The Twins go for the sweep in Kansas City this afternoon with a lineup that still looks more like something that should be taking the field for the Red Wings than the Twins, but at least these guys are showing some life! Hopefully, the rest that Denard and Justin are getting this weekend will have them ready for Cleveland.
Don’t look now, but that 16.5 game lead the Tribe had over the Twins last Thursday is now down to 12.5 and the Twins are headed in to Cleveland for a big series starting Monday!
It will be good to get Denard Span and Justin Morneau back, for sure, but this new generation of piranhas has been fun to watch this weekend. Alexi Casilla continued ripping the ball, Luke Hughes had a couple of hits and scored a couple of runs, and Jason Repko got in to the action, too, with a couple of hits and three RBI!
Brian Duensing hadn’t gotten a W in his past half dozen starts for the Twins, but he threw eight shutout innings, giving up just six hits and 1 walk, while striking out four Royals. For that performance, Brian is our BOD!
Ok, I spent the day on the river, got a decent sunburn to start off my summer and now am joining the BF’s family for drinks and dinner. The boys better win for me.
Three in a row! And tonight’s win clinches a series win, with the brooms all getting ready for Sunday!
Things got a bit dicey when Nick Blackburn left the game after 5 innings with back stiffness. Fortunately, the bullpen was rested after getting last night off and Slama, Dumatrait, Hoey, Burnett and Mijares pieced together four innings of one-hit relief pitching.
Alexi Casilla went 4 for 5 with a double, a run scored and a couple of RBI. It would have been hard to imagine this a few weeks ago, but the truth is that Lexi is the guy that’s holding this line up together right now… and for tonight’s performance, he’s our Boyfriend of the Day!
Something to think about… The Twins started the season with a club-record payroll just north of $113 million. At this moment, $53.2 million of that payroll (eight players) is on the Disabled List, leaving them with an active roster payroll of about $60 million. Thought about in those terms, I’d say the Twins are right about where in the standings I’d expect a team with a $60 million annual payroll to be.
We covered a few roster moves in the GameChat post before Thursday night’s game in Kansas City, but even more moves have been announced since that time. Let’s see if I can give a quick rundown on where things stand with the Twins’ roster at the moment.
The Twins moved Mauer and Nishioka over to the 60-day DL this week to make room for some guys to be added, but the other six are “only” on the 15-day DL.
Three players were dropped from the active 25-man roster. In addition to Thome and Kubel going on the DL, infielder Trevor Plouffe was sent down to Rochester.
Ben Revere returned to the Twins in time to play in Thursday’s game. He’s now going to be joined by infielder Luke Hughes and Brian Dinkelman. Dinkelman has played some infield, but he’s primarily been seeing action in the outfield in Rochester. He’s hit relatively well in Rochester and swings from the left side, which is something Ron Gardenhire considers important since his two lefty DHs, Kubel and Thome, are gone.
The Twins also obtained minor league OF Jeremy Reed from the Brewers and sent him to Rochester to shore up a Red Wings roster that’s every bit as screwed up as the Twins’ roster is.
With Nishioka and Mauer expected to return to action over the next couple of weeks, we’ll soon be speculating over which current members of the 40-man roster the Twins will drop and risk losing to another team’s claim. I personally don’t see any shortage of names I wouldn’t lose sleep over losing, but don’t be too surprised if one of those names is Dinkelman, himself. It wouldn’t be the first time the Twins promoted a guy to get short-term use, only to go ahead and try to pass him through waivers a few days later. In fact, they did exactly that less than a year ago when they brought Matt Fox up for a start (a successful start, at that), then tried (unsuccessfully) to pass him through waivers just a few days later when they needed his roster spot again.
Anyway… one thing we can be sure of is that the game of musical chairs the Twins are having to play with their roster isn’t about to end any time soon.
