Twins-Royals: Getaway day
Posted on September 11th, 2008 – 11:24 AMBy La Velle
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is trying to find a spot to get a look at lefthander Jose Mijares. The ninth inning last night seemed to be a good time, but the manager - with memories of several blown leads this season fresh in his mind - didn’t want a situation where Mijares gave up a couple runs and force him to warm up Joe Nathan. “Six runs is not that big of a lead in this league,” he said.
Mijares did warm up in the eighth, but sat back down.
I can see where Gardy is coming from, but I’m anxious to see what Mijares can do. In 370 minor league innings Mijares has struck out 419 batters. He’s a lefty who hit 93-94 on the gun at Class AA New Britain this year.
The Twins seem to be in good shape with left-handed relievers, with Dennys Reyes and Craig Breslow in the majors and younger arms like Mijares here and Mariano Gomez at Class AAA Rochester. Not sure what future Carmen Cali and Ricky Barrett have in the organization.
Couple other things:
How about those Rays? Two straight nights of battlin’ baseball with Boston and winning both close games.
The Royals plan to throw Gil Meche and Zack Greinke at the Twins during the final series of the year.
Lineups
Royals (61-83)
- David DeJesus, CF
- Mike Aviles, SS
- Jose Guillen, RF
- Billy Butler, DH
- Miguel Olivo, C
- Ryan Shealy, 1B
- Esteban German, LF
- Mark Teahen, 3B
- Alberto Callaspo, 2B
Pitching: Brandon Duckworth -lefties are 9 for 22 - .409 - against him.
Twins (80-65)
- Denard Span, RF.
- Alexi Casilla, 2B
- joe Mauer, DH
- Justin Morneau. 1B
- Jason Kubel, LF
- Mike Redmond, C
- Brian Buscher, 3B
- Nick Punto, SS
- Carlos Gomez, CF
Pitching: Francisco Liriano 5-0, 1.44 since his return.
670 Responses to "Twins-Royals: Getaway day"
Span in RF, right?
No RF today?
My predicted lineup from yesterday was close. The only difference is I had Young in LF and Gomez on the bench.
6 runs wasn’t enough of a lead to get a guy some work? Give me a break.
man nobody’s hitting anything up the middle today with both span and gomez in center
because predicting a lineup for a day game is that hard? Did you want a pat on the back or something?
The cool part is that with liriano on the mound today, the twins could probably get away with Gomez and Span each playing in a gap
Let up on LaVelle, he is human and makes a mistake once in awhile. We know that Span will be RF, Gomez CF, sheese, lighten up. Our MadDog JunkYard Mutts will run bases like a pack of wild dogs….GO MUTTS!!! WIN TWINS!!!!!!!!!!
After reading this morning about Gomez playing everyday to give the team energy, I kind of figured Delmon would be on the bench today if Redmond was catching. Kubel’s three hits last night definitely earned him a spot in the lineup somewhere. Lets get a win to give the White Sox something to squirm about tonight against Toronto.
DrDon is IN the house!!!
I have a feeling the Yankees in need of a lefty in the ‘pen among other things are going to go after Reyes in the off-season. He has been very effective over the years. If we lose him I hope someone like Mijares can step into that role. I think it’s safe to stay Cali has pitched his last game for the Twins.
absolutely ridiculous…
“Six runs is not that big of a lead in this league,” he said.
way to show confidence in your pen you dumbass.
I hate Ron. This year, more then ever, he has shown he has no business managing this team. He’s handled the pen terribly, he’s played guys who have no business being in the Majors way too much, like Gomez, Punto, Lamb, etc
“Our MadDog JunkYard Mutts will run bases like a pack of wild dogs”
If the dogs can’t stop at the bases and keep running into outs, someone should rub their noses in it or get them neutered.
Hi Kissy, YES, the Dr is IN!!!! Gonna watch the MadDog MUTTS run run run today… GO MUTTS!!!! WIN TWINS!!!!
OOPS Krissy, I meant Krissy NOT Kissy. LOL
Easy on Gardie - I think he is one of the best managers in baseball, he is doing one heck of a job with a roster that has large holes (SS, 3B, Bullpen)
No, it’s my fault. I hurried through the lineups again. It is what it is.
I expect Mijares to pitch today. After all, the Twins should be up 8-0 by the fifth inning.
“6 runs wasn’t enough of a lead to get a guy some work? Give me a break.”
Absolutely.
La Velle, you can be a pushover sometimes.
Woulda been a perfect time to get Mijares’ feet wet. If he walks a guy, whatever, bring in regular BP.
Pathetic rationalization on the part of Twins management. This guy could be valuable in an extra-inning thing, for instance. But instead he’s a MLB ??
Can only scoff at their decision.
sid, do you know if anyone keeps stats as far as players getting thrown out on base-running mistakes? If so, I suspect that LNP would lead the league.
Yeah, La Velle, the Twins are 77% favorites on accuscore. That just about a sure thing, but then again I can’t seem to wipe away the Seattle games from my memory…
La Velle,
You are forgiven.
I have been known to typo occasionally (make that incessantly) myself.
Gameday is a lifesaver for these day games at the office
Punto plays again. Nice way to win over fans who think anyone else could play better.
Kay- I’m surprised, but no one on this blog has jumped on Punto about that mistake yet…hopefully we find a good SS in the offseason
Anybody hear what the SS market should be like this winter?
Let me get this straight…Gardy doesn’t want to bring Mijares into a 6 run lead because 6 runs hasn’t been enough this year (as we have seen)?
If 6 runs hasn’t been enough this year, and his CURRENT bullpen is to blame for why it hasn’t been enough…then this is a perfect time to bring him in.
Gardy is running in cricles if he says his bullpen isn’t strong enough for a 6 run lead but at the same time he sticks with those guys.
La Velle,
Are you going to be in Baltimore tomorrow?
Regards,
This is what ESPN’s Keith Law thinks of the twins… No wonder he was a washout as a GM
Philip (Huntsville): Keith, I can’t stand the thought of watching the Twins hit opposite field, turf aided singles all day in the playoffs while uneducated announcers tell me how great their bullpen (lousy) and defense (vastly overrated) are. Please tell me they will get pounded in 3 games by the Rays/Red Sox.
Keith Law: (1:02 PM ET ) I would certainly pick them to lose either of those first-round matchups.
Sounds like sid and Kay are having bad hair days at work. Oh well, I am having a good hair day at home, Gonna watch the MadDog Mutts. GO MUTTS!!! WIN TWINS!!!
“OOPS Krissy, I meant Krissy NOT Kissy. LOL”
I’m thinking DrDon thought he had it right the first time. Double LOL.
Been doing any Paul Bunyan burpin’ this morning, DrDon?
:)>
Is it odd that the Twinkies are the only day game in the majors today? What gives?
Kay,
“sid, do you know if anyone keeps stats as far as players getting thrown out on base-running mistakes? If so, I suspect that LNP would lead the league.”
Yes, but he is the only legitimate (uninjured) SS on the roster, and I’ll have to take the bad with the good.
Please don’t suggest Harris as a legitimate MLB SS, or I will hurt myself laughing.
Dragon,
is Baltimore getting rain all weekend?
Chuck,
i wouldn’t consider it a shock that Law expects the Twins would lose in the 1st round. Look at the matchups, i’d have em underdogs too…. but then underdogs do win sometimes.
People don’t like watching small ball I guess. I think the Twins nickname should be “The Mosquito’s” instead of piranhas. They are pesky, and leave a mark when they leave that itch for days
Actually, despite the humidity, my hair turned out quite well today, but thanks for the concern.
I know, I know, after Howie’s Punto love-fest yesterday we are all supposed to get on the Punto-loving bandwagon and ignore his many flaws.
I posted this on an earlier LENIII before he added this blog, so I’ll throw this out for more fuel for the ESPN hates us fire: On SportsCenter this morning, they looked at the Angels’ season record against the teams they might face in the AL post-season. The White Sox were there, but no Twins.
Normy- the Royals play too…..hahaha
Let’s let the Twins prove ESPN wrong, like usual
romer - DrDon is always that way!!
my hair turns out well everyday, helps that i don’t have any 
LOL —- Lights-Out-Liriano!
Good call Situationer, also loving the Gameday coverage at the office. Lifesaver!
Hey romer, welcome aboard. Hope you all had as much fun last night as I did during our game visit. and Cisco Kid looks tough so far. Yeppers, I retired, and am enjoying some health food right now, Grain Group!!!! GO MUTTS!!! WIN TWINS!!!!!!
Predictions on Liriano’s line today?
8 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 7 KOs, 1 BB
chuck,
Do you think that the Twins should be favored over the Red Sox or Rays?
That is all Law is saying.
I agree with him, even though the Twins are my ONLY team.
If Liriano was hitting 95-96 in Rochester and hits 90-91 in the majors, what does 93-94 in AA equate to in the Major Leagues.
Of course the Tins are the underdogs, but that is what makes them exciting. Especially when they beat the likes of the yankees or red sox.
*Twins - not tins
Good start for Liriano - he had to battle a bit there - 19 pitches
I can relate to Shawn….but I am not bald….I am folically impaired. Good 1st inning by Cisco Kid….Let’s Go PUPS!!!!!
Dr, time for my bran flakes and fresh blueberries. You’re my inspiration!
LOL with the best ERA in the AL in the past 30 days.
“what does 93-94 in AA equate to in the Major Leagues.”
A 480ft home run.
Waitin’ for Bert to say that Duckfart is pitching for KC today.
Good AB for Span…he is a perfect lead-off guy…always works the count.
benefits guys like Mauer when they get to see all the extra pitches.
nice job by span, move him around boys
DrDon,
Bald by choice! Would otherwise be only folically impaired…. i gave up before mother nature got me.
sid
Harris isn’t a legit SS? Maybe. Not good enough for a start now and again? Not a chance. He only anchored SS and helped the Twins to a 18-5 run that helped put us in the position we’re now in.
None of the called strikes have been in the strikezone on ESPN - Gameday…are the pitches to Casilla really strikes?
Good Steal Denard, good advance to 3rd by Alexi.
Shawn,
I think Friday has potential for T-Storms. Saturday has worst forcast.
Regards,
way to move him
Gameday says they are in the zone
“I expect Mijares to pitch today. After all, the Twins should be up 8-0 by the fifth inning.”
Can you say Homer of the Month for September?
Blog is peppy today, after the usual jealousy towards LEN after he makes his regular typo……..
Frickin’ Runge again. 5 inches outside.
Good to see Mauer bitching. Very rare.
What’s up with Mauer not being able to get a runner in from third with less than two outs lately? He’s 0-for-5 over the last week or so.
Lame.
