Twins Option Francisco Liriano To Rochester, Other Pre-Game News
Posted on April 25th, 2008 – 4:07 PMBy La Velle
[Update]: Carlos Gomez left the game in the fourth inning with a left calf strain and is listed as day-to-day. Doesn’t appear to be serious.
Francisco Liriano’s next steps of his comeback will be taken at Class AAA Rochester, as the Twins optioned the struggling lefthander there this afternoon. The move opens up a roster spot for righthander Bobby Korecky, who was told he was being promoted on Thursday.
Liriano was 0-3 with a 11.32 ERA in three starts since being called up on Apr. 11. He was knocked out of Thursday’s start after two-thirds of an inning, and told the coaching staff afterward that he had lost the confidence to throw strikes.
The Twins hope Liriano regains that confidence pitching for the Red Wings, where he will work with pitching coach Stu Cliburn.
Korecky, 28, was 2-1 with a 0.68 ERA with five saves in ten games for the Red Wings. He set a Rochester record with 35 saves last season.
Adam Everett played catch and hit before the game, so he’s moving right along in his rehab from sore shoulder.
George Morneau, Justin’s father, is in town.“He called and said, `What are you going this weekend? There’s a plane ticket for you at the airport.’ ” George said. He’s a hoot to talk to.
Bobby Korecky is here and ready to pitch.
Michael Cuddyer is back in the lineup. He’s batting .457 against Kevin Millwood so it’s good timing.
Nick Punto is 7 for 14 against Millwood
Brendan Harris hit .458 against Texas last season.
Former Twin Eddie Guardado as been activated by the Rangers and is available this weekend.
Now for the lineup. It’s not what I expected with Cuddyer coming back, but Gardy said he’ll stick with this (at least the top eight), if it takes off.
Twins (10-12): Carlos Gomez, CF. 2. Brendan Harris, 2B. 3. Joe Mauer, C. 4. Justin Morneau, 1B. 5. Michael Cuddyer, RF. 6. Jason Kubel, RF. 7. Delmon Young, LF. 8. Mike Lamb, 3B. 9. Nick Punto, SS. Pitching: Nick Blackburn.
Rangers (7-16 and on a seven-game losing streak): 1. Ian Kinsler, 2B. 2. Michael Young, SS. 3. Josh Hamilton, CF. 4. Hank Blalock, 3B. 5. Jason Botts, DH. 6. Frank Catalanotto, LF. 7. David Murphy, RF. 8. Gerald Laird, C. 9. Ben Broussard, 1B. Pitching: Kevin Milwood.
353 Responses to "Twins Option Francisco Liriano To Rochester, Other Pre-Game News"
Easy call on Liriano. Let’s just hope he makes a nice recovery. May be ‘09 before he’s even close to where he was.
How about sending Vavra down or just cutting him? He has done NOTHING as a hitting coach.
I agree that this was the only option. I wonder how long Korecky will stick around before we call on a another starter.
Delmon Young’s Hr’s + Joe Mauer’s Hr’s = 0. Thats why this line up is stinking it up. We knew Mauer wouldn’t hit for power, but thought had at least some. 13 isn’t bad for a 22yo…if you build on it the next season.
Anyone know if Humber or Mulvey were serious considerations for a call up?
Is everyone over yakking on the Vikes site or what? It’s dead here. Doesn’t take much to get the footballer’s all wound up and back on that Super Bowl bandwagon I guess. Go Twins !!
get rid of the hitting coach.. how can Twin’s offense suck for so long!!!
Yes…Vavra get’s a free pass and no one seems to criticize him for the lousy plate appearances the batters have. Granted he does not bat but as a coach he needs to get the best out of the players. He is obviously not doing that.
Todd
Mulvey looks good. Humber looks very bad.
Last year there was talk of the White Sox getting rid of their hitting coach. Look at them this year! Leading the division. Hang in there, Twinkers.
When did the “hitting coach” become such an integral part of the game? Did we even have one 10-15 years ago? Make adjustments!! You have teammates to point out flaws/holes in your swing.
let’s hope we don’t see franchise till next year…no matter how good he is throwing in the middle of the year.
It is the players, not the hitting coach. Most certainly, Vavra’s lack of success as a player shouldn’t preclude him from being a big league coach.
The Twins players need to hit and string together good innings. Of course, they need to hit with more power and be more selective. I hope it starts tonight in Texas.
Varva is so bad he actually screwed Punto up enough to make him think he could hit for a few games!!
Am I going out on a limb in saying Liriano will never be the same? Hope like hell I’m wrong. Seems 90% mental in his case. Tentative. Lacks command. Afraid/unwilling to cut loose.
Where is the line up?
Frachise is human…..now we will see how tough he is……does he really want this our was he just some abnormally gifted person who played baseball because it was his only way out of poverty!
He looked like he could be better than Santana in 06.
I feel like he’s our version of Prior
Any chance we’ll see a starting lineup on here soon? The clubs usually have them set close to 3 hrs before gametime.
Didn’t the Twins lead the american league in batting average two years ago? We do need to address the power stats. I’m not a fan of the “spray the ball all over the field” approach. We are just a little bit too “slap happy”. This isn’t golf. In baseball, you putt for show, drive for dough!
Todd H. Well I will say Rick Anderson has done an amazing job with the pitching staff…that is what a coach is supposed to do. Vavra has not done a thing with the hitters. Pitching coaches and hitting coaches are a VERY integral part of the game.
LEN3 - In your opinion, what needs to happen in order for the Twins to send Gomez down? In other words, how many first pitch power cuts are we going to see from Go-Go until a message is sent? Nice OBP.
