The Twins began their weekend like a lamb and went out like a lion. In a sense they failed to get the job done and clinch in front of the hometown fans. The first two games against the Orioles were a let down following the absolute shellacking of the White Sox last week. First, the Twins lost Shannon Stewart and Torii Hunter to injuries and then Brad Radke had a poor outing for the first time in months. Then came Sunday and all was not lost. With every pitch Johan Santana erased the poor memories of the last two games. Tossing strikeout after strikeout and ending 7 out of 8 innings with one in dramatic fashion. Johan reminded everyone that the real prize was yet to come. He created hope for something so big that it has not been seen around here in nearly 15 years.
Johan, as he has been since early June, was, “the man”. When he is on the mound it is alright to expect to win. He is the closest thing to certain in baseball. Early on it looked like maybe he would follow suit and this would be the day a team would finally get to him. He uncharacteristically allowed a few hits and was saved by a couple of close calls by the umpires. Then it all came into perspective. Santana was so on that it didn’t matter. He induced double plays and he got every strikeout he needed as he toyed with the Oriole lineup. The result, a career high of 14 K's for the game. Santana is no longer just making his case for the Cy Young, he is now throwing his hat in for the MVP. It will be interesting to see if his own local writer votes for a pitcher, since La Velle E. Neal was the man who cost Pedro Martinez the award in 2000.
It is true that the Twins lost Stewart and Hunter in Friday night’s game. Luckily neither injury was serious. They are both day to day along with Justin Morneau. The Twins instead took a step toward getting healthy during the weekend. Both Corey Koskie and Luis Rivas returned to the lineup with a bang; hitting homeruns in their first games back. Koskie still holds the team lead in homers with 23 and is a big piece to the postseason puzzle. Rivas’s place on the team is less certain. Usually players don’t lose their spots to injury. As bad as Rivas played before getting hurt and as well as Michael Cuddyer has played in his place it would seem hard for Luis to regain his spot. There are players who can handle the utility role better in Augie Ojeda and Nick Punto when he returns. Rivas’s homerun on Sunday may have earned him a brief reprieve and the Twins likely will field a combination of him and Cuddyer through the playoffs. That just seems to be in line with the way the team does things even if it does not make sense.
The Twins did fail to clinch this weekend but they did lower their magic number to 2 meaning that the first game they win against Chicago this week will do it. It will be fitting if it comes tomorrow night against Mark Buehrle who was one of the Sox players to blast the Twins last week. It may not be a big deal for the White Sox to play an extra week but they’ll have to at least be envious of the party the Twins will be throwing in their house.
All that talk about clinching brings up another point. The Twins have really hesitated on playing their younger guys until they actually clinch. This is paying the White Sox more respect then they deserve. There were instances last week where Juan Rincon and JC Romero were used in games where the Twins had big leads. With all the help available out of the pen there is no reason for this. Plus, some of the guys who have been under-worked may just end up on the postseason roster. If the Twins feel like they can’t trust them now, how they can possibly think about putting them in a postseason game? More players were able to get into this weekend's games when the Twins fell behind early and when the outfield injuries left them no other choice. It is time to start preparing for the “real season” where the team has a legitimate chance of going somewhere this year. This means resting players while at the same time getting them enough action to keep them sharp. There is no need to misuse anybody at this point. Also, players like Jason Bartlett and Mike Restovich are going to have roles to play next year. The amount of playing time they get now could influence how smooth that transition is. Don’t wait until the last week to get them a few token at-bats. Jason Kubel is eligible for the postseason roster and the team has barely even seen what he could do. They need to let him get his feet wet or else it is unlikely that he will have role come October.
Usually Twins Chatter sticks to topics that are completely Twins related. However, during Football season we will briefly discuss our thoughts on the Vikings since they are the next biggest thing in this town next to the Twins (Well maybe it is flip-flopped but we can all dream). Tonight’s match up is going to be a lot of fun to watch. The Eagles are a Super Bowl caliber team and while the Vikings won last week they looked a little porous in doing so. Tonight will be a true test of where the team stands. Randy Moss usually puts up huge numbers on Monday night and he will play even better with Terrell Owens on the opposite sideline. There is no question Moss is the best receiver in football and the Vikings offense has so far looked pretty much unstoppable. As usual it is a question of whether the defense can do enough to stop the Eagles offense. Terrell will not have the production he had last week but it will be a high scoring game. The Vikings could come up big in this one but it would be safer to pick the Eagles.
Prediction: Vikings 35 Eagles 31
John
john.betzler@mnsu.edu Have a great Monday everybody.
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Aim Low, Shoot High
Most of the time, when we refer to “making the playoffs” as either Twins fans, players, or even bloggers, it is assumed that we are referring to that third division winner slot. The AL Wild Card usually has a better record than the AL Central Division champion, and the AL East Division champion almost always does. The rather recent emergence of the Oakland Athletics as a perennial 95-100 win juggernaut means that the lowly AL Central champ must settle for the third seed.
As you probably noticed over the past couple weeks, the 2004 Minnesota Twins seem intent on throwing that little arrangement right out the window. By the time you read this, here is what the overall American League standings will look like:
See that? Thanks to a nifty eight-game winning streak, your Minnesota Twins currently own the second best record among division leaders in the American League, one game ahead of the slumping Athletics. That, my friends, means that Twins fans will get to see Game 1 of the ALDS right here in Minneapolis as opposed to another trip to the Bronx. It also means that instead of squaring off with Orlando Hernandez and the New York Yankees, Johan Santana and the Twins will play host to Curt Schilling and the Boston Red Sox. Hey, I never said home-field was necessarily a good thing.
In my eyes, however, no matter who the Twins play it will be a good thing. There are only a couple teams in the major leagues who play better on the road than at home, and one of the most fundamental aspects of the game is that the home team always enjoys an inherent advantage over the road team (the last at-bat). Given a choice, I will always choose to play the Red Sox at home over the Yankees on the road, regardless of which team is perceived as the more “dangerous” right now. Plus, you can never discount the home crowd advantage at the Metrodome. The Twins may not have fared particularly well during home playoff games over the past couple of years, but there is no doubt that the Dome is still an intimidating place for opponents. You can’t underestimate the mental edge that 60,000 screaming fans will give the Twins.
In addition, the Red Sox are a team that is built for Fenway Park. They’ve got some tough right handed and switch hitters (Manny, Varitek, Cabrera, Millar, Kapler, Bellhorn), which is a must at Fenway. The BoSox also have three starting pitchers who usually throw more ground balls than they do fly balls, in Lowe, Schilling, and Pedro (although Pedro’s GB/FB ratio is really screwed up this year). Playing in Fenway definitely favors the Sox statistically.
The Twins, on the other hand, have always been more of a fly ball team, especially in the pitching department. When you play on such a fast AstroTurf surface, allowing too many ground balls will eventually get to you (see: Erickson, Scott). Radke has traditionally been a fly ball dominant pitcher; hitters get off balance and out in front of his change-up and lift a nice little popup to Torii in center. Before he started striking out everybody in sight, even Johan used to be a fly ball pitcher (his GB/FB ratio is 0.9 this season, the highest of his career). Of the Twins’ playoff starting 3, only Carlos Silva is a predominantly ground ball pitcher, which makes him a perfect fit for Fenway in Game 3. Silva’s recent performance (he threw 5 and 1/3 solid innings last night as well) makes me think that the Twins have finally solved their playoff rotation problems. If the Twins can hold onto this lead over the A’s, I think there is no doubt that Silva will be the one to take the ball when the Twins take on the Sox in Boston.
Some fans, including myself at times, have kind of tuned out the Twins right now, simply because their divisional lead is so enormous. But as you can see here, the team is still fighting for playoff position. If they can win this fight, it might just turn out to be the biggest victory of them all.
As you probably noticed over the past couple weeks, the 2004 Minnesota Twins seem intent on throwing that little arrangement right out the window. By the time you read this, here is what the overall American League standings will look like:
| TEAM | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 92 | 54 | .630 | -- |
| Boston Red Sox | 87 | 57 | .604 | 4 |
| Twins | 84 | 60 | .586 | 6.5 |
| Oakland Athletics | 84 | 61 | .579 | 7.5 |
See that? Thanks to a nifty eight-game winning streak, your Minnesota Twins currently own the second best record among division leaders in the American League, one game ahead of the slumping Athletics. That, my friends, means that Twins fans will get to see Game 1 of the ALDS right here in Minneapolis as opposed to another trip to the Bronx. It also means that instead of squaring off with Orlando Hernandez and the New York Yankees, Johan Santana and the Twins will play host to Curt Schilling and the Boston Red Sox. Hey, I never said home-field was necessarily a good thing.
In my eyes, however, no matter who the Twins play it will be a good thing. There are only a couple teams in the major leagues who play better on the road than at home, and one of the most fundamental aspects of the game is that the home team always enjoys an inherent advantage over the road team (the last at-bat). Given a choice, I will always choose to play the Red Sox at home over the Yankees on the road, regardless of which team is perceived as the more “dangerous” right now. Plus, you can never discount the home crowd advantage at the Metrodome. The Twins may not have fared particularly well during home playoff games over the past couple of years, but there is no doubt that the Dome is still an intimidating place for opponents. You can’t underestimate the mental edge that 60,000 screaming fans will give the Twins.
In addition, the Red Sox are a team that is built for Fenway Park. They’ve got some tough right handed and switch hitters (Manny, Varitek, Cabrera, Millar, Kapler, Bellhorn), which is a must at Fenway. The BoSox also have three starting pitchers who usually throw more ground balls than they do fly balls, in Lowe, Schilling, and Pedro (although Pedro’s GB/FB ratio is really screwed up this year). Playing in Fenway definitely favors the Sox statistically.
The Twins, on the other hand, have always been more of a fly ball team, especially in the pitching department. When you play on such a fast AstroTurf surface, allowing too many ground balls will eventually get to you (see: Erickson, Scott). Radke has traditionally been a fly ball dominant pitcher; hitters get off balance and out in front of his change-up and lift a nice little popup to Torii in center. Before he started striking out everybody in sight, even Johan used to be a fly ball pitcher (his GB/FB ratio is 0.9 this season, the highest of his career). Of the Twins’ playoff starting 3, only Carlos Silva is a predominantly ground ball pitcher, which makes him a perfect fit for Fenway in Game 3. Silva’s recent performance (he threw 5 and 1/3 solid innings last night as well) makes me think that the Twins have finally solved their playoff rotation problems. If the Twins can hold onto this lead over the A’s, I think there is no doubt that Silva will be the one to take the ball when the Twins take on the Sox in Boston.
Some fans, including myself at times, have kind of tuned out the Twins right now, simply because their divisional lead is so enormous. But as you can see here, the team is still fighting for playoff position. If they can win this fight, it might just turn out to be the biggest victory of them all.
Phoning it in: "Why is This So Hard to Believe?"
Sorry about my lack of a new post today folks. I had a pretty good one all planned out (it dealt with the importance of getting the league's second-best record). Unfortunately, my new job as sports editor for our school newspaper sucked up about ten hours of my day, not to mention my normal duties as a student. The Twins are currently on a nifty seven-game winning streak, the magic number is down to eight, and the lead in the division is enormous. Doesn't get much better than this, does it? The following post, which is from May 1 of this year, portrays a much, MUCH different Twins team than the one we see now. Santana and Radke with ERAs over 5.00? It seems like a lifetime ago, but it was actually only four and a half months. Sometimes it can be fun to see what we were saying way back then, and I have to admit that I predicted a great number of things correctly, even back in May. Enjoy this little filler for today, as I promise we'll have a new article up tomorrow.
“The Minnesota Twins are living a contradiction. At least, that is, when it comes to the baseball adage, games are won with pitching and defense.”
–Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News (4/30)
On the surface there seems to be nothing wrong with this statement (although I can’t imagine there are many regular readers of the Rocky Mountain News that give a hoot about the Twins- I couldn’t care less about the Rockies). Ringolsby goes on to cite some facts to back up his argument: the Twins’ relatively high team ERA (now exactly 5.00), their less-than-stellar defense thus far (21 team errors through Friday), and the team’s lackluster strength of schedule (games against Cleveland, Detroit, KC, and Toronto).
You know what I say to all of this? Phooey.
The problem with Ringolsby is that he didn’t look much past the statistics. Point one: the Twins 21st ranked team ERA. Sure, 5.00 isn’t great by any means, but a closer examination reveals that it isn’t nearly as bad as it looks. The bullpen’s ERA is a respectable 4.64, and that includes terrible performances from guys like Pulido, Thomas, and Greisinger. This is also a bullpen that could receive two huge shots in the arm come June/July: Grant Balfour and Jesse Crain.
The starting staff is mostly to blame for Ringolsby’s accusation. Once again, a closer look reveals that the situation can only improve from here on out. We all know that Brad Radke (5.64), Kyle Lohse (6.51) and Johan Santana (5.40) will all undoubtedly pitch substantially better than they have thus far. Carlos Silva has been a pleasant surprise with his 4-0 record and 4.02 ERA. The point is, this staff has grossly underachieved so far and it will shape up, hopefully sooner rather than later. Ringolsby conveniently fails to mention this.
Just as the pitching staff is undeniably bound for improvement, so is the Twins’ shaky defense. Friday’s two errors bring the season’s total to a whopping 21 in 22 games played, an unheard-of ratio for a Twins team. The main culprit has been the infield: their 13 errors rank tied for last in the major leagues. This is a rather startling statistic, but let’s consider past performance. These same starting five (Koskie, Guzman, Rivas, and Mientkiewicz) have anchored infields that finished 2nd and 3rd in the majors in infield errors the past two seasons respectively. Now, they’re going to have to really tighten the hatch in order to match that feat this year, but there is absolutely no reason to believe that this infield will go from being one of the game’s best to one of the worst in just one year. It’s just not going to happen.
I love the new turf, but I think it is at least partially to blame for this odd influx of errors. Once the players grow accustomed, the defense will shore itself up.
Ringolsby’s last point is one that I can’t debate as well. Until Friday’s impressive win over the “best team in the American League” (to quote Eric Chavez), the Twins had yet to play any potential playoff teams- unless you consider the Royals contenders (*snicker*). I think the next couple of weeks will speak volumes about this team. Tonight was just the beginning.
Now, I also realize the hitters will probably come back to earth somewhat. I firmly believe Twins will continue to be a very good hitting team, but probably not second best in the majors (just as Detroit isn't going to lead the league in runs scored).
Where the casual fan might find this blurb by Ringolsby as a foreshadowing of doom for our beloved Twinkies, I actually see it just the opposite way: If the Twins have started 15-7 with all these factors working against them, just imagine what they can accomplish when things really get going! I don't know about you, but I can't wait!
“The Minnesota Twins are living a contradiction. At least, that is, when it comes to the baseball adage, games are won with pitching and defense.”
–Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News (4/30)
On the surface there seems to be nothing wrong with this statement (although I can’t imagine there are many regular readers of the Rocky Mountain News that give a hoot about the Twins- I couldn’t care less about the Rockies). Ringolsby goes on to cite some facts to back up his argument: the Twins’ relatively high team ERA (now exactly 5.00), their less-than-stellar defense thus far (21 team errors through Friday), and the team’s lackluster strength of schedule (games against Cleveland, Detroit, KC, and Toronto).
You know what I say to all of this? Phooey.
The problem with Ringolsby is that he didn’t look much past the statistics. Point one: the Twins 21st ranked team ERA. Sure, 5.00 isn’t great by any means, but a closer examination reveals that it isn’t nearly as bad as it looks. The bullpen’s ERA is a respectable 4.64, and that includes terrible performances from guys like Pulido, Thomas, and Greisinger. This is also a bullpen that could receive two huge shots in the arm come June/July: Grant Balfour and Jesse Crain.
The starting staff is mostly to blame for Ringolsby’s accusation. Once again, a closer look reveals that the situation can only improve from here on out. We all know that Brad Radke (5.64), Kyle Lohse (6.51) and Johan Santana (5.40) will all undoubtedly pitch substantially better than they have thus far. Carlos Silva has been a pleasant surprise with his 4-0 record and 4.02 ERA. The point is, this staff has grossly underachieved so far and it will shape up, hopefully sooner rather than later. Ringolsby conveniently fails to mention this.
Just as the pitching staff is undeniably bound for improvement, so is the Twins’ shaky defense. Friday’s two errors bring the season’s total to a whopping 21 in 22 games played, an unheard-of ratio for a Twins team. The main culprit has been the infield: their 13 errors rank tied for last in the major leagues. This is a rather startling statistic, but let’s consider past performance. These same starting five (Koskie, Guzman, Rivas, and Mientkiewicz) have anchored infields that finished 2nd and 3rd in the majors in infield errors the past two seasons respectively. Now, they’re going to have to really tighten the hatch in order to match that feat this year, but there is absolutely no reason to believe that this infield will go from being one of the game’s best to one of the worst in just one year. It’s just not going to happen.
I love the new turf, but I think it is at least partially to blame for this odd influx of errors. Once the players grow accustomed, the defense will shore itself up.
Ringolsby’s last point is one that I can’t debate as well. Until Friday’s impressive win over the “best team in the American League” (to quote Eric Chavez), the Twins had yet to play any potential playoff teams- unless you consider the Royals contenders (*snicker*). I think the next couple of weeks will speak volumes about this team. Tonight was just the beginning.
Now, I also realize the hitters will probably come back to earth somewhat. I firmly believe Twins will continue to be a very good hitting team, but probably not second best in the majors (just as Detroit isn't going to lead the league in runs scored).
Where the casual fan might find this blurb by Ringolsby as a foreshadowing of doom for our beloved Twinkies, I actually see it just the opposite way: If the Twins have started 15-7 with all these factors working against them, just imagine what they can accomplish when things really get going! I don't know about you, but I can't wait!
