Twins-Blue Jays: Getaway night
Posted on September 4th, 2008 – 4:46 PMBy La Velle
Mike Lamb cleared waivers and has been released.
Joe Mauer is the DH tonight while Mike Redmond catches. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Mauer told him he was a little sore from Wednesday’s game. Mauer is fifth in the majors and second in the AL in innings caught.
But there’s no need to fear, Ryan Jorgensen is here. So Gardy can get away with using two catchers.
With Mauer the DH, Jason Kubel is in right field because Gardy wants his bat in the lineup. That means no room for Carlos Gomez.
Gardy spoke with Gomez yesterday and told him that there may be fewer starts down the stretch because of the playoff push. But Gomez in no way will waste away on the bench.
Correction: The Twins have had four walk off losses during the road trip, not three like I reported like an idiot in today’s paper. I stink, and I’m sorry.
Lineups
Twins (77-62)
- Denard Span, CF
- Alexi Casilla, 2B
- Joe Mauer, DH
- Justin Morneau, 1B
- Jason Kubel, RF
- Delmon Young, LF
- Mike Redmond, C
- Matt Tolbert, 3B
- Nick Punto, SS
Pitching: Kevin Slowey
Toronto (72-66)
- Joe Inglett, 2B
- Marco Scutaro, SS
- Alex Rios, RF
- Vernon Wells, CF
- Adam Lind, DH
- Rod Barajas, C
- Lyle Overbay, 1B
- Scott Rolen, 3B
- Travis Snider, LF
Pitching: Jesse Litsch
259 Responses to "Twins-Blue Jays: Getaway night"
DON’T do it again tonight Twins. For the love of god.
len3 you’re a battler and will get after it. don’t worry if it gets to bad slide into first and all will be forgiven.
I’m glad to see the dangerous J. Bautista isn’t in the lineup for the Jays tonight.
Ditto for “eagle-eye” Zaun.
Funny nobody noticed when the opposition says “battle” isn’t it? I’ve heard at least three or four players on the opposing team use the phrase “we battled” when describing a win against the Twins. Including Damon and I believe Snider last night.
Whatever the case, season’s over. With the Twins a game back (and only playing 3 against the Sox), ESPN is annoucing the Twins will not win the Central and thus not make the playoffs.
However, the Red Sox (3 games back with 6 to play against TB) are right where they need to be and are a lock to overtake Tampa and win the East.
Weird how that works isn’t it?
that’s a relief having the extra catcher. my stomach gets all knotted up and i lose sleep just thinking about the possibility of one of those guys getting hurt and we lose the dh for a few innings. what happens if 2 catchers get hurt? now i’ll need a nerve pill again. the stress just never ends.
this is as close as it gets to a MUST-WIN game. 6-8 is so much better than 5-9 on the trip. cannot afford to be swept, at any cost…
Maybe Adam Everett should play SS to improve the D tonight
east coast media bias t it’s everywhere, baseball, politics, checkers, the list goes on and on.
all teams want to play the twins way, which means battling your tail off.
Someone should ask ESPN to explain that. But their annoyance with anything not having to do with their beloved Red Sox or Yankees is more then obvious.
LEN3. No sweat big guy. We would like to forget about all those games anyways. Got to keep Mauer’s bat in the lineup. This 20 year old Snider kid from the Jays looks impressive. Span needs to get back on track. Maybe he needs a day off against a lefty in the next week or so. The bench is the best place for Gomez right now. Go get ‘em Slowey.
How dare you suggest anyone else to play shortstop over dear little nicky punto? he has a streak of 43 straight starts to keep going?
Actually ESPNs annoyance with anything ’small market’ is also obvious.
Well ESPN local team is Boston and their Big market team is New York so they are just being good fans, that is all……
well if you think about it the way the twins are playing right now, no one will think they will make the playoffs. Chicago just got a break for tomorrows game against the los angeles angels of anahiem because weaver was supposed to start and now some call up is starting instead.
Well, Chicago is barely playing better. Also, why is that Boston is going to overtake Tampa Bay (small market) even though the Rays are playing well. The bias is just obvious and annoying.
I have a feeling the White Sox are gonna get rocked by the Angels this weekend…lets see if Torii gives us some help in that department
“But there’s no need to fear, Ryan Jorgensen is here”
Sorry, but this made me laugh!!!
So did this:
” not three like I reported like an idiot in today’s paper. I stink, and I’m sorry.”
“I stink, and I’m sorry.”
You don’t stink, just a little young.
And speaking of sorry, what about all that internet stuff with the excess visits of Gremlins. Man, I can’t deal with crap like that. If it has to be a healthy Twins team vs. Gremlins coming down on La Velle, I’m glad the baseball gods have chosen the latter. Thank you for your sacrifice!
So bless your patience, cuz your writing is always good.
Funny thing on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike on Tuesday they said the playoff odds thing on ESPN.com showed the Twins with having a better chance of making the playoffs than the White Sox.
Weird.
“Weird.”
No, Shaun, not weird. The sox are old and have a pitching staff subpar to the Twins. Their BP is even worse!
[…] Originally published by Twins Insider […]
shaun: the white sox have a 52% chance and the twins have a 51% chance. the odds were in the twins favor before today.
I think ESPN uses accuscore for those odds. I personally don’t care for accuscore, but they might be right…
a difference of 1% means nothing
the chances depend on how you plan day in and day out from here on, Math cannot tell you who is going to make it to the playoffs……stupid Math
Regardless of the call ups, they are going to have to have less than three errors a game to complete in September. Two out of the three errors last night were by call ups. The third was by Punto. Gardy is going to have to balance his desire to put in fresh faces versus putting in guys from AAA that might not be ready for the pressure situations.