Gotta love that Justin’s at bat….Atta boy Justin!!!!
Why is everyone so shocked that Harris isn’t in the lineup today?
After all, Brian Runge is the home plate umpire…
that a way to start it morneau!
Mr. RBI comes through again! MVP, MVP!!!
M-V-P, M-V-P
MVP…MPV…MVP…Pedroia who?
MVP!
Morneau deserves it
120
4 RBI’s from Hamilton…He will end up beating Hamilton by 10 when the season ends!
Amazing. MVP has 23 (I think) more RBIs since the AS break than Second-Coming Hamilton.
In a different way of course, but this feels more and more like ‘06.
6 runs wasn’t enough of a lead to get a guy some work? Give me a break.
You HAVE been watching this bullpen lately…right?
T…but get the guy who hasn’t blown up games some work…why would Gardy stick with the Bullpen that is responsible for giving up the leads?
Mauer had 2 RBIs on tuesday via getting in a runner at 3rd…. neither were hits but the runner scored.
Hamilton is a bust, like I thought he would be
Runge got his job because his Dad was an umpire.
It’s just like becoming a King.
May I suggest a beheading?
Morneau should take up drugs, then quit, so he can gain celebrity status from ESPN
Brian Runge is NOT going to let Mauer be the center of attention, after all, people pay to watch Runge ump, not Mauer play.
I watched a little bit of the Tampa Bay-Boston Game on ESPN last night and the announcers said Pedroia is a shoe in for MVP.
On the other hand Souhan says it is Morneau’s to lose.
Runge should not be employed in MLB. He thinks it’s all about him.
Brian Bass, by the way, is starting tonight for the Orioles against Cleveland…
what’s with these doubles?
lol Sweetone, yeah, because Souhan is the true voice of objectivity when it comes to the Twins.
c’mon Cisco Kid, bear down…..
T, “You HAVE been watching this” blog today, haven’t you. Look at my 12:02 post, young man.
I’ll have to keep an eye on Bass, I bet he gives up 7 runs tonight
Kubel just made Delmon look like a Golden-glover.
Jason, and ESPN is the voice of objectivity when it comes to Jankees and BlowSox.
I love ESPN for their coverage/ high lights, but their commentators suck
“May I suggest a beheading?”
EXCELLENT, sid!! Yeah, the blog is peppy.
LEN is the only one blogging/posting on this blog while watching the game, right?
He’s getting double-entertainment.
what happened on the 2B to Kubel? He miss it?
“Brian Runge is NOT going to let Mauer be the center of attention, after all, people pay to watch Runge ump, not Mauer play.”
I also have to take issue with comments like this….it implies that Mauer should get some special umpire preference just because half the fans in attendance are wearing his jersey.
If you want to take issue with the strike zone, I’m all for that, but statements like this make it seem like the ball should just be placed on a tee for Mauer because that’s what fans paid to see.
Last I checked, Duckworth is a major-leaguer, too. He probably deserves a fair strike zone just as much as Mauer.
I’ll play the “voice of objectivity”.
What was the question again?
Situationer,
It apparently was a fly to short left, it bounced in front of Kubel then off his body and got away from him.
I love Red Dog
atta boy Red…. anyone think Redmond will steal??? tahee tahee tahee….
classic kubel, thanks for filling me in Sweetone
I hope we end up playing Boston…
Tom (Boston): Keith, please tell me Morneau’s not going to win the MVP. It’s ridiculous that he’s even a candidate.
Keith Law: (1:34 PM ET ) If they win the division, he’s got an excellent shot.
Thanks Sweetone…RED-DAWG in the house…big single to right as usual!
Screw Boston fans, they never pay attention to any other teams
Here’s the link if anyone wants to read this stuff.
Gomez sacrafice?
oops…i mean punto sacrafice?
After so many years of failure, Boston wins one, and no they are god’s f baseball, and their fans fell they are god’s of fan-dom
Sweetone is correct, Situationer.
What he didn’t say is that Kubel looked tentative. Surprised people here didn’t jump all over him.
Ball took a weird hop too. Hard to see in the Dome this p.m. Gomez had trouble judging a high fly a while back.
Where do I find Gameday?
What the!!!???
They didn’t send Buscher!!?
way to go GoGo, and I am watching and blogging and being entertained two-fold here. GO MUTTS!!!WIN TWINS!!!!!
Alright Go-Go!
Yeah Go-Go!
Buscher is too fat to make it home?
Romer,
I was going by Gladden’s/Gordon’s description on the radio. I have since seen the video on Gameday and yeah he did look tentative.
44 RBI for Go-go….Punto must be fuming with envy.
I think he was out. Just got the tag on him.
THAT was fun……..
I don’t think they like us at ESPN very much…
Zac (MN): What’s up with all the Twins haters today? It’s incredible that they are even in contention after losing Santana and Hunter. Not to mention all 5 starting pitchers are 27 or younger. Of course their pitchers are only winning games and putting up incredible era #s because of their crappy and overrated defense. I bet Tom doesn’t even know Morneau’s first name.
Keith Law: (1:42 PM ET ) How about this: Where would they be if they hadn’t dealt Santana? Three games up? Five? Their good season is, to some degree, an indictment of their baseball philosophy - they may have traded away a playoff berth and a dominant postseason rotation (you want to face Johan-Liriano-x-x-Johan in a five-gamer, no matter who solves for “x?”) and took a disappointing package of prospects rather than shoot for the playoffs and take two picks at the end of the year. I haven’t seen anyone else take that line.
another baserunning mistake?
Oops! Poor little Go-Go… Picked off…
Someone with more knowledge than me, get on ESPN and blast Keith Law!
LaVelle - I know you are here - get after ESPN!
Law makes a good point there, but the bottom line is we couldn’t afford Hunter / Santana, so we did, as we have done this decade, the best we could with what we were willing to spend.
Time for some more health food here for the good DrDon….no blueberries tho!!!
Wanna see that Span K again. Was it outside like the rest?
who’s to say Santana would be a good contract year pitcher. Also, teams sometimes get tight when a star is in a contract year.
Hungry, anybody got any leftover salmon?
Is there a way to watch this game online? Or does it have to be out-of-market for mlbTV?
I think this just makes us an even better story come October. I can’t wait to rub it in all of those washed up GM’s turned ESPN analysts (Keith Law, Steve Phillips, etc…) when the Twins make a run.
Jason,
It’s not that we couldn’t afford them, it’s the contract length that wouldn’t take.
Our offers to Santana and Hunter were almost the same on a per year bases. We just didn’t want to pay them for 7 and 5 years respectively.
Gameday shows that last Span strike at his neck…any truth to this?
on espn game day looks like he is giving the left handed batters side of the plate and not the right….
“It’s not that we couldn’t afford them, it’s the contract length that wouldn’t take.”
Baseball contracts are guaranteed. Translation: we couldn’t afford them.
Joe (Portland, OR): I love me some Project Runway too… Go Leanne from Portland! AL MVP… no one really seems overly deserving. If the Twins get in, Morneau seems the likely choice. Why do my Twins always seem to get the bad MVPs? Morneau in 2006, Zoilo Versalles… why no love for Mauer?
Keith Law: (1:51 PM ET ) I am going to reach into my television and cut that girl’s bangs … what Mauer does well doesn’t get him credit with MVP voters - get on base and play great defense at a critical position.
Dr, I had a cuke and a banana last night after you went to bed.
Keep on keepin’ on.
What happened to 8-0 Twins by the 5th inning, La Velle?
Cisco is getting hit hard so far….bear down Francisco, our PUPS will get you the win, big guy.
Liriano is giving up a lot of XBH today. 3 doubles and a triple so far.
Jason,
I guess we define affordibilty differently.
All three Twins outfielders with “gaffes” today. That accounts for both KC runs, right?
haha Keith Law will probably rally for pedroia who does the exact same as Mauer but at 2nd bast.
whats up with the XBHs? geeze
Mijares may pitch the 5th inning today.
2nd base, not bast…and the post was in response to Chuck’s keith law chat post
If you had to choose between the two come playoff time, who would it be…
LF CF RF
Young….. Span……… Cuddyer
LF CF RF
Young…. Gomez……… Span
Somebody pleae wake Runge up behind the plate…..at this rate Gardy will be gone by the 6th!
romer, I never have left over grilled salmon…and I chase that great salmon with some of Paul Bunyan’s P, and usually none of that left over either, as I enjoy salmon, hobo potatoes, grain group chaser, and TWINS WINNING. But I restocked for today’s game, grilled chicken later today with broccoli/cheese and more grain group chaser, as I enjoy watching our PUPS win again. Gotta love it.
BTW, we may be looking at a preview of our WS outfield when we play the NL park.
Singles hitters don’t win the MVP!
But for Pedroia, an exception will be made, because he is a Bosox.
Young, Gomez, Span
looks like a battle today
jim rome has jim abbot on next… fyi
On Gameday, that 2nd called strike to Casilla looked high and inside.
Law is far from the only “expert” with perfect 20-20 hindsight. Because the Twins are in contention, their front office should have KNOWN they’d be contenders this year and kept Johan.
Ken Davidoff at newsday.com is saying the same thing.
“Wouldn’t the Twins have been better off just keeping Santana for ‘08 and then collecting draft picks upon his departure from free agency? They say no, because they didn’t want the distraction of him being around in his walk year _ after they felt Torii Hunter’s walk year in ‘07 served as a distraction _ and because Santana wouldn’t have waived his no-trade clause during the ‘08 season, in case Minnesota fell out of contention. But Minnesota didn’t fall out of contention.”
In other words, instead of giving the Twins FO, coaches and players credit for exceeding virtually everyone’s expectations, let’s criticize the FO for not expecting to compete and thus keeping Santana (and the circus that would have surrounded him all year).
Personally, I do not believe for one second that you can assume this team would be contending with Johan… without Gomez… with Span not spending some time at AAA… and all the other little variables that would have to have gone right.
Chuck, Cuddy won’t be able to run well till next year……..if then.
Mauer k’s twice in game
pedroia has 17 hrs and has been batting 4th…. don’t think he should win, but i can see why he is getting a little run
I can’t remember Mauer striking out swinging twice in a row against a bad pitcher
“I guess we define affordibilty differently.”
$90 million versus $51 million (or so), yes, I would say there is a difference there that goes beyond 2 calendar years. The Twins couldn’t afford the 90 mil.
If Gardy gets chased, I hope he knee-caps Runge before he leaves.
I don’t know what the stats are, but I don’t think Joe is as good in the DH role as when he is behind the plate. Any DH stats on him anyone?
Anybody watching this? What’s up with Liriano today? Leaving pitches up?
