When you get outscored 41-3 over the course of four games, it's pretty clear that there are a lot of things that aren't working. Aaron Gleeman wrote yesterday about how bad the Twins' offense has been over the first month of the year. Stick and Ball Guy has the embarrassing numbers on the Twins hitters over the past eight games. The offense has been quite pathetic (mainly thanks to the unspeakably bad performances of Hunter, White and Mendoza), but we'd be kidding ourselves if we tried to act like the most disconcerting issue with the Twins right now were anything other than the pitching. That's not necessarily because of the increased expectations placed on the pitchers because of last year, it's just because they have been unbelievably bad.
Scott Baker had a poor outing last night in another blowout loss to the Mariners, but he is certainly not the heart of the problem, and neither is Johan Santana. Carlos Silva, Brad Radke, and Kyle Lohse are all pitching incredibly badly. It wouldn't be particularly surprising if one of these pitchers had gotten off to a horrific start, or if a couple of them had struggled a bit out of the gates. But for all three of these guys who all had pretty good years last season to come out and post 8+ ERAs over the first month of the season... it's dumbfounding.
I'm not totally surprised by the fact that Silva has been getting crushed. I actually kind of thought this would happen last year with him. It's great that he's able to throw nothing but strikes, but when batters realize that and when your stuff isn't too great, it's basically like batting practice for them. Silva has been crushed every time out and really hasn't shown any signs of improvement, with his most recent start being his worst yet.
Lohse has been known for being inconsistent over the course of his career, and he's certainly gotten shelled on more than a few occasions, but I don't remember him ever being this this terrible for this long a stretch. It's particularly surprising because, entering the season, all signs were pointing to a breakout year for Lohse. At age 27, he was coming off a 2005 season in which he posted the lowest ERA of his career, and he was totally dominant during the spring. Now, Lohse has come out and gotten off to an atrocious start, unable to throw strikes. He's struck out 12 and walked 13 in 25.2 innings, while surrendering 25 runs (all earned).
As for Radke, there were signs coming into the year that he might have some troubles. He is getting older and he had shoulder problems at the end of last season. He had a very bad spring. But for him to drop off this badly, this quickly? Radke has allowed 10 home runs in just 26.1 innings and opponents are hitting .374 against him. It's just brutal.
And then there's Jesse Crain. Ron Gardenhire continues to use Crain and Crain continues to fail miserably. Crain has been tattooed in almost every outing this year, and I think that at this point he has been given ample opportunity to prove that he simply cannot get anyone out. Last night he came into the game in relief of Baker in the sixth inning with a runner on second. Crain allowed two doubles and a triple while recording one out before being yanked from the game. After that gem, Crain now sports an ERA of 9.49 with an OBA of .383.
So what can be done about these pitchers who can do absolutely nothing against opposing batters, presuming they continue to show no improvement? Radke is essentially cemented in as a starter due to his salary and standing with the team, unless he goes on the DL. Lohse and Silva are trickier. Regardless of what Gardenhire wants, the Twins need to find a way to get Francisco Liriano into the rotation. Crain needs to be in the minor leagues. Changes need to happen with this pitching staff. It doesn't matter what the offense does, you're simply not going to win when your pitchers have allowed 6+ runs in each of their last seven games against teams not from Kansas City.
Let's face it. As a team, the Twins can't hit for average, they can't hit for power, they can't run the bases particularly well, they can't field, and their pitchers can't throw strikes or keep the ball in park. We know this a better team than what we're seeing right now on a nightly basis, but the longer they go without turning it around, the more convinced I am becoming that they aren't going to. This is a soft spot in the Twins' schedule, yet the team's play has been absolutely putrid. I'm not to the point of jumping all over the manager or the GM yet, but someone is going to have to take the fall for this this truly embarrassing team if things do not turn around very quickly.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Monday, May 01, 2006
33-1
That seems to be the best way to sum up this series. The Twins were--yes, that's read correctly--outscored by the Tigers 33-1 their weekend series in Detroit. They were shut out by Kenny Rogers yesterday and Nate Robertson Friday. There could be any number of reasons for this. Maybe it's that the Twins hitters can't handle lefties. That's a good possibility. Or they can't touch finesse guys like Rogers. Yeah, that's a good one too. But the best explanation is that they just can't hit anyone.
Ignoring Kyle Lohse's gem yesterday, in which he actually managed four scoreless innings (more than Brad Radke or Carlos Silva could muster) before getting slaughtered by the bottom of Detroit's order, let's look a little deeper into the Twins' hitting woes.
There is Justin Mendoza. We should be nice to him, since after all he kept his head above that famous .200 line with a hit yesterday. But it really doesn't count for much since he looked pathetic all day, struck out twice (once looking to end a rally in the 2nd), and his hit was a Texas-leaguer to left.
There is Juan Castro. We gave him a chance at the beginning of the year, but now he's hitting .234 with an OPS nearly south of .500. Looks like "no-hit" Castro has returned. We knew this would come eventually, as Castro really can't handle everyday play. It's clear, as most people knew it would be, that Jason Bartlett should have been up here all along. Still, the troubles stretch beyond the bottom of the order. Even the table-setters couldn't get on yesterday.
That's right. One lucky hit for Mendoza, a hit for Torii Hunter, and a walk for Joe Mauer. The least I can say for Gardenhire is at least he switched things up a little and batted Mauer cleanup. But, as some people have commented here, that doesn't matter if everyone is still screwing up.
On a lighter, positive note, Dennys Reyes pitched 2 and 1/3 scoreless innings yesterday. And today, the Twins get to start a two-game series against the just-as-hapless Seattle Mariners at home. And they don't have to face Rogers-clone Jamie Moyer!
Ignoring Kyle Lohse's gem yesterday, in which he actually managed four scoreless innings (more than Brad Radke or Carlos Silva could muster) before getting slaughtered by the bottom of Detroit's order, let's look a little deeper into the Twins' hitting woes.
There is Justin Mendoza. We should be nice to him, since after all he kept his head above that famous .200 line with a hit yesterday. But it really doesn't count for much since he looked pathetic all day, struck out twice (once looking to end a rally in the 2nd), and his hit was a Texas-leaguer to left.
There is Juan Castro. We gave him a chance at the beginning of the year, but now he's hitting .234 with an OPS nearly south of .500. Looks like "no-hit" Castro has returned. We knew this would come eventually, as Castro really can't handle everyday play. It's clear, as most people knew it would be, that Jason Bartlett should have been up here all along. Still, the troubles stretch beyond the bottom of the order. Even the table-setters couldn't get on yesterday.
That's right. One lucky hit for Mendoza, a hit for Torii Hunter, and a walk for Joe Mauer. The least I can say for Gardenhire is at least he switched things up a little and batted Mauer cleanup. But, as some people have commented here, that doesn't matter if everyone is still screwing up.
On a lighter, positive note, Dennys Reyes pitched 2 and 1/3 scoreless innings yesterday. And today, the Twins get to start a two-game series against the just-as-hapless Seattle Mariners at home. And they don't have to face Rogers-clone Jamie Moyer!
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Disgusting
On Friday night, the Twins got slaughtered 9-0 by the Tigers. It was an embarrassing loss. So how did they respond? By coming out and getting absolutely obliterated on Saturday afternoon, 18-1. A truly pathetic performance on a number of levels. The Twins were absolutely dominated in every facet of the game. All of their pitchers were crushed -- the Tigers scored multiple runs in every inning except two.
