Twins update: The bounceback edition
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 – 11:31 AMBy La Velle
I was curious to see what the mood would be in the visitors clubhouse following last night’s loss to Toronto. I anticipated some frayed nerves following the latest blown lead.
But there really wasn’t. Glen Perkins wasn’t pleased with his outing. Denard Span was a little bummed. But Justin Morneau’s position was like, `That’s O.K. We’ll just win tomorrow.’
I guess that’s the best way to put some of these tough losses behind them. I’m sure the mood would have been different if the White Sox were pulling away. They aren’t. There are 24 games left and we’re waiting to see which team will go to the whip first.
How do you think White Sox fans are feeling these days? The Twins have tormented them for most of this decade, and are at it again. They are sick of reading about the lovefest on the North Side. And I spoke with a scout last night who believes that Chicago’s bullpen is hanging on by a thread.
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen doesn’t want the division to come down to Sept. 23-25 at the Dome. But that might be unavoidable.
The Twins need to make the White Sox pay for losing games. These last two games are huge, and they can’t afford to trail after six innings because Toronto’s bullpen is formidable.
By the way, the Twins coaches really worked Jason Pridie hard in the outfield before Tuesday’s game, almost as if he may see some action before this series is over. We’ll see.
HOUSEKEEPING NOTE
I can’t read every post here. When I come across one that’s offensive or contains foul language, I either edit it or delete it.
I also don’t like posters posing as other posters. Someone yesterday posed as someone else AND used foul language. That person is being dealt with.
I’d like to see us stick to witty baseball discussion here but I’m fully aware that there will always be a few knuckleheads involved. I just wanted to let you know that I’m on the lookout for offensive posts, but can’t get to them all.
Oh, I also has some serious connectivity issues yesterday. The wireless connection here is terrible. I had a technician hovering over me the first two innings as we tried to solve the problem. I never posted the Blue Jays lineup. Sorry.
Once the roof closed after the game, the connection was fine. I may root for rain today…
81 Responses to "Twins update: The bounceback edition"
LaVelle,
White Sox lineup today has 2 hitters over .275 vs Cleveland. Jr and Crede are out with back issues, and Quentin is rumored to be out the rest of the week with a sore forearm.
Twins definitely have to play better. Isn’t it something that both sides have not played well of late?
hopefully the team is clicking better when i see them in Baltimore.
i just want to point out, i am watching the White sox game on WGN and the announcers make me wanna smash my face into a brick building. Makes me even more greatful to have the best announcers in the league!! Come on indians!!
Owen,
i listen to the Hawk every now and then, my face has been smashed flat.
Lefties are hitting better VS. Burnett, and a Righty with good breaking stuff is Go-Go’s ultimate kryptonite so I think we may see him tonight.
I watch them now and then when they are on, its funny they are so arrogant and think that the whitesox do no wrong and just the way they have their little “He Gone” and the “YES” makes me sick. Glad im Not a sox fan!!!
Not to alibi for the Twins, but they have been on an historically long road trip. It is pretty hard to stay focused for so long, witness the Sox, who are in the tenth game of a ten game trip.
Regarding Pridie: Is it possible that the outfield defense with a lead would be Pridie, Gomez, Span (L-R)? There would be very few balls in the gaps with that configuration.
Swisher with a homer (solo). Sox 1, Indians 0 in the fifth. Only two hits in the game, both by the Sox.
Nice defensive play last night with Punto to Morneau. To bad for the back 2 back dingers. That second HR looked like a metal bat hitting a golf ball.
LaVelle,
Thanks for policing the blog for idiots and imposters.
It certainly makes the reading and participating more enjoyable.
Yeah, I shouldn’t have used the expletive when referring to an umpire. Although I did mean it literally.
But writing it down is differant than saying it to someone:
All comers of all ages can read the writing here on the blog. So I won’t do it again.
Thanks for your kind patience, La Velle. If you like, you can mail me a list of the typical expletives you use among your friends. That’ll make me feel better.
And you can give me a tip on how I can infect that certain umpire with colon cancer, or worse.
Thank you in advance.
” Isn’t it something that both sides have not played well of late?”
That’s exactly what I predicted a couple weeks ago. Chicago is old, and the Twins are young.
“i just want to point out, i am watching the White sox game on WGN…
Thanks for the heads up, Owen G.