While I’ve never been happy with Gomez’ performance offensively and have been annoyed by quite a few of his boneheaded throws from center, I feel like he should be in the lineup to cover more ground in the outfield - he’ll probably be a defensive replacement/PR in the late innings, but I’d still like to see him in there - and I agree that Everett should be starting tonight for D - punish Punto for his error last night!
Everyone see the strikeout that shoulda been a walk in the Angels-Tigers game?
Apparently it’s taken all of 2 days for Tolbert to supplant Buscher.
It’s September 4th in the middle of a pennant chase and the Twins still don’t know who their third baseman is, now or next year.
no, it has been in the works, Tolbert was just not activated, they were planning on planting Tolbert there when they sent Harris over to play 3rd, cause when Gardy mentioned Harris taking grounders he said it Harris would see time there until Tolbert was able to return, Buscher was just lucky to start the 1st.
LaVelle, is Nathan available tonight after throwing 45 pitches last night?
Can’t punish Punto. He’s a gamer. He gets after it and battles his tail off. Sometimes, he battles so hard that he forgets how to field routine grounders. These things happen. It’s not his fault. It’s actually Brendan Harris’ fault for distracting Punto by yawning in the dugout during the play. That Harris is evil.
Punto may be 2-8 this series with 5 left on base. Sure he made an error that could’ve cost us the game. Sure his average with RISP has plummetted about 35 points this road trip. But hey now, there’s no need to suggest anything crazy like sitting him for a day.
Same goes for Span, who’s hitting .232 on this road trip, and only .170 over his last 11 games, and has struck out multiple times in 3 straight games…
Oh well, it’s still not a terrible lineup, so let’s get after it and at least end this damn road trip on a high note, Twins… I’m begging you… haha 
yes, eddie made that Evil Harris pay for distracting Punto….. did you see the temper tantum and the throwing water in Harris’ direction….. or maybe Harris yawned during his pitching stint…. it is hard not to when you are letting people just get on base…..
22 pitches for Litsch.
nice start. great defense nicky
it wasn’t an error though, its okay….. not like he would have owned up to it anyways
You don’t stink. After 3 walk off losses, who is counting anyway. It’s all on Gardy’s shoulders. You can’t pressure any of these guys to play better; they’re doing the best they can. But . . Gardy has to make the best use of what he’s got. I don’t know. It’s a good thing Chicago isn’t any good, either.
Oh, so now it is the field turf layout that made us lose last night. Thanks, Dick, I thought it was a collection of mistakes and lack of execution.
We need a field in the new stadium that provides such a home advantage…laying fake turf differently…who knew? And we were stupid enough to fund a new stadium.
Nice 27 pitch inning for Slowey…
Well, Slowey is doubtful after that long inning to go very deep in this game.
Why is Matt Tolbert starting again? Where’s Brian Buscher????
Okay, looks like a nice time to play video games instead of watch the twins…
Matt/Nick Punto/Tolbert.
Can someone explain the manlove for this bulkier Nick Punto clone that pervades Twins Territory? What exactly has he done to rise to the Paul Bunyanesque level of idolatry that pervades the blogs?
I have to admit I’ve never understood the creaming that goes on when his name is mentioned. Why is he better than Harris, Buscher, Macri, Casilla etc. in the lineup? He looks like another Al Newman to me.
Why are they making a big deal about Gomez not playing? why not make a big deal with any of the rotating infielders not playing? oh wait is it because they weren’t the main piece of the Santana deal?
27 pitches and only one run. Lets hope he has a few quick innings now.
I don’t have a fascination with him….. he was way to anti-social than others when they were in Texas, and kept booting balls in pregame
LNP!
According to SI.com JUSTIN Upton’s increased effort on defense is responsible for the RAYS surge… Do they even try to be a credible source? And it isn’t in some obscure blog but on the subtitle for their headline article.
Punto showing some hustle…
Another K for Span. He needs some time off.
Where is that .313 average with risp that everyone is raving about? We need it tonight.
Look out Cal Ripken, Punto is up to 42 straight games now.
What a joke. This is beyond absurd.
If Punto was struggling then I would share that sentiment, but he is still hitting around .290.
Yeah that .288 average is a real killer.
Remind me, what is harris’ average or everett’s average.
Punto is doing well with the bat this year he is hitting .291, Casilla is hitting .292
Harris - .261
Everett - .205
.288 is a good average for a major league baseball player. Punto is one of the best all around twins players
yes they would have a nice average like LNP if they had the consistant abs and the ability to work themselves through a few 0-4 nights….. they didn’t get that luxury unless the team was forced to, and I believe that is when Harris hit a lot of his doubles and had his back to back homer nights off of HOFers.
any team in baseball could beat this team right now. even the tigers of a few years ago that lost 120 games
Hey, at least all 3 of our batters made contact in that 1-2-3 inning.
Chicago is supposed to win? I thought it was Detroit? or Cleveland? I don’t think it is good to tell the younger players that another teams is supposed to win…..
72 pitches through 4 innings, not good. they will be into the bullpen by the 7th and maybe sooner.
Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z………
Tolbert almost woke me up.
Someone said I have a 12-point lead in MN. Looking for something to do.
Do the Twins ever play in Hawaii?
Why not bunt now, Casilla? On 1-1.
How in the hell was he out?
Cookie by Slowey = more Twins slump.
You guys that continually mock Gardenhire and bash Punto just show your ignorance. You should try to understand the game a little more.
How many pitches by Slowey?
Your hatred of Punto is beyond absurd.
why can’t the twins pitchers get this 19 year old call up out. he is killing them.
Twins just going through the motions.
This blog just going through the motions.
It’s stupid.
I would call this a must-win thing tonight. Like someone else posted, the young Twins are gonna get a road complex. Not good for the playoffs.