Carlos Silva followed up Brad Radke's Friday night dud with an even worse performance. Silva was crushed for 9 earned runs on 9 hits in just 2.1 innings. It seems like batters have finally figured out he and Radke are going to be throwing strikes almost all the time and they're jumping on them. Both of their stuff has been extremely hittable, as evidenced by the astronomical number of home runs that both have given up. Francisco Liriano followed Silva's ugly performance with his first truly bad outing of the year, getting knocked around for 5 ER on 8 hits in 3 innings. Check out Jesse Crain's outing from the FoxSports.com play-by-play:
It is getting past the time for niceties. Up to this point, there has been a lot of, "Well, it's early," and, "He's just off to a slow start." The fact is that Torii Hunter is SUCKING. He posted another collar yesterday and is now hitting .184 on the season. He's really earning that salary. Rondell White is SUCKING. He did not start yesterday, but failed in a pinch-hitting appearance late in the game to drop his batting average down to .141. Justin Morneau's nickname until further notice will be Justin Mendoza, in honor of his batting average which now sits just three points above .200.
Ruben Sierra, who had a horrible game, got hurt late in the game and could be done for the year. It should be interesting to see what the Twins do to replace him. Will they recall Jason Kubel, who has hit well in Triple-A? Will they bring up an additional pitcher (Dennys Reyes perhaps), since the ineptitude of the starting rotation has caused the bullpen to be so overworked? We'll see.
It's difficult to get overly upset with Ron Gardenhire regarding the team's performance. While his management certainly hasn't been spectacular, there's really just not much you can do when the majority of the players on your team are playing at an incredibly poor level. Still, Gardenhire must do something. No season can be lost at the end of April, but right now it's starting to feel dangerously close. The Twins are the worst team in baseball right now and have been thoroughly outclassed by nearly every team they've played. Things need to be seriously shaken up, because right now the Twins' play is totally unacceptable and very difficult to watch.
Carlos Silva followed up Brad Radke's Friday night dud with an even worse performance. Silva was crushed for 9 earned runs on 9 hits in just 2.1 innings. It seems like batters have finally figured out he and Radke are going to be throwing strikes almost all the time and they're jumping on them. Both of their stuff has been extremely hittable, as evidenced by the astronomical number of home runs that both have given up. Francisco Liriano followed Silva's ugly performance with his first truly bad outing of the year, getting knocked around for 5 ER on 8 hits in 3 innings. Check out Jesse Crain's outing from the FoxSports.com play-by-play:
- Crain pitching.He has been laughably bad this year. The pitching is an absolute wreck.
- Gomez singled to center, Monroe to second.
- Inge doubled to center, Monroe scored, Gomez scored.
- Granderson lined out to left fielder Stewart.
It is getting past the time for niceties. Up to this point, there has been a lot of, "Well, it's early," and, "He's just off to a slow start." The fact is that Torii Hunter is SUCKING. He posted another collar yesterday and is now hitting .184 on the season. He's really earning that salary. Rondell White is SUCKING. He did not start yesterday, but failed in a pinch-hitting appearance late in the game to drop his batting average down to .141. Justin Morneau's nickname until further notice will be Justin Mendoza, in honor of his batting average which now sits just three points above .200.
Ruben Sierra, who had a horrible game, got hurt late in the game and could be done for the year. It should be interesting to see what the Twins do to replace him. Will they recall Jason Kubel, who has hit well in Triple-A? Will they bring up an additional pitcher (Dennys Reyes perhaps), since the ineptitude of the starting rotation has caused the bullpen to be so overworked? We'll see.
It's difficult to get overly upset with Ron Gardenhire regarding the team's performance. While his management certainly hasn't been spectacular, there's really just not much you can do when the majority of the players on your team are playing at an incredibly poor level. Still, Gardenhire must do something. No season can be lost at the end of April, but right now it's starting to feel dangerously close. The Twins are the worst team in baseball right now and have been thoroughly outclassed by nearly every team they've played. Things need to be seriously shaken up, because right now the Twins' play is totally unacceptable and very difficult to watch.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Sucking at a Higher Rate
Sorry, but this post has to brief. Why? Who wants to constantly reiterate the same points over and over again? Nothing new happened last night. Brad Radke was absolutely awful. No surprise. At this rate, you'd swear the guy wanted a higher ERA than his paycheck. It doesn't end there either. Torii Hunter? Not hitting a thing. Rondell White? Ditto. Strikeouts, GIDP in big situations? Check. Table setters like Stewart and Castillo still doing their jobs? Yes they are, but it doesn't make a difference when no one can drive you in.
Beyond all that, a 9-0 loss to the Tigers was just plain embarassing. I couldn't even watch Radke pitch, the results were so predictable. At this rate, this team is very much a fourth-place team and not a contender. And watching Gardenhire try to "manage" gets harder by the night. Lets pray that tommorow's game isn't so terrible, but with 100 mph heat-throwing Justin Verlander on the mound, its unlikely.
Beyond all that, a 9-0 loss to the Tigers was just plain embarassing. I couldn't even watch Radke pitch, the results were so predictable. At this rate, this team is very much a fourth-place team and not a contender. And watching Gardenhire try to "manage" gets harder by the night. Lets pray that tommorow's game isn't so terrible, but with 100 mph heat-throwing Justin Verlander on the mound, its unlikely.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Taking Care of Business
Yesterday, for the first time all season, the Twins took an early lead and held it all game for a good solid victory. It was the type of performance that we'd hoped to see in each game against the last-place Royals, but better late than never. The Twins now leave Kansas City with a series victory. A sweep would have been nice, but we'll take what we can get.
The Twins jumped all over KC starter Mark Redman, who couldn't even get out of the second inning. Redman was tagged for 5 earned runs on 6 hits in just 1.2 innings. Luis Castillo, who had gone 0-for-8 in the first two games of the series, went 3-for-4 in the game, including a 2 RBIs and a walk. Michael Cuddyer and Shannon Stewart both had three hits apiece as well. The Twins' hitters showed patience at the plate, drawing a total of 7 walks after walking just twice in the first two games of the series.
Meanwhile, Rondell White and Torii Hunter both continued to look horrid in the middle of the lineup. Hitting fourth and fifth, the two combined to go 1-for-10 with 1 RBI, no walks, two strikeouts, and a total of 13 runners left on base. Hunter, who went hitless, now has one hit in his last 27 at-bats. White has a total of one extra-base hit in 80 at-bats on the season. The performance of these two veterans is becoming increasingly frustrating and unacceptable.
On a positive note, Johan Santana picked up his first win of the season with a very strong outing. After 7 innings, Santana's line was 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K. He got roughed up a bit in the 8th, allowing three hits and a couple runs in, but he got out of the inning with a strikeout to pick up his first 10-K game of the year.
The Twins did score 7 runs, but also left a lot of runners stranded. Overall, their offensive performance in this series was disappointing. However, on the bright side, the pitching does appear to be back on track, with each of the three starters picking up a quality start in the series. This is what we'd hoped for against the Royals' lousy lineup, now we'll just have to see if they can pitch similarly well against a much better Tiger lineup during their weekend series in Detroit.
The Twins jumped all over KC starter Mark Redman, who couldn't even get out of the second inning. Redman was tagged for 5 earned runs on 6 hits in just 1.2 innings. Luis Castillo, who had gone 0-for-8 in the first two games of the series, went 3-for-4 in the game, including a 2 RBIs and a walk. Michael Cuddyer and Shannon Stewart both had three hits apiece as well. The Twins' hitters showed patience at the plate, drawing a total of 7 walks after walking just twice in the first two games of the series.