Twins draft for the most part weak hitting good DEF players so the batting coach especially has to step up!!! anyone ever wonder why Twins keep selecting pitchers by the bushels and when they select an early round hitter he is a “slap hitter” with good speed that everyone projected to go 3 rounds later..like Revere last year
Send Rick Anderson Down!!! He couldnt fix Liriano so he must be fired!!!
Rick Anderson wasnt a very good MLB pitcher, so he must be bad. It is his fault that the Liriano experiment failed.
See? Silly argument that only disctracts fans from the real issue, the talent on this team isnt very good. Vavra is doing fine…
Jimmy… and start who in CF?
Here’s a good example of the Twins draft prowess. They took 5′3″ INF Chris Cates out of the University of Louisville in last year’s draft. Bravo Twins.
RyanW…Let’s see…Liriano is one pitcher. One. Rest of the pitchers are doing very well. The entire twins team’s batting sucks! Come on! Think about it.
RyanW….call Jason Pridie up when Gomez gets sent down.
Squid, hitting coaches dont hit. Players do, if you are going to send someone down, send down the players.
Oh, and Neshek, Crain, Guerrer and Slowey also have ERAs over 5…. so much for “one” pitcher.
I just checked back on stats, the twins hit as a team just .259 in 2005 and next to last in the the majors in slugging. Then they hired Vavre. They improved to .287 in 2006 but were were still in the bottom half in slugging percentage. A painful reminder, we hit only .264 last year and were fourth from last in slugging. We’ve had some guys built for power… I’d much rather see a long sacrifice fly, than a ground into double play.
Ryan, we wouldn’t have a team on the field if that were to happen. Let’s just get rid of all the coaches and managers and let the players play and figure things out. Will that work better?
RyanW Twins have a former MVP, a batting champ, a player who averages close to 20HR 80+ RBI (Cuddy),another player who when finally given full time status averages the same (Kubel)
that’s 4 good players plus Gomez and Harris(BIG upgrade over Punto) the talent needs to be honed by a real coach
The Twins are 19th in team batting average (out of 30). And 13th in ERA…
Face it, we are pretty mediorce at both hitting and pitching.
Name a replacement for Joe V. (just for arguments sake).
Whatever you do, do not blame the hitters… especially Mauer. If they don’t hit it isnt their fault… blame the coach.
Classic rubedom…
Paul Molitor
Paul Molitor can be a guest batting instructor for a week. Twins should tape it, put it on a loop, and run it continuously in the locker room. At night, Twins should have Tony Robbins on tape as they sleep for positive motivation and reinforcement through subliminal messages. Worth a try, right?
People need to chill a little. It’s early. These guys have track records as good hitters. Hitting is contagious, and so are slumps. I guarantee this team will be in the upper half of the league in most offensive categories by the end of May.
Just because Molitor was a great hitter himself, doesn’t necessarily translate that he’ll be a good hitting coach (Eddie Murray, Rod Carew). I don’t believe he’d want the position anyway.
Last time I checked, Paul Molitor didn’t want to be the hitting coach…
Pete Rose
I’m kidding.
If Mr. Carew wants to be the batting instructor for a week, then roll out the red carpet and bring him in. Maybe Harmon and Tony O. can put in their two cents’ worth, too. Just do something is all I’m asking.
Tony Oliva already does that, doesn’t he?
These guys are major league hitters if they need that much coaching from a hitting coach they have problems blaming Joe v is easy why not blame the hitters.
I’m pretty sure Oliva and Carew, as well as some of the others, come in sporadically to help out…
Jimmy Jam said: “Here’s a good example of the Twins draft prowess. They took 5?3? INF Chris Cates out of the University of Louisville in last year’s draft. Bravo Twins.”
Jimmy, are you really basing the Twins ability to draft players overall on their decision in the 38th round of the 2007 draft? Seriously?
See ball, hit ball.
Well I don’t think the twins are going to fire their hitting coach because these guys are failing!
The hitting coach is just some one who teaches the hitting style the management wants….this is a team hitting philosophy that goes back to a manager who thinks it’s acceptable to let nick punto play on a regular basis…a manager who emphsizes pitching and defense to a fault!
trinitwin, maybe that’s the problem! I bet they just need glasses… or Lasik. perhaps…
Josh Taylor … no it’s just an example. However I can’t find any 6′ 2″ mashers taken by the Twins in rounds 1-37 either.
How about Yoda as a hitting coach!
“hit ball you must”
Jimmy, I’ll grant you that they haven’t exactly done a great job of drafting power hitters!
What if they painted their bats white, like a cane? Honestly though I love my twins, and I know they’ll come around. It’s going to be a fun season. The sad thing is, it’s much easier to find faults than blessings.
Thank you J.T.
The guy we brought up kind of surprises me, but I think Liriano should have went to AA maybe? He needs to know that he’s a LONG way from being a major league pitcher currently. Keep him there until his attitude changes, and his slider is hitting 87-89 miles an hour again.
RyanW,
Batting average is misleading. The Twins are 29th on OBP which is much more important.
Good one, Jimmy Jam
Gotto go lime, go twins!
trinitwin
Yoda for Vavra’s replacement!!!!!!!
if anyone can make these guys realise their potential it’s Yoda
Thread’s about Liriano, not Vavra … but it’s never a bad time to whack a scapegoat, is it?
Sending Frankie down was the right move - he’s not throwing strikes, he’s not throwing with velocity & he seems scared to death of the slider (though I suspect the Twins have complicity in that too).
