, lyle swung at the first pitch after a walk.
And remember, that CF and RF tandem played as such in Roch.
Seemed like a Rolaids moment, but they were cool and in control. Span has the better arm. He’s in charge as the CF.
95 is bringing it. Settle down Joe.
Well maybe if Harris slides head first he will get to play more, it works for others, maybe it would for him…… and some guys are first pitch hitters, and it is not a sign of a bad hitter
Ump has been very inconsistent with that low pitch tonight.
Nathan not getting any help from the ump
That 1-2 pitch to Rolen was a strike!
Does it appear Nathan’s fastball has very little movement. It appears flatter than usual.
Where is Matt Stairs when the Jays need him?
Nathan versus Snider.
Snider worries me.
Tolbert…the defensive specialist!!!
Nice stab by Tolbert. He’s the man.
Tolbert for President!!
rolaids? tums? anyone? only 23 more to go. This is good times folks. We actually care what happens in September this year.
We should call time out and get Macri in the game.
Wow….the ump is going to want this game to end quickly now.
1 more Joe, 1 more!!!
Lamb could have made that play. Soft liner.
Exactly this is much better then last year where september baseball is meaningless.
Throw him that new little 4th pitch, that little curve floater well inside and low. He’ll SO.
Stop nibbling Joe!
Unreal
good lord this is just nuts
HAHA
whoa
$#@!
my god i didn’t know it was “duke” snider!
that really stinks!
Nice Job Gardy. This is on you buddy.
Just end this shitfest now.
Should have put Macri in right field.
we really suck
Wow the Twins’ defense blows tonight.
This is sickening
How is this team even remotely close to begin in a pennant race?
Nathan deserved it. Walk and hit is a WHIP of Sh@t.
You gotta be kidding! I give up! Unbelievable.
Move Punto to Right and find someone on the bench to play SS or 3B
How in the world! What is this the 4-5th game this has happened on the road trip
Too late for the 4th pitch.
What hurts is we have only Breslow/Bonser. Maybe Crain in a pinch. Is there a starter who needs BP work.
Cuz Nathan won’t be back in the 10th.
There is a reason these folks were in Rochester…yet Gardy throws the whole lot in the field at once.
Just end this game now, put Bonser out there!
Nathan needs some GatorAide.
He’s getting paid millions of dollars to come into the ninth inning to blow games that we need to have at the end of the year
Nathan has absolutely no control. I think part of it is we don’t use him enough
hahahahahahahahahahahaha…….did I say hahahahahahahahha
Nope…in Gardy fashion I have a feeling he is going to throw this game away and come back to live another day.
Maybe Eddie?
Twice this defense has blown it tonight…twice.
Shore this shit up Twins!
Hate to say it, but Nathan looks tired and like he lacks confidence.
did I mention Groundhogs day…..anyone? anyone?
Nice K one batter too late.
The Twins are trying their hardest to not make the playoffs. There is no reason we should be at least 2 games up on the Sox.
Chin up boys. Don’t look back, go score some runs.
thanks gardy!
johnny,
You may be onto something there. I was talking to a guy at work and he mentioned he thought he heard something about Nathan’s arm being tired. Not sure how that could be…
when they lose again tonight we will hand out trophies to all of them to make sure their egos don’t get damaged, just like in gradeschool
1 run is not enough anymore even with Nathan. There is NO ONE in the BP that can get it done. Although the defense is horrible too. They are so worried about making a mistake that the mistake happens everytime.
The Sox are trying their hardest to not make the playoffs. There is no reason they should be at least 2 games up on the Twins.
—-
In other news, look like I picked a bad time to quit amphetimines.
If you walk the leadoff batter in the 9th inning, you deserve to have the game get tied up.
What has happened to Nathan?
The one thing I worry about is even if we lose this game and are 1 game out, can a young team get their confidence back. I mean this is just ubelievable how every game on this road trip has been a disaster.
Nathan is hardly even used. If anything he is under worked.
“Exactly this is much better then last year where september baseball is meaningless.”
I’d rather have meaningless baseball than THIS!!!
Kidding.
You have to love our lovable losers
They will at the dome. This roadtrip can’t end soon enough. Pridie better get a hit.
Don’t sit their like a toad, Gardy. Send that runner.
pridie, you must be kidding. . .gardy is definitely going to vote for sarah palin. . .it must be embarassing for real big leaguers to watch “sarah” pridie diddle her way in right field. . .viva sam mele
Yeah, this level of baseball is bush league.
Nathan has been just as bad as the rest of the pen lately. He just let a rookie give him another blown save because he was too weak kneed to pump his fastball in there like he’s been doing all season. Last couple weeks have really shaken his mojo.
there
Who gets the ball if a save is needed an Nathan is out? Korecky? Eddie?
MT catches up with the gas
In Groundhogs day everytime he woke up the story for him got better, for the Twins it keeps getting worst
Tanner, the fact the Sox haven’t exactly slammed the door while the Twins have been struggling should be enough to keep confidence up going into the homestand.
How about you just get a bunt down Pridie…
Some blame should also go to Joe Nathan… I don’t care if Snider’s a top offensive prospect, the guy has 10 Major League ABs and Nathan can’t strike him out? Zaun was 0-5 against him and he couldn’t throw a strike.
Similarly in Oakland, he puts two guys on base against the worst offense in the AL.
As for Gardy filling the field with AAA players, that’s what the Twins have been doing all year.