Meanwhile, Rondell White and Torii Hunter both continued to look horrid in the middle of the lineup. Hitting fourth and fifth, the two combined to go 1-for-10 with 1 RBI, no walks, two strikeouts, and a total of 13 runners left on base. Hunter, who went hitless, now has one hit in his last 27 at-bats. White has a total of one extra-base hit in 80 at-bats on the season. The performance of these two veterans is becoming increasingly frustrating and unacceptable.
On a positive note, Johan Santana picked up his first win of the season with a very strong outing. After 7 innings, Santana's line was 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K. He got roughed up a bit in the 8th, allowing three hits and a couple runs in, but he got out of the inning with a strikeout to pick up his first 10-K game of the year.
The Twins did score 7 runs, but also left a lot of runners stranded. Overall, their offensive performance in this series was disappointing. However, on the bright side, the pitching does appear to be back on track, with each of the three starters picking up a quality start in the series. This is what we'd hoped for against the Royals' lousy lineup, now we'll just have to see if they can pitch similarly well against a much better Tiger lineup during their weekend series in Detroit.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
No New Words to Describe This Old Feeling
Wow. The Royals (it hurts so much to say this) beat the Twins 3-1 last night. The Twins lost to a pitcher who is considered overweight after Tommy John surgery and who lost his three rehab starts in the minors. Yep, they did it again. They made an awful/mediocre starter (Runelvys Hernandez) look like a Cy Young candidate, as they managed only two hits off of him in seven innings and four hits total over the course of the game against a shoddy Kansas City pitching staff.
It was simply put a pathetic effort. We can spend all day offering reasons for why the Twins lost to good teams to start the year, but we can't do that with the Royals. Instead of the pitching giving a weak effort, it was the hitting. Scott Baker had a fine outing, giving the Twins another quality start that they have had so few of this year. He went seven innings and gave up three runs, striking out six. That should be enough to win again, especially against Hernandez.
But the Twins hitters had different things in mind, apparently. Only Justin Morneau did anything, homering off of Hernandez in the fifth. Otherwise, Mauer, Stewart, and Ford had a hit apiece and nobody walked. There was a chance to go ahead with Rondell White, but with two outs and a .147 hitter at the plate, what do you expect? That's why it may be time to implement a new battin order. Me and Nick Nelson discussed this and here's what we feel could be successful:
Castillo
Ford
Stewart
Mauer
White
Batista
Hunter
Morneau
Castro (preferrably Bartlett)
Clearly not ideal, but there isn't exactly much to work with on this roster right now. You could play with the names at the bottom of the order, but right now, Hunter is doing absolutely nothing at the plate and despite his homer, Morneau hasn't looked good. Mauer is the only guy who seems competent enough to drive guys in and we need to try something before this season slips away to losses against awful teams like the Royals.
Today, Johan Santana starts and naturally it's not televized. If anything is right in the world, the Twins should win this game and come away with a series victory.
It was simply put a pathetic effort. We can spend all day offering reasons for why the Twins lost to good teams to start the year, but we can't do that with the Royals. Instead of the pitching giving a weak effort, it was the hitting. Scott Baker had a fine outing, giving the Twins another quality start that they have had so few of this year. He went seven innings and gave up three runs, striking out six. That should be enough to win again, especially against Hernandez.
But the Twins hitters had different things in mind, apparently. Only Justin Morneau did anything, homering off of Hernandez in the fifth. Otherwise, Mauer, Stewart, and Ford had a hit apiece and nobody walked. There was a chance to go ahead with Rondell White, but with two outs and a .147 hitter at the plate, what do you expect? That's why it may be time to implement a new battin order. Me and Nick Nelson discussed this and here's what we feel could be successful:
Castillo
Ford
Stewart
Mauer
White
Batista
Hunter
Morneau
Castro (preferrably Bartlett)
Clearly not ideal, but there isn't exactly much to work with on this roster right now. You could play with the names at the bottom of the order, but right now, Hunter is doing absolutely nothing at the plate and despite his homer, Morneau hasn't looked good. Mauer is the only guy who seems competent enough to drive guys in and we need to try something before this season slips away to losses against awful teams like the Royals.
Today, Johan Santana starts and naturally it's not televized. If anything is right in the world, the Twins should win this game and come away with a series victory.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Tight Squeeze
The Twins' pitchers had to work out of a ton of jams last night, and the offense almost came up empty, but they ended up with a crucial 2-1 victory in their series opener in Kansas City. The Royals stranded 14 runners over the course of the game, blowing several opportunities with runners in scoring position and less than two outs (a performance similar to the frustrating one the Twins put up in the same stadium last August).
The Twins were totally inept against mediocre starter Scott Elarton, collecting only two hits over 7 innings, but were finally able to break out in the 8th against Kansas City's weak bullpen. Royals' manager Buddy Bell mysteriously chose to send out Luke Hudson -- a pitcher good enough to be cut by the pitching-starved Cincinatti Reds this spring -- to protect a 1-0 lead in the 8th. The Twins collected three straight hits against Hudson, including a pinch-hit RBI single from Ruben Sierra that tied the game. That knocked Hudson out of the ballgame, and big southpaw Andy Sisco came in. Joe Mauer drilled a sacrifice fly to left that scored the go-ahead run, and Juan Rincon and Joe Nathan took care of the last two innings to seal the victory for the Twins.
Kyle Lohse picked up a quality start, holding the Royals to 1 run over 6 innings, but he struggled with his control, walking five (one intentional). This could be attributed to the cold and wet playing conditions, but they didn't seem to affect Elarton too much, as he dominated the Twins for 7 innings and walked only 2. Lohse didn't look overly impressive, but he did work out of some tough jams and gave the Twins a good chance to win. Francisco Liriano picked up his first win of the season, pitching a scoreless 7th.
While it was good to see the Twins put together another late comeback and get a clutch pinch hit from Sierra, the offensive ineptitude they displayed for the majority of the game was extremely frustrating. Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter have been absolutely awful lately, continually striking out in key situations. It was on full display last night, as the Twins put runners on first and third with no outs against Elarton in the 7th inning, only to have Hunter and Morneau deliver back-to-back strike outs, killing a potential rally. Morneau is hitless in his last 18 at-bats and is now hitting just .203 on the season. He has struck out 20 times and drawn only 4 walks. If you take out Hunter's 4-for-5, 6 RBI performance in the second game of the season, he is hitting only .174/.230/.362 with 7 RBIs -- truly terrible production from the middle of the lineup. Meanwhile, Rondell White batted cleanup last night and picked up a hit but is still batting just .155 on the season. White is 2-for-24 with runners in scoring position, with 7 strikeouts. If you want to know what's wrong with the Twins' lineup, you need look no further than the middle of the order. The 1-2-3 guys have been doing their job. Shannon Stewart, Luis Castillo, and Joe Mauer each sport an on-base percentage upwards of .380. Unfortunately, the guys in the middle of the lineup have proven totally incapable when it comes to driving them in.
While it wasn't the prettiest thing in the world, it was a win. Tonight the Twins will look for another as they send out Scott Baker against Runelvys Hernandez, who will be making his first start of the year.
* By the way, did anyone else notice that White pulled a Tony Batista in his 7th inning at-bat and had his back pocket sticking out? I wonder if that was intentional...
The Twins were totally inept against mediocre starter Scott Elarton, collecting only two hits over 7 innings, but were finally able to break out in the 8th against Kansas City's weak bullpen. Royals' manager Buddy Bell mysteriously chose to send out Luke Hudson -- a pitcher good enough to be cut by the pitching-starved Cincinatti Reds this spring -- to protect a 1-0 lead in the 8th. The Twins collected three straight hits against Hudson, including a pinch-hit RBI single from Ruben Sierra that tied the game. That knocked Hudson out of the ballgame, and big southpaw Andy Sisco came in. Joe Mauer drilled a sacrifice fly to left that scored the go-ahead run, and Juan Rincon and Joe Nathan took care of the last two innings to seal the victory for the Twins.