Go to Rochester. Throw hard. Throw sliders - 20% or so ought to be a good target. Throw strikes.
hire gary gaetti as a coach…do anything ….this is rediculous, those constant weak grounders up the middle for easy outs and double plays-we take every weak pitcher out there and turn them into cy young for a nite…so tired of watching 6ft 5 mauer meekly tap one to the 2nd baseman hitting 2nd or 3rd in this lineup…drop him to 7-9 - i know the kid can hit…why isnt he ..what is vavra doing with him…for the 3rd day now im appealing to lavelle to ask gardys opinion why we ground out so much…i hope he will do this for us…i think its a fair ? that we deserve an answer to… but this team is at point in the season to decide which way they are going to go–in other words its time to start winning these games and protecting our pitchers who are doing fine and i cant imagine how much better out pitchers would be if they knew they were going to get 4-6 runs a game….they would improve on that fact alone immensely…..so come on gardy - get these guys on the move and lets win some games…..
Ahem. Can I have your attention for a minute? We have a couple of changes to announce. First, we have sent Frankie to Rochester to work on his hitting. He didn’t quite have it last night and he needs to work on his control and maybe his hitting, if you get my drift.
Second, we have picked up Barry Bonds. Yes, we’ve listened to all the blog input and we have added Bonds to be our assistant hitting coach.
Any questions?
Can anyone say Joe Mays??? We’ve seen Frankie Liriano’s better days I’m afraid. And is it still unfashionable to bash Mauer? As a hitter he’s is vastly overrated for a 6′5″ 225lb overall top pick. Produce already!!
Mauer is the best catcher in the game. Any other questions?
Yeah. Why can’t he hit for power or drive in runs? OVERRATED.
Gardy,
Will Barry teach me how to watch de ball go over de fence, drop me bat, and walk and jog around de bases?
if any of you saw the video on morneau hitting in the cage with coomer, it might give you an idea….constantly hitting off a tee, going to the opposite field, then up the middle and pulling the ball….that may be ok but i think too much emphasis is put on going the opposite way with this organization…and i think certain players should just be left to go up and take their rips and take it deep
Todd… Joe uses all the fields; mostly the infields. He is the best defensive catcher in the game.
Carlos… Barry will teach you how to walk to first base.
Mauer could learn some things from Gomez-swing the bat! Gomez could learn some things from Mauer-wait for a good pitch!
i dont remember killebrew, allison, mincher, battey or any of them going up to the plate trying to punch the ball to the opposite field…oliva was great at it, but that the type of hitter he was, like carew….
Not knocking his defensive abilities. But why isnt a stud with his size and plate discipline driving more balls over the fence?
who would win a footrace ?
LEN3 or Red Dog
anyone seen a lineup yet???
I think you will be happy with tonight’s lineup. With Nicky’s past success at hitting against the TX pitcher tonight, we have Nicky in again tonight. It looks a little like opening night, with Carlos leading off, Mauer, Cuddy, Morney, DY, Kubes, Lamb, Tolber, and Nicky. Sounds like runs to me. See you at the Park. I’ll see if that’s the way Vavra wrote it up.
gardy you are starting to get on my nerves, as ive always supported you, but the honeymoon is coming to an end…start putting lineups that will hit the damn ball over the infield or pack your bag and hit the bowling tour…
Lets hope Cuddy adds some life to a lifeless line up tonight. Washington gets canned by Monday unfortunately. Hey maybe we can hire as our hitting coach… Wasn’t he a career .245 hitter? Don’t know why I’m bashing the hitting coach. Our proven hitters are the one’s that are doing the least.
as it seems koskies days as a player are over, i wonder if he wouldnt be a pretty decent hitting coach, seems like a pretty good fit to me, anyone else??
Oh I see Vavra made a couple of changes to my lineup. He says Harris has done well against Millwood and has him in the 2hole and Tolbert out. Not sure I like that move, but what the heck, he’s our hitting coach. As long as we keep agreeing on Nicky being in the lineup, everything is good.
Bunt or HR? Bunt or HR? Bunt or HR? hmmmm, such hard choices.
Oh dear! Last I checked this offense hadn’t really gotten going. Try something new and see if it works. We should be happy that 1 good game hasn’t propelled Monroe in LF over Young, or that Gardy hasn’t totally given up on Lamb and gone with some slappy at 3b. If he is just shuffling the lineup around to get it going than I say good move, because it sure hasn’t been the dynamic (partially serious) lineup it was made out to be. Crappy atbats are what you should be concerned with and not the lack of balls over the fence. Good offenses can be powerless so long as they take quality ab’s ie Oakland, LAA.
Mauer sits Sunday and Thursday, what gives? If he’s going to sit twice a week, the Twins better get a Major League quality catcher. Johann Santana has 2 extra base hits and Mauer 5. Maybe Houston has a catcher we could get cheap!
I don’t mind giving this lineup a chance. If it doesn’t work, oh well. But I think it could be good with Delmon down further. It might spread the offense around.
We need to win two or all of the games. Texas is on a low streak, hopefully we can take advantage.
Mauer is like the aging Hall of Famer on his last legs. Playing 2/3’s of the time is a joke. All the Mauer apologists in town continue to think he’s the second coming of Johnny Bench though. He’s a clown. Hell, who could hit if they were behind 0-1 every single at bat? Words been out on you Joe for a while. Drive strike one once in a while!!
JT, that was what, the fourth time that Mauer hasn’t played this year?
That isn’t bad for a catcher. He played day-night games early in the season and has actually played quite a bit.
I’m in for Koskie as hitting coach — in fact I predicted it to friends after his first class exit.
He had hitting slumps, but usually had a broken bone or something at the time. Class act - I’d like to see the Twins invite him to be a part of the organization somehow.
