Twins are Mauerless, Credeless and Spanless against the Red Sox
Posted on May 25th, 2009 – 9:42 AMBy La Velle
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire checked his troops this morning and came back with the following:
Joe Crede’s right hand is still sore after being hit with a Dave Bush pitch yesterday. So Brian Buscher is at third base. The medical staff believes it’s just a deep bruise.
“Swollen,” Gardenhire said. “I don’t want to screw with something like that. Plus the astroturf thing, the day game after a night game thing.”
Joe Mauer has general catcher’s soreness. As much as Gardenhire wants to start him, Mike Redmond will play today. “It’s time,” Gardenhire said. “This is a stretched of 20 games in a row, and he’s caught or DH’d in all of them.”
Span?
“Still light-headed,” Gardy saiu.I can’t take that chance of sending him out there. Says if I need him today I can play him, but that’s scary to me.”
Gardenhire has to look at the big picture, especially with Mauer.
“We all know you have to give them a break. When you’ve got the days scheduled and you give them a week or ten days, that’s easier. But when you go 20 days, that’s not easy. Morneau, you give him a DH day but he’s still playing. The DH day I think helps him. And the same with the catcher. We’re in a situation where he may be the best player in the league, and it’s really hard to sit him down…but you have to. You can’t take a chance to wear him out. He needs a break like every other catcher.”
And Carlos Gomez, in what might be the injury of the year, needed two stitches in his head after getting caught in the revolving door while entering the stadium this morning. But he’s in the lineup.
Back to previous programming.
Great day to be inside to watch baseball - I’m running out of chances to write that one.
By the way, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone with the Brewers gets plunked during the first game there on June 23. The two Twins who were hit had homered in the game - plus one of them is the all-world catcher. The last thing you want to see is someone with a hand or wrist problem try to swing a bat.
One Twins player reminded me that Justin Morneau was hit on the elbow during Saturday’s game, so there’s a case building.
Scott Baker on Sunday finally made the adjustment he’s been trying to make. He was taller in his delivery, which helped him get a good downward angle on his pitches. He said he’s been working hard with pitching coach Rick Anderson to get that angle back, and he had it on Sunday. His stuff looked sharper, too.
Red Sox (26-18)
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
4. Jason Bay, LF
5. Mike Lowell, DH
6. Rocco Baldelli, RF
7. Jason Varitek, C
8. Jeff Bailey, 1B
9. Julio Lugo, SS
Pitching: Brad Penny
Twins (22-23)
1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Matt Tolbert, 2B
3. Justin Morneau, 1B
4. Jason Kubel, DH
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Brian Buscher, 3B
7. Mike Redmond, C
8. Delmon Young, LF
9. Nick Punto, SS
Pitching: Francisco Liriano
522 Responses to "Twins are Mauerless, Credeless and Spanless against the Red Sox"
Plunked indeed. Whether it was trying to come inside(doubtful since they hit two of the three that hit homers against them) or retalitory, we need to send a message. I say Fielder or Braun gets a little chin music in June!
Thanks La Velle. So when was the last time a Twins pitcher hit someone intentionally? I can’t think of anything recent.
let the news be good on crede, mauer and span
should have gone to the bus and hit one of em before they left for milwaukee-
Yeah it would be nice to see a Brewer get plunked next time but i’m not holding my breath.It should have happened last night.The Twins pitchers better start sticking up for their teammates.
Hope there’s nothing serious with Span but that he’s getting looked at by more than just the team doctor.
The Brewers, and especially Bush,were pounding the ball high and inside all night. It was no mistake that both Crede and Mauer were hit. The time to retaliate would’ve been right away in the 9th with the 5 run lead. Baker should’ve gone very high and very tight to the very first batter. ‘Nuff said.
No Ortiz today…..
Ellsbury-CF
Pedroia-2B
Youkilis-3B
Bay-LF
Lowell-DH
Baldelli-RF
Varitek-C
Bailey-1B
Lugo-SS
Penny-SP
“Scott Baker on Sunday finally made the adjustment he’s been trying to make. He was taller in his delivery, which helped him get a good downward angle on his pitches.”
I thought Baker was “tipping his pitches’ according to the blog geeks.
I guess the Brewers don’t have an internet connection to take advantage of that information.
So it was just that “stand tall and project down” pitching instruction that every pitcher has heard a million times.
I thought that the Twins would have to break the MLB Imperial Code, and then organize reconnaisance and counter-intelligence units to camouflage our pitches, while stealing pitches from the enemy.
Oh, well.
At ease.
Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.
Good thing Justin waited to hit the grand slam at the end so he did not have to come up again. What do they think their opponants will not try to hit homeruns against them if they plunk them?
span , mauer, morneau, kubel, cuddy, crede, harris, young, tolbert
lets go with this lineup…
A first pitch grand slam from Morneau wasn’t retaliation enough?
provided they are all healthy…please
Baker has great stuff and is a heck of a pitcher. If he has his delivery issue fixed he is going to be great the rest of the year for us. He has the talent, I never worry about him longterm.
Bret talks about pitching INSIDE all the time. Grow up Twins.
I think Morneau’s GS was retal. enough.
mj1: Tolbert, you have got to be kidding me! And where is Cuddy. You know he will be in the line-up.
What have u been smoking this Holiday?
“If he has his delivery issue fixed he is going to be great the rest of the year for us.”
It may not be that simple to convert an adjustment into a permanent fix to his mechanics.
But its something to hope for.
jc… i believe i have cuddy 5th and just what would you do differently….
btw i am smokin nuttin…..
Yeah it would be nice to see a Brewer get plunked next time but i’m not holding my breath.It should have happened last night.The Twins pitchers better start sticking up for their teammates.
Hard-nosed old school baseball rule said that when Bake went out for the 9th, he should have gotten it done - game in hand, Nathan warming - imo.
So both guys who homered got hit. But both were on check swings. It wasn’t like they “got plunked.” Retaliation? Grow up.
Cuddy’s batting 5th in Mj’s lineup
I have very rarely seen this team stick up for themselves. Opposing teams realize that they can throw at the Twins with out prompting a response.
DaveB…. I would say the Justin’s 1st pitch Salami was a pretty good example of the team sticking up for themselves.
So both guys who homered got hit. But both were on check swings. It wasn’t like they “got plunked.” Retaliation? Grow up.
It is fair to have a difference opinion on this one. ‘I didn’t mean to’ doesn’t cut it with me considering riding fb’s which the players did check swing but that happens alot. Both were probably leaning out over the plate - then if you want to back them off the plate, throw middle to lower strike zone in off the plate, not at the hands or head level. I don’t see it at childish, but the unwritten rules of baseball.
if they are going to plunk someone, i hope it’s not prince. that guy is too cool.
a win today against the bosox would go along ways in repairing the confidence of this team-could turn them around completely and start a real serious run at home and then hit the road on fire….
Yeah, I saw Crede and Mauer get hit. That was Bush League (pardon the pun). I hope the Twins don’t sink to that level during the rematch.
“if they are going to plunk someone, i hope it’s not prince. that guy is too cool.”
he has too much fat on him, it wouldnt hurt much
Both guys that homered go hit nobody else. Coincidence? Unlikely imo.
Very curious to the TC lineup today - guessing taking Gardy some time to figure it up.
it would sure stink to have to open this series with bosox all banged up…cant imagine crede, span, mauer all out at the same time, even for one game would suck…
I really hope that the Twins take the high road with the whole “beaming players” when we go to Miltown. If they decide to try it there, then I say go for it but the Twins are a classy baseball team and shouldn’t think about stooping down to the Brewer’s level.
If the Twins do retaliate, please don’t hit Ryan Braun. I want to continue seeing him in left field. With his hustle we are guaranteed a couple extra bases every game.
The retaliation part of it went out the window for the Twins when the umpire warned both benches. It would not have been very smart for Baker to hit someone as he would have faced an immediate ejection. It was great that Morneau delivered with that upper deck grand slam to put the finishing touch on a great weekend of Twins baseball. These last four games have been a lot of fun to watch.
Hopefully Bush is pitching when the Twins go to M-Town. He was throwing intentionally at the Twins- he threw at Mauer’s head on his third AB and hit Crede. If he is pitching, then he should be the one to get some chin music.
Well I’m not sure how intentional those were.. it’s not like they got plunked in the ribs… they were in on the hands. I don’t think we should throw at anyone for that… if a heater ends up in Crede’s ribs okay send morillo out there (mercenary soldier) and put 96 in Braun’s ribs in return.
Is Kubel playing this week or is his knee injury more serious than reports indicate?
NO MAUER TODAY:
GOMEZ 8
TOLBERT 4
MORNEAU 3
KUBEL DH
CUDDYER 9
BUSCHER 5
REDMOND 2
YOUNG 7
PUNTO 6
Plunking would be nice, but I’d rather see them retaliate by outscoring them 23 - 8 again in Milwaukee. Morneau wasted no time at all for the ultimate retaliation. Stetter’s ERA jumped from 2.77 to 4.15 on those 2 pitches!
Joe… they hit the hands… if they break the hand they are out for the season possibly. If they hit the rib, they are out for maybe a game (I would think its harder to break a rib with a baseball than a hand.) That is why it is a big deal that they hit THOSE TWO PLAYERS (the two with the hits in the game).
Here’s a weird baseball story for all the baseball buffs out there. True story……In a recent baseball game, a player was credited with three out on one play without ever touching the baseball! Can anyone figure out how?
I post the rest of the story at 1pm today.
I think we should start Dickey in the first game against the Brewers and have him “plunk” the lead-off batter with a couple of knucklers (AKA John Lackey). That way if he gets ejected we can replace with a one of our normal starting pitchers.
lineups yet???/ geesh you are slow lavelle
Michael,
Runner on first and second, batter pops up, infield fly rule, runner on first passes runner on second, runner on second hit with the ball…
with all the road games coming up im hoping to get 3 out of 4 from the sox. it would sure go a long way to keep the confidence going as we leave the dome. win twins!