Kyle Lohse picked up a quality start, holding the Royals to 1 run over 6 innings, but he struggled with his control, walking five (one intentional). This could be attributed to the cold and wet playing conditions, but they didn't seem to affect Elarton too much, as he dominated the Twins for 7 innings and walked only 2. Lohse didn't look overly impressive, but he did work out of some tough jams and gave the Twins a good chance to win. Francisco Liriano picked up his first win of the season, pitching a scoreless 7th.
While it was good to see the Twins put together another late comeback and get a clutch pinch hit from Sierra, the offensive ineptitude they displayed for the majority of the game was extremely frustrating. Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter have been absolutely awful lately, continually striking out in key situations. It was on full display last night, as the Twins put runners on first and third with no outs against Elarton in the 7th inning, only to have Hunter and Morneau deliver back-to-back strike outs, killing a potential rally. Morneau is hitless in his last 18 at-bats and is now hitting just .203 on the season. He has struck out 20 times and drawn only 4 walks. If you take out Hunter's 4-for-5, 6 RBI performance in the second game of the season, he is hitting only .174/.230/.362 with 7 RBIs -- truly terrible production from the middle of the lineup. Meanwhile, Rondell White batted cleanup last night and picked up a hit but is still batting just .155 on the season. White is 2-for-24 with runners in scoring position, with 7 strikeouts. If you want to know what's wrong with the Twins' lineup, you need look no further than the middle of the order. The 1-2-3 guys have been doing their job. Shannon Stewart, Luis Castillo, and Joe Mauer each sport an on-base percentage upwards of .380. Unfortunately, the guys in the middle of the lineup have proven totally incapable when it comes to driving them in.
While it wasn't the prettiest thing in the world, it was a win. Tonight the Twins will look for another as they send out Scott Baker against Runelvys Hernandez, who will be making his first start of the year.
* By the way, did anyone else notice that White pulled a Tony Batista in his 7th inning at-bat and had his back pocket sticking out? I wonder if that was intentional...
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Hitting Woes?
18 games down. A 7-11 record. 1-8 on the road. 144 games to go. We know how bad the pitching has been so far, but how about the hitting? This offseason, the main question was whether or not the Twins had a better offense with its acquisitions of Tony Batista, Rondell White, and Luis Castillo. So how has it been? Together, the Twins are hitting .267/.327/.400, have scored 86 runs on 18 HRs and 81 RBI. Lets go through the good, the bad, and the ugly for the Twins' offense so far:
The Good
Luis Castillo: He has by far been the best Twins hitter so far. At .404/.481/.468, he leads the team in average and OPS and is tied for the lead in steals. His defense has been shaky at times, but he's adjusting to the turf. We've seen his patience, intelligence, speed, and slap-style hitting being very effective. If he stays healthy, he could be the Twins' MVP.
Joe Mauer: He's a stud, plain and simple. Sure, his power so far hasn't been great (4 XBHs, .421 slugging), but his patience at the plate is as good as it's ever been. He has shown some speed, he is hitting .316 and he just got his first homer Sunday. He'll hit .300 this year and be a cornerstone of the top of the order along with Castillo.
Tony Batista: Limited range, funky stance, and helmet-tapping aside, he's been plenty productive this spring for the Twins. Hitting .279/.353/.459 with 2 HRs and 8 RBI and drawing seven walks (tied for second on the team) are all positives and maybe more than what we were expecting from Batista. Granted, he may not hit .279 all year, but if he draws 50 walks and hits 20-25 homers, that would certainly be a improvement in production from the hot corner.
Shannon Stewart: He was needed this weekend and was off with family issues and that's too bad. The 1-2-3 hitters have all been solid this year and Stewart is no exception. He started out hot, with those two homers in the Toronto series, but he is batting .333/.377/.456 so far and if the Twins end up with three .300 hitters at the top of their order, that would be huge.
The Bad
Torii Hunter: If you take away his grand-slam and 6 RBI night against the Jays, Torii has 4 homers, 7 RBI, and a .214 average. He has hit some home runs that have been big, but otherwise, his production hasn't been too good and the .280 OBP is pretty ugly. Torii really needs to pick it up, as he has left a lot of runners in scoring position recently. It's great to see Stewart, Castillo, and Mauer getting on base steadily, but if no one drives them in, it really doesn't matter.
Justin Morneau: Same goes for Morneau. He has had a few homers, but right now has a .215/.271/.415 line very reminiscient of last year. Justin seemed to be doing better, but he's slumped recently. Getting Hunter and Morneau going is what will really get this offense moving and hopefully facing Kansas City's awful pitching will help out.
Juan Castro: It seems unfair, but despite a .280 average, he has a .608 OPS. That would be the result of two walks and only one extra-base hit, a double. Castro has gotten some big hits, but he has no power, little patience, and is hitting only .158 in his last seven games. We may be pleading for Jason Bartlett's third coming very, very soon.
The Ugly
Rondell White: You knew it was coming. Sure, he's hitting .300 in his last seven games, but with no walks this year and one extra-base hit, White is hitting .149/.157/.164. Thats so cringe-worthy it's hard to look at. It's worse that our middle-of-the-lineup guys are in need of so much improvement. White is getting some singles, but he's helpful and great in the lineup when he's hitting a ton of doubles, a few homers, and driving guys in. He has a long way to go, but I'm sure he'll be back in the fourth spot soon, since Ruben Sierra really isn't a solution.
Needless to say, so far, things haven't been that bad. In fact, that the Twins won seven games with the pitching they've gotten is impressive. They have shown more patience at the plate, and the ability to come back against great pitchers. Now all they need is guys to drive the ball some more and, of course, the pitching staff to show a hint of life. With a visit to Kansas City this week, that sounds quite possible.
The Good
Luis Castillo: He has by far been the best Twins hitter so far. At .404/.481/.468, he leads the team in average and OPS and is tied for the lead in steals. His defense has been shaky at times, but he's adjusting to the turf. We've seen his patience, intelligence, speed, and slap-style hitting being very effective. If he stays healthy, he could be the Twins' MVP.
Joe Mauer: He's a stud, plain and simple. Sure, his power so far hasn't been great (4 XBHs, .421 slugging), but his patience at the plate is as good as it's ever been. He has shown some speed, he is hitting .316 and he just got his first homer Sunday. He'll hit .300 this year and be a cornerstone of the top of the order along with Castillo.
Tony Batista: Limited range, funky stance, and helmet-tapping aside, he's been plenty productive this spring for the Twins. Hitting .279/.353/.459 with 2 HRs and 8 RBI and drawing seven walks (tied for second on the team) are all positives and maybe more than what we were expecting from Batista. Granted, he may not hit .279 all year, but if he draws 50 walks and hits 20-25 homers, that would certainly be a improvement in production from the hot corner.
Shannon Stewart: He was needed this weekend and was off with family issues and that's too bad. The 1-2-3 hitters have all been solid this year and Stewart is no exception. He started out hot, with those two homers in the Toronto series, but he is batting .333/.377/.456 so far and if the Twins end up with three .300 hitters at the top of their order, that would be huge.
The Bad
Torii Hunter: If you take away his grand-slam and 6 RBI night against the Jays, Torii has 4 homers, 7 RBI, and a .214 average. He has hit some home runs that have been big, but otherwise, his production hasn't been too good and the .280 OBP is pretty ugly. Torii really needs to pick it up, as he has left a lot of runners in scoring position recently. It's great to see Stewart, Castillo, and Mauer getting on base steadily, but if no one drives them in, it really doesn't matter.