We’ve relied largely upon Alexi Casilla, Brian Buscher, Denard Span, Carlos Gomez, and Matt Tolbert at different points this year.
I’m begging them to pry Garrett Atkins out of Colorado this offseason, move Casilla to SS, and put Luke Hughes at 2B. Harris and Tolbert can be our utility guys, while Buscher gets a “good luck” and a pat on the back.
Our flaws are showing more and more on the road.
However, we’re not done yet, we’ve got a runner on and no out. Let’s go Twins. We can still take these last two games and head home on a high note!
It’s not just Bush League…it’s Ultra Bush League
Thank God for that guy.
I agree, T. This is the Sox oppurtunity to pull away and they haven’t even if the Twins lose.
how about that being a little too late for bunting in this game?
You know…when they give high fives for making a decent play, I wish I would see punches to the face after a stupid game costing error.
I hate that move, Gardy. Hope it works.
all fastballs
How can Nathan be tired? He hasn’t pitched since Saturday. He hasn’t pitched very much during this trip. Granted, he wasn’t great that inning. But he gave up a walk and a single…not his fault he is pitching in front of one of the league’s worst defenses. He has not been his normal dominant self…closers, like any other pitcher/hitter, go through some rough patches. His ERA is barely over 1…I think he’ll be fine. I’m much more worried about the rest of the BP and a defense that has consistently made costly errors this year.
Just the facts: Tolbert’s triple was a 320-foot fly that the center fielder misplayed after being positioned ridiculously shallow because Tolbert swings a plastic bat. The Twins’ three errors: Punto’s was a smash, Tolbert choked on an easy throw, Pridie blew a routine play. The call-ups aren’t ready for a playoff run. When the Twins get back from this trip, it should be the core group from July-August in the lineup, plus Cuddyer–if he’s able.
Game Costing error? Its over? Funnny its tied on my TV…
Another example of how this team is a bad spot. Reyes last night was one of the guys who came in to end an ugly inning.
Tonight he comes in and makes it worse.
No-win.
Span looking like he belongs in Fort Myers tonight.
Hey Skippy…no error and the game is over…get it.
wild pitch time
the twins just called up sarah palin. . .who cares about talent–she’s cheap, just like pridie, tolbert, punto, and the rest of her kids. . .
Pretty bad when you pretty much have to score one run in the top of an extra inning just to keep from losing in the bottom due to a crappy pen. Only a matter of time before the pen loses this.
dude threw 15 hard ones
How do you know its over? The inning would have still been alive… get it
Nora: Can you imagine how angry the Sox fans are right now? Twins fall on their face on the roadtrip and the Sox I think right now are looking at at BEST being right where they started (1.5 games up)
Reminds me of when the Sox supposedly put the Twins to bed way back during that four game sweep. That lasted all of a week.
johnnyonspot called it I’m afraid. Odds are not in our favor.
Fort Myers advances to the FSL finals with a 3-1 win over Dunedin.
Alex Burnett pitched better than AJ Burnett.
i think 5 slap hitters in a row may be one too many.
one will get a hit
then move em over
move em over
3rd out
Mauer on deck
the twins just called up sarah palin. . .who cares about talent–she’s cheap
I have seen some really lame stretch nicknames. That one like takes the cake.
Congrats, you found a famous person who’s last name starts with the same letter.
WOW.
No sense arguing with someone that does not realize that the Twins would have already won had the 2 errors not been made.
T i like your thinking!
“Nathan should’ve been pulled in the Ninth” rants in 3…2…
Their 3rd baseman goofs up and gets the out.
unbelievable.
Did someone post that Nathan has a fever? Maybe he got bit by one of those bugs a couple innings ago.
i guarantee pale hose fans won’t vote for sarah “gardy” palin. . .anybody seen koby teeth, lately?
I’m watching Palin’s speech, had enough of this
No sense in arguing with someone that plays the what if game. You know if the twins had hit 27 home runs we would be winning.
palin’s speech hasn;t started yet, me boy. . .
“Hillary” Casilla almost got a base hit.
(stretch? ? ? )
Funny to read people write off the call-ups after one game.
Nathan is garbage right now. I rather have Eddie in there during the 9th.
ya gotta bring jomentum back out after the last 1. what’s the choice?
Palin not on yet, just Rudy the adulterer.
sarah “gardy” palin. . .
You realize that McCain’s the one who would be President right?
Jeez man…is this a Palin joke, or a Pridie joke?
But wait, now it’s Gardy?
T,
“Can you imagine how angry the Sox fans are right now?”
I think reading this blog will give you a close approximation of that anger.
great job by the camera guy
and…. ugh
Game is over, nice cookie joe.
Yep…Nathan is done. The whole bullpen has issues. Rick Anderson….what is going on.
ouch
remeber when dave winfield played for the fairbanks (alaska) goldpanners–also, tom seaver. . .another loss. . .o canada, my home and native land. . .
Jason “Lieberman” Kubel with a misplay.
Alex “Kerry” Rios at 3rd.
A Bella Abzug-like play by Kubel.
i wouldnt say that was a misplay
judging by the replay it was a dinger
THIS GAME’s OVER!
Kubel had a decent effort. Nathan is the culprit.
ho ho ho. let’s see how if they pull the ol 4 infielder play.
Nathan’s intentional walks have been very good, he seems to have total control of his pitches when he does that. Looks like that was a HR!! Nothing to lose now!!
