Twins-Tigers: “No he didn’t….Yes he did!”
Posted on July 1st, 2008 – 4:25 PMBy La Velle
I know this is short notice, but Ron Gardenhire is a guest today on, `Pardon the Interruption,’ that airs at 4:30 - or about 15 minutes from when I started writing this.
Massive lineup changes today against Nate Robertson, although lefties are hitting .317 against him (righties are at .297). Nick Punto is better against lefties than righties, so I’m guessing that’s what he’s in. I thought that Mauer would play today then get tomorrow and the off-day on Thursday to chill. Shows how dangerous it is to try to think along with the manager.
No Miguel Cabrera, whose battling a strained hip flexor.4
4:41 Update: Just found out that Tigers manager Jim Leyland, during his pre-game presser, expressed how he was convinced that Glen Perkins intentionally threw at Carlos Guillen. I try to post a quote later.
I don’t think there will be any carryover from yesterday, but I expect the league office to have something to say.
6:01 Update: Here’s part of what Leyland said: “We thought Guillen had been thrown at,” Leyland said. “Only we threw ours low, and they threw theirs high _ right at a guy’s head, and it went all the way to the backstop on the fly. So that’s my message.”
Gardy’s reponse: “You know what, you throw at a good hitter, you knock him down or come at his lips, you’re going to get something back. But you shouldn’t get two somethings back. We got two somethings back.”
By the way, Leyland apparently aired out Miguel Cabrera for his defense before taking him out of the game yesterday. Few here believe Cabrera is injured.
Tigers (42-40): 1. Curtis Granderson, CF. 2. Placido Polanco, 2B. 3. Carlos Guillen, 3B. 4. Marcus Thames, 1B. 5. Matt Joyce, RF. 6. Gary Sheffield, DH. 7. Clete Thomas, LF. 8. Edgar Renteria, SS. 9. Ivan Rodriguez, C. Pitching: Nate Robertson.
Twins (45-38): 1. Carlos Gomez, CF. 2. Alexi Casilla, 2B. 3. Mike Redmond, C. 4. Justin Morneau, 1B. 5. Craig Monroe, DH. 6. Delmon Young, LF. 7. Brendan Harris, SS. 8. Nick Punto, 3B. 9. Denard Span, RF. Pitching: Scott Baker.
429 Responses to "Twins-Tigers: “No he didn’t….Yes he did!”"
look’s like a classic gardy, “they got after it and battled tonight.”
monroe is hitting .103 with a .175 obp against lefties.
which means he’ll hit 2 hr’s tonight.
glad to see cabrera and maglio both on the bench…lets hope punto can hold up his end, as i was hoping buscher would get a chance against robertson, but we will see….maybe they can get an early jump on this clown, who has been tough on them in the past, and hopefully stay away from our bullpen till very late, like the 9th with a lead …congrats to span on a very nice nite back in the bigs…great nite, except for the one play that will happen because of inexperience, but made a great play in the 1st and seems very comfortable at the plate…i hope he can be our 2nd half surprise, like casilla was and still is…..go get em twins…take 2
I think Gardy is protecting Mauer from Robertson pitching inside on him. You would have to be crazy to pitch at Morneau. He could probably kick some serious butt. Plus we have Boof sitting in the bullpen to do some enforceing.
unrelated, but I thought I’d share:
A list of the hitting coaches in the Twins’ organization along with their major league stats as players:
DSL Twins: Claudio Almonte no MLB experience .284/.345/.391 9 HR in low minors
GCL Twins: Milt Cuyler .237/.305/.326/ 10 HR
Elizabethton Twins: Jeff Reed .250/.334/.361 61 HR (17 years ML career)
Beloit Snappers: Rudy Hernandez no pro ball experience
Fort Myers Miracle: Jim Dwyer .260/.353/.398 77 HR (17 years ML career)
New Britain Rock Cats: Floyd Rayford .244/.283/.397 38 HR
Rochester Red Wings: Riccardo Ingram .194/.257/.194 0 HR
Minnesota Twins: Joe Vavra no pro ball experience
do you see a pattern?
Perhaps Gardy’s benching Buscher after some questionable tosses the last couple of days?
I don’t like it. Period. With Cuddy out you need every last potential bat you’ve got. I’d settle for Punto/Harris before this set up.
Mauer and Buscher should be in tonight. Especially with how close that lineup was to winning.
error. Vavra has no MLB experience but .288/.351/.347 3 HR in the minors
thrylos, have you seen Rick Anderson’s ML stats?
And the Indians fired Eddie Murray as a hitting coach. Isn’t he a HoFer?
This is an idiotic lineup. Mauer is the best Twins’ hitter against lefties this season and Redmond is batting a career .235 against Robertson, Span is 0-for against lefties this year. Frankly, I’d rather have Monroe play right and Livan DH instead of Span with a bat against lefties.
Hope that Baker pitches the game of his life.
T,
The only thing I am saying is that if from the beginning of someones exposure to pro ball, they are taught how to hit the ball by small ball players, it is more likely for a new draftee to become a small ball player…
And why do you think that Anderson is such a great pitching coach, btw? How many ERA titles have the Twins won under his tenure, exactly? He is better than Dick Suchs, that’s about it.
Span has 2 AB’s against lefties. I think the sample size may be too small to say he can’t hit them. Anyone know where you can find minor league splits?
PTI replays on ESPN News at 5:30, if I remember
thry, the point I’m making by bringing up Anderson’s stats is that they’re equally unimpressive…yet he’s done a fine job developing the Twins pitching staff.