But I’m ahead of myself.
awe punto:
got 50% who hate him
got 45% who mock those who hate him
got 5% who actually like him
I’m getting so frustrated with this series, that it’s now time to mock the Rogers Center.
What’s the deal with the carpet remnants on the field? This is the only stadium I’ve ever seen the Field Turf look like this. Looks like a quilt.
And here’s something else that’s completely dumb about that field. There is NO warning track around the field. If you look closely, you will notice that the brown strip that surrounds the field is NOT dirt or tartan (like at the Metrodome), but it is rather MORE FIELD TURF……colored brown. How stupid is that? The warning track is to do just that…warn the player that they’re near the wall. If it’s the same surface throughout, you can’t tell how close you’re getting.
Let’s see, what else to pick on?
Is that just a general statement or do you have something to back up why people need to lay off the gardy/lnp bashing? cause I know I am rough on punto, but I don’t care to be called ignorant for no reason…..
If the usual home winning percentage and accompanying psyche boost doesn’t happen in the next six game home stand we can start talking about the conspiracy against the Vikes. I am having a hard time recalling a worst road trip. Oh, I’m sure that there have been some…perhaps when we were in first and lost ten out of 12…or maybe we’ve been one behind and came home 8 behind…but I can’t recall it.
Everything besides the starting pitching has been substandard, including the managing. I believe that the team believed the pre-trip gloom and doom about the trip from hell and played accordingly. When all is said and done the inability to beat inferior teams when they should have been stepped on will tell the story of this season.
I look forward to seeing how Bill Smith moves to make the team better in the offseason but, since he hasn’t done anything to grasp a title when he had a chance I’m not expecting much bold leadership.
I’m left with the hope that the Bitch Sox don’t want it more than we didn’t wnat it.
What a world.
I’m just going through the motions.
Me too.
atleast monreau is keeping the potty mouth away from the field mics….. that inning was way too quick
at least we have the heart of the order …. never mind.
I wouldn’t consider Toronto an inferior team.
Stick a fork in the Twins. They will lose this game and will silently fade away in the division. Really too bad, as the FO had every opportunity to shore up the pen and all they could do is go out and get a re-re-tread lefty and hope the fans would be placated because they were bringing back Everyday Eddie. That’s what it came down to: shore up the pen with a quality reliever in late June to early July and run away with a playoff berth, or sit on your ass and hope for the best. We know which route was chosen, and let there be no mistake, it was a conscious decision. To hell with the fans, right BS?
Wait a minute…what happened to the top of the 6th? Did we skip it?
In Litsch’s last two innings he has throw 16 pitches to get 6 outs. Ouch.
i think it is safe to say that chicago will win this division unfortunately. I haven’t seen the twins play this poorly in years. They are so inconsistent with the offense. Our starting pitching is terrific. There is no reason why this line up shouldn’t be able to score at least 5 runs every night.
Tolbert is not the 3b of the future.
The games this team has literally given away the last month, on a freakin’ silver platter, just very very aggravating and frustrating. I have a very tough time not just saying these guys are a bunch of loser pretenders who have played way over their head this year.
I hope Gardy is ready to PH for Casilla if there’re runners on.
it is really sad that we know that they lost this game and we are only down by 2 runs
I blame the Field Turf and the way it looks. It has everyone on the Twins perplexed.
this kid should get an ibb.
Oops…….
I hope Gardy is ready to PH for Casilla if there’re runners on.
Young teams eventually have a lot of close games. They tend to become 1 of 2 teams - one that either figures out a way to scratch out a win, or one that says “here we go again” and loses. I’m afraid these guys are learning how to lose versus win at a critical time in the season. Sad…
Time to focus on next year ~
Touche, TC fan in LA.
3-1? I wish
And here comes the bullpen. night all
Turn it on the Giants-Redskins game…the Redskins are coming back!
1 1/2 games out (if they lose tonight) and are finally going home after 14 games on the road in 15 days and still have games at the dome with the White Sox. It is not over.
little miss sarcasm
Gardenhire is highly thought of by real baseball people…the baseball establishment if you will. His record is comparable to the best managers in baseball both now and in the past. Punto is hitting .288 going into tonights game. He’s been in the starting lineup for a team that’s currently one game out of first place on Sept 4. There is no justifiable reason for the bashing anymore. Please try to catch up with whats been happening and stop living in 2007.
Why not run Delmon through waivers and see if we can get something good for him?
And Snyder decides to go all Raul Ibanez on us.
sigh.
Twins are done for. At least they gave us some excitement this summer.
Now we get to see the fair weathered fans. Guess we’ll see ya next year if the Twins are doing well.
we can only hope at this point
I rather put Gomez through waivers..he’s worse than a poopy flavored lollipop
Why not run Delmon through waivers and see if we can get something good for him?
Is that a serious question?
Twins play much better at home. Thank goodness this nightmare of a roadtrip is over.
Too bad the Twins have to go right back on the road for 10 games where we will lose 2 of 3 to the O’s and Indians and 3 of 4 to the Rays.
Perhaps it is time for a ‘Milwaukee’ talk from Gardinhire. I bet it won’t happen because he might attribute this really poor play on the load road trip while disregarding the fact that half the teams on this road trip suck.
Why then are you watching? Just so you can whine? You obviously think the season is over.
Why not just release the whole damn team? Good grief you guys….the sky isn’t falling. By this time next week the Twins could be in first place by two games. I like their chances if they’re within a game or so when the White Sox come to town. Of course if you guys were the GMs there’d be no Twins team by then…you’d have run them all out of town on a rail.