Monday, September 13, 2004
Winning With Pitching and Other Rambles
Twins Sweep the Tigers –
Brad Radke continues to pitch like the most underrated pitcher in baseball. He may not be as dominant as Johan Santana but he definitely makes up a large part of the two headed monster. What makes Brad even more amazing is that after 10 years he may now be pitching his best season. In the past he has often been plagued by 1 poor inning a start and occasionally he would pitch a game where he was unable to locate his pitches and gave up a lot of runs. He has never been this consistent. He is hitting all his spots, keeping batters of balance and walking people even less then he used to. His ERA at 3.51 is even lower then it was the year he won 20 when it was 3.87. Brad’s biggest problem this year has been run support. With a little help he could easily have as many wins as Santana and then people would be mentioning him being right behind Johan in the CY race. Every time either of these two pitchers is on the mound the Twins expect to win and as a result they play better.
Speaking of that CY Young race, why is it so hard to admit that Johan Santana is currently the most dominate pitcher in baseball? He is on an unprecedented streak and yet members of the media keep trying to pass out his hardware to elsewhere. The latest Gammons article compares Santana to Schilling and tries to make it an argument. Schilling has more wins then Santana but his numbers do not compare in ERA, K’s or the amount of hits Johan has given up. Yes there are other pitchers out there having great seasons but Johan is a head above them all. Why must Santana pitch a 2 hit shutout every start from here on out just to prove himself? It is unbelievable he has not had a letdown in close to 3 months. Not 1 bad start!
Call a Doctor
Terry Tiffee came out of last night’s game after colliding with Ivan Rodriguez at the plate. He may have injured his shoulder on the play. This guy has really impressed in his brief time in the bigs. He plays hard and comes up with clutch hits. His fielding seems to be average but he is an improvement over Michael Cuddyer. If his shoulder is alright and Corey Koskie is unable to work his way back, Tiffee may be the starting third baseman in the playoffs. He has not played like a wide eyed rookie and it would be surprising if he didn’t play well given the opportunity. He also gives the Twins another option for next year should the Twins decided not to resign Koskie. If both players are still hurt come October the team will have a huge hole to fill especially if Cuddyer has to play second.
Lewwwwww!
Last night saw the return of our boy Lew Ford, the official player of Twins Chatter. Lew looked like his old self driving in the first run of the game and later knocking one out of the park. As always, it is great to see Lew perform. The celebration in the dugout following the homerun was another story to add to the book of Lew. As he got back his teammates were either not paying attention or just giving him a hard time because they didn’t do anything. They then all had a good laugh and congratulated him following the initial delay.
Special congratulations to Ryan for going 12 and 3 and finishing at the top of Seth’s NFL experts picks. I for one, was a little surprised he did so well. Currently I have a commanding lead in our fantasy baseball league for the 3rd year out of 5. Ryan has never won it ever (NOTE BY RYAN): John is just a lucky SOB). Apparently he has more of a knack for football. It is all in good fun though and we hope his luck continues for the rest of the season.
I apologize for such a jumbling of ideas but it is getting toward the time of the year where everyone is just waiting for the playoffs. No one is threatening in the standings while it is still too early for playoff previews. Even the DTFC forum is a little light on topics right now.
Tonight the Twins begin their series against the White Sox. Tickets are supposedly half price for the game which makes it definitely worthwhile to go down and see Johan pitch. The Sox could put a scare into the Twins if they are able to sweep the series. It isn’t going to happen and Santana will erase all doubts in game 1. Who knows, we might just see a no hitter.
To Trade...or Not
A question was brought up last week in the comments section on whether it would be a good idea to trade Lew in the off-season given the right deal. Lew is definitely a fan favorite and with Jacque Jones on his way out there is a spot open for him in next year’s outfield. The Twins may have to fill holes at second, short, third, the bullpen and in their rotation in the off-season. I don’t expect that Lew will be traded or that the team would get enough value to do so especially since he has cooled off a bit later in the year. That said, the Twins have been very good at producing good outfielders in the past couple of years. The can field a decent infield next year with a combination of Punto, Bartlet, Cuddyer, Tiffee and Koskie. If that infield could be upgraded by trading away Ford for reasonably priced talent the Twins should do it. If they can get a good arm for him they should also make the deal. The Twins have been very good at making creative deals. They traded away A.J and Milton last year and got more back in return. There is no reason to close the door and not attempt to do the same this year.
John
john.betzler@mnsu.edu
Brad Radke continues to pitch like the most underrated pitcher in baseball. He may not be as dominant as Johan Santana but he definitely makes up a large part of the two headed monster. What makes Brad even more amazing is that after 10 years he may now be pitching his best season. In the past he has often been plagued by 1 poor inning a start and occasionally he would pitch a game where he was unable to locate his pitches and gave up a lot of runs. He has never been this consistent. He is hitting all his spots, keeping batters of balance and walking people even less then he used to. His ERA at 3.51 is even lower then it was the year he won 20 when it was 3.87. Brad’s biggest problem this year has been run support. With a little help he could easily have as many wins as Santana and then people would be mentioning him being right behind Johan in the CY race. Every time either of these two pitchers is on the mound the Twins expect to win and as a result they play better.
Speaking of that CY Young race, why is it so hard to admit that Johan Santana is currently the most dominate pitcher in baseball? He is on an unprecedented streak and yet members of the media keep trying to pass out his hardware to elsewhere. The latest Gammons article compares Santana to Schilling and tries to make it an argument. Schilling has more wins then Santana but his numbers do not compare in ERA, K’s or the amount of hits Johan has given up. Yes there are other pitchers out there having great seasons but Johan is a head above them all. Why must Santana pitch a 2 hit shutout every start from here on out just to prove himself? It is unbelievable he has not had a letdown in close to 3 months. Not 1 bad start!
Call a Doctor
Terry Tiffee came out of last night’s game after colliding with Ivan Rodriguez at the plate. He may have injured his shoulder on the play. This guy has really impressed in his brief time in the bigs. He plays hard and comes up with clutch hits. His fielding seems to be average but he is an improvement over Michael Cuddyer. If his shoulder is alright and Corey Koskie is unable to work his way back, Tiffee may be the starting third baseman in the playoffs. He has not played like a wide eyed rookie and it would be surprising if he didn’t play well given the opportunity. He also gives the Twins another option for next year should the Twins decided not to resign Koskie. If both players are still hurt come October the team will have a huge hole to fill especially if Cuddyer has to play second.
Lewwwwww!
Last night saw the return of our boy Lew Ford, the official player of Twins Chatter. Lew looked like his old self driving in the first run of the game and later knocking one out of the park. As always, it is great to see Lew perform. The celebration in the dugout following the homerun was another story to add to the book of Lew. As he got back his teammates were either not paying attention or just giving him a hard time because they didn’t do anything. They then all had a good laugh and congratulated him following the initial delay.
Special congratulations to Ryan for going 12 and 3 and finishing at the top of Seth’s NFL experts picks. I for one, was a little surprised he did so well. Currently I have a commanding lead in our fantasy baseball league for the 3rd year out of 5. Ryan has never won it ever (NOTE BY RYAN): John is just a lucky SOB). Apparently he has more of a knack for football. It is all in good fun though and we hope his luck continues for the rest of the season.
I apologize for such a jumbling of ideas but it is getting toward the time of the year where everyone is just waiting for the playoffs. No one is threatening in the standings while it is still too early for playoff previews. Even the DTFC forum is a little light on topics right now.
Tonight the Twins begin their series against the White Sox. Tickets are supposedly half price for the game which makes it definitely worthwhile to go down and see Johan pitch. The Sox could put a scare into the Twins if they are able to sweep the series. It isn’t going to happen and Santana will erase all doubts in game 1. Who knows, we might just see a no hitter.
To Trade...or Not
A question was brought up last week in the comments section on whether it would be a good idea to trade Lew in the off-season given the right deal. Lew is definitely a fan favorite and with Jacque Jones on his way out there is a spot open for him in next year’s outfield. The Twins may have to fill holes at second, short, third, the bullpen and in their rotation in the off-season. I don’t expect that Lew will be traded or that the team would get enough value to do so especially since he has cooled off a bit later in the year. That said, the Twins have been very good at producing good outfielders in the past couple of years. The can field a decent infield next year with a combination of Punto, Bartlet, Cuddyer, Tiffee and Koskie. If that infield could be upgraded by trading away Ford for reasonably priced talent the Twins should do it. If they can get a good arm for him they should also make the deal. The Twins have been very good at making creative deals. They traded away A.J and Milton last year and got more back in return. There is no reason to close the door and not attempt to do the same this year.
John
john.betzler@mnsu.edu
Sunday, September 12, 2004
Procrastination Catches Up
The first rule you are supposed to learn about college is that it is not high school anymore... meaning that it is time to put everything else aside and get your stuff done on time or else it piles up. Unfortunately for some of us, this lesson is not one that comes easy. Last night was one of those nights where I wished I had known better. I spent an entire weekend accomplishing everything but getting my homework done with five hours of class in front of me come Monday. Ryan is having similar issues adjusting to school (or maybe he just has more to do then me). In any matter, sometimes life catches up to us and unfortunately it gets in the way of more important things, such as this blog. That is why we must apologize for no new entry today. We will for sure have a new column tomorrow with no new deadlines for school in sight.
Meanwhile the world turned and the Twins' three starters not named Johan or Brad were able to win three games in a row this weekend. That's three consectutive games, people. I doubt such a thing has happened in a really long time. This comes with a slight caveat in that it occurred against the Tigers. In winning all their games this weekend the team was able to clinch a winning record for the year as they continued their march toward the playoffs.
Make sure to check out how Ryan did over at Sethspeaks in the NFL "Experts Picks" section (Note by Ryan: I am the man!). I'm sure we are all crossing our fingers that he was able to at least beat Gleeman:). In all seriousness though, Seth had an excellent article last week ranking the top prospects in the system. He deserves a ton of credit for all the work he does with the Twins minor league box scores throughout the season.
Hope you all are enjoying your Mondays. It is a great time to be a Minnesota sports fan but not so good to be a college student. I must not respectively leave you and return to the giant pile that is my homework.
P.S. We are currently having a problem witht the comments section on our site... hopefully that will be fixed soon. In the meantime, if you have anything to say, feel free to e-mail me at johnbetzler@hotmail.com or Ryan at twinsfan21@msn.com.
Meanwhile the world turned and the Twins' three starters not named Johan or Brad were able to win three games in a row this weekend. That's three consectutive games, people. I doubt such a thing has happened in a really long time. This comes with a slight caveat in that it occurred against the Tigers. In winning all their games this weekend the team was able to clinch a winning record for the year as they continued their march toward the playoffs.
Make sure to check out how Ryan did over at Sethspeaks in the NFL "Experts Picks" section (Note by Ryan: I am the man!). I'm sure we are all crossing our fingers that he was able to at least beat Gleeman:). In all seriousness though, Seth had an excellent article last week ranking the top prospects in the system. He deserves a ton of credit for all the work he does with the Twins minor league box scores throughout the season.
Hope you all are enjoying your Mondays. It is a great time to be a Minnesota sports fan but not so good to be a college student. I must not respectively leave you and return to the giant pile that is my homework.
P.S. We are currently having a problem witht the comments section on our site... hopefully that will be fixed soon. In the meantime, if you have anything to say, feel free to e-mail me at johnbetzler@hotmail.com or Ryan at twinsfan21@msn.com.
Saturday, September 11, 2004
Blue Light Special
Since today is Saturday, I don't have a new post. But I do have one thing I would like to get off my chest. Earlier this week, I promised I would mention a new Twins blog that I recently stumbled across. Aaron Gleeman beat me to the punch, but that's okay. I would like to direct your attention to Stick and Ball Guy, a blog that touches upon many different topics, the main focus being baseball (and your Minnesota Twins). He occasionally delves into politics and other issues, but I find nothing wrong with that. If you're looking for something new to read this weekend (and beyond), I highly reccommend Stick and Ball Guy. You won't be disappointed.
Have a great weekend everyone and watch that magic number drop!
-Ryan
Have a great weekend everyone and watch that magic number drop!
-Ryan
Friday, September 10, 2004
Sizing Up the Competition
The Twins got a well-deserved day off yesterday, so I thought that I would take the opportunity to present my thoughts on a popular topic of conversation. The lead in the Central is eight games (remember, no team has EVER lost a lead that big in September) and the magic number has been whittled down to a mere 16. We can safely start to look towards October, but since playoff speculation will be an oft-discussed topic on this site over the next three weeks, I thought that I would start slowly by answering the following question: If the season were to end now, who of the four possible AL playoff teams (New York, Boston, Oakland, and Anaheim) would I rather see the Twins play in the first round?
1. Anaheim (season series: 5-4 Anaheim)
This choice should come as no surprise to anyone out there. Statistically speaking, the Angels are probably the least impressive of all the AL contenders. Bartolo Colon, allegedly the ace of this Angel staff, still has a 5.33 ERA. He has been much better in the second has (8-3, 3.79) but is still far from his old dominant self. Kelvim Escobar has been the team’s most consistent starter but is no one to be afraid of. Neither is the wildly inconsistent John Lackey (4.89 ERA). Twins-killer Aaron Sele is really the only guy that scares me on that team, as he’s already pitched well against the Twins three times this season. Besides big boppers Vladimir Guerrero and Jose Guillen, the Angels use their speed to score many of their runs (they’re tops in the majors with 122 stolen bases). Throwing out baserunners is Henry Blanco’s specialty, so he would be a great asset in a series against the Halos. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that the Twins will play the Angels in the first round, as they would have to win the AL West and Oakland would have to win the wild card.
2. Oakland (season series: 5-2 Oakland)
I know there are many people out there that will disagree with me here, but I’m sticking to my guns on this one. My reasoning here isn’t based so much on statistics or head-to-head match-ups as it is intuition. We all remember what happened in October of 2002: an upstart bunch from Minnesota stunned a 103-win Athletics by winning the pivotal game 5 in Oakland. Were the Twins to play the A’s in the first round, there is no doubt that both teams will have that series in the back of their minds. I also took into account how much easier it is to win in Oakland in front of 30,000 laid back Californians as opposed to 60,000 cursing New Yorkers. As important as statistics are, you simply cannot completely discount the impact of the intangibles. That being said, I think Santana vs. Mulder and Radke vs. Hudson, match-ups that would occur twice in a five game series, appear to be almost even. Game three is where the Twins would have some trouble, as Rich Harden pitched very well last month against the Twins and is having a terrific second half. Offensively, the A’s have scored a few more runs (706 vs. 657) and hit a few more homers (171 vs. 162) than the Twins, but both numbers are reasonably close. The Twins have a huge edge in stolen bases (obviously) which could be the deciding factor in a short series. However, given the A’s recent slide, it is highly unlikely that the Twins would get to play them in the first round.
3. New York (season series: 2-1 Twins with 3 games to play)
I’ve seen many people say that the team they hope the play in the first round is the New York Yankees. I’m here to tell them that they’re crazy. Sure, the Yanks haven’t been playing their best baseball of late, and sure, there’s a chance the Twins might beat them, but I want nothing to do with the Yankees in the ALDS. We all know that the Twins are liable to be shut down by the worst of starting pitchers, and the Twins match up very poorly with Orlando Hernandez, in my opinion. After Hernandez (who might actually start Game 1!) things get a little shaky for the Yankees. Javier Vazquez has been very ordinary, and Mike Mussina has yet to regain his velocity after missing a few months with an injury. Kevin Brown just broke his own hand, although he may be back for the playoffs. The bullpen trio of Quantril, Gordon, and Rivera has been overworked this season but will still be very tough.
Despite all these positive signs (for the Twins) the Yankees still have one of the best offenses in the majors. Let’s not forget that A-Rod didn’t play in either of the Twins’ wins against New York at the Dome this year. Sheffield, Jeter, and Matsui are also extremely dangerous hitters. This year, it seems like the Yankees are still the Twins’ most likely first round opponent. While I still think the Twins could win the series, I would rather see the Twins take on the Angels or A’s.
4. Boston (season series: 4-2 Twins)
The Red Sox are the team that no one wants to face come October. They’re the hottest team in the league right now, and feature a squad tailor-made for the postseason. Martinez and Shilling are right on par with Mulder-Hudson and Santana-Radke as far as pitching duos go, although after Keith Foulke their bullpen is a question mark. However, the Boston offense more than makes up for whatever shortcomings they experience on the mound. They’ve built a solid surrounding cast around Ramirez and Ortiz, and their offensive numbers at home (.306 team batting average) are astounding. If the Sox can overtake the Yankees and face the Twins in the ALDS, the Beantown Bombers would most certainly be heavy favorites. This is one team that I want absolutely no part of, even in the ALCS.
Well, there you have it. If you agree or disagree with my opinions, feel free to drop a comment below and I’ll be certain to engage in a lively debate when I get the time. Right now, I’m going to bed. Have a good one, everybody.
1. Anaheim (season series: 5-4 Anaheim)
This choice should come as no surprise to anyone out there. Statistically speaking, the Angels are probably the least impressive of all the AL contenders. Bartolo Colon, allegedly the ace of this Angel staff, still has a 5.33 ERA. He has been much better in the second has (8-3, 3.79) but is still far from his old dominant self. Kelvim Escobar has been the team’s most consistent starter but is no one to be afraid of. Neither is the wildly inconsistent John Lackey (4.89 ERA). Twins-killer Aaron Sele is really the only guy that scares me on that team, as he’s already pitched well against the Twins three times this season. Besides big boppers Vladimir Guerrero and Jose Guillen, the Angels use their speed to score many of their runs (they’re tops in the majors with 122 stolen bases). Throwing out baserunners is Henry Blanco’s specialty, so he would be a great asset in a series against the Halos. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that the Twins will play the Angels in the first round, as they would have to win the AL West and Oakland would have to win the wild card.