Mauer has played in 19 of 22 games this far. That is a few more than 2/3 of the team’s games…
Also, Pudge has played in 20 of Detroit’s 23 games…
Yes 19 out of 23 is far better than what we’ve all been accustomed to. Props out to Iron Joe.
When will Gardy realize Joe Mauer is not a #3 hitter? Gardy’s lineup shenanigans are getting silly. Based on production, I don’t mind dropping Young a spot or two in the order. But now with him hitting in front of .186 Lamb, will Young see a fastball? Doubt it.
Rick Anderson wasnt a very good MLB pitcher, so he must be bad. It is his fault that the Liriano experiment failed.
See, I tried to point that out a while ago with a link to Anderson’s stats.
http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/historical/individual_stats_player.jsp?c_id=mlb&playerID=110251
He pitched in a grand total 28 games (10 as a starter) and worked his way to a stunning 4+ ERA and a 4-4 career record.
Oh yes, people, Rick Anderson is DEFINATELY more qualified for his job than Joe Vavra.
“Johan Santana has 2 extra base hits and Mauer 5.”
That aays a lot, doesn’t it. If it weren’t for the kindness of Brian Sabean, I’d be asking why we ever let AJ go anyway? He’s been healthier. Consistent on offense. And he’s a gamer, even if he’s an A-hole.
I will continue to be perplexed by people who think that Joe Mauer is a concern. Sure he hasn’t hit for Power yet, and the bounce outs to 2b are frustrating at times. He hits and has hit since he has been a big leaguer and I am sure he will continue to hit throughout his career. Remember, when scouts rate High School kids they “project” power not “guarantee” power. The only people that seem convinced that Mauer was going to be a 25 hr hitter seem to be the people that complain about his lack of power. I am sure that if we watched Ryan Howard everyday, some people would be clamoring for him to stop swinging for the fences and striking out 165 times a year and lace a couple base hits the other way. Calm down people this is game 23. Its a long season and tides will turn many a times throughout the year.
Brent, I don’t think anyone is saying Mauer is a “bad” player. At least I’m not trying to say that. But since it can be agreed that at this point he has no power, there seems to be no reason he should be a #3 hitter. If he’s an on-base type catcher that hits 10 out a year, great. But let’s not pretend he’s Tony Gwynn or something like that.
He should hit in the two-hole!
At this point 25 HR’s is a pipe dream for Mauer. Hell I’d settle for 15. Hasn’t hit for power yet? I think even the biggest Mauer fans know he will never hit for power. He feels better with a single over short after falling behind in the count.
Santana 2 doubles
Punto 0 doubles
And one actually has a gold glove.
“I guarantee this team will be in the upper half of the league in most offensive categories by the end of May.”
Wow, cmath…….is someone stealing your identity? You got guts.
Or are you snowed in and house-bound?
But you could be right. What are the offenseive categories, HR, RBI, BA, RISP, OBP, Runs, SLG? Anything else?
hit him wherever you want and his value is the same on this team that has no “true” 3 hitter anywhere. Cuddy and Young are both stretches at that spot and why can’t we pretend he is something like tony gwynn compare the two through age 25. THey aren’t too far off, if anything Mauer has kept close pace in BA and out slugged Gwynn and Pecota has him on its Comps. I am not saying that he is the next Tony Gwynn, but what if he is would that be so bad. I think not. Point is, Mauer is not the problem.
I am really not pleased with this lineup. Mauer needs to get back into the 2 hole, which was why I was so excited to hear Cuddy was coming back. Instead, Gardy managed to just keep jerking the players around.
“Mauer is like the aging Hall of Famer on his last legs.”
todd hansen, I think you got Mauer mixed up with the other catcher.
“Johan Santana has 2 extra base hits and Mauer 5.”
I’ve been calling for Mauer to bat 6th for a few months now. If Harris keeps producing, Gardy could then do that.
Cmat is on something.
Just take what ultimately is the most important stats, runs.
The Twins will not be in the top half of the league in runs scored by the end of May. They likely won’t be in the top half of runs scored all year.
They weren’t in the top half of runs scored in the league in ‘06 when they had the MVP, the batting title, and a number of other players had career type years.
does anyone know where Telly Hughes came from?
Romer…what other catcher are you eluding to?
Wasn’t Vavra the hitting coach when the Twins had their “miracle” comeback in ‘06? A miracle worker then. A know-nothing now?
Sounding like ChiSox fans. Ozzie was a god in ‘05. Then in ‘06 and ‘07 the fans were calling for his head. Now with the ChiSox in 1st Ozzie is suddenly
the “Man” again.
outsider, If memory serves, Telly did some work on local TV sportscasts in places like Iowa and Missouri. He’s your typical re-tread sports guy.
He’s awful, like everyone else on FSN North.
todd, Redmond.
Q, if the Twins are a high 8th in runs and first in ERA, there could be some W’s on the board. Timely scoring and all that…..
MISTER Gomez!
Totally agree romer.
We’re watching to see if Harris can play the hit and run type game.
HR or bunt? HR or bunt? HR or bunt? guess I’ll go with the bunt.
Gosh, Millwood hasn’t got a rhythm going…..
OK, a question everyone and me too. Who would you rather have up right now in the 3-hole with Gomez at 2nd?
OK, a question everyone and me too. Who would you rather have up right now in the 3-hole with Gomez at 2nd?
Albert Pujols.
Wow. Carlos with 4 SBs this inning. Too bad 3 were called back due to fouls and time outs.
Nice hit finding the hole Morny.
romer… I’d go with Vlady
Ha-ha-ho-ho, snepp.
I wouldn’t mind Tejada either.
Maybe Young in the 3-hole someday, but for now I guess it has to be Mauer.