Is that directed to me or hate sox?
hate sox
I don’t live in 2007 darling….. if anything I would go back to 2005 and relive some good times locally in Houston, but I digress. All I am saying is that any player could potentially hit .288 if they don’t have to worry about losing their job for one screw up in the field or have to learn a new position. And the toughest part to baseball is consistancy and sitting on the bench for a few games then getting called to pitch hit cold will affect your average worst than someone who gets to play 42 straight games. If Harris gets to play those same games at his NATURAL position, knowing that if he makes 2 costly errors he will not see the end of the bench for the next two weeks then he could also be batting .288. And those sparkling defensive gems Punto makes, Everett makes those too, but his shoulder is still affecting him and that is a shame because trust me, if you got to see him play the way I did over the last 4 seasons the lack of power he has would be the last thing on your mind.
or both…
ahhh
Why would we want the twins to make the playoffs this year? First they have to prove to be able to win on the road. Once they can do that, it will be fun to watch. I wouldn’t want to see them get swept in the playoffs this year. That would be more painful than what is happening right now. I would love to see the Rays or Angels kill the White Sux in the playoffs this year. The Twins will be hungry next year and I personally think they will get that big bat to hit behind Morneau by trading either Cuddyer, Young, Gomez or Span.
Dr. Fraser Crain is in the house…disaster will soon follow.
I’m watching so I can see how this team can blow another game. Right now they suck more than Jenna Jameson.
“The night is darkest just before the dawn”
It seems the Twins history in Toronto is not good so I did not expect much but was hoping for 1 out of 3. I think that one was suppose to be last night. But this is not over. It is advantage Sox right now but the Twins will not quit and the Sox have a great ability to self-destruct. I still think that it will go down to the last series. However, the Twins bullpen issues are a big concern.
pretty sad, hate sox.
What is with Tolbert getting called up and getting this playing time? Gardy just can’t stop tinkering. This time of year you get a lineup and stay with it as much as possible. Not this team, not this manager.
Dana, I agree. But that BP seems to be a big issue for the Sox as well. We’ll see what happens.
“…at the dome with the White Sox. It is not over.”
Thanks for your rationality tonight, Nora.
The White Sox with 4 in NY and 4 v. LA as well as their last road series of the year in the Dome.
Well miss sarcasm…there’s something that I agree with you about….Everett. He’s another guy who gets the unfair treatment from the Jerks who bash players left and right on these blogs. I agree….he’s a far better shortstop than Punto or most anyone else in the major leagues right now for that matter. The couch potatos on here don’t know that though…..they just don’t know baseball beyond the confines of their couches. None of this is a legitimate reason to hate Punto though…..and don’t call me darling.
I agree, giving Gardy too many options to tinker with is not a good idea. The team needs some stability outside of Mauer and Morneau.
I love this team, I really do. The way this team is playing is unacceptable and it’s becoming quite comedic. If they do make the playoffs, great. Right now they suck something god awful. I’m just telling it like it is.
I hope the bullpen gets its monthly quota of runs allowed tonight, although it might become an awfully high scoring game…
I’m just curious because I don’t know…have Korecky and Humber made an appearance yet? We know what Crain can do…Gardy hasn’t been bothered to trot out Pridie and Tolbert but not the pitchers.
I’m just wondering. Jesse Crain? Is there a mystery here?
“Is that a serious question?”
So, you’ve given up on Cuddy, gatty790?
Perhaps it is their youth, but there is a certain mental toughness lacking on this team. In the world of business, we travel for up to four to six weeks at a time, starting early and ending late, and staying sharp enough to get the deal done. Oft times, we’re a half a world away. They started whining about this trip two months ago in the media and the chickens have come home to roost. Poor little professional athletes, coaches and media members.
Duce go to sleep. Tolbert is the best defensive option at 3b and he has a good stick.
Last I checked, the philosophy is buy low sell high and not the other way around.
Next year:
RF - Span
CF - Gomez
LF - Kubel
DH - Cuddy
Just what Vernon Wells needed to bust out of his slump…a house call from Dr. Crain. Is there a reason they keep trotting him out to the mound?
I don’t think the Twins organization would allow Kubel to supplant Young in left field.
Someone asked the question yesterday how many games the bullpen has given up (which isn’t the case tonight but you can usually rely on them to give up a run or two at least lately) since the All Star break. The answer is the starting pitcher was losing in 10 of those games (11 tonight) and the bullpen gave the game 9 times (including last night).
I’d bet my savings that the same guys bitching about Tolbert playing the last two games are the guys who were saying a month ago that he should be the starting thirdbaseman…or shortstop….or secondbaseman next season. He had all of about 75 at bats before the injury but everyone was ready to annoint him the second coming of Paul Molitor or something. Now nobody can stand him after two bad games. The reactionary attitudes here are just sorry….real sorry.
sorry, I call everyone darling, especially if I am going to try my best not to insult them personally. Damn southerness….. the other thing though is since I was too poor to afford Wrigley in college and hated the White Sox I went to Iowa to see AAA ball and that is when I started watching Harris so that is why him and Everett and Lamb are the ones I fought for the most since I have followed them the most of the team. This 07 punto you guys speak of I don’t really know him because I didnt have North last season to follow the twins and only heard them when I tuned in on XM and I usually wandered away in his ABs and apparently didn’t miss anything
What’s the HR count in this series?
An offseason priority has to be to add some legit pop to the lineup.
Getting a healthy Cuddyer back will help.
Twins clubhouse looks more like a funeral, but I don’t blame them after watching this depressing game.
Though I am still optomistic that the Twins will go on a major winning streak starting tomorrow night…
kubel is such a bad fielder he make demon young look good, really good. No way kubel becomes an everday outfielder.
Not to bring up that issue again but this is the reason that I was so wanting the Twins to get Beltre. He has been around the block a few times and isn’t liable to fade as the season goes on. Plus he provides the big right handed bat to help in the 5 spot and would be under contract for next year. Anyway, I know that this has been beat to death but the Twins really do need a right-handed power hitter IMHO.