Geraldine Ferraro-like pitching by Nathan.
Sane,
The difference would be while both sets of fans are upset, Twins fans usually don’t group themselves in as part of the team (”we”, “us”…) So they don’t take the losses quite as personally as Twins fans.
Dick has an interesting point. Why the heck wasn’t replay just used there?
Nathan is pitching like Ferraro
This team has the YIPS! Repeat yesterday’s headline. Another one given away by the Twins.
Kubel has to learn to climb.
Call it a season, boys.
Kubel moves like 72 year old McCain.
judging by the replay it was a dinger
Which makes it our first official example of Replay being completely useless.
If this were football, that’d have been reviewed. (Or if a Yankee had hit it)
Wow, that ball was blatantly a HR… I changed the channel before the play was even over. Only reason I flipped back was because of people talking on here. What a break! Can we capitalize now? Please Twins? PLEASE?
Yes….and those intentional pitches had some movement on them
Ah. Good angle there. Wonder how long it took to find that.
Glad to see FSN follow up. WGN would’ve just whined about it for half an hour.
NO HR!!
No replay in baseball!
Not even close to being a HR. A speedier RF would have made the play.
Come on Nathan get this 167 hitter!
Good Bert…how many times this series are you going to say it is an out in Oakland.
Glad the Twins replaced Bass. That was obviously the problem…
hes going to walk him i just know it
bring in the “g” man–the gangster of “save”
Quit nibbling!
A speedier RF would have made the play.
A closer without his head in his a** doesn’t give up the hit.
well he walked him, he just swung at it
Fooled him with ball four!!
Yes, total pitching and fielding collapse in the later innings.
Sorry but I would like to see Eddie face Overbay.
Nathan has been overworked.
He has pitched the 8th and 9th inning every single night……………………… in the blog posters demands.
Oh thank GOD.
And thats why I am at home and not in the dugout.
…….and….. it continues
lucky ducky!
Can anyone believe Bremer thought they would bring in Eddie?
I was NEVER worried!!
What in the world is wrong with Nathan? It should not be this hard for him to get 3 outs?
Whew!
I was trying to work a “John Edwards” reference in there, but didn’t need to!
We’re gonna lose Twins, we’re not gonna score, we’re gonna lose Twins, I don’t think we can score, ground out to second, make it a double play, cheer for the Montreal Expos today! Go Twins!
Way to catch that Pridie!
Thank you Overbay for swinging at the first pitch…..that was dumb.
hr time for the lads
That does it for you White Sox fans. Check out the odds in Vegas after tonight’s result.
Hey, let’s get Obama in the game, he looks and sounds good but sucks just like the Twins on this roadtrip!
Well…lefty vs left handed hitter….he is a stats guy.
Pridie looked nervous.
I was too.
“What hurts is we have only Breslow/Bonser. Maybe Crain in a pinch. Is there a starter who needs BP work.”
Forgot about Guardado.
Nathan did his job —– twice. But no save.
Nathan did his job once–after the save was blown.
Rudy G was on top of his game tonight. Here comes Palin.
Put Obama in, it’s not above his pay grade to play for the Twins, I promise!
“Not even close to being a HR. A speedier RF would have made the play.”
That would have been the speediest RF in history! The ball was hit to LEFT FIELD.
Does “Lightning” Bolt play outfield?
C’mon Twinks
Korecky and Humber should get a shot before Crain. And Breslow before them.
Rudy G is full of hot air.
here comes sarah palin. . .rumor has it she’s suggested larry the cable guy for secretary of energy, and jeff foxworthy for secretary of state
Oh my, Palin has a pregnant daughter, so all liberals have something in common with her now! are the Twins still playing?
Sarah Palin is a SMOKESHOW
Yes, and she tried marijuana and did NOT like it.
pridie’s the father he fumbled the rubber
Sorry. Just thought since everyone had given up on this game 8 innings ago…
The heart of the order. Bypass.
How long will it be before McCain makes a play for her?
The next funny political reference will be the first funny political reference.
The Twins couldn’t beat their way out of a wet paperbag right now! Obama is a pretty man
Korecky maybe
Humber no way, he wont make an appearance unless its an emergency or its out of control
Did she say victory is in sight in Iraq…I thought mission accomplished.
Eddie will blow it….
Alright. Which Eddie shows up tonight?
PS: If somebody gets Tolbert in from 3rd after his leadoff triple this game ends 5-4.
the pride of stockton, california–the “g” man. . .
I thought the surge wouldn’t work…
Are the bases loaded yet? they should just tell 3 guys from Toronto’s dugout to load the bases, it will save time…
86 mph fastball…we are doomed.
“Nathan did his job once–after the save was blown.”
Nathan not right on tonight. So dump and error on his head and call him ugly.
Very helpful.
How many ER’s did he give up tonight?
I don’t like the Guardado Rolen matchup.
The surge for what? To get the WMD’s?
dump an error
How many ER’s did he give up tonight?
He didn’t give up any earned runs in Oakland either…
looks like the shitty one
Atta boy Eddie…you da man.
Is there anyone in here that is against the war that even knows someone that is in the military? didn’t think so…..
Like I said, I don’t like the Guardado Rolen matchup.
USA: I didn’t like Eddie period. I still think this was a lateral move…
I bet it will be the Eddie of 2008 who has sucked ever since ST.