Hope I am wrong but here we go again! Twins are lapsing again!! Were is the go get ‘em instinct, where is the motivation?! Mauer striking out twice?!? Liriano not focusing?!? What?!? Gardenhire is not preparing this team well. It will be a miracle if the Twins make it into the playoffs.
Crikket with some more wisdom. Let’s he and I head to the Dr’s for some hobo potatoes. (SERiously……..if we lived close.)
Does anyone think we should trade Cuddy in the offseason now that we have Span, Young, and Gomez?
Jason,
Bottom line is neither Hunter nor Santana wanted to stay here. If they had any desire to stay, they would’ve been willing to work with the Twins in getting a deal that was satisfactory for both sides.
Liriano may not make it to the 6th inning. They HAVE TO WIN today - the road is staring at them in the face and may be the end to an interesting season.
Bart: (Boston, MA): Please rank Lester, Liriano, Kershaw and Kazmir? Are there any other young lefties who you would rank with these guys?
Keith Law: (2:03 PM ET ) Kershaw probably has the best stuff and the highest ceiling, followed by Liriano. Lester is by far the most advanced in approach and feel. If I had to take someone to pitch tomorrow, it’d be Lester.
Chuck,
sure, if we can get anything for him
I was going to mention something earlier about Gardy being gone in this game due to Runge, and I agree with tjb7345….But I will watch Cisco Kid come around the rest of the way in spite of the arrogant Brian Runge. Go get ‘em Cisco Kid…Win TWINS!!!!
nice inning by FL
Kershaw is constantly being compared to Koufax here in LA.
there’s a good inning for frankie
Liriano is settling in…that was a good inning. He will make it through 7.
Twins fan is So Cal… Liriano has a pretty decent pitch count right now, only 55 through 4 innings. That puts him on pace to finish 7 and maybe even get into the 8th if cruises
When a team loses, its not always unprepared, no focus, not motivated.
Sometimes you just don’t play as well as the other team.
Its not always mental.
Sometimes its physical!
according to ESPN stats, Joe is 0 for 6 in the DH role this year
Twins Fan and y’all, Mauer got f**ked by Runge in the first K. So stop your tentative BS.
And similarly, Kubel “botched” the double and Span “botched” the triple. Otherwise, Liriano has been just fine — though not stupendous.
I do hope he goes 7 or 8. I will sometimes throw out a negative and then the opposite occurs. If I lauded his performance, he would then implode.
and he is 0 for 6 as a PH….focus, Joe, focus!
Can I get inning/score from someone?? Thanks much.
Mauer has no hits this year except when he’s catching. Now 0-8 plus 3 BBs as a DH and 0-7 + a sac fly as a PH. This is only his 4th game as a DH.
2-2 Bottom 4
Krissy,
2-2, bottom 4th
Dan (Chicago): Keith could you settle a dispute. Next year, one year only, contracts equal. Teixera or Morneau?
Keith Law: (1:18 PM ET ) Teixeira. Switch-hitter, much more defensive value.
romer,
thanks for the info…. i only have gameday and it doesn’t tell me when hits are f**cked up.
Bash one, Buschwacker!!!!!!!
Has Law seen Morneau play first? He is gold glove caliber…His defensive has improved just as much as his hitting…what a joke!
Jason
The Twins couldn’t afford to be wrong with Santana and Hunter. For that long of a guaranteed contract for a pitcher, if something goes wrong 25% of your salary goes to someone not playing. I’m glad they didn’t resign Hunter.
JMP,
i love Morneau but agree with Law.
Morneau’s having a nice year. I think A-Rod has put up the best MVP numbers. Mauer would give Morneau good competition for best Twins player.
SiB,
I respectfully disagree. Mornie is better. Can I back that up with stats or amazingly clrea analysis? Not so much. It is what I believe, so clearly I am right. Just ask Jason… 
*clear*
ha!
Shawn, mark those two hits down as Dome hits, slightly. Not to make miserable excuses for Liriano. These things happen.
But I’m just saying……..
Tex and Morneau are statistically almost dead even. I take JM because he is a hockey fan
JMP,
i can’t find any holes in your argument.
Take your pick on Keith Law:
Keith RAW — possessed of a raw, undeveloped intellect.
Keith JAW — mouth moves before brain engages.
Mornie is better. Can I back that up with stats or amazingly clrea analysis? Not so much.
JMP, don’t feel too bad, neither can Keith Law.
SiB,
I know, unfaultable (*giggles*) logic. Plus, just for the record, Mornie is better looking.
Just saying…
Liriano looks “on” the last couple of innings, now if we could only get him some run support.
I vote for JAW.
Fran,
True, but at least I admit it!
Strongly disagree with Shawn.
I’ll take Morneau’s reach. And he picks them as good as anyone in the AL since Herbie.
Also, I’m thinking I’ve seen more games (TV) this year than Shawn.
And remember, one of Morneau’s errors this year is because the webbing in his glove failed.
I don’t remember seeing a “flub/error” this year from Morneau.
He’s saved dozens of throwing errors this year. So, an MVP on defense too.
Should I hate all the ESPN or other national media because they don’t give the Twins enough love?
Sorry, I just don’t have enough time.
While I agree with the fact that Morneau is putting up MVP-like numbers this year, I do think Mauer has been the more valuable Twin, at least in 2008.
Yes, Justin’s numbers from this year are extremely comparable to 2006, BUT…he won MVP because of what happened as a direct result of him putting up those numbers. The team was doing awful in April/May, and so was Justin. June comes around, and he goes on an absolute tear for the entire rest of the season, and so goes the Twins to a division championship. While he’s doing phenomenal this year (and I think is extremely underrated in the media), I don’t see an action/reaction situation like I did in 2006. And I think Mauer has been a bit more consistently clutch this year…which I why I see him as more valuable. It really comes down to matter of personal preference…runs/average or RBI? But I don’t see this MVP race NEARLY as clear-cut as I did in 2006.
2-2, one out bottom 5th.
the blog has really gotten friendlier and more carefree lately, i like it
“While I agree with the fact that Morneau is putting up MVP-like numbers this year, I do think Mauer has been the more valuable Twin, at least in 2008. ”
Look at RBI’s between the 2 of them
romer,
if you’ve seen more TV games than me this year, my fiance would like to know. She hates how many games i watch.
And Kyle E., MVPII has to handle that young pitching staff. An unbelievable accomplishment.
Top 6th coming, same score.
Headline: Twins offense stifled by yet another meatball pitcher with ERA over 5.50. Big surprise, NOT. Indeed, today’s Cy Young has an ERA over 6.00, but these wussies still can’t hit him.
lets get some runs sometime soon here twins
Thanks, romer.
[…] our last post, Gardenhire claims that he’s looking for a spot to put Mijares into a game, but can’t find one. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is trying to find a spot to get a look at lefthander Jose Mijares. […]
AL MVP is there for the taking. Justin needs a louder September, i.e. keep up the batting average, few more homeruns, catch Hamilton in the RBI race, keep the twins in contention for the division. If he comes through at clutch time, he should win it.
They gave Butler the green light on 3-0?
lets get the win for FL….score some runs off this guy
Cisco Kid….3 straight 1-2-3 innings, 76 pitches thru 6 innings….He is on a roll…Go Cisco, Go Mutts, WIN TWINS!!!
Liriano is so solid.
Yeah, but “in this league a 6-run lead is not that big.” Yeah, right, since when is that true? When the Twins have one of the worst pens in history, that’s when. When the Twins had a good pen like in 2006 any game with a 3-run lead was game over. Now they need like a ten run lead. Pathetic.
Anyone watch the Tor v wsox game on extra innings while they were getting swept? The ChiSox announcers have got to be the worst I’ve seen. Anyone who has a problem with our local “homers” should watch these guys. They were complaining about the umps, calling all their players by first name, not even talking about the other team. Ugh, they’re the worst. Anyone else ever watched those guys?
yeah pete,
the Hawk is terrible
johnny must be a frustrated Pirate fan….who just clinched their 16th consecutive losing season! We are glad to have these guys play so well year in year out
Sixth inning stretch time…don’t wait for the 7th…batting champ, MVP and Kubey Doo.
let’s.get. some.runs
Span really F’d up on the route he took on that fly ball back in the 3rd. If not for that, we up 2-1. I am willing to forgive Span, though. Without that guy we’d be in a competition with KC for last.
Mauers first hit as a DH this year!
I need to get Punto involved a little more in this game and series. Can anyone give me some ideas on how I could use him more in this series?
We’re commin….
I hate Hawk Harrelson with a passion! Put that on the board YEEEEESSSSS!
“the blog has really gotten friendlier and more carefree lately, i like it”
Give credit to our “fiances”, Shawn. Couldn’t do it without them.
:)>
the blog today is fun to read and follow, as bottom of 6th, M and M both hits, time for Kubes to come through…looks like a lefty coming in relief for KC….how about Delmon PHing and taking over left????
Delomon might be good for a K. Last thing I want to see is him flailing away blindly.
Kubes is 0-2 and a poor defensive play…put in D-Young
what does kitten and caboodle mean?
Gardenpoker, I realize Morneau FAR outweighs Mauer in that category…but you have to realize that a huge number of his RBI are as a direct result of Mauer getting on base. Again…can’t have one without the other. It comes down to personal preference. Both are doing a phenomenal job this season.
I say drop a bunt down the 3rd base line, get the runners over.
ok, Gardy knows more than I…Kubes is DUE!!!!
That was no swing on pitch no. 2!
Kubey Doo din’t.
Way to go Kubel…idiot!
Like I said, PH Delmon!
Kyle E. I want Morneau to get the MVP and Mauer to get the batting title if it were up to me
another great piece of game management by Gardy letting Kubel bat against Mahay… I bet he would let Buscher bat too.
Mad Dog Red Dog will get ‘er done.
Jeeziz H!
Does anyone know what kitten and caboodle means?
damn. wasted opportunity
I said thaat too, johnnyon….now hind sight is 20-20.
poor managing = no runs in a sure score opportunity
way to get ir done twins…unacceptable
How are the Royals even in this game? They start a guy with an ERA over six, we have our best starter, yet its 2-2. Unbelievable (well… not really) and unforgivable. This game has LOSS written all over it.
kitten and caboodle is an old fashioned term for “everything”
I believe it’s kit and caboodle. Don’t know what it means.
Not hard to imagine though. Probably sexual double entendre like so many others.
top 7th, 1 out, same score.
81 pitches, 2 down in 7th.
hey, where is the faith??? Our PUPS will come through, as Cisco Kid has found his groove, and low pitch count to boot. GO MUTTS, YOU JUNKYARD MADDOGS…WIN TWINS!!!!!!!!
Liriano is flying through these hitters. Great job Frankie!