They hit it over the fence…we hit it back to the pitcher. How sweep it is.
Why are they playing guys that have not been with the team all year? We were playing good ball with the guys we had. Now they make the callups and start using guys that have not even played in the majors this season. That makes no sense to me at all. Who’s brain is responsible for those decisions?
You all better look at Casilla instead of Tolbert. He went 0 for 5 last night now 0 for 4 someone pull his stats for the last month. Tolbert is 2 for 7 since he came back.
Todd like Casilla?
Does anyone remember the last ball the Twins hit out of the infield?
I can’t.
Todd was referring to Sept. 1st callups, not callups in general.
I guess Todd cant post now. He has to look at players who produce.
Who is he talking about gatty?
Remember when this road trip started with two wins in Anaheim?
Good times.
I believe the callups that he is implying is Pridie and Tolbert.
Players are yawning in the clubhouse. This team plays with NO sense of urgency and shows little emotion. Their attitude seems to be tomorrows another day. If they continue playing this way tomorrow will just be another day because it won’t matter and they will have played their way out a golden opportunity.
Looks like Korecky has been hanging around the others in the bullpen too long…
Oh well, it’s time for football anyway.
Pull the stats on Casilla, Please.
rainking, the clubhouse looks like a dead zone!
Is there a camera in the clubhouse, or are you referring to the dugout?
Tolbert vs RHP: .276
Buscher vs RHP: .353
now that it is totally meaningless, morneau will go yard in the top of the ninth.
F ing BULLPEN SUCKS! Dont blame it on Buscher, Punto, Tolbert, Casilla, Harris, Kubel etc. OUR BULLPEN SUCKS DONKEY D”S PERIOD………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
I mean the dugout. For some reason I like to call the dugout the clubhouse tonight.
No need for Nathan tonight. This turned into a really bad trip. 3-9 in the last 12.
I would be upset with the jays putting the game away (what a novelty), but we all know that the game was over after it was 4-0…
dead men playing. Gardy better find a match somewhere to start a fire. Maybe they could rub two bats together oops they seem to be way to cold. I hope I do not hear the other guy pitched well blah blah. They ain’t facing Nolan Ryan.
No need for Nathan last night 12 million a year he did not deliver.
Gardy looks shell shocked.
I wonder if Gardy will use his brain dead catch phrase in the post game interview…they played their tails off…perhaps not tonight.
Yea humbers ready, good thing he will be in our pen next year since hes out of options and theres no way the twins front office lets a part of the santana trade walk
note sarcasm above
Nathan not delivering was mostly on Pridie for that really bad error, but Nathan should have retired that batter…
“And Im free, free fallin
Yeah Im free, free fallin”
Nathan needs his 6 day rest so he can give up another leadoff walk and 2 out base hit and blame it on Gardy and Tolbert and Punto and Pridie. CLOWNS
From Morneau to Mauer…the team has no personality. At least with Gaetti and Puckett and crew, there was a sense of emotion. Gardy like cohesion…well he’s got it.
Hopefully. this shellacking might get the lads attention.
So smart of you Gatty. Thats why he makes 11 mill. a year good job.
44 hits given up in three games - wow.
This is the type of game that I wouldn’t mind to see an Ozzie Guilleneske rant by Gardy.
Just not enough horses on this team. Maurer and Morneau can’t do it all. The supporting cast isn’t what Puckett and crew had. There are no Gladden’s, Brunansky’s, Knoblauch’s or even Tapani’s on this team.
Nathan, is not the problem. Would have won last nights game if we made a routine play in the outfield. SHUT OUT they should be embarrassed.
The Jays batted out tails off!
Oh, I’m was so confused, I thought he was second in the AL in saves, but now that you say it you are right Nathan is not earning his money! Put him on Waivers with Delmon!
Hi folks:
Remember the ‘91 ALCS. The Twins had just one 2 straight in Toronto to take a 3-1 series lead. Cito Gaston gave an infamous quote after Game 4: “It;s not over until they beat us tomorrow.” Or something close to that. At that point, I knew that series was over, and the Twins were going to another WS.
This team right now reminds me of Cito Gaston in 1991 ALCS. They gave up tonight. First time this season I’ve felt like they no longer believe they can win. This surely has all the earmarks of a September collapse on a grand scale.
That said, it can’t be all bad. It might be the Twins were playing a bit over themselves up to this point. Or that they just dont have the ability to carry it through a whole season. Either way, it leaves one to wonder if this forebodes a more critical analysis of thier roster over the winter, which might not happen if the CWS decide to lose more games than the Twins the rest of the way. A careful pruning may open things up for substantial improvement for ‘09, which they will need to take it to the next level.
Humbly submitted,
Gardy wont say anything or go off… He will just say we really got after it and battled, gotta tip your hats to that guy over there throwing good today, same old blah blah blah. I like how gardy and the twins front office if they dont like how someone is performing they dont talk to them, they just release them. (Cirillo, Lamb, Monroe, etc etc etc)
I can take losses, it is part of the game. Lack of effort in losing is unacceptable. To say the Twins mailed this one in would be a compliment. That was just ugly.
this team has it’s tail between it’s legs and we will see what kind of character they have and what kind of manager Gardy is. They could use a day off. Maybe go to the downtown and bash some of the protesters with their bats and get their swings back.
Prediction of what Gardy will say:
“The kid Litsch pitched a heck of a ballgame”
Good news - finished long road trip still only 1 1/2 out. Bad news (watch (if you can stomach it) the way they played. Pathetic at best.