Justin Morneau: Same goes for Morneau. He has had a few homers, but right now has a .215/.271/.415 line very reminiscient of last year. Justin seemed to be doing better, but he's slumped recently. Getting Hunter and Morneau going is what will really get this offense moving and hopefully facing Kansas City's awful pitching will help out.
Juan Castro: It seems unfair, but despite a .280 average, he has a .608 OPS. That would be the result of two walks and only one extra-base hit, a double. Castro has gotten some big hits, but he has no power, little patience, and is hitting only .158 in his last seven games. We may be pleading for Jason Bartlett's third coming very, very soon.
The Ugly
Rondell White: You knew it was coming. Sure, he's hitting .300 in his last seven games, but with no walks this year and one extra-base hit, White is hitting .149/.157/.164. Thats so cringe-worthy it's hard to look at. It's worse that our middle-of-the-lineup guys are in need of so much improvement. White is getting some singles, but he's helpful and great in the lineup when he's hitting a ton of doubles, a few homers, and driving guys in. He has a long way to go, but I'm sure he'll be back in the fourth spot soon, since Ruben Sierra really isn't a solution.
Needless to say, so far, things haven't been that bad. In fact, that the Twins won seven games with the pitching they've gotten is impressive. They have shown more patience at the plate, and the ability to come back against great pitchers. Now all they need is guys to drive the ball some more and, of course, the pitching staff to show a hint of life. With a visit to Kansas City this week, that sounds quite possible.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Pitching Woes
However you want to look at it, the Twins have gotten off to a pretty rough start this year. While things look slightly less grim thanks to a five-game winning streak to open the home schedule, the Twins started the season by losing five of their first six games and have now lost six of their last seven. This is largely attributable to a difficult early schedule, but the fact remains that the Twins are an atrocious 1-8 on the road and 0-6 vs. AL Central opponents. Surprisingly, the biggest problem for the Twins this year has been pitching.
The Twins were projected to have one of the strongest pitching staffs in the league this season, as they returned their top four starters and most of the relievers from one of baseball's best bullpens. Inexplicably, the pitching has been downright awful to this point, with no real signs of improvement. The Twins have held their opponent to less than 5 runs only five times in 18 games so far. Their staff ERA of 6.10 ranks worst in the majors outside of Kansas City and Tampa Bay. That's not good company. They rank last in the MLB in strikeouts.
The rotation has consistently dug the team into early holes. To expect an offense that was possibly the worst in the league last year to consistently hit their way back into these games is unfair. The fact that they have won even seven games so far is really quite fortunate.
Johan Santana has not been terrible. Despite his 0-3 record, he's shown improvement and pieced together a pretty good start against the White Sox on Friday night. (Is it just me or does he always step it up when he's facing an elite pitcher?) He hasn't allowed more than 4 runs in a start, and while he has struggled with his control and hasn't looked particularly dominant, he hasn't really put the team into any insurmountable deficits in when he's pitched. He seems to be coming around. I'm not particularly worried about him
I cannot say the same for Brad Radke or Carlos Silva. Both have looked absolutely horrible so far. Radke's first inning troubles have been worse than ever, and he's posted a 7.50 ERA while allowing a league-leading 8 home runs in 24 innings. Opponents are hitting an astronomical .453 off of Radke with a 1.334 OPS. Silva has not fared much better. Yesterday he might as well have been tossing batting practice to the White Sox, as he was crushed for four home runs, putting his season total up to 7 (watch out Brad!). Silva has a despicable 8.33 ERA in four starts and opponents are hitting .447 against him. His nearly even groundball-to-flyball ratio is particularly alarming, and he's induced only one double-play so far this year.
Kyle Lohse has gotten lit up worse than anyone so far, with an 11.57 ERA through three starts. Lohse has as many walks (6) as strikeouts, and while he had one solid start against Oakland, he has yielded 8 earned runs in both of his other starts. Lohse's performance this year has been particularly disappointing considering that he seemed to have made some large gains last season and was coming off a phenomenal spring.
The lone bright spot in the rotation thus far has been the young Scott Baker, who has posted a solid 3.31 ERA to this point and had by far the season's most impressive start when he held the formidable Yankees lineup to 1 run on 3 hits over 7 innings on April 14.
Outside of Baker, the rotation has been just plain bad. Unfortunately, the bullpen hasn't been a whole lot better. Jesse Crain has been horrific, posting an 8.68 ERA in 9.1 innings while yielding 16 hits and 3 home runs. Matt Guerrier has gotten crushed, with opponents hitting .515 against him over 8.2 innings. These were two guys who the team was ready to rely on heavily coming into the year. Juan Rincon has pitched fairly well outside of a terrible outing in Chicago Friday night where he allowed 4 earned runs without recording an out. Rookie Willie Eyre has pitched pretty well, allowing just 2 runs in 7.2 innings, but he has allowed 10 hits and has only 2 strikeouts. Francisco Liriano has been the only guy who's gotten it done regularly in middle relief, allowing just 1 run in 10.1 innings while yielding just 9 hits and striking out 15. Liriano has made it clear that he is deserving of a spot in the rotation, though Ron Gardenhire makes it sound like he has no intention of moving him there any time soon.
Meanwhile, Joe Nathan, arguably the team's best pitcher and certainly its most reliable reliever, has been limited to only 5 innings thanks to Gardy's hesitation to use him anywhere outside of a save situation (of which the Twins have had only two this year). Nathan has been lights-out, but unfortunately he has rarely been able to pitch in key situations.
So what are we to make of all this pitching ineptitude? Will it get better? I'm confident that Santana will start to settle into a groove soon and I think once Silva starts getting his stuff to sink more he should improve quite a bit also. I'm not nearly as optimistic about Lohse and Radke. They pretty much have to get better than they've been so far, but opposing hitters seem to have them both figured out pretty well and neither has been able to make any adjustments to this point.
It should be interesting to see if the Twins' pitchers can get back on track against the light-hitting Royals in their upcoming series in Kansas City, and then maybe carry some momentum into Detroit for the weekend. One thing is clear: If the pitching does not improve dramatically soon, the season is going to be lost. The Twins simply cannot afford to fall much further behind in this division.
The Twins were projected to have one of the strongest pitching staffs in the league this season, as they returned their top four starters and most of the relievers from one of baseball's best bullpens. Inexplicably, the pitching has been downright awful to this point, with no real signs of improvement. The Twins have held their opponent to less than 5 runs only five times in 18 games so far. Their staff ERA of 6.10 ranks worst in the majors outside of Kansas City and Tampa Bay. That's not good company. They rank last in the MLB in strikeouts.
The rotation has consistently dug the team into early holes. To expect an offense that was possibly the worst in the league last year to consistently hit their way back into these games is unfair. The fact that they have won even seven games so far is really quite fortunate.
Johan Santana has not been terrible. Despite his 0-3 record, he's shown improvement and pieced together a pretty good start against the White Sox on Friday night. (Is it just me or does he always step it up when he's facing an elite pitcher?) He hasn't allowed more than 4 runs in a start, and while he has struggled with his control and hasn't looked particularly dominant, he hasn't really put the team into any insurmountable deficits in when he's pitched. He seems to be coming around. I'm not particularly worried about him
I cannot say the same for Brad Radke or Carlos Silva. Both have looked absolutely horrible so far. Radke's first inning troubles have been worse than ever, and he's posted a 7.50 ERA while allowing a league-leading 8 home runs in 24 innings. Opponents are hitting an astronomical .453 off of Radke with a 1.334 OPS. Silva has not fared much better. Yesterday he might as well have been tossing batting practice to the White Sox, as he was crushed for four home runs, putting his season total up to 7 (watch out Brad!). Silva has a despicable 8.33 ERA in four starts and opponents are hitting .447 against him. His nearly even groundball-to-flyball ratio is particularly alarming, and he's induced only one double-play so far this year.