I haven’t researched ‘un-written blog rules’ but here are a couple of articles on ‘uwritten baseball rules.’ I consider these rules that players just ‘know’ and no order is given in by coaches (players just ‘know’), and it gains a pitcher ‘clubhouse cred.’ I still think Bake had the chance in the 9th, with game in hand, Nathan warming - to gain ‘clubhouse cred.’ In hindsight, could have saved Bake v. Prince as he would have most likely been tossed, and Nathan v. Prince may have been quite different. I understand the ‘classy’ argument but you can’t always just ‘hit a GS’ or strike out 17 straight. It doesn’t address the unwritten rules of baseball - imo.
Enjoy reading these if you are as bored as I am awaiting game time 
Go Twins 
Rule 26 in this article:
http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/unwritten_rules.htm
Rule 2.9 and 2.95 in this article:
http://www.seattlepi.com/othersports/207552_unwrittenrules12.html
if trey’s lineup is right? i’ll take a split now…f’n red sox nation, sick of em already
Trey’s lineup is the same as in on mlb gameday, so assume correct.
‘Fool, Ever cross your mind that Lavelle may be doing some reporting on the field?
I’ve been trying to get to links to articles related to unwritten baseball rules thru, but can’t figure out why ‘in moderation.’ So, if looking for something to do - google ‘unwritten baseball rules’ and read the hsbaseballweb and seattlepi.com articles. Two of the first listed.
Twins lineup up
Terry, at almost all times that a link if referenced on the blog, the moderators will check it out before approving the comment. Hence, the awaiting moderation message. Don’t be insulted, it happens to others also.
Blake obviously heard the story.
Thanks, La Velle.
Those revolving doors at the Dome are deathtraps. I once saw a kid get his head stuck in one.
LaVelle,
“Great day to be inside to watch baseball - I’m running out of chances to write that one.”
Are you kidding me? Maybe when you were on your way into the Dome this morning, but take a second to peek outside again… I couldn’t imagine a better day for playing outside!
Don’t be insulted, it happens to others also.
Thanks Dr for the info, as first time I attempted to post a link(s). TFelton not insulted, just impatient and bored awaiting gametime -:(
Go Twins!
Michael,
No, actually, the question came up earlier in a post on one of the Strib Twins blogs.
Our resident stats guru, Thrylos, answered the question.
“”Ben W says:
May 25th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Those revolving doors at the Dome are deathtraps”"
So are the men’s restrooms for Hawkeye FB fans. hee hee hee…….
Matt I was being sarcastic…..
Maybe not a good day to be outside because of the wind…
I thought Baker was “tipping his pitches
still was (his breaking stuff is delivered from a higher release point than his fastballs) but a bit better yesterday.
1000 words here:
And Carlos Gomez, in what might be the injury of the year, needed two stitches in his head after getting caught in the revolving door while entering the stadium this morning. But he’s in the lineup.
Freak baseball related injuries must start with Willie McGee and the tarp -
over under on combined hits by;
gomez, tolbert, buscher, red, young,& punto? lets set it @ 5. whatcha got?
Freak baseball related injuries must start with Willie McGee and the tarp -
Knew it the minute I hit submit - Vince Coleman not Willie McGee -
I thought Baker was “tipping his pitches
still was (his breaking stuff is delivered from a higher release point than his fastballs) but a bit better yesterday.
1000 words here (fx data from his game yesterday) :
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3610/3562926227_6677a5dea9_o.png
his breaking stuff (orange and red) are released from a higher point than his fastballs (blue and green), but not as bad as his last start…
i dunno DR,
i think the Hawkeye fans enjoyed the bathroom.
Our lineup doesn’t look too intimidating today with a half dozen of easy outs. Hopefully Liriano will be on his game today.
this may be a tough one for the twins today with that lineup
Other then the 3-4-5 batters I think I would rather see New Britains lineup playing today. Looks like we have some guys down there that are really starting to swing the bat.
I hear ya Jeff, i should go…..
Terry, I think the salami and the sweep made retaliation unnecessary.
No need to prolong a beanball war. Kicking butt and taking names sends the message well and trumps the unwritten rules. The Brewers got owned.
Okay I can understand giving Mauer a day or two off during the season as catching is takes it’s toll on ones knees and back but how exactly does playing first base wear you down? You are basically standing there for nine innings and retrieving to the bag to catch throws from other infielders. Plus Gardy’s statement that even when he DH’s Morneau “He’s still playing” for cripes sakes Gardy, he is sitting on the bench the majority of the time and only gets up to bat and possibly run the base paths every third inning.
We need to throw our most competitive lineup out there every day especially when Mauer sits, especially against a team like Boston. I can see benching someone for a minor injury or illness but come on Gardy.
I’m a lot more concerned about Liriano than the injury-depleted line-up.
This is the kind of game where an ace steps up. If Franchise wants to be considered for that label, this would be a good day to begin making his case.
Trust your stuff, dude. And keep the walks at a minimum, please.
glad i live in virginia today and am not a season ticket holder. this line-up is not what i would want to pay to see. all the things people have to do for a living and hardly get paid, or like a teacher, get paid way less than the deserve,….. and the players who get paid millions to play baseball……… TO PLAY BASEBALL !!!,….. are to tired and worn out to play after a couple consecutive games. weird world. but they are the boys today. good luck to the .200 hitters.
“Swollen,” Gardenhire said. “I don’t want to screw with something like that. Plus the astroturf thing, the day game after a night game thing.”
My tv schedule says it’s a night game, what does this mean?
h2oface,
these guys get paid a ton of money to play but human bodies don’t always hold up. And when they take roids, greenies, HGH to make the body hold up, we get mad at them.
good luck to the .200 hitters. and Punto, Kubs and MVP
Hopefully Liriano can stay calm and not overthrow. He’s going to need to hold the Bosox to about 2-3 runs with the batting lineup we’ve got.
That stretch of Buscher, Redmond, Young, Punto, Gomez, Tolbert looks like a recipe for 6 bunts or hit batsmen in a row.
Hopefully a couple of those guys break out a bit, preferably Gomez, Tolbert and Buscher. Not exactly the lineup one might hope for against the mighty Nation.
game is at 1 Ben… hence the lineups being up already
Day game today, 1:10 start.
Guessing the listing on your TV schedule is a re-broadcast of the day game.
Hmm, the schedule says 1:10, FSN says 7.
FYI, Gomez loves day games. He is hitting .310/.333/.345 in day games this season.
what you are seeing is the re-air, it is on My29 or on an alternate if you are able to see it live but not in the twin cities
My edition of the Strib this morning had a little box in Joe C’s story that said Three Game Series starting with game tonight. Right next to it was Joe’s story describing and afternoon kickoff to a 4 game series.
Weird.
we will just have to kick their asses with 1/3 of our studs on the mend….next to the yanks this is the team i hate the most and would be so satisfying to get em when we are down a bit…..
Not exactly the lineup one might hope for against the mighty Nation.
lol @ the mighty Nation, which is starting Brad Penny today.
FWIW, the local paper said it was also on TBS, although I imagine it would be blacked out in the cities.
Liriano is going to have to pitch a barnburner today with Crede Span and Mauer on the bench.
Eh, it’s time for Young to go deep and for the bottom of the order to get on base a couple of times.
Where is Harris? “All I am asking is give Harris a Chance.” That could be the words to a great song…..
Time for Mr.Buscher to step UP.
On another note: I understand Mr. Buscher has the prettiest wife of all the Twins………A southern girl from S. Carolina….I believe….
JC Smith…. In July, I have to judge the contest of all of the wives…. And I, alone, am the sole judge. Looking forward to it.
Game is on FSN channel 33 in Moorhead on CableOne. GO TWINS!!!!!!!!!!
NESN HD > My29
Dave Roberts doing the game, guess he’s retired.
Gomez is fired up
We’re out of toilet paper…..
trish,
Per your comment at 11:21 this morning, I thought yesterday you said we should bean Fielder. I do not get what the fuss is about, they were pitching inside, I doubt there was any intent on any of them. It’s called brushing players back, sometimes they get away from them.
What a bunch of babies.
god damn why does it say awaiting moderation everytime i type something
Wish Big Papa were in the lineup, we’d have a better chance.
Poor Frankie, he has to be super excellent.
And Redmond needs a great game too.
romer….use a “Swiffer”
Burl, your first two words flagged.
Trish, your comment at 1121 contradicts what you said yesterday about how “we should bean fielder” - The lack of knowledge that is shown on this board sometimes just makes me laugh.( Your comment yesterday was probably the dumbest comment I have ever seen on the board)
I don’t get all the fuss, they were pitching inside. Did you see where the catcher set up? I doubt there was any intent.
We will get a study in differences in swings and approach today by watching Pedroia and Punto. Each are listed at 5′9″ with Punto about 10 pounds lighter.
That opposite-field level stroke that Pedroia just hit looks as different from Punto’s aggressive uppercut as a Martian looks from a Neptunian.
Punto could be a lesser version of Pedroia if he could learn a better swing.
Oh well.
first pitch to Bay was a little wild. Then Frankie doesn’t hold the runner on.
time to run without maurer behind the plate.
Excuse me..Punto is 10 pounds heavier as listed.
Why can’t liriano just get out of inning without throwing a million pitches. He is the slowest worker in the rotation. Its like watching paint dry sometimes.
Frankie’s got the stuff!
Burl, you seriously think there was no intent?
I don’t believe it could have been more obvious.
Fredo, Big Papi could learn a thing or two from Pedroia too.
“”"h2oface says:
May 25th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
time to run without maurer behind the plate.”"”
That steal was compliments of Francisco.
No bunting from Go-Go……..
Bush leads the league in bean balls. The Crede ball tailed in, on an inside pitch, same with Mauer. Plus why would you bean Mauer to get to Morneau intentionally, that is stupid.
The only one that may have had some intent on it was Morneaus, but the way Looper reacted was not indicative of intent.