Well reading this drivel could convince a fool that the sky has actually fallen. I thought there was three weeks left to play, but I guess not. I guess the seasons over. And of course it’s 50% Punto’s fault, about 30% Gardnhire’s fault and the rest is on Bill Smith, I guess….or wait…..is it the bullpen, no Delmon Young….no Kubel…..oh I almost forgot Lamb and Everett……no wait Craig Monroe……..cut the whole team… bring up Rochester…..no wait not Korecky or Humber…oh what to do what to do…..how about getting a life?? No the couch calls….it’s fun bashing baseball players…..good grief.
Thanks Twins, WE LOVE YOU!!!
CWS
This long road has sure taken the shine and luster off of this twins team. Hopefully they will get it back.
” I like how gardy and the twins front office if they dont like how someone is performing they dont talk to them, they just release them. (Cirillo, Lamb, Monroe, etc etc etc)”
Yeah, why didn’t Gardy tell them that they needed to play better. I am sure that never occurred to those guys and that’s why they never improved.
And later, they were totally surprised when they got released, because they were never told that playing well was expected from them.
gatty, not to get rid of Delmon. If a team claims him, then work out the decent trade with that team. A long shot, but they might have the minor league relief pitcher(s) or a minor league 3B or a RH backup 1B.
Ya never know. I don’t see a place for Delmon next year…….unless, again, you’ve given up on Cuddy.
they are not going to give up on delmon. are you an idiot?? he is 22 years old. he hasn’t even touched his prime yet. between gomez, span, cuddyer and young, either cuddyer will get traded or gomez will start at AAA
The sky is not falling everyone! Just because the twins have lost 9 of 12, and got their butts handed to them today, and that the bullpen looked bad again today, and the twins played poorly in a lot of the games on this road trip, and the twins are among the bottom dwellers in fielding, and…doesn’t mean things are going bad!
rayreiner says:
September 4th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Baseball leadership defined:
1. Making plays when your team most needs them made.
2. Not making mistakes when your team can least afford them.
3. Doing the “little” things that consistently help your team, so that they add up to “big things” overall.
4. Playing relaxed, but with greater concentration the greater the pressure.
5. Having your teammates feed off of this relaxed concentration and intensity.
6. Making your teammates better.
Whether a guy is a rah-rah guy, or a kick-butt guy in the locker room is immaterial. Leaders lead by their play on the field. And right now, our team lacks leadership. We will need more than one. So some of these guys need to emerge, quickly, or they will not transition from being a good team to being a championship-caliber team.
1 1/2 games out of first. This is far from over.
“This is far from over”
I think just about everyone agrees with that, but right now it does seem to be a little closer…
There is an old saying for what the Twins did this week: “They spit the bit.” Stick a fork in the Twins, they are done. Say what you will all about the Sox (and I hate them as much as anyone), they won’t spit the bit and they will win the AL Central by 6 games.
I am sick of Eddie G, Crain, Rincon, Gomez, Bonser, Monroe, Lamb, Everett, Hernandez, Punto, Harris, and all the other one dimensional has beens, never weres and never will bes, but most of all, Gardy. This team needs blowing up, keeping the core of Span-Morneau-Maurer-Casilla-Baker-Blackburne-Liriano-Perkins-Nathan and Slowey, but shopping the rest. Instead of Billy the Dud Smith will bring in 5 more cheap washed up has beens like he did this year and the team will be competitive but won’t be in the playoffs.
It is nice to see that two of the seven rookies up for rookie of the month are twins though…
RJ,
“1 1/2 games out of first. This is far from over.”
If the Twins win tomorrow and pull within 1/2 game of first, the tone of this blog will turn 180 degrees.
You think NFL cornerbacks have short memories?
Blog posters have premature Alzheimer’s.
There is no question that they played badly on this road trip, especially these three in Toronto….but the season is not over. Anyone who follows ML baseball and understands it knows that it’s a 162 game season and in the course of that long season a team goes through ups and downs…good streaks and bad streaks. There’s plenty of time left and they (the Twins) are just a game and a half behind. As Yogi said, it ain’t over ’till it’s over. I just think the reactioanry drivel on these blogs is incredible in it’s narrow minded short sightedness. And now I’m going to get the heck out of this depressing place.
Korecky can’t be any worse than Bass….
Billy the Dud Smith
I like the nickname, but his team is going to have a winning record in what was widely considered to be a really bad season for the twins.
If they continue to stink during this homestand then yes, I will agree that the end is near. What we just witnessed is probably the reason teams aren’t normally scheduled 14 games on the road in 15 days.
Twins says, your right on that one, Gardy needs to go off on these guys,but it’s a lot his own fault. I think the lineup needs to be consistent because some of these guys seem to lose their confidence and others? Over anxious hitters and poor pitching, they need to get heir heads back into the game.
The twins have 22 games left including a 10 game road trip. They still have to play tampa, cleveland, detroit, baltimore and, oh yeah, the white sox. Unless they turn this pathetic play around in a hurry, they play .500 at best and end up with 88 wins. Really think 88 wins will win the AL Central? As for the White Sox historically fading down the stretch - they are, but the Twins seem to be fading faster. So yes, I am worred. I just wish the team and manager started to act like they were worried too.
Bob,
“Say what you will all about the Sox (and I hate them as much as anyone)”
But not as much as you hate the Twins, all their players, their staff and their FO.
But you ARE a Twins fan.
Actually I would not be surprised if the winner of this division has less than 92 wins…
The AL Central will soon turn into the NL West of the American League
it really doesn’t matter who wins this division. whoever wins this division will get their ass handed to them by the rays or angels hands down.
“The AL Central will soon turn into the NL West of the American League”
Even if the White Sox and Twins lose the rest of their games this season (which is impossible), this division will still look like the AL East compared to the NL West
unnreal you are probably right.
“they are not going to give up on delmon. are you an idiot??”
