Let’s hope opposing teams don’t adopt the Ian Snell strategy in facing the Twins: Work realllllllll slow, go to lots of three-ball counts, bore the heck outta everyone — including opposing hitters.

(Pssst: Get bullpen help!) 

That was a terrible performance by the Twins and their bullpen last night, with Delmon and Kubel taking some of the worst at-bats. Cuddyer made a bad decision on the bases when he ran home with a runner on third and one out, without waiting to see if the ball was going to clear the pitcher, which it didn’t. But it wasn’t a particularly costly mistake because he kept the play going long enough for Delmon to reach second base.

(Pssst: Get bullpen help!)

Liriano was two meatballs away from being excellent. But, among other things, you still have to be concerned about how he’ll fare against teams that have a more disciplined approach at the plate. The LaRoches are nice players and the young outfielders may end up amounting to something, but the Pirates lineup doesn’t exactly send shudders.

(Pssst: Get bullpen help!) 

At least we get a day game so we’ll have other stuff to dwell on by late afternoon.

(Pssst: Get bullpen help!) 

In the meantime, I’m trying to imagine what it would be like to be a Pirates fan. You get a nice, new ballpark a few years back and then management doesn’t keep the players who would make it worthwhile to attend regularly. The Pirates haven’t finished at .500 since winning the NL East in 1992 and the team seems to be in the midst of a perpetual salary dump. How much more dangerous would the Pirates look if their outfield had Jason Bay (traded to Boston), Nate McLouth (traded to Atlanta) and young Andrew McCutchen instead of three players with a combined 911 career plate appearances?

(Pssst: Get bullpen help!) 

As nice as Target Field will be, it won’t be a tough ticket if the Twins ever decide to go that route. I’m sure they understand that.

(Pssst: Get bullpen help!) 

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 18th, 2009 at 8:56 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.