2. Oakland (season series: 5-2 Oakland)
I know there are many people out there that will disagree with me here, but I’m sticking to my guns on this one. My reasoning here isn’t based so much on statistics or head-to-head match-ups as it is intuition. We all remember what happened in October of 2002: an upstart bunch from Minnesota stunned a 103-win Athletics by winning the pivotal game 5 in Oakland. Were the Twins to play the A’s in the first round, there is no doubt that both teams will have that series in the back of their minds. I also took into account how much easier it is to win in Oakland in front of 30,000 laid back Californians as opposed to 60,000 cursing New Yorkers. As important as statistics are, you simply cannot completely discount the impact of the intangibles. That being said, I think Santana vs. Mulder and Radke vs. Hudson, match-ups that would occur twice in a five game series, appear to be almost even. Game three is where the Twins would have some trouble, as Rich Harden pitched very well last month against the Twins and is having a terrific second half. Offensively, the A’s have scored a few more runs (706 vs. 657) and hit a few more homers (171 vs. 162) than the Twins, but both numbers are reasonably close. The Twins have a huge edge in stolen bases (obviously) which could be the deciding factor in a short series. However, given the A’s recent slide, it is highly unlikely that the Twins would get to play them in the first round.
3. New York (season series: 2-1 Twins with 3 games to play)
I’ve seen many people say that the team they hope the play in the first round is the New York Yankees. I’m here to tell them that they’re crazy. Sure, the Yanks haven’t been playing their best baseball of late, and sure, there’s a chance the Twins might beat them, but I want nothing to do with the Yankees in the ALDS. We all know that the Twins are liable to be shut down by the worst of starting pitchers, and the Twins match up very poorly with Orlando Hernandez, in my opinion. After Hernandez (who might actually start Game 1!) things get a little shaky for the Yankees. Javier Vazquez has been very ordinary, and Mike Mussina has yet to regain his velocity after missing a few months with an injury. Kevin Brown just broke his own hand, although he may be back for the playoffs. The bullpen trio of Quantril, Gordon, and Rivera has been overworked this season but will still be very tough.
Despite all these positive signs (for the Twins) the Yankees still have one of the best offenses in the majors. Let’s not forget that A-Rod didn’t play in either of the Twins’ wins against New York at the Dome this year. Sheffield, Jeter, and Matsui are also extremely dangerous hitters. This year, it seems like the Yankees are still the Twins’ most likely first round opponent. While I still think the Twins could win the series, I would rather see the Twins take on the Angels or A’s.
4. Boston (season series: 4-2 Twins)
The Red Sox are the team that no one wants to face come October. They’re the hottest team in the league right now, and feature a squad tailor-made for the postseason. Martinez and Shilling are right on par with Mulder-Hudson and Santana-Radke as far as pitching duos go, although after Keith Foulke their bullpen is a question mark. However, the Boston offense more than makes up for whatever shortcomings they experience on the mound. They’ve built a solid surrounding cast around Ramirez and Ortiz, and their offensive numbers at home (.306 team batting average) are astounding. If the Sox can overtake the Yankees and face the Twins in the ALDS, the Beantown Bombers would most certainly be heavy favorites. This is one team that I want absolutely no part of, even in the ALCS.
Well, there you have it. If you agree or disagree with my opinions, feel free to drop a comment below and I’ll be certain to engage in a lively debate when I get the time. Right now, I’m going to bed. Have a good one, everybody.
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Looking Beyond
The Twins have all but wrapped up the division and for the last week both the team and fans have been looking ahead to the postseason roster. Twins players are not only playing for playoff positioning at this point, they are defining their own roles come October. There are even a few players who are now auditioning for next season. For Kyle Lohse, Jason Kubel, Jacque Jones, J.D Durbin, Mike Restovich and Cristian Guzman the end of the season is a time to prove they are worth keeping around next year.
Kyle Lohse –
Lohse is an enigma. He entered the season as the third starter and has struggled the entire year. He has occasionally shown flashes of the stuff that made people think so highly of him. Up until a couple of weeks ago there was still hope that he would emerge as the third starter in this years playoff run. After all, he still has better stuff then his competition but he has been too erratic using it. Lohse’s problems are mental; he is afraid of his fastball and as a result has often gotten behind in the count. That is a recipe for disaster and high pitch counts.
This season is no longer salvageable for Lohse and he may not have a spot on next year’s club with Scott Baker and Durbin set to make the rotation. In the final weeks Lohse needs to get a head start on improving for next year. He needs to show Gardenhire that he is willing to listen and stop frustrating the coaching staff. If he can rebound even a little he has the inside track on the fifth starter spot. If not, next year there will finally be options to replace him and he may find himself in the minors or another organization.
Jason Kubel –
Kubel was called up early so that he would be eligible for the playoff roster. So far he has not been wide eyed in his first taste of the majors. Few players have better minor league seasons then Kubel had (Forgive me, I wanted to include his stats here but for now I’m just lucky to get this post up with the way my internet is performing). In the final weeks of the season into the playoffs he will show whether he wants the right field spot right away or if he needs a little more seasoning. This is his chance to erase any doubts that he is ready and spare himself the same fate as Justin Morneau the last few seasons. Should Kubel struggle he may start the year in the minors barring a great spring.
Jacque Jones –
There is no chance Jones will be on the team next year. There are too many options to replace him and he will cost too much to keep. Jones had a good, albeit occasionally frustrating run with the team. For him, the final weeks are an audition for the rest of the 29 teams in the league. How he performs will only help to determine his market in the off-season.
The “Real Deal” Durbin –
Finally Durbin gets a chance to show if he really is the real deal. It’s been an up and down year for a guy many expected to be in the rotation at some point during the season. First he was injured early and later he struggled upon his promotion to AAA. He remains the team’s top pitching prospect and is unlikely to pitch anywhere but the big leagues next year. A couple of good outings would go a long way toward penciling him in.
Mike Restovich –
Restovich is quickly becoming one of the prospects that did not pan out. He will not see many at bats in the coming weeks and that will make it even harder for him. He has failed to make the Twins find a role for him. Next year he will be 26 and will have to stay with the big club. Now is the time for him to prove that he still might reach his potential. If Kubel needs more time, Restovich may find himself sliding into an opportunity to play and produce.
Cristian Guzman –
Finally there is Cristian Guzman. Statistically Guzman is having an above average season batting .279 with 27 doubles and 67 runs scored while playing good defense. The team has an option for next year somewhere in the 5 million dollar range. The coming weeks will help influence the team on whether he is worth all that money or if its time to cut bait. Guzman can at times play like the best player on the fields and then there are the instances where his head fails him. He is an unimposing hitter at the plate. No doubt the Twins will think long and hard about keeping him when they compare the rest of the players at his position in the league. In the end it may come down to how much money is left over after signing Brad Radke and perhaps Corey Koskie. Now is Guzman’s chance to leave a lasting impression and change some minds.
Kyle Lohse –
Lohse is an enigma. He entered the season as the third starter and has struggled the entire year. He has occasionally shown flashes of the stuff that made people think so highly of him. Up until a couple of weeks ago there was still hope that he would emerge as the third starter in this years playoff run. After all, he still has better stuff then his competition but he has been too erratic using it. Lohse’s problems are mental; he is afraid of his fastball and as a result has often gotten behind in the count. That is a recipe for disaster and high pitch counts.
This season is no longer salvageable for Lohse and he may not have a spot on next year’s club with Scott Baker and Durbin set to make the rotation. In the final weeks Lohse needs to get a head start on improving for next year. He needs to show Gardenhire that he is willing to listen and stop frustrating the coaching staff. If he can rebound even a little he has the inside track on the fifth starter spot. If not, next year there will finally be options to replace him and he may find himself in the minors or another organization.
Jason Kubel –
Kubel was called up early so that he would be eligible for the playoff roster. So far he has not been wide eyed in his first taste of the majors. Few players have better minor league seasons then Kubel had (Forgive me, I wanted to include his stats here but for now I’m just lucky to get this post up with the way my internet is performing). In the final weeks of the season into the playoffs he will show whether he wants the right field spot right away or if he needs a little more seasoning. This is his chance to erase any doubts that he is ready and spare himself the same fate as Justin Morneau the last few seasons. Should Kubel struggle he may start the year in the minors barring a great spring.
Jacque Jones –
There is no chance Jones will be on the team next year. There are too many options to replace him and he will cost too much to keep. Jones had a good, albeit occasionally frustrating run with the team. For him, the final weeks are an audition for the rest of the 29 teams in the league. How he performs will only help to determine his market in the off-season.
The “Real Deal” Durbin –
Finally Durbin gets a chance to show if he really is the real deal. It’s been an up and down year for a guy many expected to be in the rotation at some point during the season. First he was injured early and later he struggled upon his promotion to AAA. He remains the team’s top pitching prospect and is unlikely to pitch anywhere but the big leagues next year. A couple of good outings would go a long way toward penciling him in.
Mike Restovich –
Restovich is quickly becoming one of the prospects that did not pan out. He will not see many at bats in the coming weeks and that will make it even harder for him. He has failed to make the Twins find a role for him. Next year he will be 26 and will have to stay with the big club. Now is the time for him to prove that he still might reach his potential. If Kubel needs more time, Restovich may find himself sliding into an opportunity to play and produce.
Cristian Guzman –
Finally there is Cristian Guzman. Statistically Guzman is having an above average season batting .279 with 27 doubles and 67 runs scored while playing good defense. The team has an option for next year somewhere in the 5 million dollar range. The coming weeks will help influence the team on whether he is worth all that money or if its time to cut bait. Guzman can at times play like the best player on the fields and then there are the instances where his head fails him. He is an unimposing hitter at the plate. No doubt the Twins will think long and hard about keeping him when they compare the rest of the players at his position in the league. In the end it may come down to how much money is left over after signing Brad Radke and perhaps Corey Koskie. Now is Guzman’s chance to leave a lasting impression and change some minds.
Unforeseen Circumstances
NOTE: I meant to post the following last night, but Blogger was down for much of yesterday and this morning. John also tried to write a post, but it didn't go through. Check back tomorrow, when hopefully everything is in working order. Thanks.
As you may have noticed over the past week or so, our posts here at Twins Chatter have become a little more sporadic. I've still been doing my part, but John has been encountering some extreme difficulties with the Internet connection in his building. Unfortunately, until that problem is resolved, John is going to have a tough time posting anything new. I just moved into my new dorm room today (it's a little small, but not Aaron Gleeman-small), so I don't have the time to write a new post tonight. I'll be back tomorrow, however. Until John gets his issues straightened out, about the most you will be able to expect from Twins Chatter is three posts a week. I don't know how the other bloggers out there manage to write every single day (especially those in college), but I simply can't do it on my own. As the division race winds down and the playoffs become a reality rather than probability, we'll be previewing almost every aspect of the postseason. The preview series should begin sometime next week.
In the meantime, anyone have any creative ways to cram two beds, two desks, a couch, and an entertainment center into a small room with all sorts of crazy angles jutting out from the walls? Bueller? Anyone?
As you may have noticed over the past week or so, our posts here at Twins Chatter have become a little more sporadic. I've still been doing my part, but John has been encountering some extreme difficulties with the Internet connection in his building. Unfortunately, until that problem is resolved, John is going to have a tough time posting anything new. I just moved into my new dorm room today (it's a little small, but not Aaron Gleeman-small), so I don't have the time to write a new post tonight. I'll be back tomorrow, however. Until John gets his issues straightened out, about the most you will be able to expect from Twins Chatter is three posts a week. I don't know how the other bloggers out there manage to write every single day (especially those in college), but I simply can't do it on my own. As the division race winds down and the playoffs become a reality rather than probability, we'll be previewing almost every aspect of the postseason. The preview series should begin sometime next week.
In the meantime, anyone have any creative ways to cram two beds, two desks, a couch, and an entertainment center into a small room with all sorts of crazy angles jutting out from the walls? Bueller? Anyone?
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Where's the Beef?
The Twins lost their second consecutive game yesterday afternoon, 4-1 at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles, but mini-slumps like this don’t particularly concern me. The lead still stands at a very comfortable 7 ½ games over the White Sox (who may just have one last gasp left—stay tuned). The magic number is 19 games, which we all know can go down in a hurry. The only thing that I’m a teensy-tiny bit concerned about is the performance of the team’s lineup over the past few games. To paraphrase the legendary Clara Peller, just where is that beef anyway?
The answer to that question, in my opinion, is that the “beef” is currently injured and on the bench. Haven’t noticed a decline in production lately? Take a look at the number of runs the Twins scored the last couple weeks of August: 8, 4, 7, 6, 3, 8, 4, 7, 7, 8, 10, 7, and 8, for an average of about 6.7 runs per game. In September, the totals have been 4, 2, 2, 3, and 1 (2.4 runs/game). The latter games have one giant thing in common: no Corey Koskie. Before Koskie went down with that ankle injury on August 27, he was arguably the team’s hottest and most productive hitter. In his stead, the team has been playing Augie Ojeda and Terry Tiffee. While Tiffee has played extremely well (far better than anyone could have foreseen), he simply isn’t the run producer that Koskie is. An Ojeda hits about as well as Luis Rivas, just without the terrible at-bats and no power whatsoever.
One through five, the Twins are still extremely solid. Stewart has been the quintessential leadoff man since he came off the D.L., and even Jones has been decent in the #2 spot (.337 OBP). Hunter has taken control of the third spot, and I’m sure Gardy has no intention of moving him anytime soon. Morneau, despite the fact that Darrel May possibly discovered his Achilles’ heel the other day, is a force to be reckoned with in the cleanup slot. And Sweet Lew is still batting a robust .304 on September 7, even though many people expected him to fade long ago. There is nothing wrong with five-ninths of the Twins’ lineup. Without Koskie, however, numbers six through nine look a lot more suspect.
During yesterday’s 4-1 loss, the division-leading Twins sent out a lineup that featured a rookie with five games of ML experience (Tiffee), an “all-hit no-field” second basemen that is hitting under .250 (Cuddyer), a defensive specialist threatening to establish a new “Mendoza line” (Blanco), and a minor league journeyman utility infielder (Ojeda). Even with if you replace Ojeda with Guzman, that isn’t exactly a playoff-caliber bottom of the order. I’ll go so far as to say it’s downright embarrassing.
“Okay, Mr. Know-It-All,” you’re probably saying by now, “you’ve highlighted the problem. What exactly do you propose we do about it?” Unfortunately, there is really nothing we can do. Koskie is improving, albeit slowly, and should be ready to in a week or so (hopefully). Cuddyer has been given this one extended opportunity to prove that he really can become the next Jeff Kent, and while he’s shown that he can easily duplicate Kent’s less-than-stellar defense, he been channeling Rivas at the dish. Blanco is simply one of the worst hitters in the major leagues. The Twins knew this when they signed him in the off-season, but Henry, couldn’t you do something OTHER than pop out 2-3 times a game? Perhaps an occasional productive out? Sacrifice bunt? Something? Anything? Christian Guzman is a perfectly good #8 or #9 hitter, but he has no business batting sixth for a playoff-bound team.
The biggest missing piece of the puzzle is obviously Joe Mauer. Can you imagine a Twins lineup that featured Stewart, Jones, Hunter, Morneau, Ford, Koskie, Mauer, Cuddyer, and Guzman? *Sigh* What might have been, huh?
The good news is that despite the team’s lack of offense over the past six games, they still posted a 4-2 record. As the oft-repeated adage goes, it is pitching and defense that win games, and the Twins still have plenty of that. While Blanco might be one of the worst hitters in the league, he’s also one of the best defensive catchers in the league (at least according to Buck Showalter). And with the illustrious duo of Radke and Santana, the Twins are one team that no one wants to face come October.
Will the Twins lack of depth in their lineup be their eventual undoing? Possibly, but for now we’ll just have to rely on what little beef we have healthy. Hey, there’s hardly a shed of beef to be found on a McDonald’s hamburger, and they seem to done pretty well for themselves, haven’t they?
The answer to that question, in my opinion, is that the “beef” is currently injured and on the bench. Haven’t noticed a decline in production lately? Take a look at the number of runs the Twins scored the last couple weeks of August: 8, 4, 7, 6, 3, 8, 4, 7, 7, 8, 10, 7, and 8, for an average of about 6.7 runs per game. In September, the totals have been 4, 2, 2, 3, and 1 (2.4 runs/game). The latter games have one giant thing in common: no Corey Koskie. Before Koskie went down with that ankle injury on August 27, he was arguably the team’s hottest and most productive hitter. In his stead, the team has been playing Augie Ojeda and Terry Tiffee. While Tiffee has played extremely well (far better than anyone could have foreseen), he simply isn’t the run producer that Koskie is. An Ojeda hits about as well as Luis Rivas, just without the terrible at-bats and no power whatsoever.
One through five, the Twins are still extremely solid. Stewart has been the quintessential leadoff man since he came off the D.L., and even Jones has been decent in the #2 spot (.337 OBP). Hunter has taken control of the third spot, and I’m sure Gardy has no intention of moving him anytime soon. Morneau, despite the fact that Darrel May possibly discovered his Achilles’ heel the other day, is a force to be reckoned with in the cleanup slot. And Sweet Lew is still batting a robust .304 on September 7, even though many people expected him to fade long ago. There is nothing wrong with five-ninths of the Twins’ lineup. Without Koskie, however, numbers six through nine look a lot more suspect.
During yesterday’s 4-1 loss, the division-leading Twins sent out a lineup that featured a rookie with five games of ML experience (Tiffee), an “all-hit no-field” second basemen that is hitting under .250 (Cuddyer), a defensive specialist threatening to establish a new “Mendoza line” (Blanco), and a minor league journeyman utility infielder (Ojeda). Even with if you replace Ojeda with Guzman, that isn’t exactly a playoff-caliber bottom of the order. I’ll go so far as to say it’s downright embarrassing.