As for tonight’s game… I hope the gang at Smalley’s 87 Club for the TwinsCentric bash is having a good time tonight! I’ve got some plans with the family for “happy hour”, so I’m not sure when I’ll be online. Lineups aren’t posted yet and since I’m not sure whether one of us will be around to post them when they DO get released, I’m just going ahead and loading up the GameChat now. Hope everyone’s weekend is getting off to a great start! – JC
Two in a row! That almost constitutes a winning streak! This was almost like the old days… hits all over the place, including a double and a near inside-the-park-HR by Denard Span, guys running around the bases, trying to take that extra base (even though it doesn’t work sometimes), and a complete game by Carl noStache Pavano.
In fact, that complete game… his 100th career victory… earned Pavano our Boyfriend of the Day award for tonight!
Before I launch in to today’s post, I want to remind everyone that the TwinsCentric gang has organized a gathering tonight at Smalley’s 87 Club, near Target Field. They’re going to be joined by Lindsay Guentzel from KFAN and if you’re in the Twin Cities area, you should join them, too! There will be food and drink specials, as well as prizes to give away, and it’s a great opportunity to have some fun with fellow Twins fans. They’ll also be taking (but not requiring) donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Since I’m NOT in the Twin Cities this weekend, I’m hoping that one (or both) of our Twin Cities contingent, KL and CapitalBabs, will find their way there to represent Knuckleballs! Game time is 7:00, so get there early! – JC
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For weeks, I’ve been holding out hope that, once the “real” Twins all get healthy, they might stage some sort of comeback. It may not be enough to challenge for the AL Central Division title, but I had hopes that it would at least result in a competitive team worth watching again. I suppose that could still happen, but the reality is that the Twins seem to be losing more of their best players faster than they get already-injured players back from the Disabled List.
I still believe that there is a lot of talent at the Major League level in this organization. If everyone was expected back next year, I’d probably be willing to just write 2011 off as one of those years when you’re simply snakebit and look forward to starting off 2012 with everyone healthy and, with a couple of tweaks to the roster, ready to return the Twins to their rightful spot at the top of the division standings.
Alas, things just aren’t that easy.
As a child of the 1960s, I’ve always thought of Bob Dylan as part icon, part prophet, and part… well… just weird. I used to spend time working my way through his lyrics looking for the meaning. Imagine my shock this week when, as I was listening to a bit of Dylan’s best, I realized that nearly 50 years ago, he was writing about the 2011 Minnesota Twins when he penned The Times They Are A-Changin. But then, he is a Minnesota native, so maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised.
Don’t believe me? Let’s give a listen.
Come gather ’round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You’ll be drenched to the bone If your time to you Is worth savin’ Then you better start swimmin’ Or you’ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin’.
Who is Dylan talking to here? Maybe he’s telling the front office to wake up and realize they aren’t a small-budget team any more and they need to adopt a new business model before they’ve got the fanciest half-empty ballpark this side of the Pirates’ PNC Park. Or maybe he’s talking to the on-field staff and warning them that “pitching to contact” and “battling your tail off” are not going to get the job done in today’s game. Maybe he’s telling Joe Mauer to listen to his body and start thinking about spending some time learning another defensive position or two. Or maybe he’s talking to us… the fans… because as I look around, it’s obvious to me the waters around us have certainly grown.
Come writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide The chance won’t come again And don’t speak too soon For the wheel’s still in spin And there’s no tellin’ who That it’s namin’ For the loser now Will be later to win For the times they are a-changin’.
Well this one is easy. Yes, decades ago, a young Bob Dylan saw the future and it was named “Twins blogs”. He’s talking to all of us in the Twins Blogdom here (maybe some of the traditional media, too, but mostly bloggers). Nobody does more prophesizing than we do and we’re certainly all about speaking too soon while the wheel’s still in spin. We’re being warned that those we’re so anxious to show the way out of town will taste victory in the end… whether in a Twins uniform or otherwise. Mark it down… Alexi Casilla will be the 2012 World Series MVP… somewhere.
Come senators, congressmen Please heed the call Don’t stand in the doorway Don’t block up the hall For he that gets hurt Will be he who has stalled There’s a battle outside And it is ragin’ It’ll soon shake your windows And rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin’.