Here’s a link that’s pretty funny (at least I think so):
http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/rosenblog/
Scroll down to “Is this Hxxx? No ,it’s Cleveland”
“…Guillen is letting everybody know that it’s on the players and the players are not on. If somebody in uniform has a problem with that, then turn in the uniform.
What’s more, Guillen is doing it while there’s still time to salvage this thing, still time to win the division, still time to at least wake and play sharp before that 10-game road trip that ends in Minnesota, and believe you me, that’s not where and when you want to be tied.
Talk about “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.’’ Ought to be carved above the Gates of the Metrodome, is what it ought to be.”
Tolbert at 3B tonight please. Why the wait?
Pridie in right. Delmon would be the only RH at the plate, right? With Harris/Red/Gomez/Ruiz/Macri for pinch hitting.
Think grandly, Gardy.
Rincon trying to shut down the bitchsox. One out in the top 7th.
romer does that mean no more saying B-Sox??? That’s your favorite though
Rincon looks very decent. Sox 4-2 after six and a half.
Rincon must have stolen Hafners juice box
Where’s BC Benecke been all my life?
And Austin’s MIA too.
BC Beneke no “c”
Lets win a key game today twins!
YES WIN TWINS
len 3 said we should stick to witty baseball stuff. being witty kind of leaves most of us out doesn’t it?
maybe he meant dim-witted.
imo it’s time for somebody to get mad before the season is over and all is lost. just enough to get the team fired up a little, they seem flat and have for a while. kind of running out of time for the gosh we’ll get m next time attitude.
gobble,
what you say is largely true, but if both the Twins and Tighty Whities play like NL West teams, it might end up being a race for 86 wins
dammit Shoppach
Twins must win tonight to stay even.
That’s why those blown losses loom so huge right now.
do we want to go into the playoffs as not playing as bad as the sox to build on?
right now we have the chance to take it and not wait for the sox to out stink us!
Okay, for everyone that remembers be defending and rooting for Buscher last night…I was wrong, and I apologize for having hope for that guy versus lefties…
If the Twins and Sox keep rolling the dice with their bullpens and keep blowing games, look out for the Indians! They are pretty hot right now. 24 games left, 9.5 behind. Getting hot at the right time. Our squad needs to find that lets get hot at the right time mode.
There is a lady at my work I call the mobile heart attack. She flosses with bacon fat. On a side note does anyone no where in the world is mike Lamb
know
Cleveland is 9.5 games behind. Cleveland can’t win enough games. I don’t see it happening, not enough time.
The Twins were 5 games back in 2006 and it took them the entire month to catch the Tigers on the last day. With today’s loss, the Indians are 10.5 back of the White Sox, it would be a MIRACLE if they would catch the Twins and Sox.
Let’s even pretend they win 20 games out of 24 (a Rockies like adventure), they would end the season at 87-75.
The WhiteSox are 78-61, 23 games to play, they would only need to go 10-13 (.435 win%) to finish 1 game ahead of the Indians. Nothings impossible, but that’s pretty close.
Clevelands tragic number is 14. Thats quite the uphill battle.
Who would have thought Buscher, batting .147 against lefties, would continue to NOT hit lefties? Um, everybody except Gardy and The Situationer. Let’s call that experience over and never let it happen again.
Now then, this has not been a good road trip. However, no need to feel down, because the White Sox are keeping us in it. I guarantee the Sox are feeling worse than any of us right now. This was their chance to expand a lead, and they are blowing it. If we get back home tied for first and coming off a bad road trip, we are still in great shape. Just hang in there for a couple more days and then watch the Twins win a couple more than the Sox, until finally, the Sox will be at the Dome having to sweep us at the end of the season.
that would suck if the Twins had a 2 game lead and the Sox did sweep em
The good news is, the Twins-Sox series is going to determine who wins the division, with the loser taking the wild card. I’m just going to keep saying that until I believe it.
flatblade… I’m willing to bet that D Young is faster than Pridie.
“Shawn in Binghamton says:
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
that would suck if the Twins had a 2 game lead and the Sox did sweep em”
It would also suck if Pohlad got rid of any more players in order to save $$$ this late in the season and ruined the Twins chances at the playoffs.
“I’m willing to bet that D Young is faster than Pridie.”
only if Young is riding in a car on the freeway 
D Young is only faster then Kubel because he has bad wheels
Fire I am willing to bet that D Young is faster then Gardy…
Fire I am willing to bet that D Young is slower then Reyes
jimmy bee when have the Twins ever gotten rid of players in order to save money and it ruined their playoff chances??
