So that was pretty much expected
Posted on October 8th, 2009 – 9:55 AMBy Howard
(Note: I’ll be doing a baseball hour with Gary Eichten on Midday at noon Friday. You can listen at 91.1 FM or www.mpr.org.)
All of the talk about momentum and a fresh start and this and that was pretty much fueled by the same lack of sleep and focus that made the Game 1 outcome pretty much inevitable. Team gets to New York at 4 a.m. or so with a 6 p.m. game ahead of it after the tumultuous excitement of the previous day and you expect them to go out and beat the Yankees, of all teams?
In normal times, this would have been one of those games where you put out the “B” lineup and hope for the best.
Of course, that wasn’t going to happen in the postseason opener.
Instead, rather than try to bring Nick Blackburn back again on short rest, Gardy and Rick Anderson opted to throw rookie Brian Duensing at the Yankees — and got predictable results. Using Blackburn would have been like inviting the Cub Scout troop over for dinner and bringing out the good china, a waste of effort and quite possibly destructive in the long term. If Blackburn pitches well and the Twins lose 3-2, they’re still the same one game down as they are by losing 7-2 … or if they’d lost 17-2 and actually gotten more of the suits in the $1,506 seats behind home plate to cheer once in a while.
Now, if the Twins somehow force this series to a fifth game, Gardy can use Blackburn on Wednesday with regular rest. In the meantime, Duensing can be available if the Twins need to get through a left-leaning inning and Francisco Liriano can check out all the cool stuff in and around the Yankee Stadium bullpens. (Yes, it was weird to hear John Gordon introduce Liriano as “the Franchise” during Sunday’s Metrodome-closing ceremonies, but keep in mind that franchises come in all kinds — and I’m not going to be the one snarky enough to call him “Dollar Store.”)
The play that reinforced no how/no way/no win came in the bottom of the fourth when Nick Swisher doubled with two outs and Robinson Cano scored from first base when Delmon Young bounced his throw to Orlando Cabrera and Cabrera’s replay bounced and went wide of the plate. If those throws had been better, Cano is out at home. If one of them is better, Cano is probably out and the score stays tied at 2.
Then, in the next inning, Duensing found too much plate while facing A-Rod and Liriano grooved a pitch to Hideki Matsui and it was pretty much game over.
Again, in a game played on more equal footing, I don’t think Liriano is the one who comes in to face Matsui.
Don’t read this as complaint about the conditions under which the Twins were required to play. The Twins could have avoided this by winning the AL Central in 162 games instead of 163 and the Yankees were perfectly justified in choosing to start Wednesday instead of today. Those are the same advantages we would have expected the Twins to take if circumstances were in their favor.
What happened in Game 1 was that the Twins pretty much did what they could to survive and, yes, it’s improbable to imagine them winning three of the next four from the Yankees after all of the recent history between the teams.
But the current Twins are no strangers to the improbable, right?
I wouldn’t take it to the bank. But I’m cool with going into an alley and rolling the dice.
98 Responses to "So that was pretty much expected"
It’s about hope at this point - we can discuss the roster and in game decisions in 1-4 weeks.
First! I like our chances against Burnett. For a guy making $30 million, he’s only 13-9. His ERA is fairly high too (4.04).
Of course we’ve got to face the Yankees and their home run-hitting lineup of doom, but hey, we’ve got a chance. And I certainly think the Dome will help.
I’m still optimistic; why shouldn’t we be?
As the Dome scoreboard said when the Tigers-Twins game went into extras, this is “Free Baseball.”
Howard: I agree…totally. The series really starts Friday for the Twins.
Wholly TBS. Anyone else watch the game with the volume off?
Expected results. A little nervous on which Blackburn turns up Friday, but taking one in the “wind tunnel” would be great. Just so we get an extra day to bounce our voices of the roof, chant MVP each time Mauer comes up, and perform our own “role call” on the Yankee line up.