It’s also why I brought up the (now fired) Eddie Murray.
There’s a distinct difference between a player’s ability to hit/pitch and their ability to teach how to hit/pitch.
he’s done a fine job developing the Twins pitching staff.
Based on?
There’s a distinct difference between a player’s ability to hit/pitch and their ability to teach how to hit/pitch.
so you are saying that someone who gets into 20 life time car accidents can be a good driving ed teacher? Nope.
t’s also why I brought up the (now fired) Eddie Murray.
yeap. He was the problem. In his last year the Indians hit .271/.334/.453 the year after .280/.349/.457, the year after .268/.343/.428 and this year .248/.324/.391. The further away from Murray’s influence you go the worse their batting is. Coincidence?
7-0 Tigers
But Gardenidiot is a “manager of the year” candidate. At least that’s what the dolts on ESPN say.
Sitting your best hitter in a game that you absolutely need is absolutely incredulous. How much does Mauer make? It’s time to take the pampers off him. If he needs a break from catching then put him in the DH spot. Other teams don’t sit there best hitters because good hitters usually find a way of breaking through on a specific pitcher sooner or later (even Jacques Jones eventually hit Buehrle, and he wasn’t even a good hitter).
Mauer is just to good to keep him out of the lineup. The best natural hitter in baseball, that is high praise coming from a tiger fan
[…] it will be Nate Robertson taking on Scott Baker. With the lefty on the mound today there is no Joe Mauer or Jason Kubel for the […]
Has Football Started Yet,
First, how is today’s game any more of a must-win than yesterday’s or tomorrow’s? Every day’s game seems like a must win, but a catcher has to take a day off eventually, and today’s as good a day as any with a lefty pitching and our “ace” (maybe) on the mound. Second, Mauer does make a high salary, but why no mention of Nathan? You may have noticed that he, our highest payed player, did not perform in yesterday’s game. Third, of whom is the decision incredulous? You? That hardly seems like a basis for an argument.
La Velle,
See that the Twins promoted Manship and Valencia lately. How come Revere and Slama haven’t been promoted yet??? At some point isn’t there a chance you might impede their development if you keep them status quo for too long?
Slama’s stats are ridiculous… 0.42 ERA, only 24 hits given up in 42.2 innings, .84 WHIP, and 73 K’s (no, that’s not a typo) in the aforementioned 42.2 innings pitched. 73 FRIGGIN’ K’s in 42 innings (someone please do the math what that comes out to…too lazy)!!! Sure, it’s A-ball but can’t ever recall seeing a stat like that before. I say we replace Boof with him right now.
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ibp&did=milb&cid=509
twins win. its nate robertson…come on. its all slap a#$ after the fact when we win, but doom & gloom and 2nd guessing the day after a tough loss. I know we’re fans….but let’s get real guys. What if 1 more Mauer start in an opportune lineup = 15 day dl. Is that worth it?
Go Twins
has football…,
Fort Myers had 2 closers Slama and Delaney. Delaney got promoted to AA. I think that next year Delaney would be in Rochester/Twins and Slama in AA/Rochester. Revere is still not 100%. I think that as soon as he is feeling better he will be at Fort Myers.
tomjh,
Ah yes, this game is more important than yesterday’s game because WE LOST yesterday’s game. Gardy is all about winning series and if they lose tonight they lose a series against a DIVISION opponent (who’s on fire right now).
“A day off eventually…” Mauer ALWAYS gets a day off!!!
Your comment in re Nathan makes no sense. “Why no mention of Nathan?” That would be because I was talking about the line-up. That last I checked Nathan doesn’t bat (albeit I’d put him in the three-spot before I put Redmond there). And how perceptive of you to have noticed that Nathan “didn’t perform” in yesterday’s game…that’s what everyone was bitching about and only serves to validate my point that Gardy’s not making good decisions.
And yes, it seems incredulous to me (and apparently to some other posters as well); after all, I am the one who posted the comment and therefore it is my opinion, is it not? I didn’t ask anyone to agree or not agree with it, it’s an opinion that I’m sorry I didn’t get permission from you before I made and I sincerely apologize that it didn’t sit well with all your baseball ingenuity and acumen you’ve acquired while sweeping floors at the local Jiffy Lube for a living.
one way to beat these tigers and maybe the only way is to make them field the ball…i cant say ive ever seen a worse team defensively as they are…they are so weak, with players out of position, dropping balls at 1b, and the list goes on, they will always give you that extra at bat, which must drive leyland nuts, but when they come to bat, they come up and look like the big bad bully in the neighborhood..theyre tougher than hell, so lets hope they forget their bats tonite and show us some funny in the field…….
Incase anybody didn’t see Ron on PTI, and wanted to, I just made the video:
http://www.redlasso.com/ClipPlayer.aspx?id=129e3fac-3550-4859-9428-d6c351e8f0ea
Has Football - I know it seems that Mauer always gets a day off, but he has caught more innings than all but two catchers in baseball. I do agree that he could probably dh every once in a while.
thrylos98,
If Vavra and Anderson are not qualified to coach because they weren’t great hitters or pitchers, how are you qualified to express a worthwhile opinion on the subject, when you were not an average hitter or pitcher?
Of course you have the right to express an opinion on the subject, but why would your opinion be worth our attention?
Please submit your personal hitting or pitching stats or we will have to dismiss your opinions on the same grounds that you dismiss Vavra’s and Anderson’s coaching.
thrylos-
The Twins are 3rd in the AL in hits, 4th in Average, and 4th in Runs. And we are among the league leaders in BA w/ RISP. All of this with one of the youngest lineups in baseball.