Sorry…but the pickup of Eddie was a pathetic attempt by Billy Smith to make it look like he tried something. Similar to the move Risebrough made with the Wild getting Simon. Both moves by bone head do nothing general managers.
Johnny…I spent 26 years in the Air Force, and I have been against this stupid war from the start.
is Juan Berringer or however you spell it still pitching? make the move Twins, get him!
Eddie = Livan + Left-Handedness
Can SOMEBODY make a play?
Burn all the gloves after this game.
Wow, Eddie the wonder is getting bombed. Time for Boof to end this disaster.
Eddie hasn’t helped us. Not really sure or sold on the idea of him being back. Hes a good guy for the clubhouse but he clearly is not effective
Boof is coming in! Good Night all!!
Thank you for serving.
Sorry…but the pickup of Eddie was a pathetic attempt by Billy Smith to make it look like he tried something.
Smith doesn’t trade: “He’s not trying.”
Smith trades: “He’s just doing it to do it.”
No-win.
Obviously Gardy has surrendered. Guadardo can’t get anyone out unless Span makes a perfect throw in the outfield.
Everybody hits Eddie Guardado was one helluva pick up. Monroe, Lamb, Hernandez, Everett and Guardado. Forget Gardy, fire Bill Smith’s sorry butt.
Eddie is not good
Hate to be Ned Negative here, but when you go from Eddie G. to Boof you are basically going from worse to worser.
FTR: I didn’t like the idea of Hawkins or Bradford either.
This will be the most discouraging loss of the season for me.
this should be interesting
So if Eddie doesn’t pitch well in blow out games, or close games, what type of games does it pitch well in?
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF
I also was in the military. Air Force and am now an air traffic controller. The war is a farce and only brainwashed folks who think this is a war on terrorism when in reality it started as a war on WMD’s are for it. Go after Bin Laden or the Saudis who ran the 911 operation. Iraq was a mistake.
like I said, are the bases loaded yet? they should take my advice, just load them up to start the inning to save time
“Johnny…I spent 26 years in the Air Force, and I have been against this stupid war from the start.”
You and probably McCain too — in his heart of hearts if he was to be totally frank.
George “Boof” Bush
I don’t what that means.
Seriously if the Twins wanted to win what explanation can they come up with bringing Eddie in other then to surrender a loss.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF
Almost a ground rule double……
:)>
:(>
Probably the most pathetic game I have seen played in a long time. Bullpen sucks and fielding sucked. Billy Smith also sucks.
Yep. Sure glad Smith aquried that One Arm (TM) this team so desperatly needed.
There’s NOBODY left in this pen.
Skippy…we can now say the error cost us the game….or are you still in denial.
Game over. Gardy apparently wanted to save the rest of what is left of our bullpen for tomorrow.
BTW…Palin looks and talks like Brittany Spears.
Second guessers,
Check Eddie’s Ranger stats.
Well, at least the Daily Show on Comedy Central will be good. It was terrifyingly funny last night — and live from St. Paul.
God I’d love to be there.
But I have my colonoscopy tomorrow. We’re looking for Beltre…..
Ugly, Uglier and Ugliest all showed up in the same game.
this team sucks
Second guessers
Except I didn’t like the move from Day 1.
GROUNDHOGS DAY…tomorrow they suit up and do it again
I have lost faith in Nathan. If we can’t count on him there is absolutely no bullpen. I blame the stupid convention for this roadtrip that made me discover this.
Stick a fork in ‘em..Throw away another two wins, 3 out of 4 blown saves by Nathan, and guys like Pridie, Tolbert and 90 year old Eddie in clutch situations. At least the Vikings start in a week! Can Tarvaris jackson play 3rd base?
obama should be our only relief pitcher, it’s time for change, you know how I know, he said so
Jays are gonna sweep us again?
I just hope Tavaris can start Monday at Green Bay.
The bullpen needs to be docked half their salary. You have to be somewhat effective to get it all imo.
Boy. If the pen and defense don’t suck, this is a 13-0 road trip….
No, it is time for a change because the current conditions have deteriorated.
This is getting really old. I love this team but I can’t stand these pathetic loses.
BTW… Palin looks like Tina Fey.
T, I don’t understand how you can be so obstinate. Just admit you were wrong.
The Twins have needed bullpen help since June at least, and the failure to a GD thing about it until picking over the scrapheap for the carcass of Eddie has cost this team quite a few games this year.
You don’t get a chance to compete every year. When you do, you go for it. It might not work, but you don’t let your team whither on the vine when you have such obvious needs.
Beltre for Blackburn, with Humber in the rotation, and another RH arm or so and this team might be in pretty good shape instead of looking up at Chicago and waiving goodbye to the wildcard.
“Cautious” is a good quality for a GM. Taken to the extreme, “cautious,” like any virtue, becomes “timid” and is no longer a virtue.
“It’s hard to ply the game of baseball with both hands around your thoat”-Gary gaetti,1984.Relived September 3rd,2008.
Soooo…..who was the big goat tonight. Boof, Nathan, Eddie, Punto, Purdie?
Palin looks like Sally Fields the Singing Nun.
I’m changing my vote to Obama from McCain. It’s McCain’s fault the Twins have been on the road for a month
Punto for pres, boof for vice
Should read “throat”. I choked on the line!!
Me too, Florida. I blame the convention.
The team is actually better than it ever has been this season at any time. I’m confident they will bounce back. No need to fret.
This is the fourth time an opposing player has used the phrase “battle” regarding a victory in which they come back to win against the Twins.