Castillo???
I am willing to bet I am faster than Gardy
who wins in a footrace timed by a sun dial? Young, Matt Lecroy, Boof after a China Buffet run
Shawn in Binghamton So DY is faster then Gardy but slowerr then Reyes
Castillo trade didn’t kill the team. They weren’t making the playoffs last year either way.
i’d say DY could beat Reyes as well
Fire in order from fastest to slowest:
Boof Light
Matt Lecroy
Reyes
DY
Gardy
Jimmy Twin’s were already firmely entrenched in 3rd place by end of May Castillo’s being traded in July had no effect on their making the playoffs byt hen
its sad, but my old, fat ass, bum ankle is probably faster than Boof, Reyes, Fat Matt
Young is plenty fast for a guy his size. He may look slow, but that has more to do with a long gait and a clumsy appearance. Just because he looks slow doesn’t mean he is. All you have to do is remember Randy Moss. The guy looked slow, but that was ONLY because he had such a long stride. He left DB’s in the dust, looking effortless while doing it. Young isn’t as fast as Moss, obviously, but you should get the comparison.
Baltimore just blew a four run lead by giving up 5 runs over the last 3 innings. BoSox got the winner on a walk-off error. You think the Twins have a bad bullpen…. can’t wait to play these guys next week.
FIRE That trade took the wind out of the Twins sails. I thought Castillo brought alot to the organazation. I also heard that Castillo missed a ton of time this year on the DL. Maybe not a bad move now but it was at the time back then
when did Randy Moss look slow? in Oakland?
William “the Refrigerator” Perry also looked slow with his long torso
I’d really hate if the Vikes had Moss and Peterson on the same team.
Are the Twins like the Indians of last year. Overachievers?
Shawn in Binghamton yeah Moss and Peterson would be terrible. Whatever happened to the days of Harris and Williamson. Those were the days
Game is in two hours. When do we get lineups LVEN3?
But Justin Morneau’s position was like, `That’s O.K. We’ll just win tomorrow.’
Prime example of why the Twins will not win. There are fewer and fewer tomorrows. Although Ozzie Guillen gets old, a small demonstration of his passion on the part of the Twins would be nice. They should be pissed after lossing 7 games on this roadtrip, 5 of which they were leading. I know I am.
Shawn in Binghamton says:
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I’d really hate if the Vikes had Moss and Peterson on the same team.
Moss wouldn’t care about this Viking team. He’d be about as good as he was in Oakland. The first pass T-Jack under or overthrew him, he would shut it down and pout.
Orioles are a disgrace…throw us a bone, would you, Baltimore?
Who gets AL MVP?
morneau if he gets after it and battles his tail off the last 24 games. no scuffling for jason.
Span RF
Casilla 2B
Mauer C
Morneau 1B
Kubel LF
Buscher DH
Punto SS
Tolbert 3B
Gomez CF
Inglett 2B
Scutaro SS
Rios RF
Wells CF
Lind LF
Barajas C
Overbay 1B
Rolen 3B
Snider DH
Wow…when you’re a Gardy favorite, you’re in everyday (Punto, Buscher). Get on his bad side and you’re out the door(Harris).
Heatonator,
I would be very surprised if Young is not in the lineup.
sweetone,
he isint….
According to mlb.com’s gameday, those are the lineups.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_09_03_minmlb_tormlb_1
DY would strikeout at least twice against Burnett, but so will Go-go I suppose.
Gomez strikes out every 4.05 AB
Young every 5.64
Harris every 4.27
And just for fun…
Monroe struck out every 3.4 AB
Ruiz every 3.53
[…] Originally published by Twins Insider […]
It’s nice to have Chicago Tribune worried about Twins and Vikes. From JMP’s link earlier:
“How great would it be for the Sox to win the AL Central over Minnesota by one game because a former Twin (AJ) cheated and hosed an entire crew of major league umps?
A new stat: Runs Not Batted In. Twins-hating Sox fans will enjoy Justin Morneau’s second-place standing.
More good news for Twins-hate Sox fans: Always good to hear Twins manager Ron Gardenhire say such things as “Jesse’s gotta get some people out.’’ Always good when Joe Nathan says seated.
(that last one HURT!)
