Can't Catch A Break

It seemed certain that the Twins would end their four-game losing streak last night when they scored six runs in the top of the ninth inning to break a 4-4 tie against the White Sox in Chicago. Unfortunately, Julio DePaula came in and gave up five runs without recording an out, and Joe Nathan surrendered another run allowing the Sox to tie the game at 10-10.

A.J. Pierzynski eventually drove in the winning run with a single in the 13th inning.

The Twins' offense produced 20 hits, but 18 of them were singles. Meanwhile, six of Chicago's 19 hits went for extra bases. If you're looking for a quick answer as to why the White Sox won the game, look no further.

* One thing that has greatly irritated me about about Ron Gardenhire lately has been his unwillingness to play third baseman Brian Buscher against lefties. Last night, Buscher got a rare start, and in the eighth inning southpaw side-armer Mike Myers came in to pitch for the White Sox. Lo and behold, Buscher worked a 3-1 count and then singled to right against Myers. The hit ended being irrelevant because Chris Heintz grounded into an inning-ending double play in the following at-bat, but Buscher's hit supports my belief that he should at least get a chance to face some lefties in the majors.

* La Velle E. Neal III had a great article in the Star Tribune yesterday chronicling Nick Punto's unintentional quest to become the first player since 1991 to bat under .200 while qualifying for the batting title. The last guy to do it was Rob Deer, who hit .179 over 448 at-bats with the Tigers but also hit 25 homers and drove in 64 runs, which obviously trump Punto's totals of one and 22. When you take into account Punto's total lack of power and the fact that most guys who have hit so poorly have done it in less of an offensive era, an argument could easily be made that Punto is amidst the single worst offensive season in baseball history.

Here was my "favorite" part of Neal's article:

Punto's immediate goal is to make the most of September -- Gardenhire said Punto
will not be benched -- then get to work on a hitting plan that he hopes will
breed success in 2008.

Great management, Gardy. Let's keep wasting at-bats on a guy who's having arguably the worst offensive season of all time in order to "breed success in 2008" -- when he will almost certainly be in a utility role -- rather than giving at-bats to younger and more talented players who actually have a chance to contribute as regulars next season.

* On that happy note, I'll add that the motherboard on my laptop is fried, and so the only computer access I'll have over the next several days will be at work or on my roommates' laptops. That may impede my ability to post regularly, but I'll try and keep up.

I've come to realize that as much as I like the way Apple's products function, they just aren't very well built. I've had my iBook for three years and I've had to replace the hard drive, the keyboard, and now the motherboard twice. I also had an iPod Mini which lasted only a year before succumbing to battery issues. I can assure you, these problems haven't arisen because I treat the devices poorly... I always find something else to throw at the wall when I see Punto's name in the starting lineup.