(Damon was the first one I actually took note of)
Pitiful, Pathetic, Unbelievable effort. If Gomez plays anything other then as a defensive substitute Gardy is the worst manager in the league. And thanks to Mr. Punto for his effort on the grounder that led to the tying run. And thank you Mr. Pridie for your effort in allowing the tying run to score. And thank you Mr. Nathan for yet another blown save in crunch time. And Eddie it is time to retire. What a sinking feeling this night left.
Realitycheck, USAFChief-
Along with both of you, I am a veteran, and have come to find this war, after the initial invasion, a complete joke by the Bush administration in the way they’ve handled it.
I just thought I’d point out that us three veterans have similar opinions, so the next time some brainwashed invididual gets on here and says all veterans support Bush and the war, maybe they’ll think again before they speak for everyone.
Actually she sounds like a Calif. hippy from the 60’s kinda. Are you sure she’s not happy-smoked?
I’m moving to Australia…Twins, please stay in MN
Craig, what planet are you on and what games have you been watching?
hate to remind you guys but if you think the twins got your hopes up for nothing, i don’t think the vikings are gonna help.
over-under for how many days Gardy is still going to be managing this team?
Teams don’t have to ‘battle’ with the way Twin Bullpen is. In extra innings it is a matter of time…
It looked like the Jays were playing for first place in their division rather than the Keystone Twinkies. Oh well, at least the Twinkies get paid no matter what.
How many times did we blow this game? Nathan’s lead off walk can’t happen but why was Pridie in such a rush to make that play in right? He got to the ball to cut it off, just catch it and it’s first and third with a .215 hitter (McDonald) coming up who Nathan eventually struck out. Blackburn deserved a win and I thought Brendan Harris who got out of Gardy’s doghouse was going to be the hero. Damn it!
It’s amazing you play all these games with 25 players and then in September minor leaguers can have such a big role in wins and losses.
T, I don’t understand how you can be so obstinate. Just admit you were wrong.
Go back to where LEN3 (or was it JoeC) annouced the Twins had picked up Eddie.
I was called a moron (amoung other things) for even suggesting that this was a bad move.
So nice try. I called it. Eddie was the “Savior” and now he’s sucked so eveybody’s acting like they knew it would happen all along.
it’s time for change we can believe in, like eddie g
“over-under for how many days Gardy is still going to be managing this team?”
A very long time because it’s extremely uncharacteristic of a MN sports franchise to fire it’s manager/head coach for mediocrity. You’ll still hear support for his job by those who say “look what he’s done with this team this year.”
I’m not sure you can pin tonight’s loss on him though, moreso on poor play overall.
How many times did we blow this game?
1. Failing to get Tolbert in after the leadoff triple.
2. Error + Blackburn meltdown giving up first lead.
3. Error + Nathan meltdown giving up second lead.
4. Having nobody left after Nathan. Game ends.
over-under.. i’d say 5 years, and take the over.
all you guys that blame the bullpen for this one are wrong. the twins got a lead to nathan, and he blew it. it happens. i think we all owe nathan a couple blown saves, it’s just unfortunate the way it’s happening.
eddie sucks. anyone else notice he threw 13 consecutive fastballs?!?! at 86 mph no less… and he’s pissed at who?? himself, for having a dead arm? i don’t get it…..
Oh, no.
Twins are a full “one” game back.
How will we ever make that up?
Nora,
The Twins have been playing on the road in this trip about the same way they have played on the road all season.
The team has more talent right now, and I think they will hang in there. They are doing fine.
Twins don’t ‘owe’ Nathan any blown saves. He get payed a ton of money to pitch one inning.
You know how I know the Twins will hang in this thing? Obama said so
You’ll still hear support for his job by those who say “look what he’s done with this team this year.”
Is that like many of the people calling for Gardy’s head now who were the same ones feeling bad for Gardy after Smith and Pohlad conspired to destroy this team for generations during the offseason…
“If we can’t count on him there is absolutely no bullpen.”
NORA!
9:36 p.m: “Nathan not right on tonight. So dump an error on his head and call him ugly.
Very helpful.
How many ER’s did he give up tonight?”
mudcat, it is not that I think the season is over but this game was so bad I have to let off steam and it certainly did not inspire confidence.
I’d like to see more of the Pridie kid against RHP. He has some skills.
it’s extremely uncharacteristic of a MN sports franchise to fire it’s manager/head coach for mediocrity
two words:
Denny Green
and 2 more:
Mike Tice
and even 2 more:
Jerry Burns
point made?
FTR: I’ll say it again, the Sox continue to do the same thing the Twins do…fail to make a surge with the other team struggling.
The Twins have their last big chance to get ahead of Chicago before they come to the Dome when they face DET and CLE while Chicago’s hosting LAA and one other team (cant’ remmeber who)
After that, they’ll have to stay within one game and take care of business theirselves in the final homestand.
Hopefully TB gets their spot locked before that four game series at Tropicana…
It’s 10:00. Time for Comedy Central.
Barack O’Barrell of Fun for Twins Manager, it’s time for change!
i wouldn’t compare the vikings to the twins. one is a model franchise in their sport, whereas the other does it’s best to embarrass themselves year after year.
Nora, I was commenting on Marney Gellnar, certainly not to my friends on this blog!