Looks like another healthy offensive outburst against one of the games Aces!
johnnyononspot with the bring down vibe
We are quickly getting deeper into then phase of this game where Gardy’s decisions mean more and more. Ergo, look out!
Gardenporker,
The correct phase is “Whole Kit and Caboodle” and it means a collection of things.
87 pitches, 7th inning stretch.
Here is Gardy’s postgame quote “Duckworth just had his stuff today. You ahve to give hima ll the credit because he was just amazing”
Reporter “Are you sure it had nothing to do with your teams lack of hitting ability”
Gardy “No, trust me, I know good pitching, we’ve run into a lot of these guys this year who seem to pitch there best against us”
romer is right…it is kit and caboodle a term for “everything included”, the complete kit….Atta Boy Cisco!!!
Do the Twins think, subconsciously, that because they have their ace going they can slack off? Sports psychologist anyone? Just get a regular shrink for me while we’re at it.
Wasn’t Bush on like a 40-day vacation when 9-11 hit?
why do gardy and the twins waste ptiching gems like this by not giving any runs support? so frustrating.
Whole Kit and Caboodle refers to the recent collection of Twins games where their offensive output is equal to what 97 year old grandma’s with walkers and shattered ankles could match.
Look out! Harris pinch hitting for Buscher…Twins win!
I think that I am looking at a ghost…
Harris?
1 out…that was quick
please get some runs, the bitching is hard to take
NO POLITICS! You think I’m angry now, don’t get me going on politics.
Thank you Dr Don, Sweetone and romer’s explanation was hillarious.
Who’s Harris?
You don’t want to see me when I’m angry!!!!! Hulk Smash!
LNP draws a walk!
So if I said Punto is the whole kit and caboodle of a real Twins type player that would be accurate
“Kit refers to the male package, caboodle…….well, you know.
It’s an old Indian trick.
Kit and da poodle
Could someone compare the OPS of our shortstop options on the roster and let me know the most prolific hitter of those options?
Thanks.
GBH,
I think Howard covered that yesterday.
Denard’s time to shine, to make up for the early inning gaff…what say?
up to casilla now
I bet he strikes out looking
Gomez provides a lazy popup to the infield. Is this the “energy” that Gomez brings the team when he’s in the lineup?
Yes! It is time for De-Nard to shine. Come on De-Nard
2 on, 2 out, bott 7th, New LH KC pitcher coming
ES16 is correct…atta boy Denard. Now time for Pup Casilla to come through. Let’s go Guys!!!!!
Dan, Gomez has had some big hits recently and has been playing well. Give him a break.
Tie for you to play catchup ball, GBG.
Howard was excellent yesterday.
Time
top 8th same score
not good
ES16 — oh, you mean that thing he wrote about Punto being a better hitter than Harris? And a better defender? And better at the plate this year than Tolbert and Everett? You mean that one?
So, now that we have that out of the way, can we have someone explain to me why Punto should be replaced by one of those four?
PATHETIC
Good thing I have a meeting to go to. This is sad.
Hey all, good ballgame….our PUPS will prevail!!! Cisco is on a roll, we will get him the win. WIN TWINS!!!!!
at least casilla did not go down without a fight.
lets hope the meat of our lineup can get something done…2 run shot by morneau??? - my prediction
Game last night was boring in positive way, so we off-the-wall posted.
Game today is boring in negative way, so we become silent rather than bitchy.
Kinda like the typical marriage.
romer– not time for me to play catchup, time for some of the tired old arguments on this page to play catchup or play sit down.
Anyone thinks that Butcher makes that play?
Harris!!!!
Aaron, many of Gomez’s contributions are equalized by dumb mistakes that shouldn’t be made at the major league level.
DR,
how do Cisco’s pitches look today? he seems to be dominating from the 3rd on.
GBG,
Huh?????
Hi Kay…I have a meeting to go to also, time to meet a new and cold Miller Lite….
Brandon Harris sighting and he makes “the defensive play of the game!” says Gordo.
GBG,
:)>
Dan,
you mean like Punto?
Every game Gomez plays is like money in the bank. This season should payoff as time goes on. Hopefully.
Brandon, Brendan, whatev.
shawn,
“the blog has really gotten friendlier and more carefree lately, i like it”
Do you have your retraction prepared, in case this game goes South?
Complete game?
Harris!!!!!!
Brendan Harris, pickin’ and grinnin’
Frankie is one a roll
sane,
no, it seems that the lack of runs are starting to send it south already. oh well.
Look at Tiexeira dig that out!!!!!!!!
Shawn, early on, Cisco was keeping ball up, the last 4 to 5 innings ball is down and accurate. He is sharp now after starting not so sharp. Time for the MUTTS to put 2 or 3 on the board, and then let Cisco Kid finish it off.
A HR would be nice.
Dan,
Nobody is saying Gomez is perfect…but this team does play better with him in the lineup and he has helped this team win ball games. I look forward to the mature version of him in the future, but for the time being he should be in our lineup.
If Gardy takes Cisco out I will personally fly back to Minnesota and skullf%&k him!
Look at Tiexeira dig that out!!!!!!!!
Much better defensively.
thrylos,
You assuming the Twins are going to score a run in the next 2 innnings?
If we don’t score in the 8th, I wouldn’t mind seeing Liriano in the 8th, otherwise Nathan.
Bott 8th — M&M and Kubel coming
Shawn,
I really like Punto, I’m not near as critical of him as most guys on this board are. But I just don’t know where his problems come from, it could be that he tries to play outside of himself (i.e. trying to hard).
Him and Gomez are similar in the fact that the mistakes they make should have been fixed a long time ago by our manager, who is all talk, yet they haven’t.
Woohooo, thank you German!
Error or Hit for Mauer???? Who cares, Joe is on 2nd with MVP JM coming up. Error is correct call…
German with the Gomez/Kubel/Span gaffe.
Mauer on 2nd. E7
Dunno, it’s the Dome, dude.
2 base error or hit plus error?
When did Delmon Young switch jerseys and go play for KC?
thyroid98,
Who is Butcher?
Buscher out……Go figure. He’s 4 - 7 against lefties as of late and figuring them out but he come’s out of the game for Harris who’s been buried on the pine.
How bout Buscher’s defense today!! Much better, give the man some love….
He’s improving greatly at 3rd if his throwing…..
Twins need to win this game badly!
Kubel still in?
Liriano done. Season ERA 3.19 now
Why did Morneau swing at the first pitch, a crappy one at that.
Ooops, looks like Gardy making the switch. Why is he such a dumas?
God damnit
top 9th
Looks like they will F this up as well.
Yup, sure enough.
need a little bit of clutch to win this.
Another 0-3 with a RISP. Ouch.
wasted that gift runner. more to come, gang, we have us a ballgame.
Red with bad AB. Just need to choke up and punch a floater to right center.
Hey, poor Twins play is no reason to be taking the Lord’s name in vain.
sane isn’t Temple City a wonderfull city to move to?
God, Kubel is frustratingly inconsistent.
Pulling Liriano right here is completely unforgivable! Now we bring in Nathan, the only semi-reliable reliever we have. We shoot his wad here in the 9th, and then what? Then we are lost! Why not leave Liriano in for another inning, then go to Nathan? Completely inexplicable managing decision.
Nathan in is the right call, IMO.
What? Twins pitching Nathan in a tied game.
i’d have left Liriano in, but it isn’t unforgivable
This would have been a great situation for Brian Bass.
Is that new pitcher that was called up available today?
Is Nathan here better than Liriano? The answer is clearly NO! So why? Stupidity, that’s why. Strict adherence to a stupid rule of 100 pitches. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
continental diamond….that is the best spokesperson you can dig up
dive right in and tell them LNP sent you…
How about a “diamond promotion” that every customer gets 50% off if LNP doesn’t get the ball out of the infield diamond. Diamonds for everyone!
ES16 I have to disagree and say that Bass is only good in situations where we are up by 7 or down by 7
That first pitch to Olivo was Nathan’s new 4th pitch, a little curve thing.
Twinsfanrick says:
September 11th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
God, Kubel is frustratingly inconsistent.
Actually, I’ve always thought he was consistantly sucky, with sporadic bouts of good times… Hmmm…
Liriano once had arm surgery.
Maybe you hadn’t heard.
that would be sweet if he referred to himself as LNP
2 out top 9th
Time to pinch hit the Jacks Links beef jerkey sasquatch for anyone on the Twins roster
I have a few Mike LAmbs to sell you or my name isn’t CRAZY MIDEON!!!
Shealy hitting .188.
Be careful.
Serious!
Yes - Kubel is still in - for defense, I mean offense - I mean to bunt - er. OK - so neither Kubel nor Delmon could effectively bunt, but Kubel against a lefty with men in scoring positon, Come on.
johnnyononspot,
Just to get you up to speed, FL had TJ surgery and was out all of 2007. He’s trying to come back from that surgery this year and the Twins want to be careful with his arm.
I would’ve liked to see Liriano still in there, he’s still effective, and of course like someone already mentioned, it’s strict adherence to the 100-pitch “rule.”
If not Liriano, I think Nathan is the right move, I’m just afraide we won’t provide any offense in his 1-2 innings and we’ll have to put someone else on the mound.
WTF is Red trying to block that for. Is his head on straight today?
(Sorry, Red……I luvya)
If needed, Nathan can still go another inning….but let’s put this to rest. Joe will shut em down, and we will win it in the bottom of the 9th. Count on it, blog….
Glad to see Nathan back to throwing strikes
sane I have a few different types of Livan’s and Tony Batista’s to sell you at a bargain basement price or my name isn’t Crazy Mideon!!!!
“that would be sweet if he referred to himself as LNP”
Only if he was talking 3rd person all the time: “LNP had a great day today. LNP always battles his tail off. LNP showed amazing hustle yet again…”
Wow, looks like a great 9th for Nathan. But who in the 10th? No re-entry rule in the Bigs, Gardy, so you cannot bring back Liriano, even though you know you want to. Should have save Nathan for the 10th and rode the horse for one more. He could have pitched the 9th and still been under 110 pitches easily, and he was cruising when taken out.
welcome back Joe Nathan
This would be a great win and a great sweep. Let’s score a run right here.
Maybe Tom Brady can DH for the Twins, can’t hurt to ask, I mean come on….
Especially after a number of tough, close, late losses. Great use of Nathan by Gardy today.
15 pitches for Joe. bott 9th
It’s MillerTime, sports fans….Twins with a win in the 9th coming up!!!!