Kyle Lohse has gotten lit up worse than anyone so far, with an 11.57 ERA through three starts. Lohse has as many walks (6) as strikeouts, and while he had one solid start against Oakland, he has yielded 8 earned runs in both of his other starts. Lohse's performance this year has been particularly disappointing considering that he seemed to have made some large gains last season and was coming off a phenomenal spring.
The lone bright spot in the rotation thus far has been the young Scott Baker, who has posted a solid 3.31 ERA to this point and had by far the season's most impressive start when he held the formidable Yankees lineup to 1 run on 3 hits over 7 innings on April 14.
Outside of Baker, the rotation has been just plain bad. Unfortunately, the bullpen hasn't been a whole lot better. Jesse Crain has been horrific, posting an 8.68 ERA in 9.1 innings while yielding 16 hits and 3 home runs. Matt Guerrier has gotten crushed, with opponents hitting .515 against him over 8.2 innings. These were two guys who the team was ready to rely on heavily coming into the year. Juan Rincon has pitched fairly well outside of a terrible outing in Chicago Friday night where he allowed 4 earned runs without recording an out. Rookie Willie Eyre has pitched pretty well, allowing just 2 runs in 7.2 innings, but he has allowed 10 hits and has only 2 strikeouts. Francisco Liriano has been the only guy who's gotten it done regularly in middle relief, allowing just 1 run in 10.1 innings while yielding just 9 hits and striking out 15. Liriano has made it clear that he is deserving of a spot in the rotation, though Ron Gardenhire makes it sound like he has no intention of moving him there any time soon.
Meanwhile, Joe Nathan, arguably the team's best pitcher and certainly its most reliable reliever, has been limited to only 5 innings thanks to Gardy's hesitation to use him anywhere outside of a save situation (of which the Twins have had only two this year). Nathan has been lights-out, but unfortunately he has rarely been able to pitch in key situations.
So what are we to make of all this pitching ineptitude? Will it get better? I'm confident that Santana will start to settle into a groove soon and I think once Silva starts getting his stuff to sink more he should improve quite a bit also. I'm not nearly as optimistic about Lohse and Radke. They pretty much have to get better than they've been so far, but opposing hitters seem to have them both figured out pretty well and neither has been able to make any adjustments to this point.
It should be interesting to see if the Twins' pitchers can get back on track against the light-hitting Royals in their upcoming series in Kansas City, and then maybe carry some momentum into Detroit for the weekend. One thing is clear: If the pitching does not improve dramatically soon, the season is going to be lost. The Twins simply cannot afford to fall much further behind in this division.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Repetition
I am not really sure there is too many new observations to bring about after watching the Twins get destroyed by a superior Chicago White Sox club yesterday. It pains me to write that, but they just walked all over the Twins. And in so many ways, the Twins defeated themselves.
It was the same story it has been all year in our losses: Starting pitcher was awful, bullpen didn't fair any better or did worse, and the offense got guys on but couldn't drive them in. Although the Twins offense has made some improvements, that really doesn't matter if the Twins opposition is batting .314/.354/.488 with 22 HRs. Brad Radke can be blamed for some of that, as he has allowed eight home runs this year along with 30 hits and a 7.71 ERA. He looks awful, but so does most of the Twins pitchers.
I know its still April, but if pitching and defense is the plan to win games, things need to improve. A 5.76 ERA is not acceptable at all and neither is an ugly 1.51 collective WHIP.
I could discuss the 16 men the Twins left on or Jesse Crain's continued failures. But its pointless if the Twins don't change things. Tommorow, they go up against Jose Contreras, whose had some major success against them. Let's hope for a return of Shannon Stewart and Luis Castillo to hopefully spark something in this team that is looking like a doormat for the streaking White Sox right now.
It was the same story it has been all year in our losses: Starting pitcher was awful, bullpen didn't fair any better or did worse, and the offense got guys on but couldn't drive them in. Although the Twins offense has made some improvements, that really doesn't matter if the Twins opposition is batting .314/.354/.488 with 22 HRs. Brad Radke can be blamed for some of that, as he has allowed eight home runs this year along with 30 hits and a 7.71 ERA. He looks awful, but so does most of the Twins pitchers.
I know its still April, but if pitching and defense is the plan to win games, things need to improve. A 5.76 ERA is not acceptable at all and neither is an ugly 1.51 collective WHIP.
I could discuss the 16 men the Twins left on or Jesse Crain's continued failures. But its pointless if the Twins don't change things. Tommorow, they go up against Jose Contreras, whose had some major success against them. Let's hope for a return of Shannon Stewart and Luis Castillo to hopefully spark something in this team that is looking like a doormat for the streaking White Sox right now.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
White Sox 7, Twins 1
The Twins kept it close for most of the game last night, thanks to a great outing from Johan Santana, but it got away from them quickly in the 8th inning when the bullpen got hit hard to blow the game open.
Santana struggled with his command for much of the night, but gave up only 2 runs in 7 innings, with both coming on a Jim Thome home run. Seeing Santana pitch well was encouraging, but the bullpen's struggles were troubling. The Twins' lineup couldn't do much against Mark Buehrle, but that is understandable since he's one of the better pitchers in the league.
The Twins need to at least take one game in this series. Let's see if they can get a win tonight against Freddy Garcia, who has not pitched particularly well this year.
Santana struggled with his command for much of the night, but gave up only 2 runs in 7 innings, with both coming on a Jim Thome home run. Seeing Santana pitch well was encouraging, but the bullpen's struggles were troubling. The Twins' lineup couldn't do much against Mark Buehrle, but that is understandable since he's one of the better pitchers in the league.
The Twins need to at least take one game in this series. Let's see if they can get a win tonight against Freddy Garcia, who has not pitched particularly well this year.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Gardy Doesn't Get It
I could have used yesterday's article title, "Unbelievable," for today's. It fit perfectly. In what was a competitive, hard-fought game yesterday afternoon, Ron Gardenhire gave the game away with his continued incompetence in managing his pitchers.
For some reason I can't fathom at the moment, Jesse Crain was allowed to pitch three innings. There are many reasons this seems confusing and idiotic. For one, it was a tie game when Gardenhire brought him in. Crain isn't exactly what you would call a "long reliever." If he wants to leave a guy in there for three innings, his name better be Fransisco Liriano or, if need be, Matt Guerrier. Those guys have the stamina to do it and Crain doesn't. Beyond that, if he has pitched two scoreless innings and its the eigth, why aren't you bringing in Juan Rincon or even Joe Nathan to pitch and keep the score even?? As soon as Crain allows a baserunner in the eighth, you need to get him out of there. At least Rincon can induce the double play. What happens? Crain, who has been incredibly hittable this year with a .359 OBA and a 7.56 ERA, serves up two runs and in steps the Angels bullpen, which is not ready to blow a lead in two straight games.
This is, of course, nothing new. Gardenhire has been praised for his use of bullpens in the past, but this year, he has looked completely lost. In the Yankees series, he brought in Crain to protect a Twins lead (it was clear then that Crain looks lost and easier to hit than Jose Lima) and that lead was promptly given up. Of course, they came back to win that game. He also put the first game out of reach the same way. So why does Gardenhire persist on bringing him in in key situations? Why can't he see how obvious it is that Crain is not going to be successful on the mound right now? Why continue to bring him in to protect and inevitably blow leads?