“Okay, Mr. Know-It-All,” you’re probably saying by now, “you’ve highlighted the problem. What exactly do you propose we do about it?” Unfortunately, there is really nothing we can do. Koskie is improving, albeit slowly, and should be ready to in a week or so (hopefully). Cuddyer has been given this one extended opportunity to prove that he really can become the next Jeff Kent, and while he’s shown that he can easily duplicate Kent’s less-than-stellar defense, he been channeling Rivas at the dish. Blanco is simply one of the worst hitters in the major leagues. The Twins knew this when they signed him in the off-season, but Henry, couldn’t you do something OTHER than pop out 2-3 times a game? Perhaps an occasional productive out? Sacrifice bunt? Something? Anything? Christian Guzman is a perfectly good #8 or #9 hitter, but he has no business batting sixth for a playoff-bound team.
The biggest missing piece of the puzzle is obviously Joe Mauer. Can you imagine a Twins lineup that featured Stewart, Jones, Hunter, Morneau, Ford, Koskie, Mauer, Cuddyer, and Guzman? *Sigh* What might have been, huh?
The good news is that despite the team’s lack of offense over the past six games, they still posted a 4-2 record. As the oft-repeated adage goes, it is pitching and defense that win games, and the Twins still have plenty of that. While Blanco might be one of the worst hitters in the league, he’s also one of the best defensive catchers in the league (at least according to Buck Showalter). And with the illustrious duo of Radke and Santana, the Twins are one team that no one wants to face come October.
Will the Twins lack of depth in their lineup be their eventual undoing? Possibly, but for now we’ll just have to rely on what little beef we have healthy. Hey, there’s hardly a shed of beef to be found on a McDonald’s hamburger, and they seem to done pretty well for themselves, haven’t they?
Sunday, September 05, 2004
And What a Game It Was
It's (belatedly) John's turn to write once again tonight, but I thought that to supplement his new post I would share with you, the reader, a few pictures I took from Friday's 2-0 win over the Royals. I was able to snag some free tickets, and we were treated to yet another amazing performance by one Johan Santana. I'm telling you, if he doesn't win the Cy Young Award then they might as well just do away with the whole damn thing. But that's just me. Anyway, if you're interested feel free to take a look at some of the pictures I took below.
Note: I'm obviously not the greatest photographer in the world and these pictures were taken with a simple point-and-shoot digital camera, so they may appear a little blurry. I've shrunk them down as much as I could, but they also may appear a little big on your browser, depending on the resolution of your monitor. For this, I apoligize.
John (left) and I (right) take our turns being un-photogenic as Johan warms up in the bullpen before the game
A close up on Johan as he prepares to take on the hapless Royals
The view from our seats as Santana deals on the mound
Johan gets a standing ovation after he strikes out the side in the seventh inning. Santana had 11 strikeouts overall.
Jason Kubel takes a swing during his 8th inning pinch-hit appearance (he would later ground out). Kubel got his first ML hit on Saturday
Joe Nathan slams the door on the Royals, earning his 38th save of the season
That's all there is to this little photo album. It's not meant to be a stand-alone post, just a little something to add some variety to the blog. John SHOULD have an all-new post up one of these days, but if he doesn't once again for some reason, I'll be back and writing tomorrow (Tuesday). In the meantime, have a great Labor Day!
-Ryan
Note: I'm obviously not the greatest photographer in the world and these pictures were taken with a simple point-and-shoot digital camera, so they may appear a little blurry. I've shrunk them down as much as I could, but they also may appear a little big on your browser, depending on the resolution of your monitor. For this, I apoligize.
John (left) and I (right) take our turns being un-photogenic as Johan warms up in the bullpen before the game
A close up on Johan as he prepares to take on the hapless Royals
The view from our seats as Santana deals on the mound
Johan gets a standing ovation after he strikes out the side in the seventh inning. Santana had 11 strikeouts overall.
Jason Kubel takes a swing during his 8th inning pinch-hit appearance (he would later ground out). Kubel got his first ML hit on Saturday
Joe Nathan slams the door on the Royals, earning his 38th save of the season
That's all there is to this little photo album. It's not meant to be a stand-alone post, just a little something to add some variety to the blog. John SHOULD have an all-new post up one of these days, but if he doesn't once again for some reason, I'll be back and writing tomorrow (Tuesday). In the meantime, have a great Labor Day!
-Ryan
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Coasting to the Finish Line
First of all, I would like to apoligize on behalf of John for his lack of a new post yesterday. The college lifestyle can be hectic, and blogging is often not a top priority (nor should it be, in my opinion). Plus, John has been having some computer problems in his new living accommodations.
Last night, the Twins finished off the three game sweep of the Rangers, pretty much knocking them out of the playoff race. Brad Radke pitched arguably his best game of the season, and it was great to see him bounce back after such a terrible outing last week. He had a whopping nine strikeouts, a huge number for him, to go along with his usual one walk in eight outstanding innings. The Twins were able to score enough runs to get Brad his 10th win, despite leaving 16 men on base.
Tonight, however, is the real treat: Johan "Cy Young" Santana will be on the mound to take on the Royals. Yesterday, Johan was named the AL's Pitcher of the Month for the month of August. He had already won the award in July and is the first pitcher since Barry Zito in 2001 to win the award in consecutive months. I was able to procure some spectacular seats for my birthday the other day, so John and I will be in attendence. Feel free to stop by and say hi before the game, as we'll be in row 13 of section 120 (right behind the visitor's dugout). I'll be the one in the Shannon Stewart jersey and John will probably be wearing his red hat. Also, I'm sure you are welcome to join the group of Batgirl readers that will be sitting in section 141. It should be a great game and tons of fun!
Sorry about the truncated length of today's post, but I was still holding out some hope that John would get it together in time to post tonight so I got started late. No matter. Twins Chatter will be back in all its full-figured glory on Monday, so be sure and check back here next week! Until then, take care everybody.
-RPM
Anyone else think we might have a no-no on our hands tonight? You never know with this guy...
Last night, the Twins finished off the three game sweep of the Rangers, pretty much knocking them out of the playoff race. Brad Radke pitched arguably his best game of the season, and it was great to see him bounce back after such a terrible outing last week. He had a whopping nine strikeouts, a huge number for him, to go along with his usual one walk in eight outstanding innings. The Twins were able to score enough runs to get Brad his 10th win, despite leaving 16 men on base.
Tonight, however, is the real treat: Johan "Cy Young" Santana will be on the mound to take on the Royals. Yesterday, Johan was named the AL's Pitcher of the Month for the month of August. He had already won the award in July and is the first pitcher since Barry Zito in 2001 to win the award in consecutive months. I was able to procure some spectacular seats for my birthday the other day, so John and I will be in attendence. Feel free to stop by and say hi before the game, as we'll be in row 13 of section 120 (right behind the visitor's dugout). I'll be the one in the Shannon Stewart jersey and John will probably be wearing his red hat. Also, I'm sure you are welcome to join the group of Batgirl readers that will be sitting in section 141. It should be a great game and tons of fun!
Sorry about the truncated length of today's post, but I was still holding out some hope that John would get it together in time to post tonight so I got started late. No matter. Twins Chatter will be back in all its full-figured glory on Monday, so be sure and check back here next week! Until then, take care everybody.
-RPM
Anyone else think we might have a no-no on our hands tonight? You never know with this guy...
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
The Mark of a Winner
Manager’s Scenario: The date is August 31. Your team’s roster is in flux because of the impending postseason roster deadline, and you only have five pitchers available in the bullpen. To make matters worse, two of your six regular infielders are unavailable, meaning there is no way you can pinch-hit for two of your worst hitters (both of whom are now starting on the infield). Given this unenviable scenario, what are some of the WORST possible situations that could occur in that night’s game?
Answer(s):
1. Your starter (the one who has grossly underachieved all season long) almost immediately blows a four-run lead and lasts just 4 2/3 innings while allowing five runs.
2. Your worst hitter, the same one you now unable to pinch-hit for, leaves a total of five men on base, which includes leaving the go-ahead run on second base twice late in the game.
3. The game goes into extra innings, meaning your already short-handed bullpen will have to pitch even longer.
4. Your closer and best reliever is forced to leave the game after just one batter due to a cut on his pitching hand, leaving you with only one relief pitcher in a tie ballgame.
Does that sound like enough adversity for you, Mr. Manager?
The scary thing is, every single one of those things happened to the Twins last night and they still won the game! Against one of the best teams in the league! How amazing is that!? Yesterday’s victory definitely exemplified the spirit of this Twins team. They had to deal with injuries and extenuating all season long (especially in the first half), yet they still manage to come out victorious in the end. After Nathan’s incident (he reached for a chopper with his throwing hand and suffered a cut on his ring finger) I was not optimistic about the Twins’ chances. Rincon didn’t have much time to warm up and was also the last man standing in the bullpen because of the pre-September roster shuffle. The Twins had the bottom of their lineup coming up the next inning, and the Rangers had closer Francisco Cordero (he of the 1.75 ERA) warming up in the bullpen. When Kubel (pinch-hitting for Blanco) and Ojeda were quickly retired to start the bottom of the 11th, I began to wonder just how long Rincon could hold out against arguably the best lineup in the American League.
But my apprehension was unnecessary. Stewart and Jones eked out lucky singles, and then Torii Hunter, shedding his old “Mr. Anti-Clutch” moniker in favor of the more appropriate “Mr. Extra-Inning Hero”, deposited a hanging slider from Carlos Almanzar into the leftfield stands for a dramatic, two-out, game-winning three-run home run. I could not resist jumping for joy. Yesterday also happened to be my birthday, and I couldn’t have asked for a better present.
Jottings As you might already know, the Twins acquired 41-year-old über-veteran catcher Pat Borders yesterday for former #1 pick B.J. Garbe. I, for one, think this was a very good move on the Twins part. Borders is very old, yes, and he is not going to hit any better than Henry Blanco, but he is solid defensively and has postseason experience. There is almost no chance that Joe Mauer will be ready to catch by the playoffs, and any team with World Series aspirations had better not have a AA player as their backup catcher (which Rob Bowen would have been). Borders will provide some veteran stability and allow Gardenhire to pinch-hit for Blanco late in the game without losing much (if anything) defensively.
<-Pat Borders
It’s also about time that these B.J. Garbe delusions came to an end. Garbe was the fifth pick overall in the 1999 draft and the Twins gave him a whopping $2.75 million signing bonus. He has been a complete bust ever since, underperforming in five of his six minor league seasons (the lone exception coming in Rookie ball). He’s hit under .243 for the past five years, including a .201 batting average this year (with just 3 HRs and 35 RBIs in almost 400 at-bats). To make matters worse, Garbe has been eating a 40-man roster spot for the past two years, one that will be put to much better use this upcoming off-season. It’s about time Terry Ryan and the Twins simply admitted that they made a mistake with Garbe. Who knows? Garbe is still a tremendous athlete, so maybe he will find his way in the Mariners organization. But I seriously doubt it.
That’s all I’ve got for now, but what a day August 31 was. Besides being my birthday, today featured one of the better Twins games we will see all season. In slightly related news, yesterday also featured one of the most satisfying box scores of the year: Indians 22, Yankees 0. How great is it to see the Yankees get their asses kicked like that! It truly doesn’t get much better.
Be sure to stop by tomorrow, as John will undoubtedly have a great new post up as the Twins continue their drive towards a third consecutive division title.
Ah, how sweet it is
Answer(s):
1. Your starter (the one who has grossly underachieved all season long) almost immediately blows a four-run lead and lasts just 4 2/3 innings while allowing five runs.
2. Your worst hitter, the same one you now unable to pinch-hit for, leaves a total of five men on base, which includes leaving the go-ahead run on second base twice late in the game.
3. The game goes into extra innings, meaning your already short-handed bullpen will have to pitch even longer.
4. Your closer and best reliever is forced to leave the game after just one batter due to a cut on his pitching hand, leaving you with only one relief pitcher in a tie ballgame.
Does that sound like enough adversity for you, Mr. Manager?
The scary thing is, every single one of those things happened to the Twins last night and they still won the game! Against one of the best teams in the league! How amazing is that!? Yesterday’s victory definitely exemplified the spirit of this Twins team. They had to deal with injuries and extenuating all season long (especially in the first half), yet they still manage to come out victorious in the end. After Nathan’s incident (he reached for a chopper with his throwing hand and suffered a cut on his ring finger) I was not optimistic about the Twins’ chances. Rincon didn’t have much time to warm up and was also the last man standing in the bullpen because of the pre-September roster shuffle. The Twins had the bottom of their lineup coming up the next inning, and the Rangers had closer Francisco Cordero (he of the 1.75 ERA) warming up in the bullpen. When Kubel (pinch-hitting for Blanco) and Ojeda were quickly retired to start the bottom of the 11th, I began to wonder just how long Rincon could hold out against arguably the best lineup in the American League.
But my apprehension was unnecessary. Stewart and Jones eked out lucky singles, and then Torii Hunter, shedding his old “Mr. Anti-Clutch” moniker in favor of the more appropriate “Mr. Extra-Inning Hero”, deposited a hanging slider from Carlos Almanzar into the leftfield stands for a dramatic, two-out, game-winning three-run home run. I could not resist jumping for joy. Yesterday also happened to be my birthday, and I couldn’t have asked for a better present.
<-Pat Borders
It’s also about time that these B.J. Garbe delusions came to an end. Garbe was the fifth pick overall in the 1999 draft and the Twins gave him a whopping $2.75 million signing bonus. He has been a complete bust ever since, underperforming in five of his six minor league seasons (the lone exception coming in Rookie ball). He’s hit under .243 for the past five years, including a .201 batting average this year (with just 3 HRs and 35 RBIs in almost 400 at-bats). To make matters worse, Garbe has been eating a 40-man roster spot for the past two years, one that will be put to much better use this upcoming off-season. It’s about time Terry Ryan and the Twins simply admitted that they made a mistake with Garbe. Who knows? Garbe is still a tremendous athlete, so maybe he will find his way in the Mariners organization. But I seriously doubt it.
That’s all I’ve got for now, but what a day August 31 was. Besides being my birthday, today featured one of the better Twins games we will see all season. In slightly related news, yesterday also featured one of the most satisfying box scores of the year: Indians 22, Yankees 0. How great is it to see the Yankees get their asses kicked like that! It truly doesn’t get much better.
Be sure to stop by tomorrow, as John will undoubtedly have a great new post up as the Twins continue their drive towards a third consecutive division title.
Ah, how sweet it is
Monday, August 30, 2004
Decisions Afoot
Call it the calm before the storm. Just don’t expect this storm to have much thunder and lightening. Yesterday the Twins had an off day while much of the speculation centered on the formation of the playoff roster and the August 31 waiver trade deadline. Decisions for both must be made today, with the team having a little leeway with its roster because 3 players are on the disabled list. The team has already called up top prospect Jason Kubel and has left open the option of keeping flamethrower Jesse Crain for the October roster. The question remains of whether the team will add any help from outside the organization before the deadline.
The chances of that happening are very slim. The Star Tribune reports, “the two holes the Twins would most like to fill – lefthanded bullpen help and a catcher – are particularly hard positions to fill now.” There just doesn’t seem to be a whole lot out there that will even slightly upgrade the roster. Many players who can help simply did not get through waivers, while the ones that did either aren’t very good or way overpaid. Colorado catcher Charles Johnson is an example of both. It would not be worth messing with the chemistry by making a deal to say they did and would be highly uncharacteristic of Terry Ryan to do so.
As I have stated before, my belief is the Twin’s biggest hole is in their rotation. The reality is it is too late in the season to fix this flaw unless someone within the organization steps up and according to the Star Tribune, “doesn’t appear to be a main objective.” At this point Terry Ryan cannot be blamed for not liking what he sees out there. However, if this team falters in the playoffs after a serious of poor outings from pitchers not named Brad and Johan, the organization does deserve criticism for not going the extra step earlier in the season in an attempt to get to the next level.
Interestingly enough, the team does have the third best starter ERA in the league at 4.26. There seems to be a hope coming from the organization that someone will step up and take the third spot in the final month of the season with each pitcher bringing a special attribute to the competion. There has been hardly any mention of what will happen when the team needs a 4th starter, almost a certainty should the team go deep into the playoffs. The Twins cannot expect Brad Radke and Johan Santana to handle the workload of a 3-man playoff rotation and expect success. Neither has ever had to do anything similar before in their careers. It is also ironic that much of the blame Oakland received for losing to the Twins 2 years ago came from using a 3 man rotation and now the Twins seem destined to do the same whether they receive the extra day in the division series or not.
Kubel Time
The promotion of Jason Kubel has a lot of people excited. I even saw one fan that believed the Twins had a deal in the works to move Jacque Jones and make room for Kubel now. That is probably not the plan. He is going to play when the team thinks he will help. That means the occasional start and mostly as a weapon off the bench. I don’t see him cracking the starting lineup before the playoffs but he certainly provides for better late inning match-ups. Who would you rather have coming to the plate in the middle of the 8th inning of a tie game with runners on base, Luis Rivas or Jason Kubel?
Next year I don’t expect Jacque Jones to return. Matt LeCroy will still be around to give the team an option of starting Kubel in the minors. The rest is all up to Kubel. Either he starts in the big leagues or he’ll play in the minors. He probably will not sit on the bench. He’ll get some competition for the job from LeCroy and Mike Restovich but the obvious top choice for the organization is for Kubel to step into that role. There are many people out there who expect him to do just that.
The chances of that happening are very slim. The Star Tribune reports, “the two holes the Twins would most like to fill – lefthanded bullpen help and a catcher – are particularly hard positions to fill now.” There just doesn’t seem to be a whole lot out there that will even slightly upgrade the roster. Many players who can help simply did not get through waivers, while the ones that did either aren’t very good or way overpaid. Colorado catcher Charles Johnson is an example of both. It would not be worth messing with the chemistry by making a deal to say they did and would be highly uncharacteristic of Terry Ryan to do so.