Vavra has coached a batting champion and an AL MVP in his 3 years here… I think we can cut him some slack.
Thanks for the link to Gardy’s PTI interview. Anyone else notice they didn’t ask any questions about the current team. My guess is they don’t know enough to ask intelligent questions about Gomez, Buscher, Casilla, ext.
Has Football,
As far as Mauer “always” getting a day off, he has played in 73 games as a catcher this year, tied with Kurt Suzuki for the most in the American League. He has also played catcher in 25 games in the last 30 days, also most in the AL in that span. Last year, he only appeared in 91 games all season as a catcher, primarily due to injuries caused by him being overplayed early in the season. I’m not disagreeing with you that Mauer is valuable in our lineup, and it’s never good to take him out, but the fact is that, as a catcher, he needs a day off every once in a while, and today is a pretty logical choice for that to happen.
Have to wonder if Leyland saw the replay of the Guillen thing. The pitch was high, but not that far inside. And it was so high (well above the head) that Mauer didn’t get the good glove on it.
Guillen was in no danger. Perkins wasn’t trying to hit him.
Also, to clarify the “incredulous” thing… It was supposed to be a little grammatical joke. I wasn’t saying that you have no right to your opinion. If I thought that, why would be on a blog, of all places?
“Nick Punto is better against righties than lefties, so I’m guessing that’s what he’s in.”
I thought Robertson was a lefty. This is a non sequiter.
So, why Punto tonight?
Actually, the Twins lead the majors by far with runners in scoring position. Also they are 8th in AL in OBP and 8th in SLG. All I am saying is that it is a matter of philosophy. This team has been trying to win with small ball and hasn’t been able to do that. The ‘87 team was 3rd in the AL in SLG and the ‘91 team was 2nd in SLG and 1st in OBP. I am afraid that if the philosophy will not change, they will be no more titles here. Small ball does not win championships. Is one is satisfied with being an also-run, that’s fine. I just am not.
Punto’s splits, 2008 to date:
vs. RHP: .250/.340/.300
vs. LHP: .269/.296/.423
Oops, I meant batting righthanded…
Oh wait, I see what you’re saying. Ha.
thrylos98,
Just want to know how you are qualified to critique Anderson’s and Vavra’s coaching ability with your having never pitched or hit in pro baseball.
And why you think that their professional statistics as players make them poor coaches.
And why anyone should assign any credibility to your criticism.
sid,
I’d thought that I’ll let that pass, but what the hey:
If Vavra and Anderson are not qualified to coach because they weren’t great hitters or pitchers, how are you qualified to express a worthwhile opinion on the subject, when you were not an average hitter or pitcher?
You have a logical error with this statement.
Logic 101:
“to be a successful hitting coach, you need to be a successful hitter”
is not equivalent to:
“to have a valid opinion on whether or not someone is a successful hitting coach, you need to be a successful hitter”
the latter is equivalent to:
“to have a valid opinion on whether your $100 dinner at a restaurant tastes good, you need to be a master chef”
(where in all actuality all you need is experiencing that it tastes good or not)
I am not a master chef, but I know that the hitting philosophy of this team has proven that it cannot win…
it’s that simple
Punto at 3rd today is ok. Macri at 3rd would have been better (with Span in AAA)
thrylos,
I agree with you. David Ortiz has commented on how disparate the hitting philosophies of the Twins and Red Sox are. In so many words, he said that the Twins coaches essentially didn’t allow him to utilize his natural power. Time and time again, we see young prospects come up through the farm system being molded into “slap hitters,” which is management’s nice name for a guy whose SLG percentage equals his batting average. Aaron Gleeman talks about it here:
http://www.aarongleeman.com/2008_04_27_baseballblog_archive.html
If you scroll down a little, you can read about Ortiz’s comments.
Punto has no appreciable platoon split for his career, his lines against right and left-handed pitching are almost identical.
tomjh,
thanks for the link. I read Aaron’s piece back then. If you are interested check this
http://tenthinningstretch.blogspot.com/2008/04/bit-of-batting-research.html
this is data that I posted on my blog about the same issue in the beginning of April
Interesting… although the data for players coming from other teams to the Twins from elsewhere could be skewed by the natural decline phases in these players careers. Except for Stewart and Castillo, all the others are out of baseball by now. It would be interesting to compare their declines in SLG% with the declines in SLG% of similar players (like on BR’s player pages) to see if their declines are FASTER than “natural.”
Relating to where Mauer rates when comparing to the rest of the league in terms of how many games he’s caught, don’t forget that there probably isn’t another team in the league whose catcher is amongst their top four or five players on the roster (many are just platooners), let alone top two like Mauer obviously is for the Twins.
It is a small sample because the Twins did not sign many free agents or trade for player at their prime since the early 90s. An easy way to do what you are saying would be to compare their PECOTA numbers for the years after they left the Twins (but this is like speaking in tongues in here 
)
Humber had a bad outing in Rochester tonight:
2.2 IP 10H 8ER 2BB 3K 2 HR 71 pitches 41 strikes
he is done for the night
Yikes. Let’s hope one of our other struggling pitchers does better tonight. Here’s Anthony Swarzak so far:
2.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 1BB, 1K.
Based on?
Johan Santana’s developement from a Rule 5 draft to Cy Young winner. The overall success of the team’s young pitching staff this season (when it was expected to be the team’s major weakness)
“so you are saying that someone who gets into 20 life time car accidents can be a good driving ed teacher? Nope.”
Dude. That’s the worst case of Straw Man I’ve seen around here in a while.