P.s. I love our crappy lineup today yay
Frankie’s command is still absent.
:(>
Buscher - shouldnt be on the 25 man
Redmond - i hope he hangs it up after this year, he really doesn’t add a whole lot, would rather have morales
Tolbert - cant hit
Gomez - cant hit
Punto - cant hit
Thats a pretty solid lineup today… Joe “Glass Bottle” Crede
Bailey is essentially Big Papi’s replacement today.
2 lawnmowers that don’t work, guess i’ll watch the game.
zzzzzz z
Shawn,
don’t forget where you put the spark plugs when you took them out.
LOL, Burl…you say “Bush leads the league in bean balls”…which implies intent and then proceed to explain that you though there was no intent.
No matter. Series is over. Brewers got thrashed. Enough said.
Nice one Liri!
3 consecutive big K’s for Frankie… excellent.
I knew it was you Fredo!
spark plugs work, the battery crap doesn’t and can’t get a part on Memorial Day, the other mower hasn’t worked in a year +, but i keep trying.
Guess Cisco was keeping his right shoulder in on those last three guys.
Is it just mental with Frankie?
He holds back, loses command, gets in trouble. Then he wakes up and bears down.
I wonder if he enjoys pitching anymore, until he can feel like the old Franchise totally dominating.
It’s so easy, Franchise.
He can dominate any team in the league, but he always seems to want to be cute and nibble. I bet he drives Rick Anderson crazy.
I don’t think the Twins will retaliate for anything. Thats not their style and theres nobody on the team to do it. Hunter was the guy that wouldn’t take BS from anybody but he’s gone. Who’s going to retaliate? Besides the point is I personally don’t think there was any intentional beaning going on. One problem with the Twins is they don’t walk many indicating great control. If they start beaning people they should be very certain they are reacting to something that actually happened.
“Thats a pretty solid lineup today… Joe “Glass Bottle” Crede”
Burl, didja see Crede’s hand all swelled up right after being HP? Looked like someone stomped it.
You okay today, Burl?
Woohoo Cuddy!
Well that should help us a little bit
Fran,
Him leading the league in bean balls, does not prove there is any intent, it proves that his control sometimes may be in question. So your theory is false
Cuddy back to form!!! Woot woot
And you know he won’t pitch that pitch to him EVER again…
Hey! Touch ‘em all Michael Cuddyer!
Hopefully Cisco can make that one run hold up. Ok, ok maybe we can add a few more.
trish,
so are you still calling for Fielder to get beaned or whats your contradicting statement of the minute right now?
those crazy HR hitting Twins
Bert’s exact quote ” He didn’t hit him on purpose it just ran inside”
Oh wow, I think i said that a while ago…
Cuddy with the longball
Burl…bean ball implies intent by definition.
Beaning is not a pitch that got away, beaning is always intentional. That’s why it’s called beaning.
BURT…
Find where I said that last night. I just went and looked and saw NOTHING that about hitting players.
BURL… excuse me.
Burl, chill please. If we want continued BS out of you, we’ll cut off your head and scoop it out with a spoon. Leave trish alone.
No it’s called a 2 seamer that keeps running inside.
Would hit by pitch be a correct term for you then? Your a fool if you think all 3 of those hit by pitches were intentional.
glad to see Butcher’s and Redmond’s power bats in the lineup while Harris rots on the bench and Morales in Rochester
got to love the past posts from people saying don’t sign Crede, Trade Cudyer..why is cudyer playing.
LOL.
Win Twins!
Trish,
Thats like you saying, “I could tell Denard wasn’t himself”
You must have some gift if you can tell how a player feels from the stands.
but, thrylos98, if you had your way, wouldn’t cuddyer be on the bench or bagging groceries?
His hustle that we are used to seeing in the outfield wasn’t there. I know my game… and it’s not too hard to tell that from the stands. Sorry that you are being outsmarted right now by a girl.
Gotta go to softball practice. have a great afternoon everyone. GO TWINS!
can we hire jim kaat to give a pitcher’s fielding clinic?… or maybe greg maddux….
Harris is 2 for his last 20
nice job holding on to the ball nicky.
Whatever you say Trish… so how has punto looked the last month? is he feeling ok?
“Sorry that you are being outsmarted right now by a girl”
Why do you throw the female card? My opinion has nothing to do with being outsmarted, are you on some time of drug?
Burl,
only person responsible for Punto’s career is himself. At least Denard was able to make catches in left and get a hit in the game. And Span has been solid so far this year.
that should have been an error.
Punto is the whipping boy here. Does not matter that we will be in first place by the end of the first week in June. We gotta have someone to whip. He is our man!!
Liriano second time around by the opposing lineup = hit parade.
too bad big papi isn’t in the line up today..
Trish,
Don’t go acting like the battered female. I don’t care how well you know baseball or follow the twins, you can’t tell how someone feels from the stands, especially someone you do not know. Give me a break.
Red Sox on the board
This lineup (by the Twins) = we surrender
Missing Crede on the RBI hit.
Missing Mauer on that steal.
Great job by Butcher this inning…
looked like a swing and a miss at third for buscher…. tough chance, but went right by his glove…. this looks to get ugly today.
Vicar,
I think you are dreaming a good dream, but there are to many holes in this team to be a first place club.
Our position player depth is horrible. Tolbert,Redmond, Buscher are terrtible to start out with.
3-1 already, with this lineup - the games over
Well this sucks.
is buscher really the best we have?
Can we let Liriano be the whipping boy? It’s about his turn. Geez, what a frustrating guy.
He won’t make it through 5 with almost 60 pithces already
Buscher is not a 3B, give Hughes a try, he isn’t going to be worse.
that post at 1:53 wasn’t mine…
someone else must have my moniker now..or is using the same name
I don’t bother with personal attacks. I am pretty much only interested in minor league talk…
guess I will have to change my name
5 hits in a row, like I said… any decent player in the bigs who sees Liriano the second time around is salivating!
is buscher really the best we have?
he is the worse the Twins have and the manager of the millennium decided to start him instead of Harris with a lefty on the mount against a lineup filled with righties who pull the ball… Great job
Thank you Gomez!
Liriano will never be the same, thats pretty evident. I still think we should have added a veteran starter to calm these kids down. Livan last year won us 10 games, ERA aside, he wasn’t that bad.
If one didn’t know better one might suspect that the Sox are intentionally aiming their hits at 3B.
Liriano needs to stop this mojo now. Otherwise his continued decomposition may make the Swarzak decision easy.
I still don’t think he’s adjusted to not having the 95-96 mph fastball he used to have. He’s a lot more in the 89-91 range now and needs to learn to change speeds, get better command of the fastball.
He’s a lot closer to Maddux than to Koufax right now in terms of the tools he brings to the mound.
Can we let Liriano be the whipping boy? It’s about his turn. Geez, what a frustrating guy.
Butcher and his ballbucket range was involved in all 3 runs, if I am correct
did you see that look liriano gave buscher?
Liriano is looking more and more like a middle or long reliever than a starter.
But Honestly, does anyone think we have a prayer with that lineup out there? I mean seriously…Tolbert/Buscher/Redmond/Punto/Gomez - OUCH!
Buscher = Butcher
didn’t these guys get rest when we were winning 20-0 in Chicago?
This lineup (by the Twins) = we surrender (no refunds however)
Liriano - OUCH. What a head case.
seems like delmon has struck out with every at bat since his return.
I thought about going to the game today, I’d want my cash back if I had gone…
I agree the depth is very weak.
Redmond and Buscher have no “D” and hitting is light. Tolbert is below Avg.
Do they represent “Twins Baseball”?
The fact Gomez almost ended up on the DL by walking through a door is beyond me.
I have seen enough of Young - please let this guy, Buscher, Tolbert and few others go before this team is deemed a good soft (but boy do they hustle) team. I’d rather go to war with sharpshooters than with folks full of good intentions.
the whole adding a veteran thing keeps coming up…. we need a vet who wouldn’t pitch worse then the kids that supposedly need calming down. I’d prefer they just hired a 2nd pitching coach over a crappy vet.
I’d prefer they just hired a 2nd pitching coach over a crappy vet.
Or a psychologist to work with Liriano.
Very laughable (Twins) lineup. If I was the BoSox, I’d be planning dinner out by now.
me too shawn. crappy vets are more painful to watch than our up and coming talent.
Looks like Detroit is going to run away with the Division. The Twins have too many holes.
i need a psychologist when Buscher is at 3rd too
I read somewhere yesterday that the weekend series with the Brewers was a farse, as the Brew Crew was not into any of the games and were looking ahead at the Cards this week… so the real Twins (sans Mauer) are doing their best today and will probably lose all games against the BoSox.
How can you win a game with 3 players whose batting average is below .200? I dont care how good liriano pitches it really wont matter. Its so frusterating watching punto continue to look lost at the plate.
Seriously how can you consistently start a batter with that BS average?
maybe i am the bad luck guy today….. i will quit watching for a while and see what happens. this is too painful anyway. we now have three people in the lineup hitting under .197…… by manager’s choice! frankie needs to just strike them all out today, and stay out of the stretch.
Is calling Nick Punto a bad baseball player still constitute being a “basher?”
“But Honestly, does anyone think we have a prayer with that lineup out there?”
And someone complained about lack of depth on the Twins squad.
But with no Mauer, Span and Crede, what do you expect?
Plus Kubel can’t be very strong. And Young doesn’t have his timing back yet.
With these 5 good hitters down, not much Gardy can do.
Of course Morales should be here.
But thry is right about Butcher. Maybe Gardy is giving him one last chance, knowing the Twins didn’t have much of chance today anyway.
The fact Gomez almost ended up on the DL by walking through a door is beyond me.
according to Bert and Ernie, he was walking through a revolving door and someone else got in the same compartment after him and jammed the door hitting him on the face. Can happen to anyone…
10 hits and 10 outs…. and 7 strikeouts.