Wholly? I must need sleep. The holey, venerated shrine of wholly.
I’m not sure which lined I loathed more, the one where after Jeter got a leadoff chopped single in the 1st Darling asked “Does he get a big hit every time?”, or when Rivera was pitching and Darling equated how long he’d been in the league to the fact Rivera made 10 starts in 1995 and added that he was still pitching then. Who cares about Darling?
Howard, your take early this year on Twin’s going to NY is you don’t bother to watch the game because the outcome is predictably a loss I believe is how you put it.. are you now professing new found hope in the Lads?
Yeah blake, TBS has been brutal. Couldn’t listen at all. I tried, I really did. But the two guys in the booth just proved to be too much for me. Had to go with the radio guys.
As for the series, tonight is the game we need. We’re supposed to be better against right-handers, and Burnett can be had. If Blackburn pitches well, he’ll induce a lot of ground balls, which negates the homerun friendly confines of their ballpark. Much happier to see Pavano and Baker pitch at home where they’d at least have a chance. If they pitched in NY, I’d be terrified, especially with Baker since he gives up so many fly balls.
Blackburn is our best shot on the road, and this is the game you most likely need to have. We just have to hit better with runners on. Realistically I hope Blackburn keeps them to 4 runs or less, and like Gardy said last night during the game, we just need to have one more run than them at the end of 9 innings. Let’s hope for some more magic….
Deuce, I also loathed their line about how “the Twins were not getting any good swings on Sabathia” after 3 or so innings, yet we had already scored a couple of runs and had 6 or 7 hits including a couple of nice line drives by Mauer for a double and Cabrera the opposite way. I wouldn’t say we were crushing the ball by any stretch, but I just found it moronic to say we were looking horrible against him at that particular time in the game.
I think we can all agree that the TBS announcers are idiots. Who would think that anyone could make Buck sound not half bad?
An interesting angle is the clear rift between Posada and Burnett and Molina.
Posada’s nice team first statement regarding Molina being in:
“I just hope we win that game. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
That speaks to a clubhouse ready to explode if the Twins can bust up Burnett. Particularly when you consider Posada’s poor catching skills. He obviously has zero respect for Molina, and Burnett seems to have a low opinion of Posada.
A victory would drive a wedge in to a fissure and could really provide and edge for 3 and 4. Go team.
I agree with KG’s first post there.
You guys wouldn’t be complaining about the TBS announcers if the Twins would have won. c’mon.
Koopa Troopa says “You guys wouldn’t be complaining about the TBS announcers if the Twins would have won. c’mon”
Koopa Troopa also says “I am being held down by the MAN, I can’t post myself, being blocked”
I was impressed with the start of the game and I was very impressed with Nick Punto. Other than that, I was a little disappointed in Gardy’s quick hook on Duensing, Liriano’s subsequent HR given up, and the fact the Twins fell quietly into the night thereafter.
Friday sort of becomes a must-win, but we’ve said that before, haven’t we…
Friday was a must win no matter the outcome of Game 2. 04 and 03 Showed us clearly how it works out when you give the momentum back to the Yankees. Better to try getting the split the other way, and come home thinking win.
The home run to Godzilla was windblown. it went up at one angle and came down on another. They had a great shot of it.
I found Gardy’s temperament towards BD a bit odd as well. If you wanted ARod walked, why didn’t you just say so?
Putting Liriano in amounts to Gardy throwing in the towel and saying “Let’s try again on Friday”.
Mww is right, it’s all about hope right now. As has beenthe case for the last month.
Btw, I didn’t get to see much of the gam b/c I was in the air. An obnoxious Yankee fan (is there any other kind?) challenged me to a fight in a Quiznos at the Denver airport because I wouldn’t agree that the Yankees would sweep. I would have taken him up on it, too, but he was much closer to DrDon’s age than mine, so I let it go. I really wish DrDon had been around . . .