A good hitter can be a horrible teacher. Because teaching skills are completely seperate from baseball skills. You could have a world class professor teaching you chemistry, but if he’s boring as hell and can’t speak a lick of English you’re going to have a hard time learning from him.
The advantage I’d give to a well known successful hitter isn’t that he automatically has excellent teaching skills, but rather that he is far more likely to command respect regarding the message he’s promoting.
You could have A-Rod and Vavra preaching the same hitting philosphy…but if your a hitter, who are you more likely listen to first?
THAT is where a player’s career factors in. It doesn’t automatically make them good/bad at their job.
RE: Leyland - “Only we threw ours low”
Because your guy missed his target. Remember (was it at Clemens or from Clemens) when two pitches sailed around his but?
Take a chill pill. Did you expect the Twins to go undefeated the rest of the year? We are back in the race. Enjoy the season. Gardy, the coaches & ALL the players seem to be rowing in the same direction & trying to win. Most teams have at least some of their players more worried about individual statistics than winning. You don’t get that feeling about the Twins players. Our “ace” is going tonight. Let’s see what happens. 
T,
A good pitching coach can do the following things:
help his pitchers be healthy
(Neshek, Liriano, Crain, Balfour, Perkins, Reyes all had major injuries)
work with pitchers who are having problems to turn their staff around
(Bonser, Ponson, Lohse, Romero, Rincon, Silva, Mays, Fultz all failures and some successes elsewhere vs only 2 successes: Reyes and Hawkins)
I am just looking at the numbers…
I hope Baker plans on pitching a complete game…pitch counts be damned! Last thing I want to see tonight is the blowpen.
The Tigers did NOT hold Casilla on at first. First I’ve seen of that this year….
Last thing I want to see tonight is the blowpen.
What, you don’t want to see another Crainwreck?
(nickname egregiously stolen from the BYTO forum)
Hmm, exactly how dumb is Gomez?
Argh! We should have scored at least 1 if not 2. Totallt let Robertson off the hook.
mauer would have hit into a triple play!
That definitely wasn’t “doing the little things right” Hopefully that’s all out of their system now.
John,
that’s on Redmond
I am getting sick of seeing Gomez make mistakes that you should have learned before he even was in the minor leagues!
That is on Gomez, not Redmond
Nice running GO Go. Man, this kid is the dumbest base runner I’ve ever seen. It’s like he’s never played the game before. I could watch 12 year old little leaguers do a better job running in that situation. This new CF camera on FSN SUCKS. It’s like watching the game through a telescope backwards. You have no idea what a strike is. Other networks have tried this high angle camera shot and have ditched it. This new camera is ruining Twins baseball for me. IT’S BRUTAL. Hope we can all complain enough to FSN to get it switched back.
help his pitchers be healthy
Name me one team that has been able to go an entire season without a single pitcher going on the DL. A pitching coach can do what he can, but injuries still happen.
work with pitchers who are having problems to turn their staff around
And it took two years for Lohse to turn it around. Rincon and Bonsor have yet to prove they can be effective with a new team. Lohse is only turning it around 2 years later. Silva hasn’t turned it around, Mays…?
Fultz and Romero I don’t recall specific stats for.
But whatever the case, it’s clear what mindset your getting into again.
Now back to the game…
—————–
Gomez out at home ticks me off. He didn’t run it out from the get go (he does that he’s safe easy). I don’t know what home plate ettiquette was…but the ump didn’t say a WORD after the play at the plate. Safe, out, or otherwise. I always thought they normally yell something to let everybody know what’s going on (especially when the guy running home has his back to the ump)
I think he may have been safe regardless, but he could’ve made that work a LOT better.
thrylos why is that on Redmond?? with no outs you should be scoring on anything hit except to the pitcher if they are playing back.
The umpire didnt say anything because gomez didnt touch the plate and pudge didnt tag him so the play was still live
Watching Carlos Gomez play is indescribable…
Really? The Blowpen?
Bullpen, last two weeks:
32.0 IP, 21H, 4ER, 8BB, 29K
That comes out to a .906 WHIP / 1.13 ERA, including last’s night meltdown. Not bad.
Nice swing by Monroe there. Now let’s hope he has some of those later in the game with men on.
…
Let’s hope he has some men on later in the game.
I realize Gomez should have scored on that play…but general teaching says a ball hit to 2nd and SS the runner goes and a ball hit to the corner a runner stays. Casilla ran straight to 2nd…so Gomez was stuck at that point.
Now, if the play was on contact it is different, however with 0 outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd I doubt it was on contact.
Gomez should’ve just taken the catcher on. GET FIRED UP! and all.
What’s the bullpen’s numbers against the Tigers? Here they are:
Numbers against Tigers= blowpen!
If the infield playing back (which it was) im sure it probably was on contact with the speed of gomez and casilla because if it wasn’t casilla would have held at second and not took off toward 3rd.
In that one game?
Aren’t the Twins winning the season series…or at least .500 against the Tiggers?
Punto overacting again.
Man, Howard hit the nail on the head. Whatever spark he had is gone.
Get. Him. Out of there.
The Twins usually make Robertson look like Cy Young, so I am not holding out hope for a win today.
Wow this is really annoying. Nice job Punto. Again Robertson off the hook.
Why is Punto in the line-up again?
Bottom line is nobody knows what the play call was. The ball happened to be hit very softly to first, however you can’t determine that as a runner. The play is either stay on a ball directly to a corner infielder or you just go on contact.
We don’t know what the play was, we are only assuming.
Buscher would have hit into a triple play!