“But thry is right about Butcher.”
reminds me of the old “even a broken clock is right twice a day” adage.
Is calling Nick Punto a bad baseball player still constitute being a “basher?”
Only if someone places a ridiculous value on grit, hustle, scrappiness, and determination.
Kevin to answer your question about Punto, no it is not bashing its just being truthful and the front office will continue this bull.
This guy is suppose to be our ace?
Last nail in the coffin….
So, Baker, Franco, and Perkins are all candidates to be replaced by Swarzack. How do you decide who goes to long relief? Heck, ev’ Livan Hernandez is pitching better than those three guys.
Ouch.
I think the genius pitching coach really has his work cut out to rebuild Liriano into a ML pitcher. Perhaps he may be better off working in the minors. He clearly isn’t the same pitcher that could blow you away with his stuff.
If he continues like this they are going to have to either move him to the pen to work here with Anderson or send him down.
He needs to learn how to pitch.
H,
no he isn’t
you might as well put the pitcher in, because atleast they have a chance at getting the ball into the outfield, unfortunately you lose the DH, so nevermind
6+ ERA and it is almost June… sad, sad for a once superb pitcher… he gone!
Only if someone places a ridiculous value on grit, hustle, scrappiness, and determination.
All for the low, low price of 4 million dollars. But I only look at the negatives, like the lowest VORP ever, the sub .200 BA…
Maybe RAD can nail a Brewer with his knuckleball.
“This guy is suppose to be our ace?”
He can get there yet.
Remember how lousy Sabathia was doing for a while.
Frankie is definitely in a slump. But even so, he’s got 7 K’s in 4 innings.
Morneau not helping things……..
Liriano should have been the middle reliever like Santana was before he emerged as a starter.
I would love to have Punto on my team,
however, not at 4 M and not as a starter.
1.47 WHIP .307 BAA Livian in a big NL park.
1.32 WHIP .270 BAA Perk
1.51 WHIP .273 BAA Frankie
1.28 WHIP .266 BAA Baker
Livian has not been better
Liriano started out as a mid reliever.
The sub .300 OBP and SLG, the brain dead baserunning, etc, etc.
The Twins CANNOT and WILL not split this series…They will never be able to beat the Sox (either one) or the Yankees….
If you ever want to kill a Twins streak, just have them play those teams….
It’s pitiful how bad they play against them..
And having Crede, Mauer and Span out doesn’t mean a thing…They’d still lose…
At least Hernandez has a sub 5.00 ERA. Perk, Franc, and Bake are all above 5.00. Not to mention that ol’ Livan could pitch 100+ pitches on any given day. These guys are having a hard time doing 90+. I would still like to find a good analysis of what has changed with these guys from last year. They have (had) the potential to all be #1 or #2 guys…..
He can get there yet.
Let him do it in Rochester or put him on the DL (mental issues).
Anyone who bashes Punto or Buscher (or Livan last season) and gives Liriano a pass is a hypocrite.
Gopher,
Liriano was too dominant early to be wasted at MR, maybe now he should do it for a stretch. Santana was too unrefined to be anything but MR, especially in 2000 when the Twins needed to keep him on the ML roster.
The sub .300 OBP and SLG, the brain dead baserunning, etc, etc.
We call that Twins Baseball.
beg to differ - I made the point 2 years ago and was commended.
Squawk, squawk, squawk……
Never seen so many short memories in one place.
Livian has a 4.93 ERA in a big NL park and his other numbers suggest he is worse than that. Anyone can throw 100 pitches if the manager doesn’t take him out.
Anyone advocating Livian is like saying “i hate this crap, i want that crap.”
Twins vs. Yankees and BoSox is = Rangers vs. Yankees… whipping girls for the real men of MLB
Rob, the Twins are 17-8 against these guys in their last 25 meetings at the Dome.
Hard to win when the starting pitcher is beaten from the first pitch. Miracles can happen, but mental toughness is difficult to teach.
Bert is getting feisty - Who else is excited for the twins to go to tampa, they are terrible against the AL East
commended by who?
Anyone advocating Livian is like saying “i hate this crap, i want that crap.”
Livan’s a veteran innings eater, you can’t question that. 
Also the problem with putting a Rochester Redwings-esq line up out there, is the lack of protection for Kubel Morneau Cuddyer… ouch!
BTw - any one noticed the NCAA Baseball regional draws? 3 Big Ten teams… Gophers lost chance at hosting and now play Baylor at LSU (who is the host and a force to reckon with).
It’s all about the ‘VP’ baby.
Romer i agree i am one of them, but its just frusterating watching punto consistently waste outs.
Bert is gone nuts. while, I agree wit him, he’s gone too far again.
Kubel, Cuddyer and Morneausie should just bat 1, 2, 3. Get them the most PAs today. No reason to give the others any more ABs.
I wouldn’t use the word “want” for a crap swap. However, you have to admit it is pretty hard to watch these three guys start giving up homers and multi hit innings after they’ve shown they can dominate.
Pfffffffffff……
innings eater can be fine, but giving up .300+ BAA every inning isn’t the kind of eating a team should want.
At least Law N Order is on to watch…
I think the Twins would make the Playoffs in the NL.
Frankie with 84 pitches in 4.
Brad Penny is no slouch… he is pretty good one and was good out here, but the Dodgers have some sweet pitchers here in SoCal with a very bright future. Dodgers will be in playoffs for many years to come.
What does R.A.stand for?
instead of taking Frankie out down 5-1, send him out with a plan of attack and pull him if it fails.
Robert Allen
Really Awful
Right Angle?
Dodgers are set up pretty well. Good system, good team, good division to play in.
Robert Alan, the human white flag? Or is Ayala the white flag?
snepp that is what his boy friend says!
instead of taking Frankie out down 5-1, send him out with a plan of attack and pull him if it fails.
It did.
i’m not the only one that calls Dickey the human white flag?
where’s “gas can?”
Bring up Morales; this line up is 3A. Liriano was hit hard today, because he missed over the plate. Yes, some of the pitches were low in the strike zone, but right over the middle of the plate. Same pitch thrown to Fielder by Baker in the 9th last night.
He needs work.
Liriano is the human white flag.
All the more frustrating, because he has so much talent.
snepp says:
May 25th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Really Awful
I think Red should change his name to R.A. then
The knuckleball >> Red Sawx.
He HAD so much talent… hasta la never, Liriano
The Twins’ depth is much improved with Harris working his way out of his slump, Casilla back in a month or so, and Morales on the bench instead of Butcher. (Redmond isn’t going anywhere this year)
“Livan’s a veteran innings eater, you can’t question that.”
livan has completed 7 innings once and made it over 100 pitches once in his eight starts this year. maybe he USED to be an innings eater…
Dickey hasn’t been that bad.
He still has the talent, Gopher. You don’t fan seven in four innings with your talent in the past.
Why all the hate for Dickman? He seems to be a much more effective mop-up guy than Boof or Brian Bass….
Burl Ives says:
May 25th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Dickey hasn’t been that bad.
Agreed. He has not been as bad as Baker, Liriano, Crain, Ayala… I’m sure there are other pitchers, too.
Well I don’t know how long of a leash Tolbert has… but if he continues to not hit, i think he will find himself back in AAA, unless Gardy actually figures out that Buscher shouldnt be on the team. Bring up Lexi when hes ready, get rid of buscher
livan has completed 7 innings once and made it over 100 pitches once in his eight starts this year. maybe he USED to be an innings eater…
I was being sarcastic. But thank yo for proving how awful he actually is.
Although, it could be argued that Dickey is the second best non-Nathan relief pitcher.
you have to admit the red cox can really hit the ball liriano got some great strike outs and then started leaving the ball up and the red sox just killed it and even when he made good pitches they killed it.
“Why all the hate for Dickman?”
Are you serious. You know there isn’t any rational answer to that question…..
Redsox annoucers just gave Redmond props, saying there is a lack of quality back up catchers and he is a good one.
5ks in 7 Abs - its tough to be thrown right back into it , also his mind is probably elsewhere
Punto will flyout here.
mnwin says:
May 25th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Redsox annoucers just gave Redmond props, saying there is a lack of quality back up catchers and he is a good one.
And we have a really good one in AAA
Dick breaking out the “Twins baseball.”
We do the little things better than you!!
i don’t think people hate dickey so much as they hate where the game is when Dickey comes in. He’s been ok long relief was, not so good in higher leverage spots.
punto = worthless hitter who dives into 1st base for no good reason
looks like staying away didn’t bring great luck…. just stopped the bleeding…. while i was gone,
keVin at 2:28 pm says: …..Morneausie….
MORNEAUSIE?
even when punto manages to get it to the outfield via flyball it is a miracle
I haven’t complained on the strib yet, but a quick glance at how Bartlett and Garza are doing……well………..it kind of blows my mind.
“i don’t think people hate dickey so much as they hate where the game is when Dickey comes in.”
Thanks for the wisdom, Shawn!
Are you serious. You know there isn’t any rational answer to that question…..
Because flushing a roster spot down the crapper on a pitcher that rarely pitches, that you wouldn’t dare use in an important situation, when you have significant bullpen issues, isn’t a great use of your limited resources?
MORNEAUSIE?
You know you want to call him that. Spansie, Morneausie, Kubsie, Mauersie, Youngsie…
Did you see that look Dickey gave Gomez?
:)>
good for gomez maybe that will spark his bat
I have been a big Young supporter and realize he si very young (no pun intended) but I am starting to get worried. What is wrong with him? What do you all think?
“Because flushing a roster spot down the crapper on a pitcher that rarely pitches, that you wouldn’t dare use in an important situation, when you have significant bullpen issues, isn’t a great use of your limited resources?”
Down the crapper? Dickey pitching as good as Liriano today………
….if not better.
Alright here it is, a 5 run 6th, lets pick it up twinkies!
dana says:
May 25th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I have been a big Young supporter and realize he si very young (no pun intended) but I am starting to get worried. What is wrong with him? What do you all think?