How many walks did he give up? A leadoff walk is unacceptable they almost always score, and it did. In his 2nd inning he loaded the bases w/ 1 out, he got out of it barely. He no longer inspires confidence. At least not like he used to.
we are in a pennant race….why is jason pridie in right field when the game is on the line????he probably pissed his pants jogging out to right field he was so surprised his dumb ass manager penciled him in.pridie error cost us the game and yesterday shit head gardenhire put in bonser with his era over 6 in with us up by one and he cost us the game.i hope we lose the rest of our games this team is gutless
and it starts with gardenpuke that is why we cant win on the road.
Maybe Gardy will win, Manager Of The Year.
It’s not like this team is loaded with superstars.
which is the model franchise, the one that chokes year after year or the one that sells off it’s best talent…..oh wait, it’s both
nathan is still worth every dime, even with the recent blown saves.
thrylos98, Denny Green got fired after years of mediocrity, it finally came down to that, but he hovered for years here. I don’t think management was ever behind Tice, and he didn’t have much to play with. Why they fire him after 2 and not Childress now, I have no idea.
romer: “Very helpful. How many ER’s did he give up tonight?”
Nice try. He didn’t give up any ER’s Saturday either. Guess that loss wasn’t his fault either.
Seven Questions:
1) How can a team that is serious about playoff hopes be playing multiple september call-ups?
2) Will people finally realize Nick Punto is unfundamentally sound yet? (yes, he can make some plays in the hole, but balls that come at him, he plays off to the side. Finally, it killed the Twins tonight, as it slid up his arm, out of the infield.)
3) Will Gardy ever have use the same line-up in back-to-back games again in the history of his coaching tenure?
4) Nick Punto batting 7th???
5) Will Gardy finally use Gomez as a late-inning replacement fielder, pinch-runner, and stop starting him and giving away outs?
6) What part of Boof Bonser sux does Gardy not understand?
7) Can someone tell me how changing the line-up daily is better for a team than using a consistent line-up, like the Angels, White Sox, Rays, Cubs, Brewers, D-Backs, or even Mariners?
Signed,
Frusterated, Typing, and Ready To Be Hated
MIghty Casey-
I’m with you, I see no reason to worry about Nathan. Two blown saves in a row because of two bad errors. The guy’s still a force.
Craig,
Gardy is the manager of the millennium… woopty if he is going to win the manager of the year
the twins “sell off” their best talent and bring up more talent.
When this trip is over, keep the call-ups on the bench, keep Eddie out of close games, keep on keepin’ on as we had been before the trip. Six weeks ago the Twins were two games behind Chicago.
why is jason pridie in right field when the game is on the line????
Jason Pridie was in right with the game on the line because I believe he came to bat for Gomez when the game was on the line.
But when they “sell off” talent, they’re usually selling off talent that can help them win now, and replace them with talent that might be good in a few years.
Ah, Dan buddy, Green coached the greatest Viking team ever, maybe one of the best offensive teams ever assembled.
Not mediocre.
pridie, tolbert, and the other call-ups with have a huge role with this team down the stretch… it’s unfortunate with pridie’s error, and tolbert’s, but they both had good plate appearances and will be very useful in september.
So Span might be good in a couple of years? Same with our starters? They seem to be playing pretty well to me.
Palin would destroy Hussein Nobama in a debate. She is awesome.
Nobama:
130 times couldn’t make up his mind to vote yes or no, so he votes present. Great decision making. We need that in a president.
Never wrote a major law in state legislature or in senate, but has written his own memoirs. Not too full of himself is he?
The most liberal of the liberal senators. He is left of the socialist senator.
But when they “sell off” talent, they’re usually selling off talent that can help them win now, and replace them with talent that might be good in a few years.
You mean like selling off Santana and Hunter to get ready to make a playoff run in a few years…… or the year after?? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
AJ Pesh,
Punto is doing a great job. Every SS makes an error now and then. That was a hard hit ball, tonight. Punto has been excellent, and is a big reason this team has had as much success as it had. He can hit, field, run and throw. He can do it all. Excellent player.
Yes he did coach one of the greatest offensive powerhouses ever, and after winning one playoff game, finished very mediocreally (if that’s a word).
That year was a great ride and a lot of fun to watch, but I’d rather go 9-7 and hit the Super Bowl than 15-1, win one stinkin’ playoff game, and lose to a far inferior team. That’s mediocrity to me.
denny didn’t coach the 98 offense, billick did. and then billick won a super bowl as a head coach, with trent dilfer no less.
denny was who we thought he was.
why is jason pridie in right field when the game is on the line????
Jason Pridie was in right with the game on the line because I believe he came to bat for Gomez when the game was on the line.
I believe he entered the game when Delmon Young was used as a use-him-and-lose-him pinch hitter for Gomez. Why Young did not remain in the game, in left (moving Kubel to right) is beyond me and Gardy has to answer for that.
You played 135 games without him…why insert him into a close game this important now? That was Gardy outmanaging himself…
Earlier today Tom Hamilton of the Indians broadcast crew mentioned that Ozzie Guillen said he would not be playing his September call-ups much at all…
I think that advice would’ve been instructive for Gardy today.
Well I have asked my Dr. for some blood pressure medication after watching the past 2 weeks. I guess I will focus on the positive and that is that at least we are about done with the trip and we are in the same position as far as games back as we were at the beginning. Would we have taken that scenario if we were told that before the trip began?
Palin got $27 million for her town of 6000 people. She MUST be a good talker!