About the Gomez play, where was the 3rd base coach? And isn’t his responsibility to tell Gomez to go on contact? Way to go Nicky, btw
T - twins are 5-4 against the tigers. It would obviously be 9-0 if the “blowpen” wasn’t so horrible.
Why is Punto in the line-up again?
A. He’s scrappy
B. He’s gritty
C. He hustles
D. All of the above
BUNT DARN IT!!!!!
This team has horrible numbers against left handers.
Buscher would have at least have the decency to strike out
Punto is the master of false hustle. Why couldn’t he have been the one to slide head first into 1B and break his finger? It’s a crime that he collects a big league paycheck. He would be an average town ball player.
Glad Gardenhire decided to go with Nick the Stick at third tonight…
If we re-sign him after this season, I’m gonna jump off the upper deck in right field the first time he starts a game next year.
I’m too lazy to look up numbers, but I just remember the pen getting shelled against the Tigers earlier this year when the Tigers were playing terrible and people were worried we had jump started them. So the pen’s numbers can’t look too good against them.
snepp -
you forgot
E. he’s a nice guy
F. he battles his tail off
Was Clete Thomas separated in birth from Scott Brosius, or is just my impression?
I’m with Tim. Is the Twins management trying to go two for two?
The entire coaching staff should be fired if Punto is even invited to spring training next year.
The blowpen… wow. Truly one of the more unintelligent comments I’ve seen on these blogs.
You’d think if there’s one thing that people here would be able to NOT complain about, it’d be a bullpen made up of guys mostly with ERAs under 3.50, several dipping down below 2.00.
Baker looks good tonight. Maybe we won’t need the “blowpen,” as Razz so affectionately calls our apparent weak link…
Razz, if you’re thinking of the first two games against the Tigers, you’re right.
The first game the Twins had two 5-run leads. Though one of those was surrendered by the starter (Blackburn?)
I don’t recall enough details about the second.
Brasky, I think the problem is bigger than the coaching if they bring back Punto. I’ll join you and the angry mob on a storm of the Twins of the FO.
I’ve got a call. Baker will pitch 7 innings with 92 pitches and captain Hook will head to the mound
Does Young always take a great circle route on routine fly balls?
“Rabbits”
…At least “Pirahnas” was threatening.
Anyone else see that Casilla’s average is back to .320?
I just looked up the games. The first 2 game series Neshek and Crain took the losses. The 3rd loss went to Bonser, but Bass also gave up 7 runs in that game, and last night was the 4th loss that went to Guerrier, but was really a team effort.
Sorry if I’ve offended people with the blowpen comment, it was mostly in jest, but those games the bullpen has blown against Detroit are lodged in my memory and no lead seems big enough against the Tigers in late innings.
Thanks snepp for the clarification on the Punto question. Here I was under the impression that he was a completely worthless player and the type of guy that volunteers to sit in the dunking tank at county fairs.
OMG are you kidding me?
Okay…seriously. This is how you know you can’t win.
Wow, we really can’t catch a break so far in this series…
It’s the Center Field camera angle, its cursed the twins…
Also, maybe before tomorrow’s game lets not rip the Tigers’ fielding…seems to lead to DP’s.
New game apparently…how many different BIZARRE double plays can this team hit into.
I’m calling it now, a blown “home run steal” bounces back into play and leads to Mauer getting picked off at home and Morneau out scrambling back to 2nd.
Well I can’t complain about the 3rd double play - other than dumb luck. Or Gomez = this time(DAAFR - dumb as a rock). I will have to leave as my bitch count is getting too high.
Robertson is not even close to as good as we ar making him look. LOL
Does anybody else think Gomez was safe there?
I wonder if a team can hit into 9 double plays, we’ll see tonight
I think Gomez was safe at home, you can clearly see his fingers touch the base in the mlb gameday replay, man that is a sharp setup
gatty, they’ll hit into 9 DPs, and then the 3rd guy up in the 9th will hit a walk off.
Uh oh, inside to Guillen. He might charge the mound.
And John, if I saw Punto sitting at a dunk tank, I’d blow through half a month’s salary dunking him to pay back for all the anguish he’s caused me the past season and a half. I think you’re onto something there.
Alright, Twins are due to turn a DP of their own here.
Tigers have all the luck. Unbelievable!
Boy, that decision to play Red-Dog tonight so far looks like a magnificent one!
I think robertson will throw a 9-hit complete game, tigers turn 9 double plays
Mauer can’t play even though he is the best hitter on the team but Punto is put in the lineup? Makes alot of sense. LOL
Nora
Remember this is the Nations best Tball team…everybody plays!!
Man,
i think this is the most complaining i have seen on the blog this year. That’s really saying something!
Speaking of complaining, does anyone like that center field camera?
Red is setting up the DP!!!!!!!!
Robertson is now probably intentionally getting guys on 1st to get the DP
I like the new camera much better. You get a lot better lateral view of the pitches, but maybe lose a little vertical perspective. I like being able to see the pitches’ movement better.
The double play is still in play…
I do like the center field camera. I think it’s nice to be able to see the corners more clearly.
Two men on again… Robertson can’t get off the hook forever.
Groundhogs day. Every inning starts out the same way when Twins come up to bat. Its a nightmare.
That wasn’t a DP!
NO DOUBLE PLAY THERE! WOOOOOO CRAIGGY!
Awesome!
no double play? cool!
Woohoo Monroe!
Two on, nobody out…
Where’ve we seen this before?
yeah Monroe sucks. Keep playing Span every day…
I was feeling that HR for sure
Why would you pitch the low stuff to monroe…awesome
Our long nightmare is over! Against his former team too. Extra sweet.