Delmon is fat. So was (and is?) Boof. Wake up.
I don’t see a good athlete there. A good hitter. A good arm. Not a great fielder.
I don’t see any net gain in platooning Cuddy/Kubel at DH. Just trying to think ahead.
It’s looking like Cuddy v. Young to me. Unless you’re giving up on Gomez.
Then it it’s Gomez v. Cuddy? Gomez will be a platoon CF the rest of his career?
So I guess you’re saying to give up on Cuddy.
One of these guys has to go, or he has to be pretty much permanently on the bench.
i think i am right. the truth hurts but would anyone rather see them lose in the playoffs or just not make the playoffs and see the white sox get romped?
I cant believe we are only a game and a half back. they way these guys are playing right now you would think they were 10 games back.
True gatty, guess I was thinking more in the next few years…LOL
The bad news is we just got swept by Toronto. Good news is the White Sox have won only one more game than us this week so far. Home Sweet Dome. I think we will turn it around over the next six games, but how scary is the 10 game trip to Baltimore-Tampa and Cleveland now?
Who cares if it turns into the NL West? Wasn’t the AL West in 87 alot like the NL West right now?
Even if the Twinks get lucky and win the division……what’s the point? The playoff’s are a whole different ballgame and this putrid bullpen will get eaten alive.
Once again, the Twins tightwad ways kept them from getting a solid reliever or two before the trade deadline even when the the bullpen was starting to crumble before the end of July. And when they do finally get a guy, it’s Guardado?!?!?
Crain? Bonser? Guardado? Gimme a break! We have one reliever with an ERA below 3.00…..what a joke.
I’m a believer you’ve got to seize the moment when you can and Smith failed to do anything. You don’t need to mortgage the future but as far as I’m concerned, he’s batting .200 as a GM. There’s no guarantee this team will have a good season next year.
I disagree unreal. Isn’t that said of the ‘06 St. Louis Cardinals? “Even if they make the playoffs, they will lose.” I think this year is just as wide open as ‘06. The Angels are not as good as their record, a lot of close low scoring wins. Why do you think K-rod has so many save opportunities. I hope Tampa wins the AL east, but they have no playoff track record, so anything can happen. Boston has the experience by they are not dominant either. A clean slate in the playoffs and anything can happen.
delmon is not fat. he is solid muscle and didnt have a year like last year. cuddyer hasnt had a good year since he batted between morneau and hunter. why did he have a good year then? because nobody wanted to face morneau or hunter so they pitched to cuddyer. cuddyer will never have a year like that again.
I’d rather see the Twins lose in the playoff than have to watch the White Sox in the playoffs. (where they would probably get hot and win the whole @#$%@#$%@#$% thing!!!)
I would much rather see the Twins make it to the playoffs and take their best shot. If they lose, I believe it will be to their long-term good to have had the experience. Besides, Pohlad would spend the extra revenue from the gate to get…never mind.
yes tc but the angels have the best road record and the twins are just as inexperienced as the rays. who is left from ‘06? cuddyer is hurt. morneau. mauer. nathan. crain. now look at the angels. the rays have more veterans too
Concur w/ Sid.
The purpose of the regular season is to make the playoffs.
At that point, everyone’s record is 0-0 and anything can happen in a short series.
Pissing away a chance at making the playoffs is 100 times worse than making the playoffs and losing in the first round.
The Twins give up 1 walk tonight and 9 ER’s. The League has learned the Anderson style of pitching.
I warned before this road trip that some creative wildness needs to be added to the arsenal. Doesn’t look like it was.
Just drive a stake through the heart of the @#$% White Sox!
Winning in the playoffs is just gravy.
all i said is anything can happen, not what would happen - that is why they play the game.
the twins are the 2nd or 3rd youngest team in baseball??? I cant remember exactly but nobody expected this great of a season and there seems to be a good twins product for years to come.
romer,
“It’s looking like Cuddy v. Young to me”
Cuddy (who is almost always injured) v. Young (who is almost never injured and will probably be in MLB for another 10-15 years)
I’ll take Delmon by 32 1/2 lengths.
The “they have done better than expected” line does not cut it. They are not guaranteed to be 1.5 games out of first on September 4, 2009, regardless of how young they are or how much talent they have. Talk to the Cleveland Indians if you do not belieive me. They need to play their collective asses off now and take advantage of the opportunity. If they are also good next year, all the better.
Well said TC…my thoughts exactly. You do not know how many opportunites you will get…if any.
If Delmon isn’t fat, he isn’t slim and he doesn’t have the physique of a good athlete.
He IS a .290 hitter. Power COULD come.
So, circle back, and run the superior athlete Gomez through waivers and see what kind of long-shot trade you can conjure up.
Because they’ll never be able to trade Cuddyer unless they eat salary, and they won’t get much for him.
So, it’s gonna be Cuddy and Gomez on the bench forever from now on?
“The “they have done better than expected” line does not cut it.”
That line does not mean the same thing as “stop now, you’ve done enough!”
The Twins have done better than expected.
Now, they can run full open to the finish and kick the cr-p out of whoever is in the way!
Yes, they are a young team but they were a young team with Dougie Baseball, Rivas, Guzman, etc. and nothing really became of that team.
I want the Twins to succeed as much as the next guy but there is no guarantee these young guys will come back and be good. Look at Bonser….he was our best pitcher at the end of the year two years ago. Crain was one of our best relievers a few years ago.
Most people didn’t expect this kind of year but since they were in the race at the end of July with a below average bullpen….they should have made a move or two.
Maybe Cuddyer needs to move back and play third and do a better job this time. Shame to put him back in the outfield, but no room for him there anymore..
“they should have made a move or two.”