Make it work, make it work. Crazy Mideon loves the Twins and can feel the burn or my name isn’t Crazy Mideon
Someone needs to go deep against Raaamoan Ramirhas
Tony Danza is pinch hitting for Wally Sczerbiak
Gardy must have the thickest skull in the world, so think it only leaves room for a small, pea-sized little brain. How he has not learned from the last two months is a shock.
come on now, who’s gonna be a hero today?
Heroes? Teahen, Buck, Callaspo maybe. We’ll see.
Well, won’t be long now. Guerrier is coming in.
Wanna see Punto make the out. Wanna see Gomez fly in with the winner.
Gardy will regret pulling Liriano instead of saving Nathan for the 10th. Mark my word.
and LNP bats in the 9th…..LM
No sense PH “anyone” and putting Everett in there…
STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEErike 3
grit rules
another 0-fer
Yes romer! Yes I do want to see the Twins win the whole kit and caboodle
johnnyononspot,
Sit down. Take a deep breath.
what team do you root for, johnnyononspot?
Punto, 0 for 3 today, let the bashing commence following the game
TV is a couple seconds behind radio.
Gomez wants this
doesn’t get it
Deeeeeeeeeeep breeeeeaaaath…. Oh, thanks, that does help.
Go Twins. I need more Punto, yes more Punto yeeeees!!!!
johnnyonspot,
Apparently, most of the blog agrees with Gardy pulling Frisco at 100 pitches.
So it can’t be THAT obviously wrong.
Unless you are smarter than Gardy and the average blogger.
Not likely.
“Punto, 0 for 3 today, let the bashing commence following the game”
‘Cause it was all compliments and flattery pre-game?
I root for the Twins, but I am a notorious fair weather fan. Fair weather fans are actually a necessity in sports. I’ve done the economic analysis.
Punto should not have been batting there. Gomez, maybe not either. Where was Randy Ruiz? Delmon Young?
Gomez looked terrible that at-bat. He swung at two balls, and the only strike he swung at he tried to take deep, which is not his style of hitting.
I really thought Punto and Gomez were going to put us over the top that time…….all I ask for is one solidly hit ball a game, not too much to ask
This game should be over. Why in a tie game in the 7th with a runner on 1st, 1 out and your 9th hitter (who’s ag ood bunter and used up his allotment of hits on the day) are you not bunting him over. If your not going to steal you’ve to get that guy into scoring position.
Of course Go-Go pops out and Span follows with a single that should have been driving in the go ahead run. Instead it off to extra innings and rolling the dice with the pen.
Bad managing.
Jon, I hope I am wrong, but so far this season Gardy has directly caused several losses through his handling of the pitching staff, especially the stupid 100-pitch rule, and this game is following the typical pattern.
“Gardy will regret pulling Liriano instead of saving Nathan for the 10th. Mark my word.”
Twins may lose, but Gardy won’t regret pulling Liriano at 100 pitches.
That’s my guarantee.
I just noticed that one of the milk cartons in my refrigerator has a picture of the Twins offense on it.
Nathan can’t pitch 2 innings? But everyone else in the bullpen can? Seriously?
There damn well better be some negative comments about Gomez slamming his helmet & bat to the ground after stiking out. Funny thing though…..Punto, who according to the fair minded gentlemen who spend there seemingly every waking hour on these blogs, always throws a tantrum after striking out…but …what? He walked calmly back to the dugout….must be a mirage…that can’t be…..can it?
does nathan’s new contract contain a clause the he cannot pitch two innings?
Liriano was not at 100 pitches, but even if he was, so what? He is still better than ANYTHING sitting down in that “bullpen.”
All catchers should wear neck guards with the cheap bats exploding everyday
johnnyonspot,
i think we both hope the Twins win and none of the decisions will bite us in the butt.
Why is Guerrier struggling so much this year?
Saving Nathans arm for when he’s 50…Chernobyl, that is funny!
Come on guys, we ALL know how this thing ends
“I just noticed that one of the milk cartons in my refrigerator has a picture of the Twins offense on it.”
Ahhhaaahahahahahahahhaah that’s funny I don’t care who you are
Guerrier sucks
guerrier is struggling because he is an average pitcher who has been used too much because Neshek went down. crain and reyes warming up in the pen - pick your poison.
OH NO….Guerrier
Guerrier just plainly sucks…its like Boof Bonser of the past, just giving away hits…come on now
Gosh, sure would be nice if we had Nathan in there right now, wouldn’t it?
sodak, don’t be mad, just be right……like you were Tues.
“Liriano was not at 100 pitches, but even if he was, so what?”
Koufax retired at 31-yrs-old, after a 27-9, 1.73 ERA season - not because baseball bored him.
Liriano has already had TJ surgery once.
One more inning is not worth the risk.
Like I said, we all know how this thing ends, there is absolutely ZERO guesswork.
Of course, I forgot…we only point out Punto’s flaws on here…..what the hell was I thinking.
Gardy should be FIRED, if for no other reason than letting Guerrier pitch in this situation.
No pitcher in this bullpen can use the “overuse” excuse. They’re not asked to work much more than any other major league bullpen. If they suck, call a spade a spade and say they suck. Don’t make excuses for them. Guerrier himself said he’s not being overworked, he just hasn’t had it.
Goo Rare = Goo Done.
1 inning from nathan. What is he paid per inning and per pitch? he can’t go two innings here?
At least I’m consistent….
There goes gardy playing his matchups Granderson 0-7 hits a dinger, Dejesus 0-5 smokes a single
i think they will regret this game whatever the reason may be, can’t give this game away not and make the playoffs. no excuses allowed this time of yr.
wtf
Thanks, Gardy!
Good hitting.
I thought it was a good pitch.
3-2 KC top 10th
game over
Maybe we can get Jesse Ventura to crawl out of the swamp and pitch?
“One more inning is not worth the risk.”?????????????????????????? A little alarmist, don’t you think. One more inning is going to blow his arm out? Sandy Koufax? Uhhh, yeah, didn’t he retire due to arthritis? Face it, Gardy F’d up again, now we are down a run, when we should have had Nathan in there for the tenth. Was I right when I said “mark my word”? Yup, I sure was. Just admit it.
Hey guys, me and Punto are going to the Legion after this to get drunk on Pabst, wanna go
welcome back shitty bullpen
Gardy you flippin idiot! What is with you and going through all the trouble just to bring Reyes in to suck for one batter? When’s the last time that move actually worked??
Good pitching Reyes, pile of crap
This bullpen drives a person nuts. But the offense was horrible today too.
Peace out, boys! I told ya so.
sodak, did you read Howard yesterday?
Reyes needs to spend less time eating Fritos and more time worrying about his next career.
Why dowe even have a bullpen?
Nathan needs to man up and tell Gardy to his face that he is pitching the next innning no matter what
Why is Reyes the first lefty option in the pen, when Breslow has been the only decent pitcher down there the last two months?
why is breslow not coming in for the lefties - reyes is a effing worthless piece of crap.
Thank God we saved nathan for a day that my not come. I’m so tired of this. Game after game. These decisions are killing the Twins.
Lets get out of this inning and see if we can win this one, in spite of Gardy
Crain = Gas on the fire
Giving up runs to the Royals in extras. This BP is useless. It should be grounds for dismissal and no pay! LOL
worst bullpen in the majors (nathan excluded), unbelievable. Can we please get rid of Reyes.
Reyes has to lead the league in one pitch appearances
I don’t understand how any of you can get upset, like you haven’t seen this exact scenario like 10 times this past month. There is no doubt they will blow games late in close games. PERIOD.
Hate to say it but with the state of the relief corp, this road trip could be the end of it. What doesn’t gardy use any of the call up relievers? can’t do any worse
Here is a serious question: The last two plus months the pen has been TERRIBLE. So what is there to lose by using the rooks, like Humber and Mijares? They certainly cannot do worse than losing, which is all the pen has been doing anyway.
It is hard to be optimistic when the last seemingly 20 close games have been lost to either Guerrier, Crain, Reyes or Nathan. Save any hope from the bottom of the 10th, everyone else (positive or negative) probably knew or had a strong feeling we would lose this one.
He’s not going to use Nathan for 2 innings on the first day of 11 games in a row. That is called common sense
because he used breslow last night when we were ahead by 6.
If Gardy really wanted to get a good look at Mijares, he missed his chance today and possibly blew the ballgame by bringing in first, Guerrier, then Reyes, and finally Crain, the three deadest arms on the staff. Nice move, Gardy.
How many Twins’ relievers does it take to get out of an inning?
You don’t understand how any of us can get upset? Are you watching the game?
We had two better options 1. Leaving Liriano in or 2. Leaving Nathan in.
We used 1 solid pitcher for 8 innings. So far it’s taken 3 pitchers to screw up this one inning.
Guerrier-Reyes-Crain
“Los Tres Gasalinos!!!!!!!!”
I don’t understand why any of you get upset, like you haven’t seen this exact scenario play out 10 times over the last month, with the Twins winning ZERO of these close games. Can’t blame the pen, the offense had 2 runs against some homeless man KC found outside the dome this afternoon.
So, one pitcher per out now?
Looks like I better get me some plane tix, I got some skullf%^&K!NG to do. Thanks a lot Gardy!
This game should have been over in regulation. We frittered away scoring opportunities in the 6th & 8th with no sac buntso or situational hitting. Terrible support of fine pitching by Liriano.
fcmlefty: not necessarily. We don’t know if he’ll be needed tomorrow or not. We do know he was needed today. There are always excuses for this, but Nathan is their best BP pitcher, and he needs to pitch more. You can disagree if you want, but statements like “its just common sense” aren’t going to get you very far with me. Common sense has been proven wrong over and over again in life…
Last time a world series contender took a chance on a september callup….
K-rod
not saying that Mijares is K-rod but give the young fella a chance
Marr Guerrier:
Has pitched about 71 innings this year. On his current pace he’ll pitch 77
Last year, he pitched 88.
Please get it out of your head that he’s overworked. He’s not overworked, he just sucks.
Not sure if anyone saying “game over” is aware, but the 10th inning also has a bottom to it, Span, Casilla, Mauer are due up.
perspective guys
Don’t worry guys I am on a new Diet. All I will be eating next year is Spam for every meal. No veggies, no fruits, no breads, no dairy, just as American as Minnesota and Apple pie. SPAM and I will be back with a new look you won’t believe
The pen is horrible, but the offense didn’t exactly help out today either. I mean, they failed to score a guy from third with fewer than two outs, and failed to score a guy from 2nd with no outs, what–three times today?
This is why in a few years Liriano will want to leave via free agency just like Santana. He’ll be sick of low run support and terrible coaching.
Yup, the pitchers from AAA and Mijares cannot be any worse than the crap we have down there. WAKE UP GARDY!
Span, strike out looking, casilla, soft groundout, Mauer, ground out to second. game over
Wanna see a PH for Lexi. Then Tolbert can run for the PH.