I personally don’t care for the rule that gives the Yankees the choice of dates. I think the league should set those. It’s enough of a benefit to play an extra game at home, and the first two at home. If the league had set this date, my guess is, the game would have been played on Thursday.
I bet they would have set the date long before the one game playoff and it would have been Wed anyway.
Well, it was kind of a “perfect storm” scenario. How many times is it going to happen that the host venue for a MNF game is also the host for a play in game? NFL schedulers probably don’t stop to consider what might happen in the baseball season.
We got this!! Blackie is going to pitch a gem! He’s our only pitcher I want pitching in a situation like this.
I don’t like Yankee stadium. I think that right field is a joke. I’m supposed to be impressed with the 20+ homer seasons of all the Left handed hitters? Kubel would have hit 50 homers if he was playing in Yankee stadium as his home park.
I used to think Kate Hudson was like the girl next door but now she just looks like a #$%*.
Mww is right, it’s all about hope right now. As has beenthe case for the last month.
Btw, I didn’t get to see much of the gam b/c I was in the air. An obnoxious Yankee fan (is there any other kind?) challenged me to a fight in a Quiznos at the Denver airport because I wouldn’t agree that the Yankees would sweep. I would have taken him up on it, too, but he was much closer to DrDon’s age than mine, so I let it go. I really wish DrDon had been around . . .
This made me laugh. Thanks
WHat is wrong with TBS? Thought they were much more insightful than Bert and Dick,,Guess people are missing their homerism
Blackie can beat these guys. This ain’t over…….
Anyone else laugh when they showed JayZ in Harry Caray glasses. All I could think was, “swing and a miss on the knuckball”.
Is it just me, or is the world’s enmity towards the Yankees mostly directed at those smug sons of bitches who call themselves Yankee fans?
I trust Blackie in big game situations. Why can’t he treat every game a big game situation? He’d be 16-5 or some other big winning record like that. Duensing pitched well until that disasterous 5th. We should be alright as long as the twins like Cuddyer & Young don’t swing at horrible pitches.
I just don’t want Alex Rodriguez to get a World Series ring. I think that would be hilarious if he didn’t get one his whole career.
Boneyard, nice of you to think of me, but all I could have done is a quick visual inspection and made a diagnosis…..”Yep, he’s an a$$hole.”
Is it just me, or is the world’s enmity towards the Yankees mostly directed at those smug sons of bitches who call themselves Yankee fans?
I would concur… although the organization is not completely without resentment.
The loss in yesterday’s game was pretty much expected. I think that it is not improbable that the Twins win the next 3. They will be rested tomorrow, Burnett is pretty unpredictable and there is a lot of internal problems in the Yankees clubhouse centered around Posada’s catching. If they win tomorrow, then Pavano in the Dome on Sunday will have every incentive in the world to prove his old team wrong. Plus that Yankees clubhouse will be a mess. Baker on the dome for the last home game of this series and some dome magic can happen…
Hard but not impossible.
Deuce,
Genius-He always does get the big hit.
Gardenhire has no one to complain about BUT HIMSELF!!! If you want A-Rod walked…tell BD. And to bring in FL…game over and he is admitting it with that move!
Put Gomez in center for defense…Kubel in left, Span in center, and DH DY! Go defensive and hope for the hits from the unexpected Gomez!
Gardenhire needs to apologize to BD…
I thought the Twins might steal one last night because their exhaustion might take the edge off some of the post-season nerves. And it seemed to work for a few innings but then they seemed to wear down — physically and mentally.
They got the first post-season game under their belts. They saw that they could hit Yankee pitching. They set up the rotation. They have an off-day today to rest.
Hope is definitely alive. Let’s have some fun tomorrow night, boys.
Dood wrote:
I don’t like Yankee stadium. I think that right field is a joke. I’m supposed to be impressed with the 20+ homer seasons of all the Left handed hitters? Kubel would have hit 50 homers if he was playing in Yankee stadium as his home park.