Unless…..
Gomez
Mauer
Cuddy
MVP
Young
Kubel
Harris
Lamb
Everett
luv those dp’s — when we are on defense that is.
Ted Williams
BC says: “The guy we brought up kind of surprises me, but I think Liriano should have went to AA maybe?”
I heard Reusse agree with you today, but for a different reason. He claims that the Twins FO has more confidence in AA manager Bobby Cuellar than they do with the Cliburns at AAA.
Appearently, Santana gives Cuellar a lot of credit for developing his changup when he was the pitching coach at Rochester…
But if you go with my above lineup, why not exchange Kubel and Mauer?
That’s why I’m saying Mauer should be 6th.
Meanwhile, looks like Young is taking his “demotion” personally (sarcasm).
Lamb looking like he’s never seen that pitch before. Maybe he had to fart.
Punto with typical hand/eye uncoordination….there wasn’t any downward movement on the pitch, but he still swung over it.
Lamb hitting .177, Young swinging at horrible pitches, Punto grounding out weakly to first…can anyone tell me why Tolbert isn’t playing more?
Lamb’s second called strike was about half a foot outside…
The man be dancin’ in center!!!
Korecky makes some sense as he is on the 40 man roster and we have 3 days off in the next two weeks, so we only need a 4 man rotation. He put up some decent numbers last season as their closer- and some nice numbers this season so far, and maybe can help in the pen.
I would see Brian Duensing getting a look as the 5th starter if they decide not to go with Slowey after a couple weeks… Mulvey has pitched well too, so he could get a look… but they tend to go with the guy they are more sure about…
Telly wouldn’t be so bad if they would simply mute him and caption what he’s saying.
romer, Mauer will never hit 6th. He’s the hometown boy, remember. As we saw last year, there is a better chance Mike Redmond will hit in the three-hole than Mauer hitting down in the order.
Gardy’s Probably Preferred Lineup
1. Denny Hocking
2. Nick Punto
3. Joe Mauer
4. Telly Hughes
5. Jeff Reboulet
6. Jason Tyner
7. Garrett Jones (He’s got power, you know)
8. Toby Gardenhire
9. Nick Punto
can’t believe dick just compared blackburn with silva. FIRE DICK NOW
Gordo says Sir Sydney might start tomorrow night for the Rangers. Good GOD!
I’ll take Telly Hughes over Marney Gellner… at least he pronounces star players’ (from other teams) name correctly. I beleive that at the very least he watches Baseball Tonight a couple times a week in preperation.
That said, it is like saying I would rather get punched in the gut instead of the face…
I like the inclusion of Poon twice in your lineup. A Freudian slip perhaps?
There ya have it, Tolbert is my hero…..PJS just explained why Tolbert is on the bench tonight.
Marney Gellner is soooo much better that Telly Hughes…at least she sounds excited to be doing her job
No, snepp, I simply believe Gardenhire will take whatever penalty MLB would impose if he had a player playing two positions and hitting twice.
gomez is awesome
Maybe Tolbert needs to send some flowers to Gardenhire
Oh, and obviously that player is LNP.
Gomez has a fast bat. He shows bunt on the first pitch, snaps his bat back, and then snaps a swing at a 90 mph FB and fouls it straight back.
And then………
:)>
That said, it is like saying I would rather get punched in the gut instead of the face…
I think getting punched either in the face or in the groin would be a more appropriate analogy, the gut just isn’t a painful enough option.
Someday, I am going to tell my grandkids that I saw Joe Mauer play baseball.
That is what the Twins advertising department tells us… of course they got the name wrong. Johan Santana is the player I will probably tell my kids I saw play… but who wants to ruin a good feeling?
Nobody has dropped the head of the bat yet.
But seriously, even if you figure Gardenhire is just blind as far as Punto is concerned, what about Lamb…is it the unibrow?
Maybe Tolbert needs to send some flowers to Gardenhire
No, he needs to steal whatever new incrimination evidence Poon has against Gardy.
deja voodoo for Millwood.
Mauer should see a cookie here.
gomez is a quick learner. after benching, he is 4-6
I like walks.
I like those even more.
boom baby.
The Doc is in!!!! Hell Yeah baby!
Maybe having George Morneau in the stands is a bit of a good luck charm. Perhaps he can be our hitting coach.
god why didn’t Mauer swing at that 3-2 pitch, he is too predictable. (sarcasm) Quality AB’s=Big innings.
Why didn’t I frickin’s say it when I was thinking it in the 1st.
They (and practically everyone else) pitch Morneau outside and he proves he can handle it with his 1st inning hit. So I’m going that they’ll probably come in on him some next time.
So, BOOM!! Ultra voodoo.
kubel was robbed
More than any other player this year I wait to see Delmon. I really want to see this kid lay into one and start pulling the ball with some power. Maybe I’m expecting too much from him at this point.
unibrow man is up
Everyone with good AB’s already except for the bottom of the order, 7-8-9.
Can’t the blog contributor Gardy give us an in game assessment, ala the in the dugout interviews during Spring Training? I mean, what kind of pep talk did Vavra give these guys?
Pretty quiet around here, all the kiddies must have gone out tonight.
Yeah, I was gone for awhile. Outside painting the south side of my house. It’s so nice out.
Maybe Matt Walbeck can be our hitting coach… he was a good hitter.
At work…..score and inning update please:)
Thank you
Anyone know anything about this Steven Singleton guy at Beloit?
He is a SS and has a .361/.409/.492/.901 line in 17 games so far this season.
Cheeeess, I go out to check on the ice storm and all hell breaks loose. What’s Blackburn doing?