Dan, Chief, Reality,
Just separated from the service after spending 2 tours in the Gulf…couldn’t agree with you guys more and I’m glad you’re all willing to say something.
Forgive me Mighty Casey, but I can’t tell if we’re agreeing or arguing.
Pridie and the other call-ups have been being used to see what they might be able to offer these last 20 games while the regulars get a chance to rest their legs a few days at the end of this road trip. The push starts when the team gets home from Toronto.
young was unavailable in the field because of his ankle. clutch hit off the bench though, good move by gardy.
Can of Corn-
Two tours in the sandbox myself, recently separated active duty, still part-time National Guard. You’re a good man.
Pridie was drawing rave reviews for his fielding in AAA. I think he won some award. He is swift and slick, and he will help the Twins this September. I wouldn’t worry about Pridie in the field, or on the base-paths.
I’m confused also.
Billick’s offense cost us the chance to go to the Super Bowl.
i think it’s safe to say the twins are indeed in a playoff race THIS year, the year after dealing santana and letting hunter walk.
santana and hunter are not valuable enough for the twins to pay them what their new teams are paying them. the angels and mets can afford to make a bad deal, or have santana go down with injury. imagine what a crippling blow it would be to have a guy making 40% of their payroll either get injured, or if they didn’t live up to their contract. then what??
AAA and a pennant run in the majors are two different animals. Don’t kid yourself. It’s September, not April. You saw it tonight.
Just did a quick count. I think we are “under” the over/under of 20 “season’s over” comments for the night. I counted 12… some were a little vague.
denny sitting on the ball with over a minute left, with the best offense ever, cost us a chance at the super bowl. and a kicker………………………………………………….
Billick’s offense cost us the chance to go to the Super Bowl.
I like to use Gary Anderson as a scapegoat. It was a single play that I can point to on replays. Thus providing a means to oversimplify the reasons the Vikings didn’t go to the dance in 98. (Or was it even longer ago…MAN that still hurts to think about)
Casey I agree with you, I was glad to see both of them go, especially the traitor Santana, after telling Castillo that he wanted to play for the Mets.
But their constant turnover of players isn’t helping. If we keep rebuilding from within, we’ll be division winners and ALDS losers at best. To go beyond their recent history they need to bring in some key pieces (Beltre would’ve been a good start)
i cried for 2 days straight after that loss in 98
Not giving up on this year but my wish list for next year is Beltre or Atkins and a 8th inning shut down reliever. That’s not asking too much is it:)?
Thanks for clearing that up Jason. I caught some Gardy said in the post game that confused me cause I missed that series of moves.
But to answer this question: Why Young did not remain in the game, in left (moving Kubel to right) is beyond me and Gardy has to answer for that.
Gardy did answer for that. Apparently Young’s ankle is still bothering him, and Gardy didn’t want him running the bases on it.
once you get into the playoffs, it’s a crapshoot. anything can happen in the playoffs….
the one thing you need is an ‘ace’. we had the best pitcher in the american league for the last few playoff runs, and nothing to show. what can you do beyond that? if you have a team that can get you to the playoffs, what more do you want in that lineup to get you over the hump?
That’s asking EXACTLY what we need, not too much at all
Viking “fans” are on the wrong page.
i cried for 2 days straight after that loss in 98
I actually died inside. Not metaphorically…like actually died.
OK..
Nobody allow any leadoff walks
Nobody drink before they’re 21
Nobody have teen sex if your parents are famous
Nobody drive over 55
Nobody…ad nauseum
The eternal fact remains that Nathan pitched excrutionatingly and excrutionatingly long tonight while giving up no ERs and if everyone else on the team had played to that level the Twins wouldn’t have lost.
Point the finger in the right direction please.
Quit posting then, T. You’re dead.
Quit posting then, T. You’re dead.
Well, I got better.
Romer–Another rule is to never swing at the first pitch, if the guy (or girl, in coed slo-pitch) walks on four pitches just before you come to the plate. Erik says so.
T–Welcome back!! Now, shape up.
T is actually a cat.
romer, exactly. tonight’s loss came after 3 bad errors and not scoring from 3rd with no one out.
I continue to say the season gets decided at the dome starting 9/23.
If you score a bunch of points (runs), it doesn’t come down to special teams (bullpens).
Same difference.
that new Gophers stadium looks pretty sharp
Twins blew a chance to ruin a big night for Toronto. ESPN.com is saying in their game wrapup that tonight saw the Jays hit 75 million fans in attendence in franchise history (since 1977 I believe it said).
We could have beaten them on 75 million fan night and we blew it!!!
Nice try, Shawn.
Go to the Gopher blog.
no mudcat, but thanks for offering.
I was waiting for a reply from Erik but his wife must make him log off earlier than mine does. My deadline is 10:30 and I’m probably busted already. Sox fans, continue squirming.
I was waiting for a reply from Erik but his wife must make him log off earlier than mine does. My deadline is 10:30 and I’m probably busted already. Sox fans, continue squirming.
I must have missed your message.
What was it?
Hello all:
What a night. I have to admit, I just check the score when I can the last week. The last two nights, I just knew we were going to lose. Last night, 5-1 in the 5 th inning, but Perk had already given up 10 hits. I knew we were done scoring, and Perk and the ‘pen were just starting the daily blow-it mode. Tonight, more of the same. You could say I have lost confidence in this teams ability to win critical games. It takes me a bit to get to this point, but I am here, and I can say with all sincerity the wheels are coming off this cart.