As I have stated before, my belief is the Twin’s biggest hole is in their rotation. The reality is it is too late in the season to fix this flaw unless someone within the organization steps up and according to the Star Tribune, “doesn’t appear to be a main objective.” At this point Terry Ryan cannot be blamed for not liking what he sees out there. However, if this team falters in the playoffs after a serious of poor outings from pitchers not named Brad and Johan, the organization does deserve criticism for not going the extra step earlier in the season in an attempt to get to the next level.
Interestingly enough, the team does have the third best starter ERA in the league at 4.26. There seems to be a hope coming from the organization that someone will step up and take the third spot in the final month of the season with each pitcher bringing a special attribute to the competion. There has been hardly any mention of what will happen when the team needs a 4th starter, almost a certainty should the team go deep into the playoffs. The Twins cannot expect Brad Radke and Johan Santana to handle the workload of a 3-man playoff rotation and expect success. Neither has ever had to do anything similar before in their careers. It is also ironic that much of the blame Oakland received for losing to the Twins 2 years ago came from using a 3 man rotation and now the Twins seem destined to do the same whether they receive the extra day in the division series or not.
Kubel Time
The promotion of Jason Kubel has a lot of people excited. I even saw one fan that believed the Twins had a deal in the works to move Jacque Jones and make room for Kubel now. That is probably not the plan. He is going to play when the team thinks he will help. That means the occasional start and mostly as a weapon off the bench. I don’t see him cracking the starting lineup before the playoffs but he certainly provides for better late inning match-ups. Who would you rather have coming to the plate in the middle of the 8th inning of a tie game with runners on base, Luis Rivas or Jason Kubel?
Next year I don’t expect Jacque Jones to return. Matt LeCroy will still be around to give the team an option of starting Kubel in the minors. The rest is all up to Kubel. Either he starts in the big leagues or he’ll play in the minors. He probably will not sit on the bench. He’ll get some competition for the job from LeCroy and Mike Restovich but the obvious top choice for the organization is for Kubel to step into that role. There are many people out there who expect him to do just that.
Glancing Back, Peering Ahead
“The reason that you have the big lead is so that you’re still in first when something like this happens.”
-Joe Torre after the Red Sox cut the Yankees’ lead in the AL East to 5 ½ games
When I heard Torre say this on TV the other day, I was struck by the simple yet often overlooked truth of the statement. I think it applies very well to the Twins’ current situation. Sure, they lost 2 of 3 to the Angels this weekend and finished the road trip with a 3-4 record, but when you have a 7 or 8 game lead, such things are mere trivialities. It also helps that the Indians and ChiSox did their part by splitting a four game series over the weekend.
In all actuality, there is absolutely no shame in winning one game against the Angels and then coming close in another (damn you, Adam Kennedy). Even the Yankees weren’t able to do as much last week when they were swept by the Halos. Brad Radke experienced a little hiccup on Friday, but Santana further solidified his already-solid case for the AL Cy Young award on Saturday. Even Carlos Silva got into the act yesterday, pitching five pretty decent innings while allowing one run. If the Twins can catch a break with their playoff schedule and get that extra day off during the Division Series (as they did last year), Gardy might just have found his third starter. Neither Lohse nor Mulholland nor Silva has pitched well enough overall to actually deserve to start in the postseason, but if the Twins can squeeze five innings from Silva in a Game 3 and then piece the rest together with the bullpen, it might just be crazy enough to work.
Mauer Matters
If you looked carefully at the Twins’ dugout this past road trip, you probably saw a familiar (and welcome) face: Joe Mauer. Mauer has joined the team and is taking batting practice as his injured knee heals. Terry Ryan talked a little about Mauer on the WCCO “Inside Twins Baseball” show yesterday, and I was slightly encouraged by what he had to say. He said that Joe has looked very good swinging the bat and is experiencing minimal soreness in his knee. I also gleaned that from TR that it is unlikely Mauer will catch much (if at all) this year. It does sound like he might be ready to hit before the end of the year, however. How can does this affect the Twins’ postseason roster plans? Since Mauer is on the DL, he can be “added” to the postseason roster until almost right before the playoffs begin, so there is no rush with activating him before Tuesday’s deadline. The real question is, do the Twins have room on their postseason roster for another left-handed pinch hitter, even one as good as Joe Mauer? They already have one in Jose Offerman, and the only two starters who Gardenhire would actually consider pinch-hitting for are Blanco and Rivas. If Mauer can’t even enter the game as even a one or two inning defensive replacement for Blanco, then his usefulness as a pinch hitter diminishes greatly. The Twins would then have to use a roster spot on Rob Bowen as well. This is however something to consider as Mauer continues to improve and October looms near…
Jason Kubel Called Up
Another thing Terry Ryan discussed during yesterday’s radio program was that the Twins were going to make some moves before the August 31 roster deadline. The first of these moves was made last night, as the team called up #1 prospect Jason Kubel. This was expected, as the Kubel needed to be with the team on the deadline in order to be eligible for the postseason roster. If you remember, the Twins did the same thing in 2002 with Cuddyer and he hit pretty well in the ALDS that year. Also, if you’d like a little more information on Kubel, be sure to check out this post from Aaron Gleeman the other day. Jesse Crain was “sent down” to make room for Kubel, but he isn’t going anywhere. All this means is that he’ll be unavailable for Tuesday’s game before he is “recalled” when rosters expand on Wednesday, September 1. The team will probably make a least one or two more roster moves either tomorrow or Tuesday, so stay tuned.
10,000 Strong
By the time you read this, Twins Chatter will have been visited by over 10,000 people in the 144 days we have been online. I believe we’ve found our “niche” as one of the better lesser-known Twins blogs, right behind the big boys over at Twins Geek, Aaron’s Baseball Blog, Batgirl, and also Seth Speaks. Even spread out over 5 months, 10,000 is a pretty big number, and on behalf of Twins Chatter I want to thank everyone who’s comes by to check us out. You’re still here, so we must be doing something right :)! We plan on remaining your source for Twins talk all the way through the playoffs and even during the off-season.
The Twins have an off-day tomorrow, so plan on seeing more postseason roster speculation in this space. We should have more information about what the Twins plan on doing by then, and no doubt John (or I) will feel the need to put in our two cents worth. Until then, take care everyone.
Adam Kennedy, that accursed Rally Monkey lives in thee
When I heard Torre say this on TV the other day, I was struck by the simple yet often overlooked truth of the statement. I think it applies very well to the Twins’ current situation. Sure, they lost 2 of 3 to the Angels this weekend and finished the road trip with a 3-4 record, but when you have a 7 or 8 game lead, such things are mere trivialities. It also helps that the Indians and ChiSox did their part by splitting a four game series over the weekend.
In all actuality, there is absolutely no shame in winning one game against the Angels and then coming close in another (damn you, Adam Kennedy). Even the Yankees weren’t able to do as much last week when they were swept by the Halos. Brad Radke experienced a little hiccup on Friday, but Santana further solidified his already-solid case for the AL Cy Young award on Saturday. Even Carlos Silva got into the act yesterday, pitching five pretty decent innings while allowing one run. If the Twins can catch a break with their playoff schedule and get that extra day off during the Division Series (as they did last year), Gardy might just have found his third starter. Neither Lohse nor Mulholland nor Silva has pitched well enough overall to actually deserve to start in the postseason, but if the Twins can squeeze five innings from Silva in a Game 3 and then piece the rest together with the bullpen, it might just be crazy enough to work.
Mauer Matters
If you looked carefully at the Twins’ dugout this past road trip, you probably saw a familiar (and welcome) face: Joe Mauer. Mauer has joined the team and is taking batting practice as his injured knee heals. Terry Ryan talked a little about Mauer on the WCCO “Inside Twins Baseball” show yesterday, and I was slightly encouraged by what he had to say. He said that Joe has looked very good swinging the bat and is experiencing minimal soreness in his knee. I also gleaned that from TR that it is unlikely Mauer will catch much (if at all) this year. It does sound like he might be ready to hit before the end of the year, however. How can does this affect the Twins’ postseason roster plans? Since Mauer is on the DL, he can be “added” to the postseason roster until almost right before the playoffs begin, so there is no rush with activating him before Tuesday’s deadline. The real question is, do the Twins have room on their postseason roster for another left-handed pinch hitter, even one as good as Joe Mauer? They already have one in Jose Offerman, and the only two starters who Gardenhire would actually consider pinch-hitting for are Blanco and Rivas. If Mauer can’t even enter the game as even a one or two inning defensive replacement for Blanco, then his usefulness as a pinch hitter diminishes greatly. The Twins would then have to use a roster spot on Rob Bowen as well. This is however something to consider as Mauer continues to improve and October looms near…
Jason Kubel Called Up
Another thing Terry Ryan discussed during yesterday’s radio program was that the Twins were going to make some moves before the August 31 roster deadline. The first of these moves was made last night, as the team called up #1 prospect Jason Kubel. This was expected, as the Kubel needed to be with the team on the deadline in order to be eligible for the postseason roster. If you remember, the Twins did the same thing in 2002 with Cuddyer and he hit pretty well in the ALDS that year. Also, if you’d like a little more information on Kubel, be sure to check out this post from Aaron Gleeman the other day. Jesse Crain was “sent down” to make room for Kubel, but he isn’t going anywhere. All this means is that he’ll be unavailable for Tuesday’s game before he is “recalled” when rosters expand on Wednesday, September 1. The team will probably make a least one or two more roster moves either tomorrow or Tuesday, so stay tuned.
10,000 Strong
By the time you read this, Twins Chatter will have been visited by over 10,000 people in the 144 days we have been online. I believe we’ve found our “niche” as one of the better lesser-known Twins blogs, right behind the big boys over at Twins Geek, Aaron’s Baseball Blog, Batgirl, and also Seth Speaks. Even spread out over 5 months, 10,000 is a pretty big number, and on behalf of Twins Chatter I want to thank everyone who’s comes by to check us out. You’re still here, so we must be doing something right :)! We plan on remaining your source for Twins talk all the way through the playoffs and even during the off-season.
The Twins have an off-day tomorrow, so plan on seeing more postseason roster speculation in this space. We should have more information about what the Twins plan on doing by then, and no doubt John (or I) will feel the need to put in our two cents worth. Until then, take care everyone.
Adam Kennedy, that accursed Rally Monkey lives in thee
Friday, August 27, 2004
Setting the Playoff Rotation
There was a possibility of the Twins employing a grizzled veteran as their third starter in the playoffs come October. That dream may have died last night as Terry Muholland came back down to earth against Texas. It may have been his worst outing of the season as he went 3.2 innings while allowing 7 runs. He wasn’t even able to stay in the game and eat innings for the team. It was a rude reminder of why he only cost the team a dollar, way back at the beginning of the season. The Texas lineup is filled with the kind of power the Twins can expect to see in the playoffs and was able to expose Muholland and his lack of stuff.
The last 3 starts have done little to clear up the dilemma that is the Twins playoff third starter. Carlos Silva remains the front-runner with a nasty habit of putting guys on base. Kyle Lohse returned to his old crappy self, failing to run with a huge early lead. Even J.D Durbin has been hit hard recently in AAA. It is beginning to look more like a competition of who can suck the least.
The only reason this is a topic worth discussing these days is the Twins large lead in the division almost assures they will be in the playoffs. Now is the time to look ahead in preparation to advance further then the last 2 years. The lack of a quality third starter means the Twins are going to have to role the dice and hope their 2 Aces are able to win close to 90% of their games. Luckily there aren’t a lot of teams out there with 2 pitchers who have pitched as well as Brad Radke and Johan Santana.
Another reason for optimism is the propensity for certain players to emerge in the playoffs. Just like when some stars choke when it matters, other fringe players make their names in the playoffs. No one expected Jaret Wright to be the Indians Ace in 1997. Last year Josh Becket and Carl Pavano pitched much better in the playoffs then the regular season. Their surprise excellence was the reason the Marlins won the Series.
It is hard to identify whether the Twins have that player capable of making a big impact. It is certainly not Carlos Silva. He may pitch one or two good games but eventually all the hits he gives up will catch up to him. Who know though, maybe 1 or 2 good games are all the Twins would need. Kyle Lohse would seem to fit the mold. In previous years it appeared that he pitched better in big games but last year he was terrible in his playoff outing and this year he has continued to struggle in every kind of outing.
Any surprise performance would have to come from a pitcher with good stuff and a makeup not prone to getting rattled. The Twins have 2 young pitchers in Scott Baker and Durbin who the league hasn’t seen yet, which could also work to their advantage. If the Twins are going to hit it big it would have to be with one of those 2 pitchers. They have not performed well enough to warrant a promotion but the other starters may not leave the organization an option. It is not good enough to make the playoffs this year; everything is in place to advance deep into them. The only ingredient missing is the third starter. Who will answer the call and how long must we wait to find out?
The last 3 starts have done little to clear up the dilemma that is the Twins playoff third starter. Carlos Silva remains the front-runner with a nasty habit of putting guys on base. Kyle Lohse returned to his old crappy self, failing to run with a huge early lead. Even J.D Durbin has been hit hard recently in AAA. It is beginning to look more like a competition of who can suck the least.
The only reason this is a topic worth discussing these days is the Twins large lead in the division almost assures they will be in the playoffs. Now is the time to look ahead in preparation to advance further then the last 2 years. The lack of a quality third starter means the Twins are going to have to role the dice and hope their 2 Aces are able to win close to 90% of their games. Luckily there aren’t a lot of teams out there with 2 pitchers who have pitched as well as Brad Radke and Johan Santana.
Another reason for optimism is the propensity for certain players to emerge in the playoffs. Just like when some stars choke when it matters, other fringe players make their names in the playoffs. No one expected Jaret Wright to be the Indians Ace in 1997. Last year Josh Becket and Carl Pavano pitched much better in the playoffs then the regular season. Their surprise excellence was the reason the Marlins won the Series.
It is hard to identify whether the Twins have that player capable of making a big impact. It is certainly not Carlos Silva. He may pitch one or two good games but eventually all the hits he gives up will catch up to him. Who know though, maybe 1 or 2 good games are all the Twins would need. Kyle Lohse would seem to fit the mold. In previous years it appeared that he pitched better in big games but last year he was terrible in his playoff outing and this year he has continued to struggle in every kind of outing.
Any surprise performance would have to come from a pitcher with good stuff and a makeup not prone to getting rattled. The Twins have 2 young pitchers in Scott Baker and Durbin who the league hasn’t seen yet, which could also work to their advantage. If the Twins are going to hit it big it would have to be with one of those 2 pitchers. They have not performed well enough to warrant a promotion but the other starters may not leave the organization an option. It is not good enough to make the playoffs this year; everything is in place to advance deep into them. The only ingredient missing is the third starter. Who will answer the call and how long must we wait to find out?
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Not-So-Super Joe Escapes; The Fall of Kyle Lohse
I had originally planned on focusing solely on Kyle Lohse in today’s entry, but I decided Joe Nathan’s Eddie-like save last night cannot go un-commented upon.
As most of you already know, Nathan entered last night’s game with the easiest possible scenario a closer can face: no one on base with a three run lead. Many baseball purists believe that a save shouldn’t even be awarded in this situation. They contend that almost any major league caliber pitcher should be able to go one inning without allowing three runs or more. For a guy that had allowed just five runs the entire season before a week ago, this should not have been a problem. Unfortunately, it was a problem. Nathan didn’t allow any runs, but he gave the Rangers a good chance to win by loading the bases. Obviously Joe is struggling right now, and I’m sure he’d tell you exactly why this is the case: Nathan isn’t attacking hitters like he used to. He’s nit-picking at the corners, trying to be too fine. Earth to Joe! You can throw a baseball 97 mph! Keep the ball below the belt and get it in the general vicinity of the catcher’s glove and you will be just fine. Most players can’t hit that stuff and by pitching around them you are doing these guys a tremendous favor. I heard Joe acknowledge his problem after the game, so hopefully he can get it straightened out before his next appearance. I certainly hope so, because I liked the way things used to be. I’m talking about the Xantax-free save, a Minnesota rarity before this season and something I was getting used to with Super Joe.
The Rise (And Subsequent Fall) of Kyle Lohse
When the Twins jumped out to a four-run lead in the first inning of last night’s 8-5 win, it seemed to be the perfect situation for Kyle Lohse. Here was a guy that has been struggling for almost the entire season. Before he even steps on the mound he’s got a nice little safety net beneath him. Less pressure should translate into a better performance, but such was not the case last night for Lohse. He hung a curveball to Blalock in the first and the lead was prompt cut in half.
Overall, Lohse once again pitched poorly, failing to build off his last start—a 7 inning 3 hit win over Cleveland last week. We all hoped that he had turned the corner but it simply did not happen. It is plain to see that Lohse can’t locate his fastball at all and hangs seemingly every other curveball, but let’s compare some of his numbers from the last two seasons with this year:
2002
This was Kyle’s best season statistically, and he was a key member of that 94 win team. His ERA was a stellar 4.23, although he threw only 180.1 innings. He allowed 181 hits and 70 walks for a 1.39 WHIP. His 124 strikeouts lead to a 6.18 K/9 ratio and a 1.77 K/BB ratio. Those were great numbers for a #5 starter and seemed like something to build off for Lohse.
2003
Last year wasn’t a step forward for Lohse but it also wasn’t really a step back either. Kyle’s 4.61 ERA was a little high, and his 211 hits allowed (including 28 HRs) in 201 innings wasn’t overly impressive either. But Lohse did cut down on his walks (45) and improved his strikeouts (130), both of which were positive signs. Lohse seemed to fit right in on the Twins’ staff: lots of hits but few free passes. At multiple points during the season he seemed very close to putting it all together, which garnered him his first playoff start against Roger Clemens and the Yankees.