I lust for spam
On this day in Twins’ history: Jesse Crain pitched without giving up a hit, walk or run.
Hey, I’ve been in meetings…so how did La Velle’s prediction of 8-0 Twins turn out today?
Gotta have good quality ABs here, guys. No swinging at first pitches.
Denard should have leaned into that one
It would be nice to see our BP hold a lead or a tie longer then this though. The offense could have done better just for the fact that they know this BP is useless and needs at least a 5 run lead to be halfway decent.
I count 9 games now where a bullpen collapse has been directly responsible for the Twins losing.
I know closers are using to going only 1 inning, but Nathan had only 15 pitches in the 9th inning. Can’t we at least send him out there to start the 10th to see how it goes? Our BP sucks *ss!
Denard has been striking out a lot lately.
Twins didn’t fare well last time they were in this situation behind with Soria out there in the last inning.
Losing games to the Royals b/c you put your predictably terrible relievers out there is not what you want to be doing with 16 games left in the season.
Not swinging at first pitches is stupid if you watch a first-pitch strike go right down the middle. Of course it’s good to work a count, but why put yourself in a hole by wasting a pitch?
1-2-3 quietly they go….
I’m looking at the box score…this can’t be right…are you saying our bullpen gave up the go-ahead run?
Casillia swings and!
Pat Neshek you like Spam also. I like to roll around in it after a blown save opportunity
Could probably make a lot of money betting on Gardy’s stupidity.
busted bat for Lexi
c’mon joe,give one a ride
Probably wouldn’t make much money on that Johnny because the odds would be so high, you’d just make your bet back and that’s it.
October 2006, Twins tied vs. KC in 9th, Mauer hits homer to tie, Twins go on to win. Could it happen again?
thump…………. off the bandwagon again!!
Damn, Bremer, don’t steal my thunder.
“c’mon joe,give one a ride”
Ahh, you must play the lottery a lot, too.
1 + 2 = Nicky Punto. Hey that’s not funny johnnyononspot
Bremer is fantastic at ruining a moment by pointing how something once happened…
Here comes the throw!!!
So, was the pitch inside to Mauer too low?
Final 3-2 KC.
Like I said, Twins go quietly 1-2-3 in the 9th. Looks like I was right about leaving Liriano in, boys. Instead of Guerrier pitching in the 10th, we could have had Nathan. But noooooooooo
Way to blow that one
Gawd, I don’t know how many more of these I can watch.
Can the Twins steal some of the Royals bullpen? It has come to that. LOL
Hey, you can’tbe too hard on the BP….they held these guys just the other night….remember? When we had a 6 run lead.
It’s not like you were the only one on here saying that, in fact pretty much everyone said that we should’ve left Liriano in.
But keep throwing Matt Guerrier out there Gardy - moron
blame gardy and the bullpen if you want, but the twins had innings 3 through 9 to score one run. One run, then no guerrier, reyes or crain. The offense needed to step up and get their job done. They did not.
look up at my bottom inning predication, they are so predictable, like the vikings offense. “Greg says:
September 11th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Span, strike out looking, casilla, soft groundout, Mauer, ground out to second. game over.”
we need to trade for Jimmy Gobble
Johnny, were you right? How do you know that Liriano wouldn’t have given up 1,2,3 runs in the 9th?
mark this one down guys. interesting to hear gardy’s post game. guess we scuffled a little the other guy battled us all day on and on …………
Greg says:
September 11th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Span, strike out looking, casilla, soft groundout, Mauer, ground out to second. game over
————————————-
Good Call LOL! Face it, with this bullpen, the Boys go nowhere in the playoffs if they win the division by default
Put another log in the blog…things are just about to heat up.
I don’t want to get too down, we did win the series, but now we go on another long road trip, so it would’ve been nice to leave the Dome with a win.
the bullpen is terrible… if the team wants to make it to and win in the postseason Andy and Gardy have to deviate from past years since the bullpen of past years is gone. If they can do that and are successful GREAT! If not, what did we expect?
Aargh!!!!!!
With all of the Twins young pitchers anyone with any baseball sense at all knew that they would hit a wall in August and September and that the bullpen would be in greater demand then. That is why I am so perplexed at why the twins FO failed to get any real help. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
I just do not understand why he doesn’t try putting someone else out there. I thought that was the whole point of September callups!?!? These guys have shown repeatedly that they can’t get it done. Get a clue, Gardy!
Dan, look at the board, you are wrong. Some supported me, but most did not. I said “mark my word” and was proved correct. Not happy about being correct, but I was correct. Gardy’s handling of the staff this year, at least in games where the starter is going strong but taken out anyway due to some stupid kneejerk rule, has been terrible, and has directly led to numerous losses, this being the latest. I mean, c’mon, letting a guy with an ERA over 6 stifle you. Twins ARE NOT A PLAYOFF TEAM, very sorry to say.
This team doesn’t deserve t win the central.
Where was the offense today? Why is Matt Guerrier ever brought into a game anymore? Especially a close game? Why does it take 2-3 months for Gardenhire to learn things that are obvious to everyone else?
YOU ALL KNEW THEY WERE GOING TO LOSE STOP WHINING
Sorry but I will blame the bullpen. Twins have to have a 5 run lead at all times when they come in or they give the lead up and I am sick of it.
Lirano vs Duckworth. There are few guarantees in life and this shoulda been one of them.
gobbledygookguy-
Yep, time to hear Gardy’s generic standard reactions. This guy acts so tough on the field, kicking hats, yelling at umps, but he’s all talk. He can’t get after players, he can’t correct them, he can’t call them out. He’s just the man who fills out the lineup card and makes bad bullpen decisions.
We’re just giving the game away to bring Guirer in in close game like this. Why not let Nathan pitch the 10th with only a few pitches to get through the 9th and the top of the line-up coming up?
GUERRIER SUCKS>>>> This has been said for over 2 months. Gardy has to realize this falls on him just as much as it does Guerrier.
Didn’t Duckworth own the Mighty Ducks in the movie?
Ozzie is head and shoulders over Gardy when it comes to managing a team. managing a temper, not so much, but a team, and a pitching staff, WAY BETTER.
Yeah, we need to blame a game the Twins lost 3-2 on a bullpen meltdown.
Dang, people, get your mind around this. The hitters lost todays game, not the pitchers.
The Twins are not going to win many games where they only score 2 runs. End of story. Blame Gardy for not pinch-hitting players, but his bullpen moves didn’t lose this game, not even close.
BOOOOO!! BOOOOOOO Gardy! Normally not a negative person, but this one’s on you big guy. Runners on 1st and 2nd and 0 out in the bottom of 6. They bring in a lefty and you don’t pinch hit for your best bunter (Tolbert possibly). That inning ended well, strikeout and DP. Nathan couldn’t go another? Really? BOOOOO Gardy!
If and when the Twinkies miss the playoffs, they’ll have all winter to think about their horrible performances like one exhibited today.
There’s nothing we can do about the bullpen now. We’re stuck with what we have. Three guys that are nothing but batting practice pitchers, Boof, Breslow, and three minor league pitchers. It’s not real promising.
wow, 2 runs against the great Brandon Duckworth. The twins should be proud of themselves. There is no stopping this offensive juggernaut. I think the White Sox are safe, even with all their injuries. The whole organization should be ashamed of the way this team is playing right now. Gardy should have these guys fired up and ready to go; the Sox are trying their damnedest to give the division away. And the Twins act like scared little children, wilting under pressure.
I will continue to blame the Bullpen because even when the team has a 2 run lead the BP is sure to blow it.
Reyes not too crafty lately. I take it back that it was a good pitch. Kind of a cookie. Wonder what the velocity was. Guerrier probably could have done better, should have kept him in.
And back to square one on today’s blog for sure. Why didn’t Mijares pitch last night?
Wonder if LEN will be a pushover on this stuff.
twins will wake up tomorrow 2 games back because unlike the twins other teams know how to take advantage of opportunities.
Oh well, tomorrow is another day and another chance for Gardy et. al. to snatch another defeat from the jaws of victory.
I am not that impressed with the White Sox either, even though Twins had a horrible road trip recently they only have a 1 1/2 game lead.
“There’s nothing we can do about the bullpen now. We’re stuck with what we have. Three guys that are nothing but batting practice pitchers, Boof, Breslow, and three minor league pitchers. It’s not real promising.”
We can quit bringing in the BP pitchers!!
Let’s hope the coaching staff prepares the players better for this coming road trip. I think a big key to the depressing play on the last road trip was the overall mentality. The announcers, local media, ESPN, and the coaches were all talking about the horribly dreadful road trip coming up. I think a lot of guys fell into that trap that they weren’t expected to do well and just didn’t perform.
Gardy must have been sleeping in the 6th. Let Kubel bat against a lefty. Runners on 1st and 2nd nobody out. Kubel strikes out. Redmond hits into double play.
I rarely second-guess Gardy, but . . .
I don’t care who you have batting - Babe Ruth or Justin Morneau - with the (would be) winning run on second and no outs in the bottom of the 8th inning, after your team has demonstrated a lack of ability to score runs for the entire second half of the game - you bunt.
Obviously if Morneau hits a HR, he’s a stud and we win. But that didn’t happen.
Had he sacrificed and gotten Mauer to third with one out, any combination of things could have happened to bring him in.
People complain about small ball, but swinging away isn’t always the correct decision, either.
the team needs to stop considering Guerrier, Crain, and Reyes their best relievers… they are not right now.
ONE WEEK ALERT:
Like I’ve been posting…….a week from tonight will be the last meaningful game in Yankee Stadium history, vs. the bitchsox. It’s on WGN.
Perkins will pitch for the Twins that day (night?)
Bring your karma and watch.
Dig in all you manager of the year backers and LNP lovers.
Why was he batting in the 9th with Tolbert and Everett available to play D.
one swing wins it and Delman Young is chowing on a frosty malt and Ruiz is heading for Hubert’s
Obviously the offense failed in a big way today but it is really too much to ask of the BP to come in and not give up a run in 2 innings? Seriously, did anyone think there was much of a chance of the BP not giving up a run int he 10th? I honestly was convinced it was going to happen. Unfortunately it did.
TC fan, yeah, the Whites have really been taking advantage of the Twins woes of late.
Guess that is why they were only 1 back of the Sox after going 4-6 in the last 10 games. Keep the faith, this team still has all the opportunity in the world to win the division. The WildCard is pretty hopeless obviously, but the division is still well within reach. In reality, the Twins are the masters of their own destiny. If they can keep it within 2 in the games not against the Whities, they can clinch the division in the head-to-head games, so yes, they have something to say about the division this year.