Yeah, I was gone for awhile. Outside painting the south side of my house. It’s so nice out.
It snowed here today.
Tolbert would have made that last play at 3rd base…I’m just sayin’
5-1, Twins zwiefz… Morneau hit a grand slam.
RyanW using slash stats? What’s the world coming to?
thank you, makes the last couple hours of my shift more enjoyable
Tolbert is my hero….
Your boy would not have made that play.
5-1, bottom of the 3rd.
Blackburn is having a little trouble this inning, one in already, men on 1st and 2nd, no outs.
two right fielders in the lineup tonight huh Lavelle. Thought I would point that out to ya.
but he would have made that one
Shores… I am confused with your post… help me.
*sigh*
Young not having a particularly good inning in the field.
glad they brought up an extra reliever
Holy CRAP, 2 errors on 2 straight plays for Young.
5-4 Twins
Make that 5-5.
I also like that Luke Hughes has 6 homers for AA New Britain and a Slg% of .690
at 2B…
Sure the offense finally does something and the pitching is about to give it right back.
Carlos with his 2nd bunt hit.
Doesn’t Rob Wilfong have the Twins record of 21 bunt hits in a season?
Those errors by Young weren’t helpful, but Blackburn’s getting knocked around. At least four runs would be in even if Delmon doesn’t make those errors.
Of course the hope was Liriano would be the 5th starter and Blackburn would be at AAA.
Texas taking a page from the Carl Crawford book of base-running…
luckiest of double plays, but please get someone warm
Agreed Shawn, this is why they called up Korecky, the bullpen can’t mop up after two straight meltdowns.
good relay Punto… as much as it hurts me to say that…
Did anyone else think some Blackburn’s pitches looklike batting practice lobs? Is he OK?
He feels better now, dummies running themselves out of a big inning, so far……….
Give me a frickn’ break. After miserable baserunning and giving the Twins that DP, the baserunners actually got high-fives in the dugout!!!!!!!!!
LOFL, Texas.
Crap. I should have played Nicky at 3rd with blackburn on the mound and Tolbert at ss. Nicky would have all three of those and it would still be 5-0.
I can respect the out at home, that was a heckuva relay and a great block at the plate.
But the guy at third?
T-
Did you look up Anderson’s minor league career? Did you look up his minor league coaching? Or just by his major league stats?
You find me Vavra’s stats that say he had any qualifications. He was a minor league field coordinator before he was our hitting coach.
Anderson was a pitcher, he was a minor league coach at many levels.
Vavra was a freaking field coordinator!
Scott Ulger was a minor league coach, and he would make a great minor league coach… but he was a lousy hitting coach. Even Gardenire realized that and replaced him so keep defending people T.
Explain to me how Field Coordinator makes for a hitting coach? This guy made sure that the grass was cut, that the lights were working, that the seats were working properly, the mound was the propper height… that the bats were in the right bat slots
Nicky should lay off the high ones, ya think?
oh crap
OH-oh, Mr. Cramp is back.
he looks ok, cramp?
kid needs to drink more water
Hopefully that’s just a tweak and nothing too serious. So…what do they do? Young to CF, Monroe in LF? Or just Monroe to CF?
Cuddyer just got back, Span sent down………..don’t wanna think about it.
The strangest thing about Vavra being here is they ran Al Newman out of town to make sure they could keep a place on the staff for Scott Ulger.
What was the reasoning behind dispatching Newman?
so keep defending people T…
And you can feel free to just keep on whining and moaning at every opportunity. Including tonight, where you can whine and moan about Punto and ignore the 5 runs on the board.
But if you’re going to do that, feel free to also go sit in the corner and keep it to yourself. Because some of us actually enjoy discussing things aside from whatever complaint you happen to have today.
Mauer’s got a great arm, and he plays amazing defense.
I hope that Gomez is ok.
What was the reasoning behind dispatching Newman?
Al Newman left to take a job as an advanced scout for the D-backs.
no I won’t have to badmouth the offense too much tonight. The team has WALKS!
When the team has more than 4 walks in a game they win a huge percentage of their games.
4 walks isn’t that many unless you are the Twins.
T, I remember Newman being surprised he was out of a job with the Twins.
Vavra’s resume,from Twins website. Yes he was a Field Coordinator-but that isn’t the same as a groundskeeper BC. I would also add that before being hired by the Twins Vavra’s family owned a family rec center where he worked as a hitting instructor in the offseason. I know its not the major leagues but its not like he’s never held a bat in his life.
2005: Named Twins’ hitting coach, October 27.
2002-05: Served as Twins’ Minor League Field Coordinator.
2001: Served as Head Coach at University of Wisconsin-Stout before becoming interim Director of Player Development for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
2000: Minor League Baserunning and Bunting instructor for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
1999: Served as major league roving coach for first half of the season before serving as Minor League Field Coordinator in the second half.
1998: Began season as Special Assignment Major League Coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers … became Minor League Field Coordinator at mid-point of season.
1994-97: Managed Class A Yakima and named Northwest League Manager of the Year in 1994 and 1996 … led Yakima to Northern Division title in 1994 and Northwest League Championship in 1996.
1993: Managed Class A Vero Beach Dodgers.
1991-92: Managed Class A Yakima in the Northwest League.
1989-90: Managed Rookie level Great Falls Dodgers to consecutive league championships.
1987: Named coach at Class A Sarasota.
Professional: Los Angeles Dodgers 8th round pick in 1982 free agent draft … signed by scout Dale McReynolds.
T:
You called it, Monroe CF.
He is no longer with the Diamondbacks though.
Newmie had some health issues. But Ulger does not need to be there..
