I’m going to call JC’s earlier post from today a quality pre-game assessment so I’m going to skip it. Just go read the earlier post and I think you are definitely ready for tonight.
Not sure any of us predicted a win that big when this game first started.. it was an ugly first inning for Liriano and a bit of some ugly fielding besides. But Delmon & Mauer did their part to get the bats going and they both get donuts (Young’s should be the health concious variety) for their excellent efforts!
The real highlight of the game was welcoming Trevor Plouffe back to the big leauges and his version of saying thank you with a MONSTER homerun to the left field upper decking was a thing of beauty. It also came at a key moment in the game that really changed the momentum the Twins way. For that reason, he gets today’s BOD!
Heading in to this series, the Twins trailed the White Sox by 3.5 games. As the Twins head in to the AllStar Break after today’s game, they will either trail by Chicago by that same 3.5 games or will have closed to within 1.5 games of third place. No, your goal should never be to reach 3rd place in the standings, but when you’ve spent most of the season in 5th place, I believe you have to focus on catching… and passing… the next team in front of you. You can’t get to 1st place until you’ve moved in to 4th… and 3rd… and 2nd.
Media reports indicate manager Ron Gardenhire has promised roster changes will be made following the game. One of them is obvious… Delmon Young is ready to return and that almost certainly means Rene Tosoni will be returning to Rochester. But what else?
It just seems to me that Trevor Plouffe has done all he can do in Rochester. I’m not sure if he’ll ever be a good defensive player and I’m not convinced he’s really as good with the bat as he’s been in Rochester this year, but it’s time to bring him back up. I don’t think he needs to start on this team, but he’s got to be a more valuable bat off the bench than the Twins’ third catcher, whoever that might be. I suspect it will be Rene Rivera who gets a plane ticket back to AAA.
I won’t be surprised if Chuck James is recalled from Rochester, as well. The question is, which member of the current bullpen will be dropped? Another thing to consider is that Kevin Slowey’s rehabilitation assignment is drawing to a close and a decision will have to be made with regard to his future, as well.
But first things first… let’s beat down the Bitch Sox today and head in to the break on a positive swing!
That’s 3 of 4 from the BitchSox heading in to the break and while it wasn’t the prettiest of wins, any win over AJ and his buddies is a good win!
Good balance on the offensive side today with 13 hits, but only two were for extra bases (2B by Repko, 3B by Casilla). Anthony Swarzak picked up right where he left off the last time he was pressed in to a starting role and threw six very solid innings. Things got a bit hairy after he left the game, but Glen Perkins cleaned up the mess he inherited and then pitched another good inning for 1 2/3 of terrific relief. Matt Capps looked just fine getting the save.
GameChat votes broke right down the middle, so our Boyfriend of the Day honors are shared today by Swarzak and Perkins. Get some rest, boys… the fun really starts after the AllStar Break!
All three blog hosts are otherwise committed tonight (probably rightfully so) but we’re hoping you guys have been doing this long enough to know how to chat & cheer on your own!
I didn’t get to actually SEE any of this game and all of the scoring was done before I even got to listen to any of it. From what I can tell, however, kudos are due to several players.
Working backwards from the finish, both Joe Nathan and Matt Capps pitched perfect innings of relief. That’s exactly what we envisioned getting out of those guys when the season started. In fact, Alex Burnett managed a similar inning and Phil Dumatrait looked good, too. And while starter Nick Blackburn obviously got off to a horid start and didn’t have a sharp game, you have to give a guy credit for fighting his way through five innings even when he clearly wasn’t at the top of his game.
On the offensive side, Alexi Casilla, Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer and Rene Tosoni all contributed a pair of hits, but it was Luke Hughes’ 3-run home run that provided the winning margin. His 3 hits in 5 AB and 3 RBI earned him a consensus Boyfriend of the Day award from the GameChat folks! – JC
It’s preposterous to call any game or even any series a “must win” at this point in the season. Still, you don’t have to spend much time perusing the standings before coming to the conclusion that the pre-AllStar Break series that begins tonight against the White Sox is huge.
It’s easy to focus on the number of games the Twins trail the AL Central Division leaders, if for no other reason than those are the numbers we see published every day in the media. The Twins have been bouncing around between 7-9 games behind whichever team, the Indians or Tigers, might happen to be leading the division on a particular date. In fact, some writers (including myself) have pointed to the week of July 18-24, when the Twins are scheduled to play eight games against the Indians and Tigers in a span of seven days as the stretch during which the Twins’ destiny will be determined.
But, as we all know, the Twins don’t just trail Cleveland and Detroit. If the Twins are truly going to pull themselves up in to contention, they’re going to have to step over the cold, dead body of the BitchSox, as well. The Sox haven’t found a way to win even a single game over the Twins so far, with our guys going 2-0 both on their last trip to Chicago, in May, and also on the Sox’ return trip in June. That’s a trend that needs to continue.