Wow… if Robertson hadn’t started Delmon with a changeup there, I think we’d have seen some back-to-back HR action there. He was right on that, just way out front at only 80 mph.
Atta way to earn that paycheck Craiger.
wait till tomorrow… the genius is going to have Monroe on the bench again
When are we going to get rid of that useless Craig Monroe?
I don’t think Harris is seeing Robertson very well.
Said it last night, and I’ll say it again… I want Craig in there every time we play the Tiggers
Wow, MLB.com Gamecast is super slow tonight..way to go Monroe!
Along with Garza and Lohse anybody notice that Durbin is catching on with the phillies
At least Punto can hit his helmet…
I know this has been beaten to death, but what kind of jack is Punto making anyway?
Please pinch hit for Punto and get him out of his missery
Will it last longer then a year for Lohse or Durbin? It remains to be seen. They don’t have a very good track record.
Ms. Nora, I said it the other night and I meant it. You add a great deal to this blog. Thanks and keep it up!
Sox up 1-0, c’mon Cleveland!
Even though Delmon flew out during that last inning, you can see he is seeing the ball better and getting the bat around. He is starting to pull and drive the ball more often. I like what we are starting to see from him. HE has played really well this last month.
With myers being sent down I guess durbin might have a shot at the rotation he already made a couple starts this year and won a few games
“At least Punto can hit his helmet…”
Ha-ha, good one, gatty. I appreciate it….
Gobbledeygook at 4:32 says “monroe is hitting .103 against lefties. which means he’ll get 2 hr’s tonight.”
One down, one to go.
Speaking of trades and free agency, how did the Silva deal work out for Seattle? Senor Smoke has like a 5.50 ERA..
One might say that Delmon Young pulled his HR against the Brewers, but it looks to me like he was out front on an inside change up and he connected.
“Senor Smoke has like a 5.50 ERA.”
Funny
Silva is 4-9 with a 5.69 ERA, 1.46 WHIP.
Lohse is 10-2 with a 3.67 ERA, 1.27 WHIP
Garza is 6-4 with a 3.76 ERA, 1.21 WHIP
Dear God, slide Span. SLIDE.
I know this has been beaten to death, but what kind of jack is Punto making anyway?
About $2.4 million for this season.
that was really frikken close
Ok, no. This team is not going to referred to as the “rabbits,” Dick. Stop it, and stop it now.
We got a conflict — is it “rabbits or bottom feeders?
Atta way Alexi! Sox and Cleveland 1-1 in the 6th.
Two doubles in the same inning = no double play
“It’s just a harmless little bunny, isn’t it?” ask Robertson, as he throws Alexi a cookie…
Nice hit RED!
rabbit feeders?
bottom rabbits?
jackalopes? (sorry)
And here come the Hits!
The new camera angle sucks. If I want that view, I’ll buy a seat near the camera well in center field.
Isn’t that what television is all about anyway…getting you as far away from the action as possible.
It did not work for ESPN and thier dreaded K Zone…It does not work here.
call em whatever, but i like that span and i have been touten him for some time- he is going to fit in with this bunch very well….i think hes for real, as i havent seen any sign all year that he is a short termer….glad to see him hit so well against a left hander…..great game so far…nice hit for redmond and morneau
That’s my man Reddog!!!!
Lets see if Monroe can hit a ball to the outfield, DEEP in the outfield
The hit parade cometh!
Last night, Gomezzzzzzzz came within an inch or two of a 2-run hit down the 3rd base line (in the 6th I believe). Woulda made it 6-1.
Game of inches.
Much better Red-Dog!
Think Leyland will get a pace of game fine for not having his reliever ready?
Still need at least five more runs in order to preempt what Boof is bound to give up in the later innings.
Tolbert needs a spot on this team. Span deserves a spot on this team. Cuddy will be back. What are they going to do????
span’s great catch last night would have fallen last spring.
his double tonight—he would’ve been thrown out.
’bout time things go his way a little.
That was a balk
Rabbits? We need a name. those three in a row are fun to watch.
Cheetahs are the fastest land animals.
Jackacuda’s…
Gobbledeygook at 4:32 says “monroe is…….
I already said that, I guess.
Wow, the rays got out of a bases loaded jam
Can this guy not throw a pitch!
Detroit better get a warning from the time police because of Miner.
monroe is the man if he just gets enough at bats…unfortunately with this team thats tough …i will defend him all the way
2 on, nobody out. Twins fans seem subdued.
Pour it on Craiger!
That one JUST missed
damn this game would be nuts, if it werent for 3 double plays in the first 3 innings…
Wow. That is a web gem.
C’mon Young, hit one out
So, after watching the replays a dozen times, it looks like the Redmond ground ball in the 1st with Gomez DP at the plate is on my man Gomez, if the contact play was on (as he didn’t go right away), or it is on Casilla if the contact play was not on (as he forced Gomez off of 3rd and was why Gomez did break for home late), or it was on Ulger (if he somehow didn’t let both guys know what was on — this one is least likely, IMO).
Maybe we’ll hear about it post-game.
there is still a few of us monroe fans left…more nites like tonite and they will all be back..lol
By my total, if the twins hadn’t hit into the DPs, this game would be exactly 19-3
You can’t really tell how many would score if not for DPs. Too many variables like strikeouts, popups, etc.
jeez, after reading through tonight’s comments i would guess the twins were down 6-1.
It would be EXACTLY 19-3
gatty, you’re as smart as I used to be.