2004
This year has been a letdown for Lohse almost since Day 1. In 27 starts, Lohse has only 9 “quality starts” (6+ innings with three earned runs or less). I question the definition of a “quality start”, and looking back at those games one can safely question the “quality” of at least two of those starts. In reality, Lohse has had pitched up to his potential a mere 7 times this season, the most obvious example being his complete game shutout of the Royals on July 7. His ERA currently stands at 5.35 and he’s had a monthly ERA over 5 every month except one. He’s already walked 12 more batters than last year in almost 50 fewer innings; he’s allowed more runs (93) and hits (196) already this year than he did the entire 2002 season and is quickly approaching his 2003 totals in those areas. His K/BB and K/9 ratios have obviously suffered as well. Lohse’s 1.38 K/BB ratio is one of the worst in the American League among starters, and this coming from a guy who doesn’t have the electric stuff of a Victor Zambrano (who walks a ton of guys but doesn’t give up very many hits).
All those statistics only confirm what we knew all along: Lohse is walking way more batters than normal, striking out far fewer than he has in the past, and is allowing WAY too many hits. Add it all up and you get a pretty predictable result: multiple schalackings such as the one that occurred last night. Five runs in five innings wouldn’t be that big a deal if Lohse hadn’t been doing the exact same thing all season long. A contender (or any team for that matter) needs more than five innings from a #3 starter, and Lohse has officially proved that he is no longer this team’s #3 guy. Frankly, I doubt that he will come around before the season is over.
That raises the obvious question: if not Lohse, then who will take the ball in Game 3 of the ALDS? It’s a topic we’ve discussed in length before and one that we will no doubt explore in much more detail as the playoffs get closer Thanks for stopping by Twins Chatter today, and be sure to check out John’s post tomorrow. Have a good one, everybody.
-Ryan M.
Twinsfan21@msn.com
As most of you already know, Nathan entered last night’s game with the easiest possible scenario a closer can face: no one on base with a three run lead. Many baseball purists believe that a save shouldn’t even be awarded in this situation. They contend that almost any major league caliber pitcher should be able to go one inning without allowing three runs or more. For a guy that had allowed just five runs the entire season before a week ago, this should not have been a problem. Unfortunately, it was a problem. Nathan didn’t allow any runs, but he gave the Rangers a good chance to win by loading the bases. Obviously Joe is struggling right now, and I’m sure he’d tell you exactly why this is the case: Nathan isn’t attacking hitters like he used to. He’s nit-picking at the corners, trying to be too fine. Earth to Joe! You can throw a baseball 97 mph! Keep the ball below the belt and get it in the general vicinity of the catcher’s glove and you will be just fine. Most players can’t hit that stuff and by pitching around them you are doing these guys a tremendous favor. I heard Joe acknowledge his problem after the game, so hopefully he can get it straightened out before his next appearance. I certainly hope so, because I liked the way things used to be. I’m talking about the Xantax-free save, a Minnesota rarity before this season and something I was getting used to with Super Joe.
The Rise (And Subsequent Fall) of Kyle Lohse
When the Twins jumped out to a four-run lead in the first inning of last night’s 8-5 win, it seemed to be the perfect situation for Kyle Lohse. Here was a guy that has been struggling for almost the entire season. Before he even steps on the mound he’s got a nice little safety net beneath him. Less pressure should translate into a better performance, but such was not the case last night for Lohse. He hung a curveball to Blalock in the first and the lead was prompt cut in half.
Overall, Lohse once again pitched poorly, failing to build off his last start—a 7 inning 3 hit win over Cleveland last week. We all hoped that he had turned the corner but it simply did not happen. It is plain to see that Lohse can’t locate his fastball at all and hangs seemingly every other curveball, but let’s compare some of his numbers from the last two seasons with this year:
2002
This was Kyle’s best season statistically, and he was a key member of that 94 win team. His ERA was a stellar 4.23, although he threw only 180.1 innings. He allowed 181 hits and 70 walks for a 1.39 WHIP. His 124 strikeouts lead to a 6.18 K/9 ratio and a 1.77 K/BB ratio. Those were great numbers for a #5 starter and seemed like something to build off for Lohse.
2003
Last year wasn’t a step forward for Lohse but it also wasn’t really a step back either. Kyle’s 4.61 ERA was a little high, and his 211 hits allowed (including 28 HRs) in 201 innings wasn’t overly impressive either. But Lohse did cut down on his walks (45) and improved his strikeouts (130), both of which were positive signs. Lohse seemed to fit right in on the Twins’ staff: lots of hits but few free passes. At multiple points during the season he seemed very close to putting it all together, which garnered him his first playoff start against Roger Clemens and the Yankees.
2004
This year has been a letdown for Lohse almost since Day 1. In 27 starts, Lohse has only 9 “quality starts” (6+ innings with three earned runs or less). I question the definition of a “quality start”, and looking back at those games one can safely question the “quality” of at least two of those starts. In reality, Lohse has had pitched up to his potential a mere 7 times this season, the most obvious example being his complete game shutout of the Royals on July 7. His ERA currently stands at 5.35 and he’s had a monthly ERA over 5 every month except one. He’s already walked 12 more batters than last year in almost 50 fewer innings; he’s allowed more runs (93) and hits (196) already this year than he did the entire 2002 season and is quickly approaching his 2003 totals in those areas. His K/BB and K/9 ratios have obviously suffered as well. Lohse’s 1.38 K/BB ratio is one of the worst in the American League among starters, and this coming from a guy who doesn’t have the electric stuff of a Victor Zambrano (who walks a ton of guys but doesn’t give up very many hits).
All those statistics only confirm what we knew all along: Lohse is walking way more batters than normal, striking out far fewer than he has in the past, and is allowing WAY too many hits. Add it all up and you get a pretty predictable result: multiple schalackings such as the one that occurred last night. Five runs in five innings wouldn’t be that big a deal if Lohse hadn’t been doing the exact same thing all season long. A contender (or any team for that matter) needs more than five innings from a #3 starter, and Lohse has officially proved that he is no longer this team’s #3 guy. Frankly, I doubt that he will come around before the season is over.
That raises the obvious question: if not Lohse, then who will take the ball in Game 3 of the ALDS? It’s a topic we’ve discussed in length before and one that we will no doubt explore in much more detail as the playoffs get closer Thanks for stopping by Twins Chatter today, and be sure to check out John’s post tomorrow. Have a good one, everybody.
-Ryan M.
Twinsfan21@msn.com
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Cause for Concern? Not Quite Yet
While yesterday’s ninth-inning 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers was indeed disappointing, Twins fans everywhere (including myself) must fight the urge to panic. Just keep reminding yourself that it was only one game, only one loss. The Twins’ lead in the AL Central didn’t even go down, as the Indians lost their 9th game in a row (though the White Sox won). Both the Tribe and the Sox are tied for second place, a whole eight games behind our Twins.
Tuesday’s game was only one loss, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was a rather disappointing loss for a variety of reasons. First of all, Carlos Silva pitched much better than he has in quite some time, shutting out the AL’s top offenses for six innings. It’s a shame he couldn’t pick up a win. In the seventh, some kind of shoulder ailment (allegedly) caused him to inexplicably groove a few pitches to the bottom of the Texas order, loading the bases with one out. Juan Rincon, who hasn’t been particularly sharp of late (seems to be a common theme in our bullpen right now) pitched decently in getting out of that jam, but imploded in the eighth. It was a very uncharacteristic outing for Rincon: I’m pretty sure he hasn’t blown a three-run lead all season long.
It has been well-publicized that J.C. Romero hasn’t given up a run since his return from Rochester, but Dick and Bert never mention the fact that opponents are hitting .317 off J.C. this season with runners in scoring position (compared to just .178 with the bases empty). But J.C. performed the unlikely last night (barely) and the game remained tied.
This is where the game really got weird. The Twins staged a nice little rally against Francisco Cordero in the top of the ninth, which is no small feat. The Good Doctor Morneau came through in the clutch with a big RBI double on a tough breaking pitch—anyone else notice how much better he looks against curveballs this year compared to last?
The only real negative note during “The Best Week Ever” was the Yankees’ shattering of Super Joe’s protective bubble. I would like to think that he is able to get past that fluke outing, but it sure hasn’t looked like it his last two innings. Joe once again was not locating his pitches nearly as well as he has the entire season, evidenced by the leadoff walk and the terrible pitch to Michael Young (a high fastball right over the plate). That last pitch to Texiera wasn’t so bad, but the curveball still got too much of the plate in my opinion. Whatever is wrong with Joe, let’s hope he gets it figured out sooner rather than later. Every pitcher has rough stretches, even Eric Gagne, so Nathan’s last three outings are no reason to panic. Yet.
Just how safe is it, anyway?
Many of the national baseball experts and writers have pretty much conceded the Central division crown to the Twins for the third consecutive year. On the outside, it appears they have good reason to do so. The Twins are eight games ahead in the division with 37 left to play. The two teams chasing them are currently sub-.500 clubs. One is in the midst of a nine game losing streak; the other has lost its two best players for the season and is in disarray. However, no self-respecting Twins fan is going to call this race over just yet (at least not out loud). Let’s take a look at all three teams’ remaining schedules.
Cleveland
The Indians seem to have faded for good this time, and even if they weren’t in the middle of a long losing streak they would still have their work cut out for them. The combined winning percentage of the Indians’ remaining opponents is .503, but if you look deeper, it is actually worse than that. The Tribe still must play the Yankees four times, the Athletics three times, the Angels three times, and the Twins seven times. They do get to beat up on the hapless Royals six more times, but even those games aren’t gimmes considering how poorly this team has played of late. Given their strength of schedule, I’d say that its very unlikely (albeit not impossible) that the Tribe makes a serious run on the Twins in 2004.
Chicago
Chicago, on the other hand, seems to have a slightly easier road to climb. The combined winning percentage of their upcoming opponents is only .488, although they will still face the Twins (6), Rangers (4), A’s (3), and Angels (3). The ChiSox also have the good fortune of playing the Royals and Mariners a whopping 11 times. If they can take five of six from the Twins (heaven forbid) and pound the dregs like they’re supposed to, this could become a real race once again.
Twins
The Twins, unfortunately, have the toughest remaining schedule as their upcoming opponents sport a nifty .506 winning percentage. Minnesota still has about 17 games remaining with possible contenders, including the Yankees (3), Texas (5), Angels (3), and White Sox (6, if you can count them as “contenders” still). However, that’s the beauty of a big lead: you control your own destiny. If the Twins can go 6-7 in their remaining 13 games with Cleveland and Chicago, they will be just fine. It should be no problem for this team to play .500 ball for the rest of the year. If they can do that, they’ll still finish with about 90 wins and easily claim a playoff spot. The only thing that can stop the Minnesota Twins right now is the Minnesota Twins.
There you have it, folks. Despite yesterday’s loss, the only way the Twins can blow this thing is if they totally implode. Given the streaky nature of this team such a scenario is not entirely out of the realm of possibility, but it still highly unlikely to me.
Thanks for checking out Twins Chatter again today. We’re closing in on 10,000 visitors, and most of those hits aren’t either me or John! How amazing is that? Anyway, thank you for your continued support. If you have anything so say about today’s entry or just something about the Twins in general, feel free to drop a comment below and I’ll respond in timely manner if that comment warrants a response. Have a good one and I’ll see you all again tomorrow.
Tuesday’s game was only one loss, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was a rather disappointing loss for a variety of reasons. First of all, Carlos Silva pitched much better than he has in quite some time, shutting out the AL’s top offenses for six innings. It’s a shame he couldn’t pick up a win. In the seventh, some kind of shoulder ailment (allegedly) caused him to inexplicably groove a few pitches to the bottom of the Texas order, loading the bases with one out. Juan Rincon, who hasn’t been particularly sharp of late (seems to be a common theme in our bullpen right now) pitched decently in getting out of that jam, but imploded in the eighth. It was a very uncharacteristic outing for Rincon: I’m pretty sure he hasn’t blown a three-run lead all season long.
It has been well-publicized that J.C. Romero hasn’t given up a run since his return from Rochester, but Dick and Bert never mention the fact that opponents are hitting .317 off J.C. this season with runners in scoring position (compared to just .178 with the bases empty). But J.C. performed the unlikely last night (barely) and the game remained tied.
This is where the game really got weird. The Twins staged a nice little rally against Francisco Cordero in the top of the ninth, which is no small feat. The Good Doctor Morneau came through in the clutch with a big RBI double on a tough breaking pitch—anyone else notice how much better he looks against curveballs this year compared to last?
The only real negative note during “The Best Week Ever” was the Yankees’ shattering of Super Joe’s protective bubble. I would like to think that he is able to get past that fluke outing, but it sure hasn’t looked like it his last two innings. Joe once again was not locating his pitches nearly as well as he has the entire season, evidenced by the leadoff walk and the terrible pitch to Michael Young (a high fastball right over the plate). That last pitch to Texiera wasn’t so bad, but the curveball still got too much of the plate in my opinion. Whatever is wrong with Joe, let’s hope he gets it figured out sooner rather than later. Every pitcher has rough stretches, even Eric Gagne, so Nathan’s last three outings are no reason to panic. Yet.
Just how safe is it, anyway?
Many of the national baseball experts and writers have pretty much conceded the Central division crown to the Twins for the third consecutive year. On the outside, it appears they have good reason to do so. The Twins are eight games ahead in the division with 37 left to play. The two teams chasing them are currently sub-.500 clubs. One is in the midst of a nine game losing streak; the other has lost its two best players for the season and is in disarray. However, no self-respecting Twins fan is going to call this race over just yet (at least not out loud). Let’s take a look at all three teams’ remaining schedules.
Cleveland
The Indians seem to have faded for good this time, and even if they weren’t in the middle of a long losing streak they would still have their work cut out for them. The combined winning percentage of the Indians’ remaining opponents is .503, but if you look deeper, it is actually worse than that. The Tribe still must play the Yankees four times, the Athletics three times, the Angels three times, and the Twins seven times. They do get to beat up on the hapless Royals six more times, but even those games aren’t gimmes considering how poorly this team has played of late. Given their strength of schedule, I’d say that its very unlikely (albeit not impossible) that the Tribe makes a serious run on the Twins in 2004.
Chicago
Chicago, on the other hand, seems to have a slightly easier road to climb. The combined winning percentage of their upcoming opponents is only .488, although they will still face the Twins (6), Rangers (4), A’s (3), and Angels (3). The ChiSox also have the good fortune of playing the Royals and Mariners a whopping 11 times. If they can take five of six from the Twins (heaven forbid) and pound the dregs like they’re supposed to, this could become a real race once again.
Twins
The Twins, unfortunately, have the toughest remaining schedule as their upcoming opponents sport a nifty .506 winning percentage. Minnesota still has about 17 games remaining with possible contenders, including the Yankees (3), Texas (5), Angels (3), and White Sox (6, if you can count them as “contenders” still). However, that’s the beauty of a big lead: you control your own destiny. If the Twins can go 6-7 in their remaining 13 games with Cleveland and Chicago, they will be just fine. It should be no problem for this team to play .500 ball for the rest of the year. If they can do that, they’ll still finish with about 90 wins and easily claim a playoff spot. The only thing that can stop the Minnesota Twins right now is the Minnesota Twins.
There you have it, folks. Despite yesterday’s loss, the only way the Twins can blow this thing is if they totally implode. Given the streaky nature of this team such a scenario is not entirely out of the realm of possibility, but it still highly unlikely to me.
Thanks for checking out Twins Chatter again today. We’re closing in on 10,000 visitors, and most of those hits aren’t either me or John! How amazing is that? Anyway, thank you for your continued support. If you have anything so say about today’s entry or just something about the Twins in general, feel free to drop a comment below and I’ll respond in timely manner if that comment warrants a response. Have a good one and I’ll see you all again tomorrow.
Monday, August 23, 2004
A Collection of Thoughts
First, let me begin by apologizing in advance for the length of today’s entry. I’m in the process of moving back to school and everything is a little jumbled right now. I look forward to getting settled in and getting down to business. Today I just want to cover a hodge podge of Twins thoughts I have had in the last couple of days.
Twins Win Again
Johan Santana continues to make his bid for the Cy Young. His dominance continued last night against Texas when he allowed 1 run in 8 innings while striking out 11. His has been so consistent that he must now be considered someone for teams to fear in the playoffs. A starter of his quality can easily make the difference between where the Twins have finished up the last 2 years and a World Series title this year. He is 4th in the league in wins, 1st in strikeouts, and 1st in ERA. When you consider how he started his season in mediocrity his numbers become even more impressive.
Something Twins fans may want to worry about with Santana is that he is also 3rd in the league in innings pitched. He already has surpassed his previous career high of 158.1. It’s safe to say that the 25 year is in unknown territory. My worst fear is that sometime in mid-September he is going to pull up with a tired arm. He has done a marvelous job, being such a horse and saving the bullpen, but there could be a cost. No one can foresee the future though and he has repeatedly defied doubters throughout his career. Also, his pitch counts have remained relatively within reason in all of his starts when he has gone late into the game. Is anybody else worried about this out there, or am I just being a pessimist? Perhaps with the big lead the team will be able to ease him into the playoffs without messing up his streak.
There were a few other highlights from last night’s game. Torii Hunter continued to play like he is ready to be a leader for this team, breaking the game open with a 2 run double in the 6th. Henry Blanco may be a frustrating alternative to Joe Mauer but despite his abilities he continues to play better then he ever has hitting his 8th homerun of the season. Kenny Rogers, who has 1 more win then Santana, was knocked out in the 6th innings. The Gambler really saved the Twins last year and it is good to see him having success in Texas. The Twins could probably use him but no one could have expected what he has done. He didn’t look good last night but along with Ryan Drese is a big reason Texas is playing so well. (I apologize if that sounded like Sid, I’ll try to never do that again!)
Speed Rules!