Out: Livan, Rincon, Bass
In: Liriano, Breslow, Eddie
They made two good moves and one lateral (for now) move.
sane, you are correct in that I hope that they will continue to make the steps necessary to get better each year. There is a strong nucleus. I believe that they will but as a high school coach of over 20 years I know that the next year mantra isn’t always true even if it appears so on paper. It will take some good years and some good moves by the fron office in the future…and some luck. I beleive in this team though…I think we will still take it this year.
sorry, my spelling was atrocious.
“Maybe Cuddyer needs to move back and play third and do a better job this time.”
He certainly wouldn’t be worse on D than Buscher. And he’s a RH power bat, who could bat 5th and get pitched to because of Kubel’s strong showing this year.
Now if Young could find his power stroke and hit .275………
Or completely alternatively, trade Gomez and Buscher and Schwarzak for Beltre. Cuddy goes back to RF. (Pridie becomes the new Tyner.)
Casilla is in a serious slump 9no, really?) - 10 hits in last 48 ABs, .208 BA
This team needs a Hawaiian vacation and they are playing like it… they will get their wish come September 14.
TF in SoCal,
“they will get their wish come September 14.”
No comprende.
D Young, Gomez, and Span in the OF next year with Kubel DHing. The twins need to find a way to trade Cuddy in the offseason.
“D Young, Gomez, and Span in the OF next year with Kubel DHing. The twins need to find a way to trade Cuddy in the offseason.”
If Gomez fails as a hitter (still a possibility), that leaves us short one hitter.
IMO Cuddy should be kept or replaced until Gomez figures out this breaking ball issue he has.
Twins Fan in SoCal,
“This team needs a Hawaiian vacation and they are playing like it… they will get their wish come September 14.”
The Twins play in Baltimore on the 14th.
What’s the Hawaiian vacation connection?
Sane- Ya that is true. im just hoping(and praying) that by the time opening day rolls around next year Gomez will learn how to hit the breaking balls………
Maybe Pridie will show that he can hit major league pitching and he will be the 4th outfielder next year?
rpar says:
September 4th, 2008 at 11:14 am
“I don’t know, LaVelle, but I’m sure you do: Do they ever GET angry or fired up after a loss or string of bad games? I’ve read about the exuberance after a big win or series win, but after games like last night I only see quotes like Nathan’s above or Gardenhire’s subdued finger-pointing. No one seems to get angry and try to rally the team to snap out of it and start playing like professionals. Maybe they ARE angry and fired up when they make statements like Nathan’s or Morneau’s the other night…it just doesn’t come through in print. So tell us. What IS their mood? Are they dumbfounded? Resigned? Tired? Or are they anxious to get out there with the confidence that they WILL win tonight?”
I couldn’t agree more. How many times have other managers (Sweet Lou’s famous tirade, or any number of Ozzies as a few examples) exploded and fired up their team? Even Gardy- but only so occasionally- like when he kicked his hat. We won that game and were losing it when he did that. This team doesn’t seem to have a burning passion…or at least a leader to bring it out. I want to see the players/coaches get mad. Get determined. Hit the ball with a vengence. I know Mauer, Morneau, Span, and Gardy (as the top examples) don’t really get mad, but it seems like someone should lite a fire under this teams’ ass. I would like Gardenhire to go off on his team a little. Give them a big speech. Call a special team meeting. Something. It just seems to me that a thing like that would really work for this team. I think they would respond to it. Maybe this offseason the Twins need to sign a leader. A vocal leader. Reguardless of how good he is (within reason of course).
Anyway, onto the game and by extension, the series. This series epitimized the whole road trip. We failed to get create many scoring opportunities, and usually failed to score even when we did get them. The other team- even if they were complete nobodies- hit homeruns with relative ease, while the Twins were lucky to get one a series. That REALLY gets old. Fast. We got pretty good starting pitching, but the bullpen was a complete mess. Props to Reyes and Breslow, but everyone else was terribly unreliable. With just a few exceptions, we faced no-name starters that looked like Cy Young. Teams that were WELL below .500 looked like they were making a World Series run against us. I, personally, was finding it tough to even tune in a game during this road trip. We even won the first two games (which seems like years ago) meaning we finished just 3-9 on The Trip. To finish with an above .500 avg. on the road this year, we’d now have to win All 10 remaining road games. Not gonna happen. To finish at .500 over our final two road trips, we’d have to go 7-3 on our last trip. Again, Not gonna happen. We’ll be lucky to go 5-5 on the final Trip. Lucky. (Remeber 4 games at Tampa in there).
All that being said, this division race is all but over. If the Twins want it, they’ll take the pennant. How? Why? We started this Long road trip 1 game out. We went 5-9. We lost a total of .5 game in that span. (I think that’s what it was, if not, something close to that). The W. Sox did nothing to win the division when we were playing poorly. Now we’re coming home, where up to this point anyway, we’re almost unbeatable. To make things better, we’re playing division opponents, who we’ve played well against this year. And, the last and biggest factor, The Series. Hosting the W. Sox at home with 6 to play. If we were on the road, might be trouble. We’re not. The Twins should win the pennant. Again, what this means for the Post Season, I don’t know, but the division is ours…if we want it.
Sorryforthelongpostnight.
**The Twins should have made a trade at the deadline…And they lost on my birthday**
The Twins have eaten salaries for Rincon, Lamb (2 years), Monroe and risked eating Livan’s salary, also.
It is not about being cheap any more.
It’s about correctly evaluating veterans before signing them.
sane do you ever sleep?
Someone needs to do a Koskie and break a chair!
Before the road trip, people were slamming LaVelle for predicting a 7-7 record. Now, everyone is wishing that was true.
GGG,
“sane do you ever sleep?”
I sleep during Twins’ games.
It helps me to avoid stress that way.
lol