Monroe in for Gomez
Well, Craig Monroe in CF. This could be an adventure.
From the looks of the replay, Gomez was starting to pull up before he hit the base. Hopefully just a cramp.
Monroe != Gomez
What happened to Gomez?
anyone heard anything about gomez
The double Botts got was a great hit on a great pitch.
And Blalock thought he was gonna score on it and didn’t run full out, until it was too late.
Nobody knows yet. I’m guessing we’ll get more info in a few innings after they’ve gotten him somewhere for a diagnosis.
Getting ugly in Left, now in Center, and Cuddy looked rusty, also.
Well, I guess Blackburn had to have a bad inning/outing at some point…
They only gave 1 error to D Young. Should have been 2.
5-5 bot 4th
Can you blame Cuddy, Mudcat. 
I just can not believe how many errors this team has committed this year already, seems like its at least one or two a game. They really need to tighten it up and I thought Lamb would be making all the errors over at 3rd, he actually is handling himself well in the field.
Gomez came up lame trying to beat out a two-strike bunt attempt. Walked off under his own power. Rangers TV crew thinks a hamstring.
T:
Can’t believe he’s even back already! A friend did that and was out all summer, in a cast, couldn’t even wipe his……..pretend I didn’t mention that, he wasn’t THAT gooda friend.
Hooray for XBH!
There you go, Mauer has an extra-base hit!
La Velle,
any word about Gomez?
thank you Joe for swinging at the first pitch. nice double.
guys that were asking about gomez… it looked like a calf cramp, but no announcement yet
I can’t wait for a Go-Go update from LEN3.
I don’t recall, was it on his throwing hand or his glove hand?
I would think his glove hand would be slightly easier to recover and play through.
Mudcat, ??? What’s Cuddy done wrong?
And sure, Monroe doesn’t have Gomez speed to quite get to that ball. No surprise though.
Gameday stuck?
Thanks, PDX Twin
Nevermind.
Delmon needs a big hit…
needed just a little more Kubel
Mauer double….
Pitch around Moreau for a walk….
Can the vetern Millwood wingle out the jam?
I would take any hit, no need to be big.
I hate when Dick does that.
JT, he just did it…
I hate when out offense sucks like this after scoring early.
Yeah, Dick exaggerates everything eay to much…
ROMER:
He didn’t do anything except make me a little nervous. I expect him to play like that @#$% Ranger right fielder, I guess.
Wingle?
Another bad atbat from D’mon. If he ever forced them to throw him good pitches, he’d hit .350.
You know that childrens singing group…The Wingles
To bad Blackburn had that third inning. Other than that, he has been great.
Right T, Bremer is an idiot when he does that. Can’t he ever learn?
“Too bad Blackburn had that third inning. Other than that, he has been great.”
reminds me of the old joke: other than that, mrs. lincoln, what did you think of the play?
Posted by La Velle:
[Update]: Carlos Gomez left the game in the fourth inning with a left calf strain and is listed as day-to-day. Doesn’t appear to be serious.
I think gomez’ injury (cramp, I hope) was due to 7 SB attempts and the three bunts and the tumbling catch in the OF. Batter and coach need to let him steal the base without fouling it off, imo.
Against Punto starting instead of Tolbert tonight.
If that was a hit and run, Monroe fails to do his job.
Even if it isn’t serious, he’ll probably still be out a game or two.
Meaning Monroe in CF.
Two outs, runner on second. Why do I feel an out coming on????
Harris looking like he’s never seen that pitch before.
Other than one game, Monroe has been brutal. I’ll give him a little more time, but if he doesn’t improve, they might as well give Span a bench spot.
Gamecast stuck again, any updates would be appreciated….last known, Blalock 2b 1s in 5th.
Bottom sixth it’s 5-5…
Why the Hell did they instantly need an 8-man bullpen!?!!
No need for Korecky tonight or in the foreseeable future. So, Span would still be on the team with Liriano going down today.
They say Ponson could start for Texas tomorrow.
Tied at five with two outs and runners on the corners.
Nice play, Punto to Mauer.
Well, Mudcat, now I’m getting nervous too about Cuddy. He didn’t have anything on that throw to the relay man from the corner. Texas runner could probably have scored.
Yeah, that was a good play by Punto…
According to the Rangers website, Ponson will be starting tomorrow.
Tied at five after six.
It was between Ponson and some other guy. Should be interesting to see him pitch. They said he had been pretty good at AAA, but there is a big different between the two.
Well, I will say it first, I won’t be surprised if he dominates the twins (I hope i am wrong) but we struggle with sub par pitching
Matt Garza started tonight for the Rays and will get a no decision:
5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER (7.62 ERA)
I don’t want to be a resident prick, but come on.
Standard good throw by Punto to Mauer. But nothing spectacular. And not close at the plate, so no need to hurry and throw.
Just an ordinary throw, I thought.
I didn’t think Catalanotto’s catch in left was stupendous either.
Blasphemy romer, blasphemy.
You need to understand that everything Punto does defensively is all-world gold-glove caliber, so says the Twins PR machine (regardless if it’s nothing more than routine).
I just thought it was a good play by Punto because he had to run in a little, and it was somewhat critical to keep the game tied…
Morneau with another good AB…..lines to 3rd though. Kubel peters out a ground to 2nd.
5-5 bot 7th
Detroit losses
Cleveland wins
White Sox likely rained out
KC is winning 2-1 and if they win will snap a 7-game skid
Punto has gotten so much crap over the last two years, I can’t resist saying he did a nice job on that ball.
Delmon’s just a little too casual out there. Sometimes I wonder if he isn’t exactly pumped and excited to be a Twin.