You thought he was talking to politicians here, didn’t you? Nope. This is directed at the players (and really, the whole reference to “he that gets hurt” should have been a dead giveaway to you!), particularly some of the “senior statesmen” of the organization. Guys, we’ve all enjoyed having you around through some successful seasons and we will always appreciate your contributions. We don’t really want to see you go. But there’s a battle about to rage for playing time and you’re going to have to prove you can pick up the pace a bit on your performance level, because if you’ve stalled, you’re going to get run over and hurt. Lead or get out of the way, gentlemen.
Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don’t criticize What you can’t understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your old road is Rapidly agin’ Please get out of the new one If you can’t lend your hand For the times they are a-changin’.
This one’s for all you stat-heads and it’s aimed directly at the Twins’ front office. I’m not smart enough to understand all of the sabremetric tools that those like Bill James use to evaluate baseball talent and project success or failure of players, young and old. I also don’t believe you can or should use those metrics exclusively to build your organization. I think scouting is important. That said, when you look around at the talent levels in the Twins minor leagues and particularly at those that are called up to contribute at the Major League level during the course of a season, it’s pretty obvious that the “Twins way” isn’t working very well any more. They’ve come across as an organization that not only stubbornly avoids relying on advanced metrics, but seems to actually take pride in their ignorance. That needs to change… and if the current decision makers can’t change with the times, the Twins need new decision makers.
The line it is drawn The curse it is cast The slow one now Will later be fast As the present now Will later be past The order is Rapidly fadin’ And the first one now Will later be last For the times they are a-changin’.
Clearly, Bob didn’t expect the Twins and their fans to heed his warnings in the previous stanzas, because here he’s telling us that, while we have all had a nice ride over the past decade or so, winning Division titles and making nearly annual appearances in the playoffs, that ride is over. The Twins are destined to pull up the rear of the AL Central while the Cleveland Indians and this weekend’s opponent, the Kansas City Royals, are about to enter an era of dominance in the division.
Well, that sucks, but at least it’s not the BitchSox.
Then again, I could be wrong about all of this. It’s happened before.
Our guys (they ARE still our guys, right?) start a four-game series with the Royals in Kansas City tonight and it gives us an opportunity to see what Anthony Swarzak can do for an encore following his near no-hitter on Saturday vs. the Angels. It also gives us a chance to get a good look at some young Royals who are reportedly on the cusp of becoming a pretty fair ballclub.
After the game last night, word came that the Twins would likely be placing either Jason Kubel or Jim Thome on the Disabled List today and that Ben Revere was on his way back up from Rochester. Today, it seems Gardy couldn’t make up his mind which of his lefty DHs to put on the DL list, so he decided to drop both of them from the active roster. That left him short on lefties, so now Brian Dinkelman will be coming up, as well.
I know I’m not the first to say this, but it really is true… this roster and the line ups we’re seeing really do resemble what we’re more accustomed to seeing at road games in Spring Training. At this point, frankly, there’s probably an argument to be made that we all might as well get a good look at the “next generation”.
Joe Mauer caught three innings of extended spring training baseball today and told media he felt “fatigued” afterward. I’m not sure what to make of that and I’m really not sure what else we should expect. If you put anyone behind the plate for three innings after he hasn’t played baseball for three months, there’s a pretty good chance he’ll feel fatigued. Still… I can’t help but feel like there’s a helluva lot more to this story than anyone is reporting. But I could do a 1,000 word post on the Mauer issue itself (and probably will… soon).
Well that was kinda different. I’m not sure that, over the course of the entire game, the Twins really were all that impressive. But wow, that 3rd inning was a piece of work unlike anything we’ve seen in a long time!
No one particular offensive player had a huge game but Denard Span and Matt Tolbert both managed to get a couple of hits, six different guys had RBI and seven different players scored runs. Nice team effort.
The bullpen contributions of Jose Mijares, Alex Burnett and Matt Capps didn’t suck at all, either!
But while his six innings of work wasn’t quite as impressive as his near no-hitter on Saturday, it was still solid enough to earn Anthony Swarzak his second consecutive Boyfriend of the Day award! Do the Twins have a new “stopper”?
A few posts ago, I indicated that I’ve been working on a “Who’s Fault Is This Mess?” post. This isn’t it. That subject is still simmering in my mind. Actually, a better word might be “festering”.