The Twins have all of a sudden become a very good running team. The past couple of years they have always had potential but it would be very common to see players have a steal percentage of 50%. Now everyone is running with great success. Lew Ford is 16/17, Jacque Jones 12/20, Corey Koskie 9/12, Luis Rivas 13/13, Cristian Guzman 8/13 and Torii Hunter 19/23. Teams are not even throwing the bal down on many plays to second. The team is even aggressively stealing 3rd. This is putting pressure on other teams and really sparking the offense. It makes for a fun game to watch. I know Torii Hunter says it’s the new turf that is making it possible but that cannot be the only reason. What has lead to so much recent success?
Paging a 3rd Starter
Who is this teams playoff third starter? Neither Kyle Lohse or Carlos Silva solicit much confidence. Lohse pitched better in his last start but has been terrible inconsistent all year and was shelled in his previous playoff outing. Silva is very unimposing. Imagine him making a start against the Yankees allowing hit after hit with the powerful Yankee lineup driving those runners home. He plays with fire every time he pitches and that is not a formula for success in the playoffs. At this point would Muholland make a possible start? He has pitched very well in his role but come on, he is still 108 years old! He hadn’t even been a starter in 4 years before this one. The Twins might need a fourth starter if their games don’t land on the right day. That will only compound the problem. Right now it looks as if Muholland gives them the best chance to win but it is shaky at best. There are no pitchers out there who are better then these three either. Shawn Estes is a name that has been thrown out and I cringe at the prospect of him even pitching a regular season game for this team. Maybe the team would be better off promoting Baker or Durbin and hope they perform the role that John Lackey did for the Angels in 2002. The 3 man rotation can be dangerous and if Radke or Santana lose one of their games it would be a tough series to win. Teams that are second in the league in pitching should not have to worry about such things, making the performances of Radke, Santana, Nathan and Rincon that much more impressive. Wouldn’t it be nice to have Joe Mays right about now? (I know many of you are cursing his name and probably me for bringing it up but let us throw out money right now because that is a sunk cost. He was hurt last time he was crushed but most people would have to admit that if healthy he is probably a better option then the 3 pitchers in the rotation right now who are doing an admirable job holding it together. The Joe Mays bashing may recommence when next we talk about payroll for next season or why we did not add any big contract during this one.)
I’ve said it before but we are definitely living in one of the best times to be a Twins fan. I want to know what people are thinking about the team. Feel free to drop a comment below about any topic including the ones I talked about above. As always you can reach me at john.betzler@mnsu.edu. In the meantime the greatest week every has spread into a second week.
Twins Win Again
Johan Santana continues to make his bid for the Cy Young. His dominance continued last night against Texas when he allowed 1 run in 8 innings while striking out 11. His has been so consistent that he must now be considered someone for teams to fear in the playoffs. A starter of his quality can easily make the difference between where the Twins have finished up the last 2 years and a World Series title this year. He is 4th in the league in wins, 1st in strikeouts, and 1st in ERA. When you consider how he started his season in mediocrity his numbers become even more impressive.
Something Twins fans may want to worry about with Santana is that he is also 3rd in the league in innings pitched. He already has surpassed his previous career high of 158.1. It’s safe to say that the 25 year is in unknown territory. My worst fear is that sometime in mid-September he is going to pull up with a tired arm. He has done a marvelous job, being such a horse and saving the bullpen, but there could be a cost. No one can foresee the future though and he has repeatedly defied doubters throughout his career. Also, his pitch counts have remained relatively within reason in all of his starts when he has gone late into the game. Is anybody else worried about this out there, or am I just being a pessimist? Perhaps with the big lead the team will be able to ease him into the playoffs without messing up his streak.
There were a few other highlights from last night’s game. Torii Hunter continued to play like he is ready to be a leader for this team, breaking the game open with a 2 run double in the 6th. Henry Blanco may be a frustrating alternative to Joe Mauer but despite his abilities he continues to play better then he ever has hitting his 8th homerun of the season. Kenny Rogers, who has 1 more win then Santana, was knocked out in the 6th innings. The Gambler really saved the Twins last year and it is good to see him having success in Texas. The Twins could probably use him but no one could have expected what he has done. He didn’t look good last night but along with Ryan Drese is a big reason Texas is playing so well. (I apologize if that sounded like Sid, I’ll try to never do that again!)
Speed Rules!
The Twins have all of a sudden become a very good running team. The past couple of years they have always had potential but it would be very common to see players have a steal percentage of 50%. Now everyone is running with great success. Lew Ford is 16/17, Jacque Jones 12/20, Corey Koskie 9/12, Luis Rivas 13/13, Cristian Guzman 8/13 and Torii Hunter 19/23. Teams are not even throwing the bal down on many plays to second. The team is even aggressively stealing 3rd. This is putting pressure on other teams and really sparking the offense. It makes for a fun game to watch. I know Torii Hunter says it’s the new turf that is making it possible but that cannot be the only reason. What has lead to so much recent success?
Paging a 3rd Starter
Who is this teams playoff third starter? Neither Kyle Lohse or Carlos Silva solicit much confidence. Lohse pitched better in his last start but has been terrible inconsistent all year and was shelled in his previous playoff outing. Silva is very unimposing. Imagine him making a start against the Yankees allowing hit after hit with the powerful Yankee lineup driving those runners home. He plays with fire every time he pitches and that is not a formula for success in the playoffs. At this point would Muholland make a possible start? He has pitched very well in his role but come on, he is still 108 years old! He hadn’t even been a starter in 4 years before this one. The Twins might need a fourth starter if their games don’t land on the right day. That will only compound the problem. Right now it looks as if Muholland gives them the best chance to win but it is shaky at best. There are no pitchers out there who are better then these three either. Shawn Estes is a name that has been thrown out and I cringe at the prospect of him even pitching a regular season game for this team. Maybe the team would be better off promoting Baker or Durbin and hope they perform the role that John Lackey did for the Angels in 2002. The 3 man rotation can be dangerous and if Radke or Santana lose one of their games it would be a tough series to win. Teams that are second in the league in pitching should not have to worry about such things, making the performances of Radke, Santana, Nathan and Rincon that much more impressive. Wouldn’t it be nice to have Joe Mays right about now? (I know many of you are cursing his name and probably me for bringing it up but let us throw out money right now because that is a sunk cost. He was hurt last time he was crushed but most people would have to admit that if healthy he is probably a better option then the 3 pitchers in the rotation right now who are doing an admirable job holding it together. The Joe Mays bashing may recommence when next we talk about payroll for next season or why we did not add any big contract during this one.)
I’ve said it before but we are definitely living in one of the best times to be a Twins fan. I want to know what people are thinking about the team. Feel free to drop a comment below about any topic including the ones I talked about above. As always you can reach me at john.betzler@mnsu.edu. In the meantime the greatest week every has spread into a second week.
(Twins Edition)
Even though the Twins may not be mentioned alongside Britney Spears, Bobby Brown, and Paris Hilton on the VH1 hit show “The Best Week Ever”, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who had a better seven days than our very own Minnesota Twins. Last Saturday, the Indians had trounced the Twins for the second consecutive day and looked poised to completely erase what was once a six or seven game lead in the AL Central. But Terry Mulholland came through with eight strong innings and Corey Koskie broke out of his season-long slump in a big way as the Twins won 4-2 in 10 innings. From last Sunday through yesterday, here is what the Twins have done:
Win-Loss Record: 6-1
Team ERA: 2.81
Team Batting Average: .308
Team OPS: .918
Runs: 49 total (avg. 7 per game)
Stolen Bases: 10 in 12 attempts (83%)
Lead in Division: 7 games (previously 1 game)
However, the Twins dominance goes beyond mere statistics. To fill out this post, I’d like to draw your attention to what I consider the five most important developments to have taken place during the week that was:
1. Kyle Lohse pitches seven strong innings to defeat Cleveland 5-1 on Friday.
We all know that, come October, Brad Radke and Johan Santana will be ready to against the Yankees, Athletics, Angels, or whomever else the Twins may find themselves up against in the ALDS. But one of the key weaknesses on this team (besides an inconsistent lineup) is its lack of a true #3 starter. As I’ve stated on numerous occasions in this space, Carlos Silva has performed admirably in his first full year as a starting pitcher, but he should not be counted on as more than a slightly above-average #4 guy. He’s simply doesn’t have the stuff to beat a good team come crunch time. Lohse, on the other hand, has that ability. He’s shown flashes of brilliance the past two seasons, but those flashes have been few and far between thus far in 2004. A 5.26 ERA on August 22 doesn’t lie: Lohse has been pretty bad overall. That’s why Friday’s performance was so encouraging—Lohse allowed just three hits and one run to one of the game’s most potent lineups. The Twins were four games up at the time, but still needed to get out to a good start and squash those young upstarts from Ohio. Lohse wasn’t perfect by any means; the Indians missed more than their fair share of hittable pitches early in the game. But Kyle did pitch much better as the game went on, and hopefully that start was the turning point for the young righthander. His team’s playoff fortunes may rest upon his shoulders.
2. Corey Koskie hits a game-winning two-run home run off Rick White the 10th inning last Sunday
You could make a very valid argument that this was the play that made “The Best Week Ever” even possible, and you’d probably be right. The full story has now become a part of Twins lore: Koskie commits an error and strands five baserunners by striking out twice in clutch situations, all in the game’s first five innings. He vents his frustrations on a chair in the clubhouse and promptly collects three hits in his next three at-bats, including the game-winning homer in the 10th. The Twins escape Cleveland with a much needed win and are still alone in first place. And so on. But the fact remains that incident, Koskie is hitting .462 with 5 homers, 9 RBIs, and has a mind-boggling 1.506 OPS. He’s been the team’s best hitter during that span (obviously) and is a big reason why the offense has experienced its recent renaissance. Maybe the Twins should re-sign Koskie after all…
3. Brad Radke pitches seven tremendous innings as the Twins beat the Yankees 8-2 on Tuesday
Although this game didn’t hold as much significance in the division race as any of the games against the Indians did, it was a HUGE win for the Twins. Seemingly every news outlet in the country was broadcasting the fact that the Twins hadn’t beaten the Bombers in the regular season since 2001, and with the team having lost six of its last eight, it didn’t appear that the streak would end anytime soon. But Radke was truly vintage Brad Radke that night. He located his fastball impeccably, fooled the A-Rod-less but still-powerful Yankee lineup with his devastating change-up, and got the big outs when he needed them most. Koskie and Morneau hit two mammoth homers and Shannon Stewart went 3-4 as the offense finally burst out its self-imposed protective bubble. With that monkey off their backs, the Twins could focus on doing something else they hadn’t done in 3 ½ years: take a series from the Yanks.
4. Shannon Stewart leads off with a home run and the Twins never look back in a 7-2 victory over the Yankees on Wednesday
“Okay,” you tell yourself, “The Twins beat the Yankees once. Big deal. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…” Well anyway, it was the Yankees and their fans who were shamed on Wednesday, as Johan Santana checked off yet another team on his “To Dominate” list. Stewart’s homer set the pace for another laugher. Guzman had a clutch double and Koskie continued his hot hitting. I cheered my head off along with almost 42,000 other people as the Twins beat the Yanks for the second straight day.
5. Torii Hunter caps off a 10-pitch at-bat with a three-run double against C.C. Sabathia as the Twins complete their sweep of the Indians at home
There is no doubt in my mind that Hunter’s at-bat against Sabathia in the sixth inning of yesterday’s game was the BEST at-bat any Twin has had all season long. Up 4-2, Hunter comes to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. Lew Ford had just popped up on the first pitch (the antithesis of a good at-bat) and the Indians were on the verge of escaping a very dangerous situation. Hunter quickly fell behind 0-2 but was able to lay off the next three pitches, working the count to 3-2. He then proceeded to foul off four consecutive 95-97 mph fastballs from Sabathia, no small feat in itself. But on the 10th pitch of the at-bat Hunter crushed an outside fastball and barely missed a grand slam, settling instead for a three-run double high off the baggie in right. That hit put the Twins up 7-2 and essentially dashed any comeback hopes the Tribe may have held. Sunday’s game was as important for the Indians as last Sunday’s game was for the Twins: Cleveland desperately needed to win one of three to stay within striking distance in the division. Instead, the Indians are riding a seven-game losing streak and stand seven games out. To make things even worse, the Yankees are coming to town and they will be out for blood. The Indians most definitely have their work cut out for them.
Well, there you have it: the top five moments of “The Best Week Ever” as chosen by yours truly. It certainly was a great week to be a Twins fan, but as Master Yoda once said, “Mindful of the future, you must be.” The Twins need to parlay their recent successes into road victories against Texas and Anaheim or all will have been for naught. It’s gonna be a tough upcoming week for the Twins, but I’m confident that they can handle it.
Thanks for stopping by the site today, and I hope you enjoyed this column. If you’re in the mood for some more Twins chatter, check out the running game summary below that John posted yesterday in his triumphant return. Also, if you have any other favorite moments from “The Best Week Ever” feel free to share them with the rest of us in the comments section. Take care, everybody.
Win-Loss Record: 6-1
Team ERA: 2.81
Team Batting Average: .308
Team OPS: .918
Runs: 49 total (avg. 7 per game)
Stolen Bases: 10 in 12 attempts (83%)
Lead in Division: 7 games (previously 1 game)
However, the Twins dominance goes beyond mere statistics. To fill out this post, I’d like to draw your attention to what I consider the five most important developments to have taken place during the week that was:
1. Kyle Lohse pitches seven strong innings to defeat Cleveland 5-1 on Friday.
We all know that, come October, Brad Radke and Johan Santana will be ready to against the Yankees, Athletics, Angels, or whomever else the Twins may find themselves up against in the ALDS. But one of the key weaknesses on this team (besides an inconsistent lineup) is its lack of a true #3 starter. As I’ve stated on numerous occasions in this space, Carlos Silva has performed admirably in his first full year as a starting pitcher, but he should not be counted on as more than a slightly above-average #4 guy. He’s simply doesn’t have the stuff to beat a good team come crunch time. Lohse, on the other hand, has that ability. He’s shown flashes of brilliance the past two seasons, but those flashes have been few and far between thus far in 2004. A 5.26 ERA on August 22 doesn’t lie: Lohse has been pretty bad overall. That’s why Friday’s performance was so encouraging—Lohse allowed just three hits and one run to one of the game’s most potent lineups. The Twins were four games up at the time, but still needed to get out to a good start and squash those young upstarts from Ohio. Lohse wasn’t perfect by any means; the Indians missed more than their fair share of hittable pitches early in the game. But Kyle did pitch much better as the game went on, and hopefully that start was the turning point for the young righthander. His team’s playoff fortunes may rest upon his shoulders.
2. Corey Koskie hits a game-winning two-run home run off Rick White the 10th inning last Sunday
You could make a very valid argument that this was the play that made “The Best Week Ever” even possible, and you’d probably be right. The full story has now become a part of Twins lore: Koskie commits an error and strands five baserunners by striking out twice in clutch situations, all in the game’s first five innings. He vents his frustrations on a chair in the clubhouse and promptly collects three hits in his next three at-bats, including the game-winning homer in the 10th. The Twins escape Cleveland with a much needed win and are still alone in first place. And so on. But the fact remains that incident, Koskie is hitting .462 with 5 homers, 9 RBIs, and has a mind-boggling 1.506 OPS. He’s been the team’s best hitter during that span (obviously) and is a big reason why the offense has experienced its recent renaissance. Maybe the Twins should re-sign Koskie after all…
3. Brad Radke pitches seven tremendous innings as the Twins beat the Yankees 8-2 on Tuesday
Although this game didn’t hold as much significance in the division race as any of the games against the Indians did, it was a HUGE win for the Twins. Seemingly every news outlet in the country was broadcasting the fact that the Twins hadn’t beaten the Bombers in the regular season since 2001, and with the team having lost six of its last eight, it didn’t appear that the streak would end anytime soon. But Radke was truly vintage Brad Radke that night. He located his fastball impeccably, fooled the A-Rod-less but still-powerful Yankee lineup with his devastating change-up, and got the big outs when he needed them most. Koskie and Morneau hit two mammoth homers and Shannon Stewart went 3-4 as the offense finally burst out its self-imposed protective bubble. With that monkey off their backs, the Twins could focus on doing something else they hadn’t done in 3 ½ years: take a series from the Yanks.
4. Shannon Stewart leads off with a home run and the Twins never look back in a 7-2 victory over the Yankees on Wednesday
“Okay,” you tell yourself, “The Twins beat the Yankees once. Big deal. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…” Well anyway, it was the Yankees and their fans who were shamed on Wednesday, as Johan Santana checked off yet another team on his “To Dominate” list. Stewart’s homer set the pace for another laugher. Guzman had a clutch double and Koskie continued his hot hitting. I cheered my head off along with almost 42,000 other people as the Twins beat the Yanks for the second straight day.
5. Torii Hunter caps off a 10-pitch at-bat with a three-run double against C.C. Sabathia as the Twins complete their sweep of the Indians at home
There is no doubt in my mind that Hunter’s at-bat against Sabathia in the sixth inning of yesterday’s game was the BEST at-bat any Twin has had all season long. Up 4-2, Hunter comes to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. Lew Ford had just popped up on the first pitch (the antithesis of a good at-bat) and the Indians were on the verge of escaping a very dangerous situation. Hunter quickly fell behind 0-2 but was able to lay off the next three pitches, working the count to 3-2. He then proceeded to foul off four consecutive 95-97 mph fastballs from Sabathia, no small feat in itself. But on the 10th pitch of the at-bat Hunter crushed an outside fastball and barely missed a grand slam, settling instead for a three-run double high off the baggie in right. That hit put the Twins up 7-2 and essentially dashed any comeback hopes the Tribe may have held. Sunday’s game was as important for the Indians as last Sunday’s game was for the Twins: Cleveland desperately needed to win one of three to stay within striking distance in the division. Instead, the Indians are riding a seven-game losing streak and stand seven games out. To make things even worse, the Yankees are coming to town and they will be out for blood. The Indians most definitely have their work cut out for them.