Well look at that. KC has let the Jays in the game and it’s tied at two with the Jays having the bases packed.
KC would extend the streak to eight games with a loss.
Rotoworld is pretty worhtless. Their comments are just stupid. They said the Twins should place Gomez on the DL even if he is day-to-day and call up Span or Pridie.
Question of the night.
Will EVERYDAY EDDIE pitch to EVERY NIGHT NICKY?
Guess how Punto got the nickname.
Yeah, Twins Territory, Punto’s defense makes me feel confident too.
Now here comes the 7-8-9 hitters. Too much to ask?
5-5 top 8th
Maybe its time to give Delmon a day off
We need to get the lead and hand it to Pat and Joe…
The day-off worked for Go-Go. He could be out a few days now though 
Bert it is BREW-SARD — not BROOSH ARD
D Young needs his day off now too.
lol with the Gomez injury.
Gamecast caught up. Is it just my impression, or have we had several innings with the leadoff hitter getting on and not being advanced? (or business as usual).
Poon with a bit of bad luck there.
How can the Twins not take some pitches from Wright, he has a track record of being all over the place.
I have strongly disliked Joe Vavra since he was hired, you never see players making adjustments, its like there is no coaching going on.
Another pathetic inning at the plate… What happened to the electric offense of the first three innings?
Guess Go-Go was the guy starting those off…
Well at least Gardy tried to squeeze something out of the bottom of the lineup. Hit and run turns into a DP
5-5 bot 8th. Gotta hold ‘em. I’d keep Reyes in and stretch him out because Xtra innings is looming.
TWINSTERROR:
Was that RotoWorld or RotoRooter?
Well I jinxed that one…
There’s the Lamb we’d thought we’d see this year.
RotoWorld…
well he made up for it there, i didnt think he would get there.
Craig has it reversed.
Lamb is a butcher.
Buscher is a lamb.
Nice grab there Lamb.
When Lamb looks sheepish, he’ll surprise ewe… 
Is it just me, or has Reyes been really good thus far?
Top of the lineup, lets get a save opportunity!
EXcellent! Punto is a quick cat, isn’t he.
5-5 top 9th
Dumb question, but who made that inning ending play, I looked away for a sec.
good job reyes. nice dp.
I actually thought Blackburn had another solid outing. The one big innning started with 4 ground balls, of which at least two were playable. I think I would put Nicky at 3rd when blackburn pitches and Tolbert at ss.
Royals storming back 4-3 with a running on 3rd - 1 out
Dumb question, but who made that inning ending play, I looked away for a sec.
4-6-3
Mudcat,
DP Harris-Punto-Morneau
Wow, Monroe is pretty terrible when Blanton isn’t on the mound…
What happened on Monroe’s out please?
Watched strike three…
Monroe just kept the bat on his shoulder and Wilson just made him look foolish, right down the middle.
Harris just saw more pitches in one at-bat than most of this lineup sees in an entire game.
Thanks.
Now do you go with Rincon in the 9th? He pitched pretty good last time.
Oh, it’s the Tin Man, Neshek.
Correct me if I am wrong. Mauer is the first Twin all year to reach safely four times in the same game.
DJB,
Down the middle?
Strike three to Monroe was outside corner on my TV screen.
Reyes has been exceeding expectations this year. Same with Rincon.
That IS funny….Nolan Ryan in the stands looks full of angst watching Neshek pitch.
He’s the TIN MAN, Nolan! Learn to love it!!
DJB,
Down the middle?
Strike three to Monroe was outside corner on my TV screen.
Pitch f/x agrees.
Strikes one and two were both called strikes right down broadway though.
Delmon’s just a little too……….oh, I said that already.
I cry OUT!! That was a strike.
Horrible call.
Yeah that was crap.
ROMER:
You called it.
Overtime.
What’s “The Tin Man” thing?
Get a guy on and let Kubel knock ‘em in.
SETH:
That’s a character from the Wizard of Oz. Surprised you hadn’t heard of that.
The three years Reyes has been with the Twins have been a see-saw. He was unbelievable (and unbelievably lucky) in ‘06. Last year, he was ordinary, but had a lot of ground balls get through and bloopers fall in. This year, he has been good, but he’s had a lot of at-’em balls, as well.
It is ok for a number 5 hitter to bunt in this situation Gardy
crap
Those two first strikes to Kubel looks nearly outside.
I think it was the one and only jimmy bee who said he and his wife thought Neshek looked like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz.
I use it affectionately….
K Zone is consistently expanding here
Almost Kubes.
I’d take a walk from Delmon.
Yeah it is…
The question is, will DELMON take a walk…
I don’t think Rincon has been exceeding expectations this year, but might be barely meeting them.
We’re about to find out.
Might have been wrong before. Who were those 2 Texas baserunners caught in that DP fiasco before?
I suppose it doesn’t matter now. Who cares…
Cottosalami caught looking.
Aw, too bad.
*sigh*
pretty pathetic that the Rangers bullpen shut us down
Murphy’s Law:
If anything can go bad………
It did.
Well that was a sucky ending. Too bad a Grand Salami was wasted like that…
Twins pretty much packed the RBI producing bats away after the 3rd inning. Then Blackburn does a Liriano impression and coughs it back up. Unbelieveable!
Probably the most run production we will see all weekend.
Thought I might have the wrong law. I didn’t but found this:
Murphy’s 3rd Law
Make something idiot-proof, and they will build a better idiot
The Twins live and die on their pitching. No quality start tonight, no win.
Mudcat’s Salami Night deserved better. (Thanks for the cottosalami name, Mudcat.)
Calf injuries are slow to heal, I believe. Didn’t one nag Mauer for a long time?