Bert jinxed him.
shoulda did a lot more damage that inning.
not sure 6 is enough tonight.
6-1 still is not enough against this team…not anymore, as it seems they strike hard and fast, so lets baker can hold them at bay at least thru 8 and take our chances with nathan…..
And roomer, you used to be really smart!
So, our hitting into DPs gives the Tigers 2 more runs — how? I think it is EXACTLY 19-1
Back to Leyland. He says Perky was head hunting Carlos Guillen. Gardy’s reponse: “ you throw at a good hitter, you’re going to get something back.”
Didn’t know Carlos Guillen was a good hitter, but here’s his stats. Good as anybody we got, I guess.
Ave.292 HR 7 RBI 42 Runs 38 SB 6
WOW, that play was awesome
i doubt you will ever hear bottom feeders from dick b…….rabbits it is from now on from him i am afraid….but who started that rabbit thing, was that dick too????not sure i ever heard that before tonite
The last player I’ve seen pop one that far onto the left field as Monroe did in that foul ball was Chili Davis… It would be a shame if he sits for Span tomorrow
Let the collapse begin
if nothing else, span will make better players out of delmon and gomez—-damn thames, hes as hot as anyone alive…
NOW it would be 19-3, gatty
couldn’t he have given up a double or something, it had to be a homer?
Exactly, NOW it would be 19-3
I miss the plexiglass at left.
well, it’s not like the twins are the harlem globetrotters and the tigers are the washington generals, expected to lie down at the home team’s convenience.
If baker can just get through this inning with out giving up another HR, I think we might be okay.
Whew! A QS for Bake……
Let’s if the home team can pad its lead now
Pinch hit Lamb for Punto, please
DY and/or Monroe are going deep again tonight. I feel 9-4 final score. And, my predictions have been spot on lately, except for a few.
Punto has really rounded in to his 2007 form
nickys done well === 4 outs in 3 at bats….good nite for him…
Nice at-bat for Denard
span even looks like a ballplayer this year…the difference in him and casilla is amazing…..great for the twins
Nice steal for Denard
methinks that Smith should pull the rag out of Gardy, DFA Punto and call up Macri. About time.
I wonder what the odds of Punto getting DFA’ed this season are. Probably nonexistent, but I can always dream…
La Velle says: “Watching Carlos Gomez play is indescribable…”
In all ways.
It’s like he’s come from another planet. Always interesting.
Suddenly Gomez with more patience and quality at bats. Hmmmm?
Can Casilla do it again?
Let’s see if Casilla can pull one…
Or a Grand Salami for Morne
The 3 cheetahs on base again!
Mauer up please
ball 4
ball 8
ball 12
HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!!!
Walk the 3 fastest guys on the same team in history!!!
Gardy is a certified idiot for not getting Mauer up at this spot
At least he could have the decency to SO
way to go manager of the year
I don’t quite understand keeping redmond in the game, I guess they want to keep this game close. Also, thank you nick punto for getting the first out.
mauer woulda hit into a double play and you guys woulda said how bad gardy sucks for catering to baby jesus.
This p*sses me off
you got the two weak links on this inning (Punto and Redmond) and not pinch hit for them…
where are you now ’sid’. Great moves
Why, why, why??? why is he swinging with Mourneau behind him? does he really think he’s a #3 hitter?? LOL
I hate to say it but we had a three run lead at this juncture last evening.
Punto became accustomed to frequent playing time. He needs to play everyday to be effective.
Okay, okay, okay……..Punto and Gardy are in the doghouse. I got it. I agree.
What does La Velle think?
i say if a guy walks 3 guys in a row, you let him hang himself, dont go swinging at low pitches Redmond, you freaking retard!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what is up???
This is the exact situation of last game. Only the pitcher is a far cry from glen
sorry craig, but i think it’s time to give it up on punto as a regular.
Hey, we actually got a key out!
*Sigh*
does anyone know why Redmond keeps batting third? why couldnt Monroe or DY be moved up when Mauer has day off?
Thank you, George Herbert Walker Daniel1966.
That at bat by redmond looks even worse now
“Punto became accustomed to frequent playing time. He needs to play everyday to be effective.”
Then he should ask to be traded.
twins have to cash in one of these times…way to many chances wasted away tonite in a still…close game….
This guy walks four batters in 2+ innings and we couldn’t even touch him for a run, at least not yet…
Actually Daniel1966, I was just kidding. Reminded me of Dana Carvey’s Bush imitation.
BUT, I hope you’re not coming down with the bloggers’ pessimism disease!
does anyone know why Redmond keeps batting third?
would “because Gardy is an idiot” be too disrespectful?
Romer, I proudly voted for him…twice. But I laughrd at the post. Thanks. Appreciated the refernce to Eisenreich the other evening, also. Nice fellow, Jim!
bottom feeder time
Geez, another DP.
CONGRATULATIONS to Delmon on wasting not only one at bat, but TWO!
Miner issues 4 walks in 2+ innings, and the Twins don’t score anything from it.
An important run….it’s up to Harris now.
i still will never understand in that situation, especially tonite why you wouldnt sac them over and take your chances with one out and runners on 2-3 - instead the predictable double play….damn it
If Denard plays well, I would not be opposed to sending Delmon down to AAA
No, Dick. Not 16……19!!!!!!!!
BBBBBBUUUUUNNNNNTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!
holy crap!
its my birthday! I would like ONE sacrafice bunt– Tom Kelly must be cussing up a storm right now!
This game would be 19-3, if not for the DPS
we are just asking to get beat ….gardy blew that inning all to hell…..we dont hit that many homers, but we do hit into double plays….