NewsFlash! The right field fence doesn’t move between innings. Mr. 50+ HR Kubel went 0-4 last night with two strikouts. Quit making excuses…
I hate listening to Ron Darling, he sounds like James Woods… I could hit a homerun in that stadium hitting a whiffle ball, hopefully Blacky has his sinker working. We are do against these pricks.
Why didn’t the Twins do more bunting on Chili Cheesburger Sabathia? You know how much he hates having to chase after balls in the infield.
Joe Posnanski has a good piece on TV baseball announcers today.
I think peeps are being a bit harsh on Frankie regarding his outing last night. He gave up a wind-aided dinger on the first pitch, and an unearned run in two innings. He saved the pen from burning our ‘A’ guys and kept the game within reach.
Hopefully, the day off will be good for the guys. I am hopeful that we can pull off a good game in NY, get the bats rolling and have a huge inning early.
I think some of this 0-7 vs. the Yankees and the bad record in the post season probably does effect them mentally after a while. So it would be extremely nice to just have a route of the Yanks and get part of that out of their heads.
cmathewson is right - the “hate” of the Yankees is at the obnoxious fans and the media who constantly swan over them. I know I was watching TBS, but I felt like I had the YES network on. Try being a Twins fan (and wearing the gear this week) while working in the Bronx like I am doing!
The goal to me was to gain a split in NY, so it can be done on Friday. Good point earlier that winning game 2 might be better because that swings momentum away from the Yankees.
Last tidbit - why is no one talking about Punto’s acrobatic play? Sure, the game wasn’t close at that point, but a great play is a great play. I am sure if that were Robinson Cano, we would hear about it all winter, no matter what the score was!
Is that what Frankie was doing last night… “saving the pen from burning our ‘A’ guys “? When do you plan on using them, when the Yanks are playing the Angels in the ALCS? Your bullpen will be ice fishing by then (or whatever you guys do up there). Better get the “A” team in there in a hurry or else they won’t be able to tell their grandkids, “I once got shelled by the Yankees!”.
Three things bugged me last night while watching:
1. Cabrera’s relay throws are short and off target…also, he didn’t give Punto a good enough throw to turn two.
2. Delmon Young is back to swinging at every pitch he sees when the pitcher is not a Kansas City Royal.
3. Maybe I’m giving Span too much credit…but if he was in right, I think there are two balls he gets to, to make outs. If he was in left I think there was one ball he would’ve gotten to. Play Gomez and Span together and put whoever you want on the other side. Keep Kubel in the lineup though.
I think it’s funny when fans of a victorious team tell fans of the defeated things like “We got you!” As though their rooting efforts were integral to the victory and you are now subjugated to their whims.
A win Friday night would put an awful lot of pressure on the Yankees as they suddenly lose the home field advantage for the series.
That team hasn’t had to deal with any pressure at all since about May. Their pitching staff beyond CC and Rivera just isn’t all it’s talked up to be and Sabathia is done until a potential game 4 at the Dome.
Wow, as cynical as I am I think the “other Paul” is slightly worse.
There’s a fine line between cynical and realistic. It must be an AL Central thing. 86 wins BARELY gets 3rd place in the AL East. Winning the AL Central this year is like being the prettiest gal in all of West Virginia…
Can a well-rested Yankees with CC Sabathia pitching beat a Twins team that’s exhausted, jet-lagged, half asleep with a rookie pitcher?
Um, yes.
Friday’s showdown should be much more interesting. Can a well-rested Twins with Blackburn pitching beat the Yankees with Burnett? I think we will all agree that the Twins have a better chance in Game 2.
Tired or not, this is the first good team the Twins have faced since late August. I don’t think the Yankees are impressed with their September run through Cleveland, KC, White Sox, and a struggling Detroit. CC probably misses facing those teams most of the year though, since it gave him his CY award. Anything more than a 4 game series would be shocking.