His mom just died
Even though he is very old, I’m starting to worry about Nick Punto. What’s wrong with him? What do you all think?
Glad he got the start. Hate to think what might’ve happened if Harris gets that AB last inning.
His mom just died
Since he’s been in AA? Young has sucked since he hit AAA.
With this lineup, it was almost a given we would lose, unless some miracle happens
harris is 2-for-21 in his last six games.
Nice game for Gomez so far…
kevin says:
May 25th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
His mom just died
Since he’s been in AA? Young has sucked since he hit AAA.
He batted 290, 288, and 317 in the last 3 years. That is hardly sucking!
He batted 290, 288, and 317 in the last 3 years. That is hardly sucking!
You’re joking right? He’s been awful, as he can’t hit for power, can’t get on base, can’t field. All he has is an empty batting average.
Gee thanks Aaron. I guess I needed to explain myself further. I assumed that people would understand. I meant for the whole year. As I understand it he has only 2 extra base hits the entire season including long before his mother passed away. Maybe you all consider it a stupid question and that is ok. I will wonder on my own.
Cant get on…290, 288, 317…implies that he gets on.
kevin says: at 2:52 pm MORNEAUSIE? You know you want to call him that. Spansie, Morneausie, Kubsie, Mauersie, Youngsie…
ah…not me. as the kids now say…. “that’s gay”
You’re joking right? He’s been awful, as he can’t hit for power, can’t get on base, can’t field. All he has is an empty batting average.
Jason Tyner just started to cry.
Nice AB Tolbert
Harris has been struggling lately; he seems like a really streaky player. But hands down I’d rather have Harris batting in that situation. Punto is an epic slump and Harris is much likelier to have a good AB at this point.
Cant get on…290, 288, 317…implies that he gets on.
No, that implies nothing about his ability to get on base at a quality clip or hit for power.
Add that to his awful defense playing one of the least important defensive positions on the field and you have the makings of a piss-poor player.
Morneau is a badass!
Now just think last inning if we got a hit, and the inning before that with the runners on this would probably be a one run game
Cant get on…290, 288, 317…implies that he gets on.
You’re baiting us right? That’s his BA. His OBP last year out of 16 qualified LF was 13/16 and his OPS was 14/16th. He was factoring in his defense probably the worst everyday LF in baseball. If that’s what you consider not sucking, I feel sorry for you.
tobert is just overmatched. gardy can’t keep sticking him into the 2 spot he just creates a black hole when he does.
smack one kubes
Crap here comes Ramierz and his .7 era
“Cant get on…290, 288, 317…implies that he gets on.”
Young is at best avg.
I guess that is pretty good compared to Gomez 224, but then you have Kubel at 331, Span at 302 and Cuddaver at 287 and that is just the batting averages which is NOT make a player
kevin says:
May 25th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Cant get on…290, 288, 317…implies that he gets on.
You’re baiting us right? That’s his BA. His OBP last year out of 16 qualified LF was 13/16 and his OPS was 14/16th. He was factoring in his defense probably the worst everyday LF in baseball. If that’s what you consider not sucking, I feel sorry for you.
I was baiting you…but thanks for proving how much therapy some members of this blog needs. There are a lot of crabby people for a nice day? I try to get some comedy and end up with people with sticks stuck way too far up there rear-ends.
As I understand it he has only 2 extra base hits the entire season including long before his mother passed away.
Watching a family member succumb to liver disease/cancer can affect your concentration, before and after. I can attest to this.
*their
T98,
It seems to me that Gomez does need more of Vavra’s instruction, because he needs to settle down and learn to go opposite field. To date, based upon results, Vavra has produced a good hitting team.
Hey, Redmond has more extra base hits than DY. DY is going through a tough time right now, so let’s give him a week.
I was baiting you…but thanks for proving how much therapy some members of this blog needs. There are a lot of crabby people for a nice day? I try to get some comedy and end up with people with sticks stuck way too far up there rear-ends.
I’m in a pissy mood today when it comes to Bill Smith and his moves to “improve” the club. I thoroughly agree I had a stick up my butt.
Sheesh, you frustrated fans….you never in your wildest dreams thought they’d knock Penny out in 5-1/3, didja.
But you let your wildest dreams fly when you feel negative.
Just take it EZ, okay?
:)>
We have 6 position players on this team who should be in the major leagues: Maurer, Morneau, Cuddyer, Crede, Spann and Kubel. Harris makes it as a utility player. Gomez is a defensive asset and makes it. That’s it. Punto is a joke. I feel sorry for Young but he is a liability and needs to be traded while he still has value. Tolbert is a scrappy hustler perennial AAA player as is Buscher. Tolbert and Buscher need to go back to Rochester.
Punto, Young and Crain need to be traded to some team with as big a bonehead GM as Bill Smith.
Here comes the breaker low and away
Stick up the rear > Delmon in the lineup
i can’t believe gidpyer beat that out!
I remember when an infielder who played solid defense and only hit .250 was considered a weak link. On the Twins he would be a star.
“”"”"Aaron says:
May 25th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
kevin says:
May 25th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Cant get on…290, 288, 317…implies that he gets on.
You’re baiting us right? That’s his BA. His OBP last year out of 16 qualified LF was 13/16 and his OPS was 14/16th. He was factoring in his defense probably the worst everyday LF in baseball. If that’s what you consider not sucking, I feel sorry for you.
I was baiting you…but thanks for proving how much therapy some members of this blog needs. There are a lot of crabby people for a nice day? I try to get some comedy and end up with people with sticks stuck way too far up there rear-ends.”"”"”
Welcome to the club, Aaron.
Have fun.
Gotta go to the Pnut bar…..
there is no reason why not to demote Delmon. there aren’t any OFs he’d be stealing at bats from.
Watching a family member succumb to liver disease/cancer can affect your concentration, before and after. I can attest to this.
As it was pointed out previously, how does that explain last year, and the year before, and the year before?
Somebody stick a fork into Buscher!
Okay, we got two; bear down and come back, because we still have 3 innings left and Mauer on the bench.
Get aggressive; go after these Sox.
The NESN announcers really highlighted the number of Boosox (not a misspelling) at the game. Next year, the Minnesota fans should try to all of the tix to the BooSox games.
I’ve no choice; mlb offered only NESN, otherwise, I’d be tuned to Bert and Bremer.
for two years i campaigned.. (like who listens….) for the twins to make some big deal for ryan zimmerman. after watching him at UVA here in charlottesville, i knew the time to get him was before everyone else realized how good he was going to be. in college, he was a vacuum at third base, and could kill at the plate. too late now, probably. i miss bartlett. always liked him. even with his growing pains.
As it was pointed out previously, how does that explain last year, and the year before, and the year before?</i?
He’s a heavy drinker and afraid of his future?
I was in no way suggessting that Young is done and should be gone. I have watched two parents die a slow death before I was 40 and sat by their bedside. I know that that is tough. I am also not a serial bitcher about things. I was asking a serious question. Apparently some projected on to me their own frustration and that is too bad but so be it. I still say that 2 extra base hits (if factual) is not many for such a big guy. Just my opinion and I am curious (as one living in Alaska and not Minnesota) as to what people there who get to see him think. I didn’t seem to me that he hit with much power last year either but maybe it will just take time. I do not know and wondered what others thought.
That guy who caught the ground rule double of Morneau, he’s at EVERY game…anyone know his story? He’s on TV more then Joe Mauer
Yay Buscher!
WTF is Buscher doing on this team!?
Did they really give him a hit on that play?
Can’t Punto at least lay off of the high heat. And would Harris at least have made two plays that weren’t made by Buscher? (The hop off of the seam and the dive for liner that went under his arm.)
spooked justin on that one busch……… good thing he didn’t get his arm clipped. smart not to go get it perhaps, justin.
That s/b that we Twins fans try to buy all of the tix for BooSucks at Twins.
Butcher again
Buscher will not make any one forget Brooks Robinson at 3b.
mike lamb would have made that
Hey, Doc Don, where were you and romer last night? Did you watch the game?
He won’t make anyone forget Batista at third.
Buscher and Tolbert to Rochester.
Crain, Punto and Young in a package trade to anyone.
Regardless of who we get, we are instantly much better.
Come on, Twins. Chip away. Still 3 more innings. GO TWINS!!!!! Be tough, you can beat these guys.
does anyone know who that guys is that caught the ground rule double by Morneau? He’s at EVERY game and I see him so much…just want to know what his story is.
Crain, Punto and Young in a package trade to anyone.
Regardless of who we get, we are instantly much better.</i?
Those three for the rights to Dmitri Young?
test
the dickman’s last two long outings have been great. 7.1 innings(4.1 against skankees and today) and just 3 hits, no runs……………
Delmon’s due. Overdue.
I hope Delmon is feeling better (on a personal Level) it will only help his play
“”"Joe the First says:
May 25th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Hey, Doc Don, where were you and romer last night? Did you watch the game?”"”
I was watching, and reading, just had nothing to say, because for the most part, the blog was crap, with a few exceptions.
I know everyone is clamoring to go to that baseball unplugged tonight
6 k’s in 8 at bats since back. maybe he needs a rehab stint during his mourning period. take some time. i think we are better without him too.
but if not and you see the re-air check out the glorious typo of Minneapolis in the pregame…. if you can read it with the crummy my29 footage
Poor Delmon, it has been since like 2006 but once he collects on his debt that HR will go 1000 feet.
If Punto can work a walk here, I’ll DIE!
Sheesh.
Punto sucks. How low does his batting average have to get before he’s gone? .175? .150? .125? I don’t care how big a no-mind Casilla is he is an improvement over little Nicky.
Let the Steve Tolleson era begin.
Doc Don,
Why’d you think the blog was “crap” last night?
Probably one inning to long for RA
Come on, Dickey. Sheesh.
hahaha, Kevin.
I have (kinda) supported LNP in the past but he REALLY needs to not be starting for at least week. He’s rapidly approaching the .175 barrier…
Delmon and Punto are the most depressing black hole at the bottom of the lineup…
bailey kills us. hits under .200 and just hammers us.