The Sox enjoy a 3.5 game lead over the Twins as the series begins. A Twins sweep would propel them in to third place at the AllStar Break. Getting swept by the Sox would mean a 7.5 game deficit and we’ll probably start reading a lot more articles about other teams contacting the Twins about trades, like this one from the Denver Post, as it would seem all but impossible to catch and pass three teams from that far back at the Break.
As for tonight’s game… it’s the long-awaited (and much too ballyhooed) debut of Joe Mauer at first base for the Twins.
Joe and the Twins will be facing off against former Twin Phil Humber. Joe Christensen at the Strib wrote a nice piece on Humber that’s worth a read.
Finally, congratulations to Sox 1B Paul Konerko on winning the fan vote for the final spot on the AL AllStar team. Personally, I thought it was stupid that he had to go through that process, rather than just being named on his own merits. Konerko is one of those guys I can’t help but respect, even when he plays for a rival.
Didn’t tonight just remind you how much fun it is to beat the BitchSox?
Carl Pavano wasn’t terrificly sharp, but he still got through 7 innings while giving up only 2 runs, so you have to happily take that. Glen Perkins and Matt Capps… yes, Matt Capps… each contributed a scoreless inning of relief work.
Ben Revere had a really nice night, going 3 for 5 with a couple of runs scored and Tsuyoshi Nishioka contributed with the bat and the glove.
But tonight’s BOD was pretty clearly Joe Mauer. The Chairman had 3 hits and 2 RBI, and also looked like he had been playing 1B most of his career. Ground balls, line drives, scooping balls in the dirt, soft-tossing to the pitcher covering… he had to do it all and did just fine. Good work Joe!
The good news is that we have two players who are most definitely on the mend and feeling better – Span has been taking batting practice and his rehab assignment will begin as soon as he has several good days in a row; Morneau says the pain in his arm that was caused by the pinched nerve is gone! He still has some numbness in his fingers but the doctors say that is normal and should dissipate as he heals.
Sadly, the story is going a little slower for Jason Kubel. He’s still sore and visited the docs up here in MN yesterday. We’re still waiting to see if they find anything more.
As far as tonight’s game, having one win in the series under our belts feels like a great place to start. Let’s hope that Baker can go back out there and have a great outing AND that the weather holds off until the game is done!
Well the ending was certainly dramatic – Matt Capps couldn’t do the job for the 3rd game in a row – and Glen Perkins ended up getting his 2nd Save in as many opportunities which is pretty darn good for a setup guy. Gardy says that Capps is still the closer but it’s obvious that things aren’t right with him. They are going to close games however they need to while they work on getting Capps back into his previous form.
The start was prety good too – Baker came in strong and Revere & Lexi did their jobs getting on base.. things went well that way. A few weird calls scattered through the game though made things interesting start to finish.
It was the middle where things get a little muddy. Baker ended up having to leave the game after the 5th inning with elbow tenderness. I don’t know about you but I don’t like the sound of that. He’s going to get an MRI tomorrow and I’m just going to hold my breath until we find out what it says. Baker had told them that he could keep pitching but once he said “I felt something in the elbow” they said “hell no” and pulled him so it could be checked out. I can’t begin to say how tired I am of all the injuries though… what is going on?! I think the Twins need to stock up on bubblewrap.
But the story is really about getting the win and how the game ends and the chat went with the importance of that final out given the threat on the bases – so Glen Perkins, you are today’s BOD!
Happy Fourth of July, everyone and a special “thank you” to all past and present members of our country’s Armed Services!
For the second season in a row, the Twins will be hosting the Tampa Bay Rays on Independence Day. The Rays have been playing pretty good baseball lately, winning seven of their last 10 games and coming off a series victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
On the injury front, Jason Kubel is returning to the Twin Cities but, unfortunately, it’s not to play baseball. He’s still feeling discomfort in his foot after re-aggravating it in his first rehab game last week. He’ll be checked out by the Twins’ witch doctors. The news isn’t terrific on Denard Span, either. Denard had a bit of a setback in his recovery from his concussion when he tried to do some running, etc., in the extremely hot weather late last week. Hopefully, both of these guys will take just a small step backwards before forging ahead toward full recoveries. It would be great to get them both back quickly, but that doesn’t look likely. The important thing is that they fully recover so they can contribute at full strength when they do get back.
I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July. If part of your holiday celebration includes watching the Twins this afternoon, here are the line ups for the game and, as usual, we’re opening up a chat window during the game. – JC
When you looked at today’s match up, I’m not sure many people saw this kind of thing happening! It’s not that getting a W was impossible, but that was nothing short of a dominant performance over a very good team with an All-Star starting pitcher.
Michael Cuddyer continued his hot hitting with another home run and Danny Valencia, once again, couldn’t let Cuddy do anything without proving he could do it, too. In fact, Danny V came away with 3/4 of a cycle, which is good enough to warrant strong consideration for Boyfriend of the Day honors.
