OK, baseball is good again. (See, it doesn’t take too much to keep me happy.) Work got in the way of watching too much of the early going yesterday, but I saw everything from the Span throw home through the end. Yeah, it was more difficult than it had to be, but at this stage of the season a win is a win is a win. Nice job, Baltimore. Nice job, Brian Buscher.

Interesting “strategy” in the eighth, using Buscher (4 for 31 against lefties) vs. the Seattle reliever Cesar Jimenez (18 for 54 against lefties). Weakness vs. weakness, huh? It was funny, under the circumstances, to read about Gardy admitting to Joe C. that the Twins didn’t see the lefty Jimenez warming up because their view from the dugout was obstructed. Funny because everything worked out, anyway.

Now, on some topics people have raised…

***A few people have asked my thoughts about the current use of relief pitchers — the whole ninth-inning/Joe Nathan thing. Here’s my deal: The best bullpen aces of a generation or two ago (Sutter, Wilhelm, Face, Worthington) were expected to go for more than an inning, sometimes coming in as early as the seventh. In 1984, when he had 45 saves for St. Louis, Bruce Sutter pitched 122 2/3 innings for the Cardinals.

That was also the last effective year of his career. He lost three games in the final couple weeks of the season and there were concerns at the time about how much he was being used.

We can glamorize Sutter’s career, but his ERA was over 4 in four of his last 5 seasons. He was pretty much cooked at age 31.

That being said, Gardy has no reason not to call on Nathan for more 1+ jobs over these final weeks. The Twins don’t have a lights-out bridge between their starters and their closer, as much as they have a group of guys who are worth the risk because they’ve been pretty good most of the time and excellent at other times. Also, in the seven-innings-from-a-starter-is-a-great-success world, games are typically looked at as three-pitcher affairs.

But if Gardy follows my suggestion, I want Nathan ready to start the eighth inning and expect two full innings. That way, he comes in with bases empty and in a situation that most resembles the way he’s accustomed to being you. I don’t see the point of, basically, saying: “OK, big fella, let’s see how that 1.11 ERA holds up with runners on second and third and one out.”

At home, the Twins could break open a game or two in the bottom of the eighth and allow someone else to pitch the ninth. At other times, if he’s in too-many-pitches territory, the Twins can use Eddie Guardado to finish up. He’s been there, and I think he has a few saves left in that arm, despite his struggle yesterday. If Nathan goes two full innings, that means Eddie is the next day’s closer.

***So what happens when Cuddyer returns? It’s clear that Denard Span has taken Cuddyer’s spot in right field, for 2008 and probably for the future as well. For the rest of this season, Cuddyer will be a right-handed bat and the right fielder when Gardy needs to put Gomez on the bench. It’s totally clear that the Twins anticipated outfield of the future is Young/Gomez/Span — with the question being whether Cuddyer can bring something needed in trade or settles in as a fourth outfielder/right-handed DH.

And, frankly, if the Twins indicate that they’re comfortable with Buscher’s defense at third, if I were Cuddyer, I’d be taking a lot of ground balls during the winter and offering up my services in the infield, too. You can’t blame the Twins for signing him to the three-year deal last winter because — and we all need reminding of this now and then — nobody saw this coming from Span.

***A couple of days back, someone asked whether it’s hard for beat reporters to ask “tough” questions of players and managers. The agenda behind the question was Nathan’s use. Just like it’s hard to compare relievers from the ’80s and today, it’s probably not fair to compare the conditions that writers work under. The beat writers in the Twin Cities serve their readers well. They have license to be more opinionated than we did (the blogs and their TV/radio appearances are good examples) and Joe and LaVelle wield their authority and expertise responsibly.

They know the game and describe things well. When it comes to trades and signings and the like, they may appear “wrong” more often than pre-Internet writers because of the 24/7 demands of contemporary media. Back in the day, I had a night-time deadline for something you saw the following morning. I could be certain of something at 2 p.m. and know it was total bull at 8 p.m., and nobody outside the office would know. It’s like the difference between my old Ford Pinto and my Scion xB. Yeah, they’re cars, but what else do they have in common?

As a journalist, it’s still a thrill to see the beat writers get wired and fired up for a big story — like when LaVelle was working the room, as discreetly as possible, on the day of the Twins media luncheon in January because he’d been tipped to the Morneau signing that the Twins were planning to announce later in the day.

Everyone second guesses writers for the teams they follow — editors, readers, players, colleagues — because they’re sure they’d do the job differently. But there’s no doubt that LaVelle and Joe are the tip sheet for anyone who follows Twins baseball. Would you really want to rely on Team FSN for what’s going on?

***If I could pick a road trip to make because of the other team’s park, where would I go? Angels Stadium is beautiful and Safeco is great too. I’m intrigued by what the rehabbed Kaufman Stadium is going to be like in Kansas City, because the current park is still very nice, and I’d like to see Camden Yards and Coors Field. One thing I’ve learned in going on the road: Buy tickets on the phone through the team’s ticket office rather than on the web. You get good advice that way and better seats.

***I’ve heard chatter about the White Sox-Red Sox series this weekend and who should Twins fans root for? The Red Sox to help with the division race or the White Sox to help with the wild card. No brainer. Cheer for the Red Sox. Win the division and let everything else settle where it should. If the Twins win enough games, they’re playing October baseball regardless of what the Red Sox do.

That’s all for now. Go ahead and disagree. That’s part of the deal. And I’m glad to collect questions for another time.

West Coast game tonight. Rest up.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 9:04 am and is filed under Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.