Plouffe’s GF, while not Anna Benson-like, has to be better to watch than Punto. Call up Trevor!!
Dickman looks a little sunburnt!
Joe 1st…Even when things were going good, there was complaining, and then, how many comments were made to retaliate, etc, etc. Deep down, I guess I wasn’t in the mood to blog, just watch the game and read. BTW, did you check Joe’s blog today, and check on mplsfan and Disco comments???
the twins paid 4 million to this guy? i dont care if he catches every grounder up the middle you might as well tell them to start a new inning if punto comes up with 2 outs
brian dinkleman era? his last name is intimidating
plouffe hit a grand slam yesterday
I dont like our chances with 2 innings and 3 runs to make up.
A lineup with Punto, Tolbert, Buscher, Redmond and Young making up more than half of the spots is just not impressive.
dickman’s last two outings. 8.1 innings, 1 walk, 1 run (1 HR), 4 hits. i’ll take that any day.
“Plouffe’s GF, while not Anna Benson-like, has to be better to watch than Punto. Call up Trevor!!”
and he only hits about .220 in the minors so we won’t miss LNP!
Harris needs to start every game at 3B that Crede can not play- Buscher has been so bad in the field today.
another phantom call from Dick!
justin, give delmonster a break, he just lost his mother to cancer you SOB.
justin, give delmonster a break, he just lost his mother to cancer you SOB.
What’s his excuse for the past 2 years then?
If a couple can get on then Morneau or Kubel can still tie this up.
He hit .290 last year ,Kook.
What’s his excuse for the past 2 years then?
He was just misunderstood.
Joe 1st…. the same guys repeating the same comments of 1 to 2 hours ago. boring.
Another helpful call by the New England umpires, f them!
NESN didn’t show the QW box on the called 3rd strike to Justin. Did FSN? If yes, was it a strike?
Gardy should go to the NL where his fear of the Red Sox and Yankees won’t be a detriment to the team he coaches.
Gameday showed it as clearly outside. Canadian bias? I think so.
He hit .290 last year ,Kook.
Jason Tyner hit .290 before too, didn’t make him any less of an awful baseball player.
Dr donny, go work in the yard or get some friends.
NESN just showed the 3rd called to Justin. It was 6 inches to a foot out of the strike zone.
Yea, Kev, everyone is after those Canucks.
Tyner?! are you kidding me?
Ayala got his ERA under 5, I think it’s time to give up a run or two.
wow quick hook for ayala
If BA is meaningless for Delmon, then is BA also meaningless for Punto.
If so, Punto is your SS for two more years, so enjoy!
One of the local scribes had a note about Anderson working with Ayala to stop trying to throw a sinker from the sidearm position. He’s been working in the pen to get on top of the ball. The writer said that he’s looked good in pen sessions but wondered if Ayala would bring it to games.
Apparently he still needs to work on it.
I always wondered how he got the rep as a sinkerballer when everything he’s thrown here was with his hand under the ball. How does a scouting staff not see this? Don’t they look at video of a guy’s motion/mechanics?
I’ve seen nothing from him that he is capable of throwing a sinker with that motion. Why should a pitching coach have to spend so much time with a veteran with a reputation?
hey doc- how goes it…havent been here for a few days….
If BA is meaningless for Delmon, then is BA also meaningless for Punto.
If so, Punto is your SS for two more years, so enjoy!
Solid logic. +1
D… SOSDD with some people.
If BA is meaningless for Delmon, then is BA also meaningless for Punto.
Isn’t there a law against knocking down strawmen of that size?
Solid play by Brooks Buscher.
snepp,
Is BA meaningless or not?
Pick one.
Back to back HR??
c’mon sane, you’ve been around here long enough to know stats are only used to prove how much a player sucks. “Good” stats are meaningless.
we have to pinch hit for butcher, right?
snepp,
Is BA meaningless or not?
Pick one.
Solid argument. +2
http://www.statcorner.com/roster.php?team=MIN&role=Bat&year=2009&leag=A_L
kinda figured doc-was reading a few of the posts looks to be the same. went to the game on saturday. just amazing to watch mauer in person again. to say swarzak pitched well would be an understatement
JC,
You are right, of course.
I am just raging against the darkness.
come on gidpyer….. smack one out of the infield.
that one looked good
Happy B-day rubix-Kubel.
wow
TRADE BUSCHER
I guess Joe’s hand is ok.
Punto has no power, no average, or OBP.
Delmon has no power, no OBP, no defense and plays an offensive position,
jfc bbj
snepp,
Is BA meaningless or not?
Pick one.
Batting average, without any appropriate context, is largely meaningless.
Saying Delmon “hits .290″ as proof of his offensive worth is laughable.
Joe is the best hitter ever!
Mauer is god!
Good think the manager of the millennium did not start Mauer today…
Right now offer Mauer $12M a year for 10 years. That’ll make him a Twin to age 36 and then offer $2M a year for 10 years for a personal services contract. Just do it. Don’t have a Killebrew fiasco.
maurersie?
Right now offer Mauer $12M a year for 10 years. That’ll make him a Twin to age 36 and then offer $2M a year for 10 years for a personal services contract. Just do it. Don’t have a Killebrew fiasco.
works for me. even if the power is a fluke
“Batting average, without any appropriate context, is largely meaningless”
Then Punto should be proven worthless without BA used as evidence.
$12 million a year I don’t think is going to do it, unfortunately.
Unless Mauer gives a very generous hometown discount.
Also, they may have to look at extending Kubel at the end of this season, if he were to continue on this pace. If Cuddy also continues on this pace, then the Twins would have one heck of a core of four good hitters.
Just hope that Casilla recovers and makes it back.
Mauer is due $12.5 million next year. Why would he or his agent take a pay cut after next year?
Then Punto should be proven worthless without BA used as evidence.
http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/neal/2009/05/25/good-morning-from-the-dome/#comment-129983
Mauer’s HR sent a message to Papelbonvivant and the Bosox. They barely beat a 3A team today. Tomorrow and Wednesday, cruch’em. Be aggressive as is Mauer.
snepp, maybe in spring training.
Because it’s a 10 year contract. He won’t get 12M after age 32 or 33.
a lot of guys on here that couldn’t make their little league team but sure can type crap over and over again. type a change up once in a while.
Better to sit out Mauer against a team other than the Tigers, Royals or any other team in the division. Anyways, it’s another poor start by Liriano that was the main factor in the loss.
It’s the length of the contract. Total earned will be more than if he went FA, because with the economy of baseball changing with that of the US & the world, the past isn’t a good barometer of amount of future contracts for players.
yankees are paying posada 13.1m he’s around 38 what do you think they’ll offere mauer at age 28?
Jorge Posada is 37 years ago and he makes $13.1 million a year. So you’re saying Joe Mauer will not be better than Jorge Posada is now when he is in his 30’s?
“”"”"gobbledygookguy says:
May 25th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
a lot of guys on here that couldn’t make their little league team but sure can type crap over and over again. type a change up once in a while.”"”"”
ggg… I sincerely thank you. DocDon
mauer’s going to ask for and get close to $20 million a year. i actually wouldn’t be surprised if the red sox/yankees offered more. but the twins would be very foolish not to give mauer what he wants.
the power is not a fluke. he’s always hit bombs in batting practice and now he’s finally putting it all together gametime.
Or they could offer $13M over 10 years, but it’s the length of the contract that will be the selling point. It effectively is back end loading a deal. Of course, if Obama is heading the US to uber inflation with his spending policies, it well could take more. That’s why the Twins should make the 12 or 13M offer now for 10 years, with another 10 years of personal service. This would/could/should be enough to carry the contract through the inevitable inflationary period that will result from uncontrolled government spending and a drop in the dollar.
Gobbledygookguy, glory days! Did you have allstar litte league career in the Ford little league? way to go brohawk.
Gardy knows more about baseball in his little finger, than I will ever know, but still, heres what I dont get. I can see resting Mauer from catching, but when you have one of the best hitters in baseball for average and now for power too, who himself is in a hot streak, why not DH him? That may have very well made the difference.
Mauer will require $20MM per year. He’ll be offered 7 years at that rate, minimum, if he hits free agency.
Please cut Buscher already. No O, no D, no nothing out of him.
Obviously, the key is to not let him hit the market. Take care of him before then and do not end up in a bidding war with the others.
Mauer is a catcher. No one knows how he’d play at any other position. Catchers wear more than most other positions. If he can’t play another position as he ages, then any team considering signing him would have to look at him being a DH. That would limit his market to the AL.
This is why the Twins should make to offer for 12-13M now. It’s easily affordable and a good deal for both parties.
Probably should incentive-laten Joe Mauer’s contracts so if he has seasons like 2006, 2008, or this year if he doesn’t miss any more games due to injured, he earns $3-$6 million more dollars.
Joe, leave the politics out, please. It just saps the fun…
Signing Mauer will not be an option for the Twins. They may as well close up shop if they didnt. They will have to pay whatever it takes. In fact, the Red Sox and Yanks will bid up the price I am sure knowing he will stay with Twins, just to sap the Twins ability to play for other players. In fact, if I was Mauer, I woudl make it a condition of staying that they have to have a certain payroll besides him, to insure he is on a competitive team. Why would perhaps the best player of this generation want to be on a team that at best makes the playoffs then one and out?
Wally Backman would have given Mauer a day off, too. Sheeesh.
hey D is right here!
Mauer would be idiotic to take 13-14 mill now, why would he do that?
Joe 1st, the other night, on one of the blogs, I suggested a contract for something like 7 years at $20, at the end of the contract, part ownership of the team.
The last few Kevin postings have been from me, the original Kevin, so I will have to alter my name to make that point clear.
Mike, the minimum won’t be $20. The economics of baseball and many businesses are on the downside. Even the population growth in the US is coming from ethnic groups that follow soccer. Ad revenue is down for all teams. It’s not going to be easy for teams to increase ticket and concession prices.