Further, why does he feel the need to adhere to some strict order? When the game is on the line, you bring in your best pitchers. Period. If Crain doing this poorly, his only use now is in mop-up duty. That means Rincon, Liriano, or -- most importantly -- Nathan. Yes, it's not the ninth and he isn't trying for a save, but so what? Being a good manager means being unconventional sometimes and trying different things. It needs to be asked why Nathan, who outside of Liriano has the most dominant stuff on the team, has pitched only four innings this year despite how great he looks. If you bring in Nathan for two innings right there, you give yourself a great chance to keep the game tied and eventually win. It's not as if the Twins weren't getting chances against the Angels or that they didn''t have other good options left in the bullpen.
Needless to say, I was very frustrated by the management in yesterday's loss. But other bad things happened. The Twins offense stranded a total of 23 runners, with Torii Hunter leaving seven and Lew Ford and Michael Cuddyer leaving four. Hunter was awful, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts while grounding into a double play and, as you can see, costing the Twins plenty of opportunities to score. He killed plenty of rallies, as Tony Batista went 3-for-4 in front of him with two RBIs and a walk.
The other positive performance, by Luis Castillo who went 3-for-4 and scored two runs, was soured when Castillo suffered a leg injury in the seventh after beating out an infield hit. Hopefully it's not serious and just related to the nagging quad injuries he has dealt with. If it is serious, the Twins have a bad predicament on their hands, as Castillo was hitting .404 and has been extremely valuable at the top of the order.
Otherwise, Twins fans are probably happy to see Rondell White have his first multi-hit game of the year, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs in the seventh spot with a 2-out clutch hit to top it off. It's just too bad that the offense had too many holes yesterday and that the manager can't seem to figure out the basics of bullpen management.
For some reason I can't fathom at the moment, Jesse Crain was allowed to pitch three innings. There are many reasons this seems confusing and idiotic. For one, it was a tie game when Gardenhire brought him in. Crain isn't exactly what you would call a "long reliever." If he wants to leave a guy in there for three innings, his name better be Fransisco Liriano or, if need be, Matt Guerrier. Those guys have the stamina to do it and Crain doesn't. Beyond that, if he has pitched two scoreless innings and its the eigth, why aren't you bringing in Juan Rincon or even Joe Nathan to pitch and keep the score even?? As soon as Crain allows a baserunner in the eighth, you need to get him out of there. At least Rincon can induce the double play. What happens? Crain, who has been incredibly hittable this year with a .359 OBA and a 7.56 ERA, serves up two runs and in steps the Angels bullpen, which is not ready to blow a lead in two straight games.
This is, of course, nothing new. Gardenhire has been praised for his use of bullpens in the past, but this year, he has looked completely lost. In the Yankees series, he brought in Crain to protect a Twins lead (it was clear then that Crain looks lost and easier to hit than Jose Lima) and that lead was promptly given up. Of course, they came back to win that game. He also put the first game out of reach the same way. So why does Gardenhire persist on bringing him in in key situations? Why can't he see how obvious it is that Crain is not going to be successful on the mound right now? Why continue to bring him in to protect and inevitably blow leads?
Further, why does he feel the need to adhere to some strict order? When the game is on the line, you bring in your best pitchers. Period. If Crain doing this poorly, his only use now is in mop-up duty. That means Rincon, Liriano, or -- most importantly -- Nathan. Yes, it's not the ninth and he isn't trying for a save, but so what? Being a good manager means being unconventional sometimes and trying different things. It needs to be asked why Nathan, who outside of Liriano has the most dominant stuff on the team, has pitched only four innings this year despite how great he looks. If you bring in Nathan for two innings right there, you give yourself a great chance to keep the game tied and eventually win. It's not as if the Twins weren't getting chances against the Angels or that they didn''t have other good options left in the bullpen.
Needless to say, I was very frustrated by the management in yesterday's loss. But other bad things happened. The Twins offense stranded a total of 23 runners, with Torii Hunter leaving seven and Lew Ford and Michael Cuddyer leaving four. Hunter was awful, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts while grounding into a double play and, as you can see, costing the Twins plenty of opportunities to score. He killed plenty of rallies, as Tony Batista went 3-for-4 in front of him with two RBIs and a walk.
The other positive performance, by Luis Castillo who went 3-for-4 and scored two runs, was soured when Castillo suffered a leg injury in the seventh after beating out an infield hit. Hopefully it's not serious and just related to the nagging quad injuries he has dealt with. If it is serious, the Twins have a bad predicament on their hands, as Castillo was hitting .404 and has been extremely valuable at the top of the order.
Otherwise, Twins fans are probably happy to see Rondell White have his first multi-hit game of the year, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs in the seventh spot with a 2-out clutch hit to top it off. It's just too bad that the offense had too many holes yesterday and that the manager can't seem to figure out the basics of bullpen management.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Unbelievable
In Monday's comment section at Aaron Gleeman's site, I made a few negative statements about Michael Cuddyer. This won't shock most who read this blog, who are probably aware that I'm not a huge Cuddy fan. In Aaron's comments, I stated that Cuddyer is one of the worst clutch performers I've ever seen. This was met with a lot of disagreement, because, well, many people love Cuddyer. I will confess that my negative thoughts regarding Cuddyer's clutch ability might come off as irrational, and I realize that sometimes the statistics don't really back up my position. I guess my grudge against Cuddyer has come from watching him play a lot and seeing him ground into a lot of inning-ending double plays and strike out in a lot of important situations. That and his .204 average with runners in scoring position last year.
Sure enough, last night, Cuddyer hit a walk-off 2-run homer off of J.C. Romero in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Twins a 12-10 victory over the Angels. This two days after I publicly pondered whether Cuddyer has "ever come up with a meaningful hit." There's really not much I can say except that Cuddy shut me right up.
Not surprisingly, Gleeman gave me some crap in his post for today (although he went a lot easier on me than I probably deserved... thanks Aaron.) While this is just one hit and I still don't feel like Cuddyer is a great player by any means, I will say this much: Watching Cuddy gleefully sprint into home plate with his limbs flailing in excitement following that big home run was truly a great thing to see. Cuddyer has always seemed like a good guy, and while it might seem like I loathe the man based on some of the comments I've made about him, I really am happy to see him come through with a big hit. This is a guy that enjoys playing the game, and that was made evident by his behavior last night as he met his celebrating teammates at home plate.
The Cuddyer homer capped off what was truly one of the most amazing Twins games I have ever seen -- at least since Saturday. After another terrible Kyle Lohse outing (his line: 3.1 IP, 7 H, 8 ER, 1 BB, 1 K), the Twins found themselves in another early hole. By the end of the fifth inning, they were behind the Angels 9-4. Last year, the Twins' offense was so punchless that if they fell behind an opponent by even one run early in a game, you got the feeling that the game was pretty much lost. The difference this year has been drastic. Including last night's game, each of the Twins' seven victories this year have involved coming from behind.
Here's a breakdown of the extremely impressive comeback:
Down by 5 runs in the 6th inning, the Twins' offense put together their second 4-run inning of the game, with Lew Ford, Juan Castro, and Shannon Stewart each driving in a run, and the other one coming in when right fielder Vladimir Guerrero dropped a Mike Redmond pop fly. With the score 9-8, Francisco Liriano allowed his first run of the year, which put the Angels ahead by two. Torii Hunter led off the next inning with a solo home run to bring the Twins back within one.