Paul,
“There’s a fine line between cynical and realistic”
No. There’s an extremely gross line between cynical and realistic.
There’s a fine line between cynical and dickhead. Could be a AL east thing.
Did anyone see the NY Post article this AM regarding Mauer. Basically told fans not to covet Mauer out loud yet, to be quiet about it because Minnesotans are nice. It also poked fun at his midwestern accent in his presser. The poll at the end wasn’t predictions for the series, it was “How many games will it take for the Yanks to win the series?”.
I puked in my mouth a little. Man, I want to win this series.
Punto’s throw to 1st was worse than Cabrera’s to Punto, a good Punto throw gets the runner…..Punto’s “acrobatic” play was on MLB network this morning as best defensive play so far in game ones…..
Liriano has pitched good against the Yanks b4 last nights problem.
Blcakburn needs to pitch lights out Friday for the Twins to win…. Pavano and Baker if it gets that far need to also Pitch Lights out for the Twins to Win…. The way I see it is, and I hate to say it is, the Twins get swept but should go home feeling good about what they’ve done with so many injuries
Funny reading all these ‘Twinkie’ fans writing as if they have a chance in the series with this AAA team other than Mauer. You’re 3-24 at Yankee stadium over the last few years and got spanked 8 straight now. Can’t wait until you open up your new ‘open air’ park and try to play games in October when it’s 20 degrees and snowing. Who thought of that ingenious idea? Should have stuck with that oversized Gladbag sh*thole…LOL
Punto’s throw was worse. However, Cabrera had an easier throw without having to the tag a base and avoid a baserunner sliding into him while also getting something on the throw…it’s comparable to a baserunner running off a pitcher’s legkick to home…how does the catcher stand a chance throwing out the baserunner…??
Anthony,
Twins have a better chance in this series than you do of even buying a tickt, much less walking into the corporate-esque thing you call a baseball stadium.
The average temperature in NYY land is 5 degrees warmer than in Mpls in October. It’s pretty much the same in Boston.
Of course, Anthony is not the only person that doesn’t bother looking up information in less than 1 minute on the internet….
How does Anthony even know what a triple A team is…if he’s a Yankees fan? Isn’t their farm system the rest of the Major League?
I would like to thank Anthony for providing an example of the phenomenon I spoke of only an hour and a half ago.
Have to put up 7-10 runs if they are going to win any of these games. Old Mo’ or not the same style & talent mismatches that existed in ‘03. ‘04 & this season remain (even moreso with this roster).
No power pitching to start for Twins, little power hitting (especially Morneau out) and a roster filled mostly undisciplined punch and judy hitters. It’s recipe that spells 3-1, 3-1 and now 8-0 head to head records.
Styles make for great fights. They also make for lousy ones.
Here’s hope Metrodome magic can at least make it interesting!
“I could hit a homerun in that stadium hitting a whiffle ball”
Really? Where were our homeruns last night then?
The Yanks are a good ball team and the Twins ran through an average AL central, they done after tomorrow night.
What’s the dimension down the left field line at the dome..?
What really got me was that nobody on the TBS crew has the cajones to call out Posada for a lazy jog after that passed ball. Sure, he’s had a great career, but that was pathetic. If I was the coach I would have pulled him right there.
343 FT
Hey Mike wants Wins: First of all the World Series is played in November where Minnesota averages lows in the mid 20’s and averages about 50 in. of snow every winter….You know New York has never had a problem outside based on all the World Series rings so lets see how that works out for you buddy boy!…LOL
left field is 343, i believe?
anthony-
if the yankees win the world series, then what?
Then all you Twinkie fans will shut your pie holes about how you’re going to win this series and realize you’re still living in East Bumblef*ck with nothing else going on but being up to your nuts in snow….Then what?…LOL
lol good answer.
Wouldn’t we be West Bumblef*ck to you?
Thanks for the laugh, DrDon.