Another typical close game, bullpen imploding loss for the Twins. Even sweeping the Royals wouldn’t have been enough for the homestand–the Twins really needed to take 5 of 6 to have any realistic shot at the division.
The Twins as an organization are obviously not overly concerned about winning this year. That isn’t even necessarily a slam. The Twins will win 85 and finish 4 or 5 out. Pretty good for a rebuilding season. Yeah it would be nice if the organization would “go for it” one of these years and get the team the help they need but that’s just not how things work in mid-market baseball.
Clearly the Twins need to reconstruct the bullpen (hang on to Nathan and Neshek–everyone else is expendable as far as I’m concerned). They also need a real DH (17 years now without one) and a decent bench so we don’t have to watch Punto hacking away in the bottom of the 9th.
The bullpen gave up runs?
Is this some sort of typo?
DrDon is ZZZZZZZZZZZZZing. God bless him.
It was fun while it lasted but 10 games on the road will bury us. Heck we were only 3-3 on this homestand. Smith should of gotten bullpen help the day after Neshek went down. That was a no brainer, but all he did was get ex-Twin, Guardado, with nothing left 2 months to late. Guerrier is a long relief type guy at best. He always has given up alot of hits per innings pitched. His stuff isn’t the stuff an eigth inning type guy should have. The onus sits on Billy Smith for not getting the guy good enough to replace Neshek. A surprising season, but an opportunity lost.
15 pitches for Nathan and done. Did Gardy really think the Twins would win in the bottom of the 9th with Harris who never plays anymore, Punterrible, and GoGoWhiffez? And I am not buying this is a rebuilding year, not when the Twins have an MVP, a batting champ, and the best closer in baseball on it. Not a chance. Once the Twins trade Morneau and Mauer, THEN it will be a rebuilding year.
AJ Pesh-
“And I am not buying this is a rebuilding year, not when the Twins have an MVP, a batting champ, and the best closer in baseball on it. Not a chance.”
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
No more crap about “we should be happy that we’re in this position in September.”
I’m happy as hell, but we have some of the key tools to make it. AJ, we also have 5 very solid starting pitchers who give us a chance to win every night. One, maybe two, solid trades this year and we could have run away with this division the way the Sox are playing. Or, good managing could also do the trick.
yes, it is too much to ask this bullpen to hold a lead or keep a game tied. Have you been following this team for the last month. this bullpen sucks and gardy’s insistence on using reyes, crain and guerrier is idiotic. that is reality and it is not going to miraculously change. so the offense does need to put up as many runs as possible, especially against a pitcher with a 5.85 era.
I love Gardy, but its been a tough year.
Thursday night it was reported Gardy told Gomez he would be sitting a lot more. Which I thought was funny since he has started every game since.
Now Reusse is reporting Gardy and coaches decided Friday Gomez will stay in the lineup for better or worse.
I don’t care which side you on, if you are certain enough to tell a guy you are benching him one day and you change you mind completely by the next day it seems like you’re grasping at straws.
Still a chance for Gardy manager of the year, if they win the Division.
Punto hitting .281. 1-4 OB today.
Joe Maddon already won MOY unanimously.
Bad loss heading out for a 10 game trip. Every move Gardy makes lately, his relievers can’t get it done. Why didn’t he pinch hit for Kubel in the 8th with the lefty on the mound? They didn’t mention if KC had a righty in the bullpen ready to go, but why not Delmon or Ruiz? If we take the lead Young is going to come in to play LF anyways unless his ankle is that bad? Leadoff gift double by Mauer and 4-5-6 can’t get it done. You just knew after that failure to go ahead in the 8th we were in trouble. And just when Gomez seems to get it figured out a bit he goes and gets picked off killing a rally. Unacceptable. At least there was a Brendan Harris sighting! Good D, and he hit one pretty deep in the 9th. Well, let’s go Blue Jays!
Gomez will play for better or for worse? Well he was better in April and May, and worse ever since. We have better talent that we can play besides Carlos Gomez.
The only reason the organization still gives a damn about him is because he’s symbolic. He’s currently the only visible return we have to show for the Santana trade, and the organization is not going to let him sit and make it look like we got screwed. So we have a bunch of idiots with too much pride to bench the guy, and the team is suffering through bad strikeouts, poor baserunning, and not hitting the cutuff man.
How would you like it if everyone called you Peshpussy day after day after freaking day!!!
That comment, obviously, was meant for Mr Pesh, who like so many others insists on calling Punto names day after day after freaking day.
If the Twins win the division, the TWINS SYSTEM should win manager of the year, with Gardenhire finishing somewhere between Joe Girardi and Trey Hillman. It doesn’t take much managing skill to start 5 young studs every week, but it is on the manager when a team loses 5 out of the last 6 extra inning ballgames.
Johnny Moses. Amen brother. Gardy never, ever pinch hits for Punto. It is so frustrating. I wish one of our beat reporters would ask why with the game tied or even trailing you don’t send up a pinch hitter who has a chance to hit a ball out of the park or at least in the gap?
Sodak, people do call me names everyday, since Pesh is not my name. Although I can’t take credit for Punterrible. I saw it somewhere else, and I chuckled.
The day Punto drives in some clutch runs to help the Twins win will be the day I stop calling him names. Believe me, I’ve been waiting a looooong time to stop calling him names.
Won’t matter….Punto can’t win with you and your ilk…. If he does well….you hate him because he’s done well….if he fail, you hate him because he fails…..if he breaths, you hate him because he breaths……some serious self reflection is in order.
ur right not moving runners over cost twins the game.bitch about guerrier all you want but a little dribbler goes thru then a bloop and hes out of the game. last sat ag tigers he got bombrd but not today.
The only difference between you and a lynch mob is your lack of a rope.
sodak - me thinks you doth protest too much. take it easy, i am sure little nicky sleeps just fine at night no matter what people say about him on this blog.
Span, Mauer, Kubel each with 2K’s. Casilla 0 for 5. Casilla and Kubel both left 4 men LOB. The hitters are as much to blame as the bullpen. Well, maybe not quiet as much but they to are to blame. Twins should have scored more that 2 runs today…..
Scoreboard watching tonight……
Twins need to bare down on this road trip. Baltimore, Tampa in a pennant race and Cleveland now playing well. It could be a rough road trip…..
Keep the faith……….
sodak, what am I going to eat for dinner tonight? It appears you know everything about me. Just wondering if you know the future, too.
Do you guys have jobs? Seems like you’re on here about 20 hours each day? Got nothing better to do but second guess the Twins all day long?
First and foremost, this loss, despite the recent reliever chokejobs, goes on the Twins hitters…this is the ROYALS for goodness sake. We should have won this game 7-2.
Second, anyone who thinks Gardy has managed terribly hasn’t taken a very good look at this frickin roster that he has to cobble a lineup together with. I mean, give me a break! On any other team in the playoff hunt Punto and Harris are bench players. On any other playoff team, you’d have two rookies AT MOST in the starting rotation. And on any other team in the hunt you’d have more than one guy (Nathan) in the bullpen that you can count on.
I think under the circumstances, Gardy has done a darn good job. If you want to blame anyone for the Twins current situation in the standings, blame the front office. If they would have gone out and grabbed a starter (Byrd comes to mind) and a decent hitter we could have moved one of our young arms into the bullpen and used Punto and Harris in substitution roles instead of starting.
Let’s just be realistic about this team. They are overachieving to say the least and Gardy has done a good managerial job, not great but good.
Perhaps if you had a life you wouldn’t have to be constantly running down some one elses……..but since I do have a life, I’ve got to go now. Have fun feeding your hostilities boys.
Punto gets after it all the time, but he really starts battling his tail off in late and close scenarios. That is why Gardy does not pinch hit for Punto in leverage situations. Bunting in the air, diving into first base, and popping up on the first pitch are what he is looking for in late inning at bats.
But before I go…I just read Gerry’s post which was excellent. You guys could learn a lot from Jerry who just gave a very, very astute analysis of the situation, in my opinion.
Sorry Gerry, I mispelled your name there the second time. Please accept my apology….your post was great.
Thanks sodak. No sweat. Trust me, it gets misspelled all the time.
But You’ve got to be kidding me just proved his character…..he’s a real piece of work, obviously. How old are you?
Now I will leave and not interfere with you’re fun anymore
I do not want to blame anyone - not the bullpen, not gardy, not the offense and not the front office. I want someone to step up and carry this team to the playoffs. Make the pitch, make the play, get the hit when it matters. Just play like men and not boys. Today, Liriano’s performance should have inspired someone on the team to want to give him some runs and the win. Who stepped up? No one. There are only 16 games left. If someone does not step up soon, it will not matter.
I agree jack morris. You are absolutely right. Despite the lack of depth on this team, they still can make the playoffs. I’m in Baltimore, and trust me, there’s no reason the Twins can’t at least take three from the Orioles.
Someone needs to step up in a big way. I would have like to have seen something from the top of the order in the 10th to show they had some fight. Span needs to find a way on. Someone PLEASE step up. I want to watch some meaningful Twins games against the pukey White Sox!
Hey, this is a baseball blog, not a nursery! If LNP has to weather the collective frustrations of the bevy of mismanaged situations this year, including playing LNP WAY TOO OFTEN, then so be it.
sorry, I meant to say two out of three from the Os. Heck, they should sweep the Os.
Gerry
I’m pretty sure the Twins only have 2 rookies in the starting rotation.
sodak=Nick Punto, or somebody romantically involved w/Punto.
gerry there is no place for rational thought on this blog. go away!
sodak is really something. He comes on a board put here specifically for people to post opinions and vent frustrations, and personally attacks posters for doing just that. I guess my little bit of sarcastic humor makes me immature. Oh, well, i can live with that. How sad, that he has to insult people who don’t live in his fancy little world of positivity. My guess is he was a mollycoddled little mama’s boy, and thinks he is special, and that everyone should feel the way he feels.
Oh, yeah. way to insinuate that we are jobless bums, when you are also posting during working hours, you sad, sexually frustrated little insignificant piece of waste.
Seriously…how old are you? That kind of statement is only made by a very immature kid. I’m a long time educator & social worker who can’t stand to see people treated as unfairly, in person or in print, the way N Punto has been treated for months on this and other blogs. I’ve also played and coached baseball at various levels and I believe Punto is a very good, not great player. He, as Gerry stated, is no doubt better suited for a utility role on most teams…but he’s the best the Twins have right now. That’s not his fault and he shouldn’t be scorned and ridiculed because of it. I also think there’s a huge amount of arrogance that’s stated on here every day and night by people who have no inside information or knowledge of players personalities, personal lives, etc..but act as if they no everything about a player, etc. The attitudes here really bother me. But, I am not related to Nick Punto and I have never even met him. I have watched him play since he came to Minnesota, however…..and I again say….he does not deserve the bashing that he gets here.
and now I do need to go.