But complete game shutouts must be rewarded! Brian Duensing struggled a bit early to find the strike zone but as the game went on, he got even better. That terrific performance earns our BOD today!
Congratulations to Michael Cuddyer on being named to the AL All-Star Team for the first time. Cuddyer has toiled in the shadows of guys like Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan, Johan Santana and others over the years, so he hasn’t gotten the broad recognition that others have, but more than once he’s had to step in to a leadership role with the Twins and for all the shit some people seem to enjoy dumping on him at times, he’s never demonstrated anything but class and a solid work ethic. Congratulations Cuddy!
One of the toughest things to do in sports is put a tough defeat, like last night’s loss to the Brewers, behind you and not let it have an effect on another game less than 24 hours later. That’s exactly what the Twins have to do today, however.
Let’s hope they find the intestinal fortitude to do the job.
[I’m planning on enjoying a Cedar Rapids Kernels vs Burlington Bees ballgame this afternoon, so I won’t be around for much, if any, of the chat. I’m not sure if Babs will be either, but for those who do join in, enjoy the game! – JC]
This game is exhibit A for why you just don’t want to overreact to one bad game. The season is 162 games long and you’re going to give up some late leads and lose some games you should have won… you’re also going to have some games… like today… where you’re offense has to just keep hitting baseballs until you come back on a team and steal a win.
Since I was at the local minor league game today, the best I could do is follow along on my phone, but from what I could tell, there was no shortage of heroes today. Big Jim Thome cracked home run number 595 (and his second of this series). Rene Tosoni got the Twins back in to contention with a 3-run HR of his own. Danny Valencia had a couple of hits including a double and an RBI. Joe Nathan threw a perfect 8th inning and Glen Perkins entered in the 9th with two men on and Prince Fielder coming to the plate, but struck out the two batters he faced to nail down the win. That’s a group worthy of a dessert buffet if I’ve ever seen one.
But on a unanimous vote of those in the GameChat, the Boyfriend of the Day award goes to Michael Cuddyer, who came up with a key RBI single not once, but twice, on the day he was announced as the Twins’ representative in the 2011 All-Star Game!
You may have noticed that we didn’t give “Boyfriend of the Month” awards for April or May. (OK, honestly, you probably didn’t notice.) The BOM is our way of keeping track of who’s been leading the charge for the Twins.
Jason Kubel
Frankly, the folks who join us for GameChats had relatively few opportunities to even vote Boyfriend of the Day awards in April and May, but a couple of players did stand out. It seems like a long time ago, now, but in April, Jason Kubel was one of the few bright spots for the Twins. He was also the only Twin to receive more than one BOD award here at Knuckleballs, making him the April Boyfriend of the Month.
Nick Blackburn
In May, there weren’t many more opportunities to hand out those BOD awards. It was clear that what little success the Twins had in May was due to their starting pitching. Nine of the ten BODs handed out in May went to starting pitchers and Nick Blackburn collected three of those honors, making him our BOM for May.
June, as we all know, was a considerably more successful month for the Twins. Five different players were bestowed multiple BOD awards last month. Two of them came through with three such awards. Once again demonstrating the critical role that starting pitching has continue to play for the Twins, Carl Pavano and Scott Baker are our co-Boyfriends of the Month for June.
I remember the old days when the Twins used to beat the Brewers occasionally. I’m not sure all of you were even born then, but take my word for it… sometimes the Twins would win these match ups. Seriously!
Maybe we’ll all be fortunate enough to see it happen again.
Whaddya know? Our guys beat the big bad brew crew!
Jim Thome struck the big blow with a three-run HR in the first inning and, once again, the Twins got a couple of nifty innings of relief pitching. Joe Nathan and Glen Perkins each looking sharp in relief of Francisco Liriano. Frankie’s 7 innings of work was good enough to warrant strong Boyfriend of the Day consideration, striking out 7, while walking only 2 and giving up just 2 runs on 4 hits.
But, in the end, we were all glad to see a strong offensive game out of Joe Mauer, who reached base every time he came to the plate, singling 3 times and reaching on an error. The Chairman scored two runs, as well, and all of that makes him our BOD!
What a gorgeous day for baseball!!!! Lexi is sitting today with a sore thumb and a stiff back but should be back on Friday. Otherwise I really would like the Twins to just go outand win a game and a series today.
Wooohooo!! Nothing like a little run support! Yeah, obviously I mean VERY little run support. Twins win the game and the series by hanging in here for a 1-0 win. They really know how to give a girl an ulcer.
Since I was all by myself in the chat at the end of the game, I get to pick today’s BOD all by my lonesome. When you actually get a shutout? yeah, you had some excellent pitching and I think that is really the story of the game. Ben Revere was an awful lot of fun to watch as he single-handedly tried to energize the whole team and the bullpen rocked it again so they all get ice cream sundaes. But for the majority of the pitching mastery, it was Scott Baker who got 9 k’s and just held it all together. For that, he is today’s BOD!