F’get about it…you ain’t nothing but a schmuck anyways.
Geography bears no weight when comedy is in effect.
Dood you probably look like that neanderthal-looking Vikings Mascot, Ragnar that runs around with the fur outfit and the beard blowing the horn….LOL
they don’t call them the YANKees without reason you know……….
Anthony,
I heard you resemble Rocky Dennis.
I thought he looked like DrDon.
lol rocky dennis…
i just looked up “miss west virginia” and she’s hot. click my name to see.
Gardy’s legacy: 1 AND DONE!!
Tomorrow’s the day for the Twins to do to the Yanks what the Rockies just did to the Phillies.
was just going to mention that jbi..
Tomorrow is key.. would be nice to be 1-1 and have them come back to the dome for a couple.. I think the twins will show up tomorrow night.
So the Twins are now 0-8 against the Yankees this season. If they win the next 3, they’ll still be 3-8 against the Yankees this season. The Yankees are not unbeatable. Why can’t the Twins beat them? I think there were so many chances for the Twins to win that game that it was possible. And, if you remember, didn’t the Yankees have 3 walk-off wins against the Twins? I think those were also winnable. Playing the Yankees simply means playing at a higher level for all 9 innings. Against the Tigers we could make mistakes and still win the game. Against the Yankees, not so much. If we can steal one tomorrow, I like our chances at home where it seems “The Magic is Back”. No matter what happens, it was still satisfying winning the Division and I will always remember Game 163 at the Metrodome.
The problem is that the Twins’ pitch-to-contact pitchers don’t match up against the Yankees. You need power pitching to beat the Yanks. You need to be able to strike them out. In other words, the Twins only have one pitcher that really fits that bill and it’s Slowey. Blackburn had been great in the clutch, but even if he throws well, the Yanks will get him. They’re just better than he is.
The Twins haven’t won at the new Yankee Stadium yet.
Get over it, Gardy! Pull yourself together and fire up the troops!
The Twins haven’t won at the new Yankee Stadium yet.
Well, then, they are due. 
Rob,
Slowey is not a power (or strikeout) pitcher. What team have you been watching? I’ll take my chances with Blackie’s heavy sinker against this lineup. It may be the best matchup we have.
I haven’t met a New Yorker yet who didn’t have an inflated idea of their own importance.
Rob,
The Yanks hit hard throwers, they had the most problems this year with junk throwing lefty rookies. But for 3 hanging sliders, Duensing almost did it to the Yanks.
Blackburns sinker has a chance against the Yanks tonight.
Slowey has excellent strike out numbers. It’s not all about power.
But, the general concept is correct - this staff is built to beat teams that make bad contact on pitcher’s pitches. The Yankees just don’t swing at those kind of pitches (generally). And, they have the power at nearly every position to make you pay when you make a mistake. They are perfectly happy taking a walk, or getting a hit. The Twins’ pitching philosophy/talent is not built to beat that kind of team (and no team is good enough to beat the Yankees’ lineup consistently - hence they led the league in runs scored).
The Yanks swing at hit fast balls. They work the count to wait for the FB, hence, Duensing first pitch FB (or slider that didn’t slide - same thing) won’t do the trick. The Yanks beat Halladay at least twice this year and badly beat him for that matter.
The key is, as Bert consistently says, is location. Keep the junk on the edges of the plate or just off of the plate. Then, if and when the 90/91 mph FB is thrown, it can be up in the strike zone (as in at least letter high) and this then appears much faster after a series of 82 - 84 sliders and curveballs and change ups even slower.
One can’t dispute the correctness of Bert theory of pitching.
But one can dispute the relative easiness of Bert’s theory. Bert’s theory mostly hinges on control and location of the fastball. Sliders and Curves really can’t be controlled with much accuracy beyond where they start out. The idea is for them to not be strikes when they reach the hitting area.
Mariano Rivera and CC would take exception to your comment relative to placement of their cutters.