Well, there you have it: the top five moments of “The Best Week Ever” as chosen by yours truly. It certainly was a great week to be a Twins fan, but as Master Yoda once said, “Mindful of the future, you must be.” The Twins need to parlay their recent successes into road victories against Texas and Anaheim or all will have been for naught. It’s gonna be a tough upcoming week for the Twins, but I’m confident that they can handle it.
Thanks for stopping by the site today, and I hope you enjoyed this column. If you’re in the mood for some more Twins chatter, check out the running game summary below that John posted yesterday in his triumphant return. Also, if you have any other favorite moments from “The Best Week Ever” feel free to share them with the rest of us in the comments section. Take care, everybody.
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Going for the Sweep
I'm finally done travelling this summer which means now I can sit back and enjoy the Twins drive toward their third straight playoffs. I had a great trip to New Zealand if anyone was wondering. It's a beautiful country but unfortunatly I didn't have regular internet use. I vaguelly knew what was going on with the team from the few minutes I had and little of it seemed to be good. I was shocked to discover on my second to last day there that one of the local cable networks had picked up the ESPN broadcast of the Twins and Yankees Wednesday night game. It was a great pleasure to learn that the Twins had rebounded from a 1 game lead to take the first two from the hated bombers.
Now that I'm back I'm trying my best to get caught up with everything. It makes it easier that the lead is back to 6 and the Twins have played very good baseball the last week. Today they go for the sweep of Cleveland. To ease my way back in I thought I would just post my thoughts on today's game as it is happening. It is a nice casual way for me to get back into my blogging stride.
Pregame -
Today the Twins go for the 3 game sweep of Cleveland and 7 game lead in the division. It's hard to sweep a division rival but the Twins have already done it to the White Sox this year. Brad Radke is on the mound for the Twins agaisnt the Indians ace, C.C Sabathia. Radke as usual should give the team a great chance to win while Sabathia may pose problems for the Twins. It should be a good matchup but this will be a tough one for the Twins to pull out. Jacque Jones is not in the lineup today against the tough lefty. As a result Ford is batting second and LeCroy gets to Dh.
1st Inning -
Smooth start for Radke, it is always good to see him get through the first inning. The Lew Ford double play was a buzzkill. Sabathia looks like he is trying to pick the corners. A bad sign for a pitcher who has recently had problems with the umpires, this should work in the Twins favor if they can resist the urge to chase pitchs. Hunter had a great first at bat laying off pitchs out of the zone. The continued to put pressure on the Indians by stealing second. Morneau is my favorite player to watch hit. Every swing could be a homerun, something us Twins fans have waited along time for. Even his outs, such as this flyout, go a long way.
2nd Inning -
Rough top of the inning for the Twins. Radke has some problems leaving his pitches up and they were pretty flat. He still should have been out of the inning without giving up a run but Guzman had a ball skip off of his glove that should have been the last out. The inning started off with a couple of bloop hits off the end of the Indians bats. The Indians hit the ball a little harder near the end of the inning. Radke needs to get his pitches down and pitch better if he's going to keep the Twins in the game. Guzman made a second mistake in the top of the fourth dropping a throw to second on a steal. He can be such a frustrating player when his head isn't in the game. Twins went down 123 in the bottom of the second.
Bottom of 3rd -
This is starting to look like it is going to be an exiting game. Neither pitcher is dominent today. The Twins got a run back on a Luis Rivas double and then steal of 3rd. Shannon Stewart then drove him in with a ground ball. The Twins then had a couple of hard hits off of Sabathia before the inning was over. While I love Rivas's aggresive base running, I'm wondering if it was a smart play. Stewart is probably the Twins best clutch hitter and Rivas was on second with only 1 out. The liklihood of Stewart getting a hit seems high to me. Regardless it worked out this time for the Twins but may be cause for concern in the future. Radke rebounded to pitch a strong top of the third.
4th -
Corey Koskie continues to carry this team on his back. His 21st homerun of the season tied this game at 2. It is amazing how this team always has someone step up and carry it on his back. Koskie, Hunter, Guzman, Mauer, Jones, Stewart and Ford have all stepped up at some point and gone on a hitting rampage. This helps to make up for the lack of a Manny Ramirez, Magglio Ordonez or any other star hitter in the lineup.
Bottom of 5th -
Twins baseball at its best. The got a few big hits, drew a walk and ran the bases aggresively to go ahead 4-2. Tori Hunter is playing almost as well as Corey Koskie right now. He had his second hit of the game while moving Lew Ford to third. Then on the Justin Morneau sac fly he advanced to second while Lew scored. Matt LeCroy finished the scoring by driving in Hunter with a single of his own. Hunter never let up, running hard all the way to home plate. This is how team's win ballgames and divisions. When the Twins play this way they look like a team that can compete in the World Series. It has been three years and its time to take the next step. Now Radke seems to be heating up with back to back 123 inning in the 5th and 6th. The Indians are going to have a tough time winning this game.
Bottom of 6th -
What did I say about Tori Hunter above? He just narrowly missed hitting a grand slam with a 3 run double. He hit on a 3-2 count after having fouled off several pitches. Sabathia self destructed in this inning, missing his spots, overthrowing the ball and afraid of his breaking ball. The Twins took advantage like good teams do. Meanwhile, stick a fork in the Indians, they are DONE! If they are swept as is likely to happen they have an almost insurmountable road to climb in the last month of the season. 7 games for a team as inexpierenced as they are against the 2 time defending division champs is near impossible to make up.
Scary Moment -
Following the Hunter double, Morneau was hit in the hand with a pitch. He was taken out of the game and to the hospital for X-Rays. Everyone should be holding their breath that they are negative. Losing him would be a huge blow to the lineup.
8th Inning
Radke pitched 7 very solid innings before giving way to JC Romero. Romero looked nasty albeit slightly erratic. Pitching a 123 8th inning. Uneventful bottom of the inning for the Twins. Stewart had a 1 out single against Bob Wickman. Wickman could have been a differance maker had he been healthy all year. Casey Blake made a great play at third to rob Lew. Once again punishing the Twins for letting him go.
Postgame -
The Twins have put themselves in the driver seat to win the division. Joe Nathan pitched the ninth and while he allowed a run looked to be his old self. This win and sweep of the series was huge for the Twins. They sent a message that it is still their time. Some key players appear to be getting hot just at the right time. The Twins have a tough schedule up ahead so they might need the 7 game pad, but if they continue to play so well they wont. The best thing to see this weekend was a solid performance from Kyle Lohse. He has been so inconsistent and it would be a huge boost if he could build off that start.
Now that I'm back I'm trying my best to get caught up with everything. It makes it easier that the lead is back to 6 and the Twins have played very good baseball the last week. Today they go for the sweep of Cleveland. To ease my way back in I thought I would just post my thoughts on today's game as it is happening. It is a nice casual way for me to get back into my blogging stride.
Pregame -
Today the Twins go for the 3 game sweep of Cleveland and 7 game lead in the division. It's hard to sweep a division rival but the Twins have already done it to the White Sox this year. Brad Radke is on the mound for the Twins agaisnt the Indians ace, C.C Sabathia. Radke as usual should give the team a great chance to win while Sabathia may pose problems for the Twins. It should be a good matchup but this will be a tough one for the Twins to pull out. Jacque Jones is not in the lineup today against the tough lefty. As a result Ford is batting second and LeCroy gets to Dh.
1st Inning -
Smooth start for Radke, it is always good to see him get through the first inning. The Lew Ford double play was a buzzkill. Sabathia looks like he is trying to pick the corners. A bad sign for a pitcher who has recently had problems with the umpires, this should work in the Twins favor if they can resist the urge to chase pitchs. Hunter had a great first at bat laying off pitchs out of the zone. The continued to put pressure on the Indians by stealing second. Morneau is my favorite player to watch hit. Every swing could be a homerun, something us Twins fans have waited along time for. Even his outs, such as this flyout, go a long way.
2nd Inning -
Rough top of the inning for the Twins. Radke has some problems leaving his pitches up and they were pretty flat. He still should have been out of the inning without giving up a run but Guzman had a ball skip off of his glove that should have been the last out. The inning started off with a couple of bloop hits off the end of the Indians bats. The Indians hit the ball a little harder near the end of the inning. Radke needs to get his pitches down and pitch better if he's going to keep the Twins in the game. Guzman made a second mistake in the top of the fourth dropping a throw to second on a steal. He can be such a frustrating player when his head isn't in the game. Twins went down 123 in the bottom of the second.
Bottom of 3rd -
This is starting to look like it is going to be an exiting game. Neither pitcher is dominent today. The Twins got a run back on a Luis Rivas double and then steal of 3rd. Shannon Stewart then drove him in with a ground ball. The Twins then had a couple of hard hits off of Sabathia before the inning was over. While I love Rivas's aggresive base running, I'm wondering if it was a smart play. Stewart is probably the Twins best clutch hitter and Rivas was on second with only 1 out. The liklihood of Stewart getting a hit seems high to me. Regardless it worked out this time for the Twins but may be cause for concern in the future. Radke rebounded to pitch a strong top of the third.
4th -
Corey Koskie continues to carry this team on his back. His 21st homerun of the season tied this game at 2. It is amazing how this team always has someone step up and carry it on his back. Koskie, Hunter, Guzman, Mauer, Jones, Stewart and Ford have all stepped up at some point and gone on a hitting rampage. This helps to make up for the lack of a Manny Ramirez, Magglio Ordonez or any other star hitter in the lineup.
Bottom of 5th -
Twins baseball at its best. The got a few big hits, drew a walk and ran the bases aggresively to go ahead 4-2. Tori Hunter is playing almost as well as Corey Koskie right now. He had his second hit of the game while moving Lew Ford to third. Then on the Justin Morneau sac fly he advanced to second while Lew scored. Matt LeCroy finished the scoring by driving in Hunter with a single of his own. Hunter never let up, running hard all the way to home plate. This is how team's win ballgames and divisions. When the Twins play this way they look like a team that can compete in the World Series. It has been three years and its time to take the next step. Now Radke seems to be heating up with back to back 123 inning in the 5th and 6th. The Indians are going to have a tough time winning this game.
Bottom of 6th -
What did I say about Tori Hunter above? He just narrowly missed hitting a grand slam with a 3 run double. He hit on a 3-2 count after having fouled off several pitches. Sabathia self destructed in this inning, missing his spots, overthrowing the ball and afraid of his breaking ball. The Twins took advantage like good teams do. Meanwhile, stick a fork in the Indians, they are DONE! If they are swept as is likely to happen they have an almost insurmountable road to climb in the last month of the season. 7 games for a team as inexpierenced as they are against the 2 time defending division champs is near impossible to make up.
Scary Moment -
Following the Hunter double, Morneau was hit in the hand with a pitch. He was taken out of the game and to the hospital for X-Rays. Everyone should be holding their breath that they are negative. Losing him would be a huge blow to the lineup.
8th Inning
Radke pitched 7 very solid innings before giving way to JC Romero. Romero looked nasty albeit slightly erratic. Pitching a 123 8th inning. Uneventful bottom of the inning for the Twins. Stewart had a 1 out single against Bob Wickman. Wickman could have been a differance maker had he been healthy all year. Casey Blake made a great play at third to rob Lew. Once again punishing the Twins for letting him go.
Postgame -
The Twins have put themselves in the driver seat to win the division. Joe Nathan pitched the ninth and while he allowed a run looked to be his old self. This win and sweep of the series was huge for the Twins. They sent a message that it is still their time. Some key players appear to be getting hot just at the right time. The Twins have a tough schedule up ahead so they might need the 7 game pad, but if they continue to play so well they wont. The best thing to see this weekend was a solid performance from Kyle Lohse. He has been so inconsistent and it would be a huge boost if he could build off that start.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
You Can't Win 'Em All
It seemed almost too good to be true, and in the end, it was.
In one of the more impressive comebacks in team history, the Twins, down by six runs at two points in the game, managed to score a total of nine runs in a span of three innings. Five of those came against two of the better relief pitchers in the game, Paul Quantril and Tom Gordon.
When Shannon Stewart’s two-out line drive flew past Gary Sheffield out in right field, it looked as though the Twins could do no wrong. Up 10-9 and with “Mr. Automatic” Joe Nathan entering the game, it seemed the impossible (or at least improbable) was inevitable.
We should have known better.
I’m not too mad or disappointed with Joe Nathan despite his ugly performance in the ninth last night (2/3 of an inning, 4 hits, 3 earned runs). Let’s face it: as tremendous as Nathan has been this year, Eric Gagne he is not. Joe hadn’t been particularly sharp his last couple of outings, and even though he had gotten by pretty well, you could plainly see the writing on the wall. Nathan was due, probably even overdue, for a bad inning and it just so happened to come at a rather inopportune time. Let’s not forget the first three batters for the Yankees in the ninth, either: Jeter, Sheffield, and Rodriguez. That’s almost like facing the #2 through #4 hitters on the AL All-Star team. Even Joe Nathan is human. He wasn’t his sharpest last night and the veteran hitters of the Yankees made him pay.
But the disappointing end does not mask the fact that this was a great game. If the Twins had lost the first two games of the series we might not be saying that, but they did so we are. Thursday’s comeback shows just how much confidence this team gained by handling the Yanks on Tuesday and Wednesday. Usually when you’re down by six runs against the Yankees late in the game, you pretty much resign yourself to defeat. Not consciously, of course; these guys are professionals and they will still give a good effort even in defeat. But subconsciously, you’re thinking “I don’t know how we can possibly score six runs against Quantril, Gordon, and Rivera.”
The thing is, those two victories have got the Twins thinking that they should be able to score six or seven runs off the Yankees’ bullpen. Everyone was getting big hits: Offerman, Rivas, Jones, Ford, and of course, Stewart. For a team that has struggled mightily to get the clutch two-out hit (the Twins were last in the AL with a .213 average with RISP and two outs before Thursday) it was great to see so many guys step up when needed. I have no doubt that the success the Twins experienced in this series will carry over into this weekend’s series with Cleveland. All in all, I’m extremely satisfied with taking two of three from the Yankees, and the Twins should be too.
Big Powwow with the Indians
That takes us to our next topic: those previously hard-charging Indians. I say “previously” because, as most of you already know, the Indians were swept by Texas this week in rather convincing fashion. Now the Rangers are a much better hitting team than the Twins, but it doesn’t say a whole lot about the Indians’ seemingly invincible offense when they manage to score just 8 runs against the likes of Mickey Callaway, Scott Erickson, and “The Gambler” Kenny Rogers (he of the 4.61 ERA). We shall see what takes place this weekend, but I strongly suspect the Twins will play much better. Tomorrow’s pitching match-up isn’t the greatest (Lohse vs. Westbrook) but Saturday and Sunday look much better, as it’s Mulholland vs. Durbin and Sabathia vs. Radke.
Despite the loss, the Twins have finally gained a little momentum heading down the stretch. We’ll just have to see how far it takes them.
In one of the more impressive comebacks in team history, the Twins, down by six runs at two points in the game, managed to score a total of nine runs in a span of three innings. Five of those came against two of the better relief pitchers in the game, Paul Quantril and Tom Gordon.
When Shannon Stewart’s two-out line drive flew past Gary Sheffield out in right field, it looked as though the Twins could do no wrong. Up 10-9 and with “Mr. Automatic” Joe Nathan entering the game, it seemed the impossible (or at least improbable) was inevitable.
We should have known better.
I’m not too mad or disappointed with Joe Nathan despite his ugly performance in the ninth last night (2/3 of an inning, 4 hits, 3 earned runs). Let’s face it: as tremendous as Nathan has been this year, Eric Gagne he is not. Joe hadn’t been particularly sharp his last couple of outings, and even though he had gotten by pretty well, you could plainly see the writing on the wall. Nathan was due, probably even overdue, for a bad inning and it just so happened to come at a rather inopportune time. Let’s not forget the first three batters for the Yankees in the ninth, either: Jeter, Sheffield, and Rodriguez. That’s almost like facing the #2 through #4 hitters on the AL All-Star team. Even Joe Nathan is human. He wasn’t his sharpest last night and the veteran hitters of the Yankees made him pay.
But the disappointing end does not mask the fact that this was a great game. If the Twins had lost the first two games of the series we might not be saying that, but they did so we are. Thursday’s comeback shows just how much confidence this team gained by handling the Yanks on Tuesday and Wednesday. Usually when you’re down by six runs against the Yankees late in the game, you pretty much resign yourself to defeat. Not consciously, of course; these guys are professionals and they will still give a good effort even in defeat. But subconsciously, you’re thinking “I don’t know how we can possibly score six runs against Quantril, Gordon, and Rivera.”
The thing is, those two victories have got the Twins thinking that they should be able to score six or seven runs off the Yankees’ bullpen. Everyone was getting big hits: Offerman, Rivas, Jones, Ford, and of course, Stewart. For a team that has struggled mightily to get the clutch two-out hit (the Twins were last in the AL with a .213 average with RISP and two outs before Thursday) it was great to see so many guys step up when needed. I have no doubt that the success the Twins experienced in this series will carry over into this weekend’s series with Cleveland. All in all, I’m extremely satisfied with taking two of three from the Yankees, and the Twins should be too.
Big Powwow with the Indians
That takes us to our next topic: those previously hard-charging Indians. I say “previously” because, as most of you already know, the Indians were swept by Texas this week in rather convincing fashion. Now the Rangers are a much better hitting team than the Twins, but it doesn’t say a whole lot about the Indians’ seemingly invincible offense when they manage to score just 8 runs against the likes of Mickey Callaway, Scott Erickson, and “The Gambler” Kenny Rogers (he of the 4.61 ERA). We shall see what takes place this weekend, but I strongly suspect the Twins will play much better. Tomorrow’s pitching match-up isn’t the greatest (Lohse vs. Westbrook) but Saturday and Sunday look much better, as it’s Mulholland vs. Durbin and Sabathia vs. Radke.
Despite the loss, the Twins have finally gained a little momentum heading down the stretch. We’ll just have to see how far it takes them.
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