I’m sure the Twins have hit into more DPs tonight then the last five games combined
Keeping with the theme of the nite, Don’t let Bass pitch the 8th. He’s too effective
Geez, gatty…..I’m still as smart as you.
(I really did not read your post before I replicated it. Creepy.)
Here it comes folks, a game tying HR…
My God, Guerrier is warming up.
I saw that, wierd
BIG out
Why isn’t Reyes ready to go, and in the game RIGHT NOW!!!
I think an audio cord got cut, it sounds like Bert and Ernie are whispering, not always a bad thing…
no double play for us. sheesh!
Bass has looked impressive, SO FAR…
And, no confidence in the Boof the way it looks.
Sounds like Dick & Bert are broadcasting from behind that new camera in center.
Hey Delmon actually knows how to field a ball in left! A beach ball!
can’t hear dick, so SWINGGGGG and a miss!
yankees game is over. i wonder how A-rod will unwind tonite….
http://www.usmagazine.com/exclusive-ny-yankee-making-late-night-visits-to-madonnas-apartment
Let the collapse continue
JP, where are ya?
Time for Nathan?
At least there are two outs in the inning this time
You are absolutely right, would it kill this team to have Joe get one more out?
id feel better if nathan had more than 2 runs to work with….well, i hope he gets at least that now…hang on guys….chisox got beat too….need this one bad
chisox in extra innings
DANIMALS:
Madonna looks ok, but she’s almost 50!
A-Rod should stick to the strippers.
Am I missing something? Redmond is 2-4 with 2 RBI and hitting .300 on the year and everyone is bitching. The Twins are winning again and everyone is bitching. Can’t anyone be happy with where this team is at right now?
wheeeeeewwwwwhhhh
casey blake won it with a homerun
how can we be happy when we can’t hear dick and bert clearly?
Righties are hitting .350 off Reyes, that is the reason I had a heart attack on the last out
ARRRRRGGGHHH.
lnp
Da bunt…….
a bunt!
hey guys, a bunt!
he just does it all….gomez needs to watch span play this game
Happy Birthday flipper!!!!
MudCat,
Agreed. but he’s a ball-slapping sissy boy…LOL
I will never be happy with the twins offense if they hit into five double plays in one game
I saw Monroe’s dinger (go figure eh?) at volleyball.
I didn’t see the other three runs.
I did see this when I got back online:
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8301638?MSNHPHMA
Judging from the headline alone, it’s apparently that time of the season yet again.
Punto. You’re an idiot.
Thanks PUNTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pardon me, that one looked to be a send all the way.
i can’t frikken believe that
The twins get an extra out and punto promptly uses it, unbelievable.
Nice block by Pudge. Tag was late, but Punto couldn’t get to the base.
He should’ve felt lucky to be standing on third. Sending him home was moronic.
look at me!!! look at me!!! ME!!! ME!!!!
Did Scotty give the signal?
It’s like Pun-terrible is trying to get cut. But of course he’ll find his way into the line-up tomorrow at 2B or SS.
PS: (and where’s JP on this one)
From the replay it looked like Ulger was sending him all the way.
Mark this one: Ulger made the mistake.
folks,
Punto can do what he can do. And it is obvious what he can do. There are 2 left hitting third basement on the bench and they are not up. Is Punto the idiot or Gardy?
This is one great base running team.
i dont know that i have ever seen so many runs go by the wayside in one game …its uncanny how many they have let slip away
I’ve said it a billion time already, but this game should be 19-3.
jeez, don’t non-chalant a fly ball tonight!
Oh by the way, the indians are done this year
Royster says:
“Am I missing something? Redmond is 2-4 with 2 RBI and hitting .300 on the year and everyone is bitching. ”
Yeah, but he’s also had 5 LOB. and this team is supposed to be about situational hitting and he’s a ‘crafty old veteran’. i think he set the young guys back 2 months with that lousy at bat when he swung at balls when the 3 batters before hime got BB. how ironic, maybe he should be watching how Span, Gomez, and Casilla approached that pitcher???
Sometimes you win pretty, sometimes you win ugly.
Thankfully at the end of the season they don’t count any differently.
Ulger sent him. Just following orders boys. Don’t blow an artery over that one on Punto.
white sox tied it with a bomb!
Good aggressive play by Punto.
punto=not one of the rabbits
punto=not a bottom feeder
punte=dead piranha
Yeah, this is the one of those times the defense is legit for Punto.
However, feel free to rip him for the pointless headfirst slide.
flipper: Was it Dye or Swisher?
Or heck, any of the other 23 guys on that roster (yes, including the pitchers)
Did you see pudge saying wow when he swung and missed?
Does anybody have any more info as to why they went to this new camera view?
I have a feeling it has to do with HD…
glad to see monroe fired up….
ALRIGHT!!!! Giggity Giggity Goo
Good game, minus the poor hitting at times
Guess 6 runs was enough.
A win!!! Because everything was clicking on all cylinders. Great managing, coaching - well the list just goes on and on.
I don’t know why they switched the camera angle, I saw they were experimenting with it about a week ago. I always thought the twins had one of the best camera angles in baseball…
Easy win.
2 for 4 on my predictions earlier. No additional HRs and no 9 runs from Twins. Did get the win and the 4 runs from Tiggers. Nice .500 BA (LOL)
Look at the bright side of tonight. Span looks like he wants to stay this time. That 3 man track team will win some games if they get on base. Twins bull pen held it together. Whities lost, tiggers lost, Twins win.
Have a good night.
T, I posted a response, to your nonsensical post, on Joe’