The wild card is inflation; the key is for the Twins to make an offer and start the negotiations.
$20M is too much; if it gets to the $15M range, it’d still be a good deal for both parties. Beyond that, it may be too much for the Twins to handle and still have money to surround Mauer with some talent to keep a winning team on the field.
Dr. Donny, that is what the Polad’s should offer. I agree!
Joe, I respect your opinion, but Mauer will go for at least 20 mill a year, and that might be a bargain if they can get him for that. Best defensive catcher in baseball, best average hitter in baseball, now power too? I think his current HR tear is a fluke, but even if he hits 20-30 HRs a year, that puts him on super star status when you add everything else.
with 5 games behind in the loss column, you just don’t “rest” your best player and put your worse defender at 3B with a LHP starting. That 3 run inning was all Butcher.
That happened to me Kevin the-newly-anointed, Orignial, so hence, I added on “the first.” I, too, thought of using “original.”
heck, Torii is getting 18 mill a year. And while hes tearing up the league now too, Mauer has more value than him.
The big concern right now (this year) is that Liriano just isn’t very good at all this year (after not being very good at the end of last year). That’s a big, big problem.
The other issue is that they have no bench at all. With Morales down (thank god he’s not up here and Buscher and Redmond are), and Gomez (though at least he’s awesome at D), Buscher, Tolbert, Punto, Young and Harris being pretty much meaningless on offense, this team is lucky to score at all when Mauer and Span get a day off.
Time to cut the cord on Buscher and bring up Hughes as your utility PH guy. Time to cut Redmond and bring up Morales. After that, I’m not sure what offensive help there is, unfortunately.
Start a base salary of $12-$15 million, and give him incentives that make him earn up to $20 million based upon how many games he plays, and his finishing rak in the batting title, MVP voting, and Gold Glove award. That way if he has another amazing season, he gets paid big, but he he has a mediocre or injury-plagued season (by his standards), the Twins don’t overpay as much as they could have.
OrigKevin: Not with his injury history, especially since it’s his back. Corey noted that and every team will balk for this reason. Hence, I think a 12-15 range for 10 years would be a done deal, with the add on for 10 years of personal services.
Forget the share of ownership thing; that’s silly. Besides, if the Twins aren’t turning a big profit, then: Why would Mauer consider it?
Good point, T98. I thought that even Harris or Punto at third would’ve been a better line up.
if we could only reverse that Garza and Bartlett for Delmond trade. And I will admit, I was all for the trade at the time. I thought finally the Twins were showing they were willing to give up something to get something. Bartlett and Garza would look pretty good right now especially the way Bartlett is tearing up the ball.
have him signed to an 8 year deal with escalating pay topping out at 20 mil and have 2-3 option years that will be slightly less than 20 but highly incentive laden so either he can mentor the new catcher or get paid based on performance.
Joe, there will always be exceptions to the economy of baseball changing, and Mauer will be one of those exceptions. As for payroll, if they really spend 50-55% of their revenue on the team, that gets the payroll into the $120-150MM range with the new stadium (unless the economy totally tanks next year, in which case, who cares about the Twins….). Yes, 16% of your payroll on one guy is too much, but this isn’t the real world we are talking about here.
If the new stadium does not give them enough revenue to have three stars on their team at a time, then they should shut down shop right now.
The twins will not be able to play around with Mauer with clever schemes. The Yanks could very well offer him 25 mill a year. I would bet against that, but it would not be impossible. Twins are going to have to match dollar for dollar, or very close, and that means 20 mil min
justin huber up, Young down? Huber’s OPS is at 830
Corey,
That $20M may be too much, because think of what the extra $5M a year means to a team that never will have a payroll in excess of $80M (adjusted for inflation, of course).
All of my statements are forward-looking statements. There’s no guarantee of return on any investment. You should consult with your investment adviser before making any decisions.
That last paragraph is a common statement put out by brokers, publicly-traded companies, & ect.
Unfortunately, the three-run inning had a lot more to do with a pitcher who was coming in belt-high over the plate than it did with the third baseman. The Red Sox were hitting rockets.
I’m a lot more concerned with our pitcher than with the daily lineup, except for guys banged up.
Joe, if they dont’ go over $100M in payroll with the new stadium, I’ll personally lead the effort to tear it down and throw it on the Pohlad’s front lawns (no matter how beautiful it is). *
*seriously, if they don’t get over $100MM in payroll in the 2nd or 3rd year in that stadium, they aren’t trying to field a winning team….
The 10-year personal services extension is what would be a clincher. Now that amount could be increased some and the years by several. No other team would make such an offer.
I’m most worried about the endorsements he’d get if he were to sign with NYY, NYM, Boston, LAA, or the LAD. This can’t be matched in MN and he command Tiger Woods type money for endorsements if he were with one of the media market teams.
I thought of something today, that the team probably would never consider, or anyone else, for that matter. But if Swarzak does well his next start, when Perkins comes back, how about sending Liriano to the bullpen? I saw the graphic during the game about how Liriano this season does well the first time through a line-up but falls apart after that, and thought, perhaps then maybe he could be really good as a one or two inning guy in the bullpen (like he was the beginning of 2006 before moved to the rotation), and that would help our bullpen a lot.
Just in case some did not read Sid’s column today, here is a quote from Jerry Bell:
“”"”"But what about Mauer? Like Jerry Bell, president of Twins Sports, Inc., said the other day, “The Yankees have already got him measured for a uniform.”
But then Bell added, “Rest assured, we will find a way to keep Joe.”"”"”"
There is nothing we can suggest that the Twins are not thinking of. “Rest assured,…” is important.
If the Twins don’t average over 35K per year in the new stadium for at least 5 years, then they’ll never reach the $120M payroll. It’s a business and the Twins can’t afford to base long-term contracts on the attendance in Target Field’s inaugural season.
So, you’ve convinced me that maybe incentives based upon performance AND average attendance over the term of a 10-year contract might be the deal to offer Mauer now.
another classic by the Gomez idiocy series on FSN North where you never know when he may swing at a pitch thats above his head or just get his head stuck in a revolving door. hahahha
That second paragraph of my last post should’ve started with the word ‘but’ instead of “So.”
Joe Mauer does help fill in seat at the stadium. Last time I checked, the ladies still love him.
It’s going to take a lot of guaranteed money to keep Mauer in Minnesota, people throwing out $10mm/year figures are just plain delusional. Unless Joe is feeling extremely generous it’s hard to see him not getting $20mm/year on the open market if he’s playing anywhere near the level he’s at now when his contract comes up. We do have to remember, he’s on the verge of having one of the greatest months of baseball since Willie Mays, he may not be able to keep up the pace all year.
Someone mentioned it earlier, and it actually does have some precedence in sporting contracts, partial ownership. David Beckham has a clause in his contract with MLS/LA Galaxy providing for ownership/option to buy after his career is over. This helped MLS compete with the bigger $$ that some of the European teams would’ve offered him. If the Twins don’t want to have 15-20% of salary tied up in Mauer’s contract they might be able to work something out with the Hometown Hero this offseason.
Amtrekman, well, Buscher didn’t help. But you’re right, if you leave a pitch over the plate, whether it’s low or high in the strike zone, most major leaguers will hit it. The pitch needs to be just off of the strike zone.
BTW, the new stadium isn’t a panacea for the Twins’ financial issues, unless it helps them draw an average of more than 35K per game for several years.
Look at Pittsburgh, Cleveland, the Nationals, and Baltimore.
You need fans’ fannies in the seats. Just ask Doc Don.
again, I obviously dont know Mauer, but I would think hes the kind of guy who wants to be paid competitive salary, but is even more interested in the chance to win. The Twins need to assure Mauer they will not break the bank to sign him then leave holes other than him and Morneau.
Peledre, if the Twins aren’t showing big profits, such an offer wouldn’t appeal to Mauer.
Also, the example that you site isn’t analogous to the Twins, b/c baseball is an established sport in the US and soccer isn’t…yet. So, the galaxy had nothing more to offer Beckham, plus we have no idea of the details of his contract with the Galaxy. Believe me, with contracts, the devil is in the details.
plus, I bet Mauer could beat Beckham in a UFC match
this Mauer has to have one of the most level heads in the sporting world, or so it seems. The babes apparently think hes a handsome devil, hes possibly the best player in baseball, and yet he has a humility and soft spokeness no one else would have in his position.
“”"”"You need fans’ fannies in the seats. Just ask Doc Don.”"”"”
Thanks, Joe 1st, and I want those fannies to be comfortable as their owners cheer the Twins!!!!!!!
k seriously lets not have me be the only one to comment on Gomez. mauer aint needing a contract for another 2 years so lets hear the opinions on NO-GO
Joe 1st, sane, thrylos98, etal, correct me if I am wrong, but the Twins build a budget based on drawing 2 million fans, plus other financial considerations that I do not have a clue about, and then budget approximately 52% for salaries throughout the entire organization for all entities involved. If such is the case, then maybe they could look at bumping the 52% up to like 60% and go from there. Thoughts?????
AJ, if the league instated the Designated Fielder rule, the Twins would be pretty good by not having to bat Punto and/or Gomez every game.
Joe the #1,
You might be right, but the partial ownership offer isn’t a purely financial decision. One thing I didn’t mention, Galaxy did have more to offer, they also packaged into his contract a % of ticket sales and % of image rights. I don’t know if something like is feasible with MLB contract rules.
The point is, if the Twins want Mauer to stay in MN, they’ll likely have to be creative in their contract offer, unless Mauer’s willing to give a big time hometown discount.
After re-reading my last post, I realized the proper term would be a designated hitter for the SS and CF positions instead of pitcher. Yeah, that’s what it should be. Sorry.
A Designated Fielder for Buscher would be pretty good idea though.
Maybe having Joe Mauer leave Minnesota would be a good idea. It sure helped Kevin Garnett in winning the NBA title he deserved.