So then it’sa question of why? How is that BP pitchers could be pretty effective into August, and then tank? And the SP’s look like they can’t put up more than 90 pitches a game without getting gassed. Batters look nervous. Too anxious. Makes me wonder if the Twins are fundamentally unsound in the mental approach to pressure situations. Does this team have a “go-to” guy who can settle everybody else down? Where are the leaders? It’s not that somebody appoints Morneau or Maeuer or somebody else leader and that’s it. But noone is stepping up. The only real “big-time” play I recall on this trip was Span’s 8th inning throwout. He’s played well. But he’s a rookie.
Will they need to re-tool this team in the future if the team plateaus at “good” but not “championship caliber” baseball?
I think Johnny asked if anyone “knew” someone in the military, he didn’t ask if you are or were in the military. The point is most people who complain don’t even know someone in the military. I think that is what he was trying to say. Thanks to all who serve our country!
Tolbert not ready for the WS. Pridie either.
Nathan is. 1.07 ERA
Jake said go to the Vikings page but I saw this, the latest post, and came back:
“Ole1 says:
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Red = searching through his 13 year old bag of vomit for his missing chromosome”
Erik–I’ve been given a 15-minute extension by my wife. It’s about the “never swing at the first pitch if the guy (or girl, in coed slo-pitch) walked before you” rule. Defend your position, even though I’ll probably be in bed and not really care.
Don’t worry, they wouldn’t be eligible anyways, maybe that is why they aren’t too worried about errors costing games……nah, it happens to the best teams, comeon have faith, 05 Houston went down to the wire to sneak in, last year colorado had to run the table winning 13 of 14 and relying on Milwaukee to help out….. the best pennate races are the ones that stop your hearts and make grown men come to tears…… or just make you glad you didn’t throw the remote at the pretty HD tv 2 weeks earlier…..
At least we have the T’Wolves to look forward to, right
“Thanks to all who serve our country!”
Glad to do it Dilbert. Words of support like that always make my day. Being on a Twins message board, one hour after a loss, dissecting their bullpen, it’s always nice to hear. Thanks.
Dan, tonight no one was spared. Bullpen, management, special teams, Vikes management, all the way to Oval Office!
To all the military on here… you guys are awesome. I second the thanks above.
I just feel so bad for Blackburn. Some have criticized him and called him the staff’s weak link, but he’s just had terrible support lately. Tonight was one hell of a game. He gave up a few hits earl on, and his big mistake was the home run, which honestly was just a nice swing put on the ball.
I still have confidence in the guy and hope he doesn’t lose his own confidence. He’s been chasing 10 wins for about a month now, hopefully next time everyone can back him up (i.e. offense, defense, bullpen behind him, ballboy that protects the bullpen when warming up, stat guy, Bert Blyleven, Jim Rantz, guy who runs balls to umpires….EVERYONE!!
We appreciate it Carlos, thank you.
Some guys are good 1st ball hitters…. period. I am not a fan of stats but there was an impressive all-star calibur list that the Rockies guys aired a few days back that I know included Holliday (hence the reason they showed it) that their average is higher on the first pitch rather than the 3rd or the 4th. I know Harris isn’t a Matt Holliday, but him and Young do tend to have some decent results with first pitch. NOT always, but sometimes
Hey Shawn in Binghamton,
What kind of job are you looking for to bring you and your fiance back to MN? I will give you an email address if you are serious. You sound like a solid guy.
One thing I am looking for is people with SAP skills, but that’s not all.
You probably turned in for the night, so catch up with you later. I am off now as well.
THE TWINS ARE LIKE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. THEY HANG AROUND FOR A WHILE MAKE THINGS INTERESTING. THAN THEY GO AND BOMB IT AND BOMB IT SOME MORE. SURRENDER ALREADY!
New and Improved and Steve are just plain dumb…….
You wanted ‘Wonder Boy II’ Tolbert and you got him. His throw was wider and higher than anything Buscher ever threw.
How about your boy Nathan. Its death to walk the leadoff man as a closer but his does it often. And he labors so just working one inning (much less two like last night). He’s so out of shape.
Maybe they will play Tolbert, Macri, Ruiz and Pridie. You two always want someone new to save your Twins.
You two are just dumb as mud. My farts are smarter than you New.
Jack Legg,
Reread your post.
You had nothing to say which would indicate any intelligence.
Then you sank into insults and namecalling.
Craig and Steve have contributed insight and humor to the blog for a long time, while your 7:51 AM pile of cr-p is your best effort, I would bet.
Criticize the other posters AFTER you show that your opinion is worth reading.
As poorly as the twins have played they are still only 1 game out. They need to get off this treaded road trip with a win today and cut it to 1/2 game. The Sox matchup will be huge but the next road trip to Tampa, and Cleveland could be troublesome.
Who starts at third tonight?
I agree Jack Legg made no sound comments. Enough said about J. Legg.
Having both Bobby Kielty and Brian Bass last night might have helped with some late inning moves. We still have to catch the friggin’ baseball though.
I like Gardy. I really do. But I sure wish he’d play the veterans a bit more down the stretch.
We needed this game. And Tolbert and Pridie both provided costly errors.
Put the best line up out there day after day and get better results. Makes sense to me.
I’m not saying we should never give a guy a day off - but not 4 regulars at once!
I like Gardy. I really do! But…