Damn you…now I can’t go yet…. thanks for proving my point Mr You’ve Got To be Kidding Me.
It seems like everytime LEN3 disses a team they beat us? His earlier comment about “it should be 8-0 by the 5th inning”. I guess we should have stuck with the blue jerseys. Liriano always goes with those white pinnies and we couldn’t get the sweep. (LOL)
I think back to the days of Gaetti, Hrbek, Gladden, Puckett and try to imagine how they would react if playing on this Twins team? Pissing away game after game in the same manner over and over and over….. Gomez, the self proclaimed fastest man in baseball, getting picked off again killing a potential big inning. Guerrier, Bonzer, Reyes and Crain not being able to get 6 frikin outs (again). Management not getting help at the trade deadline and Gardy repeating the same mistakes over and over again. I am not in the locker room but who is holding players and management accountable (outside of us)? Ozzie wouldn’t put up with this for the Sox but everyone calls him a lunatic. We need a lunatic, an enforcer. Man up Twins! Who will step up and not take it anymore?
By the way….I’ve had two days off…that’s why I was able to get on here today and yesterday…I do work…although I’m 60 years old and nearing retirement age (Just in case you thought I was a little kid too) You notice, I hope, that I”m not on here day after day after day, like you.
sodak - one word - prozac. I have heard it can work wonders, you should try it.
It also upsets me when I here other players bashed and called names as well. Calling Buscher “Butcher” for example is just so unfair, for example. The bashing of Delmon Young earlier in the year, or the bashing of Everett by so many. Everett is an outstanding fielding shortstop for you boys who don’t know….his arm injury has not allowed for him to show what he’s capable of this season…and so he’s been bashed by you geniuses as well. All of this is out of line in my opinion and these are just a few examples. But the incessant bashing of Punto is way way beyond reason.
sorry here = hear
If you’re going to insist on “using” his name….the name is Nick Punto, sir.
ignoring the trolls….and name callers….
You can criticize a specific decision Gardy makes without saying he is a bad manager. He is not perfect, any more than any of the rest of us are. Pointing out mistakes he made does not mean anyone hates him, or thinks he is bad at his job….back to points about the game….
The O is more to blame than the pitching or D in this one for sure.
That does not let the bullpen off the hook, however, for their performance in the 10th. Nor does it, in my opinion, let Gardy off the hook for not using Nathan for 1 more inning. Also, if you are going to use Nathan, let the stiffs pitch to the bottom of the order, and use Nathan to face the top of the order…or not, I’m conflicted on that one in this type of instance. But, that is what many people are now suggesting managers should look at doing.
Good news is that Liriano has proven he can dominate against bad teams. Hopefully if they make the playoff he can do it against very good teams also.
The jerseys don’t matter-Liri has pitched fins in the vests.
We just have a team that has a crappy bullpen and misses some opportunities to get runs in.
Still, sad loss to a sad team.
Go Jays.
[…] of… I got home and just checked out LaVelle’s Game Posting in which he quotes Ron Gardenhire talking about how he wants to get Mijares into a game, “Six […]
I think sodak is a troll. Don’t feed him.
sodak
I am 29 years old. You are 60? that explains it. not a mama’s boy, but a filthy baby boomer summer of love hippie. I’ve got news for you, hippie. Your insults and personal attacks are not going to change anybody’s mind. Major League Baseball players are grown men and public figures, so they are fair game. And they are very well compensated. I fear you are becoming bitter in your old age, sir. instead of barking at kids to stay off your lawn, you are barking at blog posters to lay off LNP. You say we have no lives? We mostly try to have inteligent baseball conversation, with some humor and fun mixed in. You, with your “life”, come to a baseball blog to scold and insult people for having opinions that differ from yours. Trolls like you ruin it for us. Please put on a Grateful Dead lp, light up a joint, and turn off your computer. The sooner you do this, the happier everyone will be.
[…] Originally published by Twins Insider […]
Off topic
The whole Chad Johnson=Ocho Cinco thing reminded me of something. When Justin Morneau changed his number a couple of years ago, I remember remarking to my brother that i bet people with the 27 jersey were pissed. Did anyone here have the 27 jersey, and if so, were you pissed? And, did morneau have to buy all the 27 jerseys in stores, like Johnson? A number change or name change are a little different than a trade, in that a trade is an unavoidable part of the game, so you can’t get to mad about that, i guess. Even a number change is different than the name change, because a number change isn’t going to get the same hype the ocho cinco name change is getting. Personally, i think reebok would be smart to discount and sell the johnson jerseys, and let the name change go ahead, because i think the “Ocho Cinco” jerseys will sell like mad, and the discounted “C. Johnson” jerseys also would do well with people that don’t want to spend $140.
I think that Gardy would have made better choices with runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs that let Kubel face a lefty (twice in similar situations) and let Reddog bat (esp. after the 1st double play in that situation.) With the expanded roster there were a lot of options offensively (Delmon, Ruiz) and defensively (Delmon, Pridie and Jorgenson) for both Kubel and Redmond.
Just a game, hope the Sox lose tonight…
On a funnier note, that misplay by Kubel at that fly ball made me think whether he is auditioning for dancing with the stars
Let’s get the Os next week
Kubel is not pretty enough for dancing with the stars. he would have to shave. Kubel looks like he should ply for the athletics. For some reason, it seems like the A’s have always had a disproportionate number of slobs. all Kubel needs is long hair.
By the by; no offense meant with the term “slobs”. I use it lovingly.
Nice to see Kubel bounce back to his old self after last night’s 3-for-4 performance…
I noticed that after LaRussa left the Athletic’s cut less clean cut, albeit cleaner…
Leaders (Team Police): Champions
87 Edmonton Oilers - Mark Messier
87 Twins - Gary Gaetti
84 Tigers - Kirk Gibson
07 Redsox - Jason Varitek
08 Twins - ummmmm????
etc, etc, etc Champions have leaders, in your face guys who hold everyone accountable. Rebuilding year my !@#. You are in a pennant race, it’s not too late! SOMEONE STEP UP!
“07 Redsox - Jason Varitek”
Talk about overrated…the guy hit .255 with just a .994 fielding pct.
I also think varitek’s value as a player is overrated, but i don’t think john is talking about production leaders; he is talking about clubhouse leaders.
and as a clubhouse guy, by all accounts, varitek is very good.
As to the twins’ efforts at the plate today, I paraphrase mr. gaetti’s quote from 1984 - It’s hard to hit with both hands wrapped around your throat. The twins choked today, nothing less, nothing more. hopefully they take their hands off their throats for the next 16 games and win the division.
It just seems the organization is content with the we are “rebuilding” we are a “small market” band of “over achievers” label.
The Rays on the other hand believe they are going to win the world series this year.
September 11th should be a reminder that there may not be a next year. Step up…NOW!
The Rays also came out of the gate hot and haven’t shown many signs of slowing.
The Twins? Not so much.
Blue Jays scored!, I think this game might end 1-0…
Wow, bases juiced, one out for the Jays…
3-0 Toronto, top 8…
4-0
Top of the eight inning ends, 6-0 Blue Jays
The way the Twins and Sox are playing all this talk of 90 wins taking the division might be a little high…first to 85 wins it! haha
Twins and Sox are battling for title of the worst bullpen getting into the playoffs.
I actually think the top prize would go to the mets…
gatty,
Looks like you are talking to yourself. I think the afternoon crowd wore themselves out today. Glad I was working and didn’t see it. Seeing it on replay, I think the BP wasn’t as bad as was reported. The two Matty hits were weak — a chopper through the middle and a bloop to short right. Reyes served up another beach ball though.
Hurt that we didn’t get anything in the 6th with 1st/2nd and no outs and again in the 8th with 2nd and no outs.
I had us sweeping KC and Whities splitting with Jays, so if score holds up, it nets out the same.
It must be frustrating to be a Jays player after beating up on the Central leaders, and then look at the hole they’re still in in the East.
Maybe the Twins can help them out a little by getting some big wins in TB!
6-2 Jays
6-4, Jays still haven’t gotten out of the eighth…
Arghhh!!!! c’mon Jays, hold it together.
“The Twins have walked a Major League-low 347 batters this season and are on pace to walk just 387 batters. It would be only the fifth time in the past 20 years that a team has walked fewer than 400 batters in a season, with the Twins doing it twice — in 2006 (356) and ‘05 (348).”
Yep, that’s the Rick Anderson motto… throw strikes. That’s a nice record.
Blue Jays three outs away from bailing out the twins…
AJ hbp. Great
Let’s have a nice little 6-4-3
I’d like to thank Nick Swisher for having absolutely no patience at the plate…
ERROR
You’ve got to be kidding me!
C’mon. this is almost as hard as watching the Twins.
Yay, the Blue Jays beat the White Sox again.
There we go!
Ryan must have went to the Joe Nathan school of let’s make the 9th interesting so no one leaves early! Whew!
twins are a game out in the middle of september. crazy as hell.
OK. Not feeling quite as bad now, but feeling worse than if we both won, for some reason. Time to win some road games boys.
I think an Eddie Guardado reference would fit the bill…
you can take it off the board!
Shawn,
Do your magic to get us 3 wins in Baltimore.
And don’t stop at Baltimore…
Time to crash. Back at it tomorrow.
sorry Carlos, i am only at 1 game for sure…. but will be nearby
Well the O’s are a horrible team right now. But so were the M’s, and the A’s, and the T’s.
If anyone is still here I have a question. Gomez got caught on the bases (saw it and read the headling), didn’t Punto do the same thing? or was that yesterday? Thanks
yesterday
It was yesterday right after he hit the bloop RBI single.
Wednesday night, I thought for sure the Twins were on their way to the Division with Liriano coming up the next afternoon.
Then the loss today.
Up-and-down, up-and-down. How do you young guys handle it? I should be more emotionally wise at my age. I get totally convinced one way, then retreat almost all the way away from it. BUT,
With the Sox loss tonight, I find that Griffey is hitting .239 and Swisher .223. That’s unbelievable. Horrible for them.
Too bad.
all the teams have their flaws. but the people who come here are usually more attuned to the flaws of the twins. take a step back and it can look a little better.
Romer:
“Up-and-down, up-and-down. How do you young guys handle it?”
I know what you mean, its like I’m a manic-depressive and which one depends on a win or loss. When it gets to me I look back and think about all the great Twins stuff I saw this year and be grateful for the wonderful ride and then I’m not quite so crazy. (I’m an old dudette.) (Also, age related memory loss helps me forget the really bad stuff)