Gomez has been a bust. He would not be in the big leagues if the Twins did not want to admit it was a bust to trade him for Santana. The Twins got basically nothing for Johan so they may as well kept him for 2008 then let him go as a FA. It now looks like Johan for Ellsbury may have been the better deal, though I am still happy I do not have to see Johan in the American League. That would be too heartbreaking.
Corey… How about a designated anything for the Butcher?
It’s obvious the Twins FO did not want to take the risk of a DH sensitive player to have a 7 year bargain deal. Cardinals dared that with Pujols, Twins just to scared to win.. Get some value back and trade The Big M at his max this summer for some big talent in exchange, That’s the way: He’s gonna be a Yankee or Red Sock. Just the poor Twins afraidfull way of managing
It’s interesting. I went to Howard’s blog from today, and in his article he brought up some points of conversation. There have been only 12 comments, up to now, and 2 people, named mplsfan and Disco totally destroyed any common sense and literally killed the blog. Check it out. DocDon
If the Twins don’t average over 35K per year in the new stadium for at least 5 years, then they’ll never reach the $120M payroll.
not necessary…. Last season their revenues were $149M. A new stadium averages an 750,000 attendance increase in its first season. The average Twins’ fan spends $100. That is $75 mil just because of the stadium and if you add it up will get the Twins’ revenues close to $225 mil. If half of that goes to players, we are looking at an $113M sustainable payroll as early as 2010. Not to mention the increased revenue because the Twins do not have to pay rent to the metropolitan commission and share concession $ with the Vikes, and a $120M payroll looks extremely realistic and appropriate…
Well stated, thry, and then increase the budgeted 52% for payroll to 60% or so…..very realistic and appropriate, plussssssss……. sustainable.
Isn’t there less money coming in from the Yankees starting this year because of their new stadium? Seems like I recall someone pointing out they’ll pay less in revenue sharing since they can write off new stadium costs against their revenues.
If they can’t afford three superstars and a decent lineup to support them with a new stadium, they should shut down MLB.
btw, should I give up on the new user name? Clearly it didn’t help Liriano remember how to pitch…
Mauer won’t sign a 10 year deal and he certainly won’t sign for less than $15 mil per year. I expect 5 years with an average of 20mm per.
His agent is not going to want to see him get one more big pay day when he’s in his early 30s and the union won’t let him sign for a significant discount (which anything under 15mm would be).
Expect him to be a Twin through about 2015. Whether he stays beyond that would be questionable.
As someone who has followed professional baseball for nigh on 50 years, what we are viewing in Mr. Mauer’s current performance is so, so remarkable!! He has taken a complicated game of see and do and reduced it to it’s simplest terms right before our very eyes. Enjoy greatness and prepare to tell your children and grandchildren. Thank you, Joe!
Harris at 3b today (assuming Crede was not an option) and we win that game.
With all due respect, Daniel1966, until Joe Mauer delivers a World Championship or two, I’ll be telling my children and grandchildren about Kirby Puckett.
That said, this is one of the most amazing runs of baseball I’ve ever seen from Joe Mauer in 2009.
I tell my kid about Kirby, he tells me back about Mauer, it works well.
Mauer is no Kirby… yet. But after this past month, I will not be surprised if he reaches that point.
my favorite thing is this: Morneau leads all of the AL in OPS
when Mauer reaches enough plate appearances, he will probably pass him.
the team has alot going for it, i just hope they make the moves needed and they will be fine.
Shawn,
did you watch the game over there tonight? How awful was Toby’s error?
T98 (and many others):
Your assumptions, other than the reduced rental costs, may not be realistic. Also, you mention increased attendance up to 35K for the first year. This isn’t enough to chance to enter into long term contracts after the end of the 2010 season. The Twins won’t even know the season ticket sales for the 2nd season in the new stadium until March, 2011. Since revenues much match costs and revenues are unknown, after 2010, the Twins accurately couldn’t account for much more attendance than that of the Dome.
Mauer takes a huge risk if he plays until the end of the 2010 season. Any injury that puts him out beyond the typical 15 days substantially will reduce his market value. He’s a proven fielder only as a catcher with a bad back and a history of other injuries. So, he can take an offer from the Twins, if the Twins are smart enough to make the offer during this season, and Joe might figure that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Here’s what the Twins could offer Joe:
10 years @ $13M per (as a player).
10 yrs. @ $2M per. (as a player, depending on his skills at age 36 and a personal services/coaching contract with the Twins.)
5 yrs. @ $1M per (personal services/coaching contract).
If Joe should become manager of the Twins, then the last 15 yrs. would be subject to renegotiation, but the contract would specify a minimum amount that would be paid to Joe if he were the manager and if he were fired as the manager (which could (would?) be greater than $2M or $1M per year, then the original personal services contract (”K”) would become re-effective/revived/clawed-back.
For the first 10 years, Joe would have a performance clause (games played, honors earned, & etc.) that could increase the amount to $15M from $13M.
After the first year (i.e., beginning in 2011) Joe could have a clause in that he’ll receive additional amounts up to $5M per year to increase his annual salary to $20M per year, based upon attendance, concession, & etc. or based upon profit determined by an agreed-upon source.
Since Joe is the seller, he takes the risk of inflation. Since the Twins team is the buyer, it takes the risk of deflation.
For Joe, there could be clause that if inflation in any calendar year were to exceed an agreed-upon % determined by an agreed-upon source, then that % would be subtracted from the actual rate of inflation and Joe’s contract increased by that percentage multiplied times his annual pay.
For the Twins, if the rate of deflation were to exceed an agreed-upon %, then the same would apply as per Joe clause IRO inflation.
This might work; then Joe doesn’t have to worry about getting injured.
The Twins might insure portions of the contract; e.g., annual amount in excess of say, $5m or $10M. It might be costly considering Mauer’s injury history, but the policy could include a claims-free bonus for each year, wherein part of the premium would be returned to the Twins.
If Joe has one more serious injury between now and the end of the 2010 season, his worth will be much less than $20M, maybe even less than $10M.
As I wrote above, with his injury history, Joe might figure that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
i didn’t go today so i don’t know. I watched the Twins on TV then rode my bike too far. Saw they lost after winning all game.
Busy all day, did not even get to watch the game (almost unheard of). I know Gomez has options left, but I’m wondering does Delmon have any left? Both players could use some more regular playing time @ AAA but Bill Smith probably does not want to either one of his “big” trades look bad. Let’s call up at least one OF & give Plouffe a chance. How about Slama & Delaney while you are at it. Otherwise, the Twin’s have the most talent on their top 18 or so players that I can remember in a long time. Things are looking good.
Is it time so say bye-bye to Liriano.
2006 is so long ago, and yes he’s got talent, does he have the head? Would a change of scenery bring it out?
IF Cain is available from SF, OR Haren from Ariz, MAYBE feature Liriano with a bat Young (?) or Cuddyer.
I don’t make many trade proposals, BUT could there be something here which help’s both teams?
Regards,
Dragon,
Haren is definitely the best target, because a. he is the better pitcher and b. his contract is fairly high (09:$7.5M, 10:$8.25M, 11:$12.75M, 12:$12.75M, 13:$15.5M club option, $3.5M buyout), being easier to acquire from a club that has cost cutting in mind and is not going anywhere this season.
Don’t give up on Liriano. He was very good after his demotion and return last year, all after the TJ surgery.
He needs to mix up his pitches more. Throw more changeups and more fastballs away to RH hitters. Some of that falls on Redmond’s calling of the game yesterday. Too many fastballs in to a pull-happy lineup and hit towards a poor-fielding 3B.
Benny is absolutely right. I wasn’t if favor of rushing him last year and we may be paying for that now. Liriano needs time and so does Gomez.
Benny W has a point: I think that at least three of the hits during the third inning (when the Sox scored 3 runs) went right toward Buscher. They were not easy plays by any means, but a better third baseman, such as Crede, could have fielded those or at least kept them from being extra base hits.
Anyway, for the Twins to only lose by 1 run to the Sox after a bad start with three of their starters out of the lineup is, in my opinion, a sort of moral victory. They’ll crush the Sox tonight with everyone back in the lineup and Blackburn on the hill.
One can excuse 1 game, YET of the 5 starters with at least 8 starts, Liriano only gets to the 6th inning 50% of the time (5 of 10) and to the 7th inning 30% of the time (3 of 10). Maybe it’s everyone elses fault, I just happen to doubt that.
Blackburn 6th (7 of 9) 7th (7 of 9)
Slowey 6th (7 of 9) 7th (4 of 9)
Baker 6th (5 of 
7th (3 of
Perkins 6th (6 of 7th (3 of
IF Liriano in a deal to get a Haren or Cain, I think one needs to look at it seriously.
Regards,
Oops..somehow eight) became a smiley…who knew…not me.
Regards,
The Dragon. I am not sure Haren would be available. Also In a package deal I would say Liriano and DY for Haren and someone else. Maybe Haren and some MR’s or maybe just an MR included with Haren.
That hitting lineup had the biggest holes I’ve seen all year. I hate to say it, because I like the guy, but Brian Buscher needs to play every day - in Triple A. He doesn’t appear to react well to periodic outings after riding the bench days or weeks at a time. Better to have him sharpening his skills in AAA rather than withering on the bench. Meanwhile, why not let Luke Hughes (AAA) or hot-hitting Danny Valencia (AA) get a taste?
As for Liriano, this is no time to give up on the guy. He’s got great stuff, and he’s gradually learning to control himself. Wouldn’t surprise me a bit if he has a good season after his slow start. All he needs is more repetition of a good delivery, more encouragement, more good defense behind him and some offensive support. Pretty much what every pitcher needs.
Way too early to be talking about trading FL. A slow start is not anything to be too concerned about - especially given his age and what he has gone through the last 3 years. DY, likewise, should not yet be given up on. In my opinion, he is doing as well as CG - who should probably be sent down for a month to get straightened out. All three are worth keeping - for now.