But a couple of things caught my eye over the noon hour Thursday as I was glancing through some of the national online media web sites. These, in particular, were from SI.com. First, there’s a column from SI writer Joe Sheehan in which he lists the MLB “All-Disappointment” team. Since I’m a fan of what pretty much has to be absolutely the most disappointing team in baseball this season, I had to click that link! I expected to find just two words… “Minnesota Twins”.
But no.
Sheehan went down the line, position by position, with his list of the most disappointing MLB players this year (with an occasional “honorable mention” for some positions). Here’s his list, which you can read all about for yourself by clicking here :
C : Yorvit Torrealba, Rangers (Sheehan does mention in the introductory paragraph that Joe Mauer is one of the guys he’s giving a “pass” to based on injuries)
1B: Albert Pujols, Cardinals (1B Honorable Mention: Aubrey Huff, Giants)
2B: Dan Uggla, Braves
SS: Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
3B: Chone Figgins, Mariners
OF: Carl Crawford, Red Sox
OF: Alexis Rios, White Sox
OF: Nick Markakis, Orioles (OF Honorable Mention: Austin Jackson, Tigers)
DH: Adam Dunn, White Sox
SP: Chris Carpenter, Cardinals
SP: Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies
SP: Edinson Volquez, Reds
SP: John Lackey, Red Sox
Closer: Joakim Soria, Royals
Closer: Matt Thornton, White Sox
Not a single Twin on an “All Disappointment” Team!? Hard to believe, isn’t it? Maybe we’re being too hard on our guys!
Disappointing AND Overrated?
Then I saw that a list had been made of the 16 most overrated players, based on a vote of 185 MLB players. You can’t read a Twins blog or participate in a Twins chat without someone going on and on about how overrated this guy or that guy is, so certainly their peers must recognize the obvious, right?
(Yes, by this time I was seeing a pattern emerging. I’m apparently not the only person who thinks anyone wearing a Yankee uniform automatically is overrated until they prove otherwise… and perhaps even then. Players seem to feel the same way.)
4. Jayson Werth – Nationals
5. Jonathan Papelbon – RedSox
6. Nick Swisher – Yankees
7. BJ Upton – Rays
8. David Ortiz – RedSox
9. AJ Burnett – Yankees
10. Manny Ramirez – no longer gainfully employed to play baseball
11. Carlos Beltran – Mets
12. Alfonso Soriano – Cubs
13. Evan Longoria – Rays
14. JD Drew – RedSox
15. David Wright – Mets
16. Albert Pujols – Cardinals
Now a few things stood out about this list.
Five of the top nine most overrated players, according to their peers, are Yankees.
Three of the 16 are RedSox, while the Rays and Mets each had a pair of representatives. (The Rays actually had three, if you count ManRam against them, since he was with the Rays when he quit the game rather than face up to another failed drug test.)
Only one player on the most overrated list was also on Joe Sheehan’s All-Disappointment team… Albert Pujols (and yet, you just know someone is going to step up during the offseason and pay this guy bajillions of dollars over the next ten years).
Then, there’s the most obviously notable thing about this list (at least for our purposes here)… there are no Twins on this list either!
I can really only draw one conclusion from this. Since our players are not overrated and are not disappointments, clearly it was our expectations of the Twins players that were out of whack to start the year. So if we, as a fan base, are disappointed, it’s not the players’ fault, it’s our fault for expecting them to play better than they have!
Whew… I’m glad we got that whole “who’s fault is this mess?” thing cleared up.
People will just have to forgive me because I’ve kind of run out of things to say…
So, here’s an injury update from Joe C. over at the Strib: Mauer plans to catch tomorrow – first time since April 12.
Additionally, Jason Kubel (sprained foot), Kevin Slowey (strained abdomen), Glen Perkins (strained olbique), Joe Nathan (strained flexor muscle), and Francisco Liriano (left shoulder inflammation) are all “progressing,” the Twins say. Tsuyoshi Nishioka (broken left fibula) played seven innings in an extended spring game today and will play seven more Thursday.
That’s a SWEEP!