Things looked fairly bleak heading into the bottom of the 9th, as the Twins trailed 10-9 with Halos' closer Francisco Rodriguez heading out for the save. There was no way the Twins could rally against one of baseball's top closers for the second time in five days... was there?
On Saturday night, it was Joe Mauer who led the rally against Mariano Rivera with a crucial two-base hit to put himself on second representing the winning run. Last night, Mauer pinch-hit for Redmond to lead off the bottom of the 9th and he managed to fight off an 0-2 pitch from K-Rod for an infield hit. Ruben Sierra followed this with a walk, and then Torii Hunter tapped a single to right field (third base coach Scott Ullger wisely held Mauer at third on the play, since Guerrero has one of the strongest arms in the league). This loaded the bases with no outs for Saturday night's hero, Justin Morneau. Morneau popped the first pitch into foul territory near third base. One out wasted. Tony Batista was up next. Three-pitch strikeout. Suddenly things were looking quite grim again. In stepped Lew Ford.
Ford worked the count to 2-0. He then swung and missed at a pitch and fouled off the next two. Then he took a ball. Full count. He fouled off another pitch. Rodriguez's next pitch was outside, and Ford took it for ball four to walk in the tying run. Truly one of the most impressive clutch at-bats I have ever seen. While Cuddyer will no doubt receive a ton of adulation for his part in this victory -- deservedly so -- we'd be remiss to forget about the other right fielder's contribution that brought this game to extra innings in the first place.
While it was truly a great game and an important victory, the performance of Lohse is extremely disconcerting. The Twins' starting rotation, anticipated by almost all to be the team's major strength this year, has by and large been horrible this season. Lohse's performance last night might have been the low point of the season so far. The Angels' lineup is not what I'd call elite, yet Lohse got hit all over the place and just couldn't seem to get anybody out. Opponents are now hitting a ridiculous .340 off Kyle. Guerrier's performance was also unimpressive. He allowed the last two of Lohse's earned runs to score when he inherited them in relief, and he also allowed in one of his own.
The Twins' bullpen did look pretty good outside of Guerrier. Despite the fact that he didn't seem to have his best stuff and allowed a run to score, Liriano's outing wasn't too bad. Juan Rincon pitched a very efficient 1.2 innings, needing only 14 pitches to retire 5 men. Joe Nathan picked up the win by pitching a scoreless 10th.
Nonetheless, the starting pitching has simply got to be better. The Twins' offense has been ridiculously resilient in their seven wins this year, but one really cannot expect that to continue on a regular basis.
I certainly learned my lesson regarding Cuddyer last night. And with another brilliant comeback victory, I think that all Twins fans are learning a lesson... don't leave the Dome early.
Sure enough, last night, Cuddyer hit a walk-off 2-run homer off of J.C. Romero in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Twins a 12-10 victory over the Angels. This two days after I publicly pondered whether Cuddyer has "ever come up with a meaningful hit." There's really not much I can say except that Cuddy shut me right up.
Not surprisingly, Gleeman gave me some crap in his post for today (although he went a lot easier on me than I probably deserved... thanks Aaron.) While this is just one hit and I still don't feel like Cuddyer is a great player by any means, I will say this much: Watching Cuddy gleefully sprint into home plate with his limbs flailing in excitement following that big home run was truly a great thing to see. Cuddyer has always seemed like a good guy, and while it might seem like I loathe the man based on some of the comments I've made about him, I really am happy to see him come through with a big hit. This is a guy that enjoys playing the game, and that was made evident by his behavior last night as he met his celebrating teammates at home plate.
The Cuddyer homer capped off what was truly one of the most amazing Twins games I have ever seen -- at least since Saturday. After another terrible Kyle Lohse outing (his line: 3.1 IP, 7 H, 8 ER, 1 BB, 1 K), the Twins found themselves in another early hole. By the end of the fifth inning, they were behind the Angels 9-4. Last year, the Twins' offense was so punchless that if they fell behind an opponent by even one run early in a game, you got the feeling that the game was pretty much lost. The difference this year has been drastic. Including last night's game, each of the Twins' seven victories this year have involved coming from behind.
Here's a breakdown of the extremely impressive comeback:
Down by 5 runs in the 6th inning, the Twins' offense put together their second 4-run inning of the game, with Lew Ford, Juan Castro, and Shannon Stewart each driving in a run, and the other one coming in when right fielder Vladimir Guerrero dropped a Mike Redmond pop fly. With the score 9-8, Francisco Liriano allowed his first run of the year, which put the Angels ahead by two. Torii Hunter led off the next inning with a solo home run to bring the Twins back within one.
Things looked fairly bleak heading into the bottom of the 9th, as the Twins trailed 10-9 with Halos' closer Francisco Rodriguez heading out for the save. There was no way the Twins could rally against one of baseball's top closers for the second time in five days... was there?
On Saturday night, it was Joe Mauer who led the rally against Mariano Rivera with a crucial two-base hit to put himself on second representing the winning run. Last night, Mauer pinch-hit for Redmond to lead off the bottom of the 9th and he managed to fight off an 0-2 pitch from K-Rod for an infield hit. Ruben Sierra followed this with a walk, and then Torii Hunter tapped a single to right field (third base coach Scott Ullger wisely held Mauer at third on the play, since Guerrero has one of the strongest arms in the league). This loaded the bases with no outs for Saturday night's hero, Justin Morneau. Morneau popped the first pitch into foul territory near third base. One out wasted. Tony Batista was up next. Three-pitch strikeout. Suddenly things were looking quite grim again. In stepped Lew Ford.
Ford worked the count to 2-0. He then swung and missed at a pitch and fouled off the next two. Then he took a ball. Full count. He fouled off another pitch. Rodriguez's next pitch was outside, and Ford took it for ball four to walk in the tying run. Truly one of the most impressive clutch at-bats I have ever seen. While Cuddyer will no doubt receive a ton of adulation for his part in this victory -- deservedly so -- we'd be remiss to forget about the other right fielder's contribution that brought this game to extra innings in the first place.
While it was truly a great game and an important victory, the performance of Lohse is extremely disconcerting. The Twins' starting rotation, anticipated by almost all to be the team's major strength this year, has by and large been horrible this season. Lohse's performance last night might have been the low point of the season so far. The Angels' lineup is not what I'd call elite, yet Lohse got hit all over the place and just couldn't seem to get anybody out. Opponents are now hitting a ridiculous .340 off Kyle. Guerrier's performance was also unimpressive. He allowed the last two of Lohse's earned runs to score when he inherited them in relief, and he also allowed in one of his own.
The Twins' bullpen did look pretty good outside of Guerrier. Despite the fact that he didn't seem to have his best stuff and allowed a run to score, Liriano's outing wasn't too bad. Juan Rincon pitched a very efficient 1.2 innings, needing only 14 pitches to retire 5 men. Joe Nathan picked up the win by pitching a scoreless 10th.
Nonetheless, the starting pitching has simply got to be better. The Twins' offense has been ridiculously resilient in their seven wins this year, but one really cannot expect that to continue on a regular basis.
I certainly learned my lesson regarding Cuddyer last night. And with another brilliant comeback victory, I think that all Twins fans are learning a lesson... don't leave the Dome early.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Angels 8, Twins 2
Well, there is not too much I feel like saying right now. Last night's game was awful on many levels. Basically, the Twins failed to do just about everything: Drive runners in, be aggressive at the plate, keep the ball down on pitches, and of course, allowing inherited runners to score.
Carlos Silva had a fairly horrible start (8 2/3 innings with 8 earned runs is not exactly a common box score line) and his problem right now doesn't seem to be so much his control but his location. With his stuff, which is all-too-hittable, he cannot leave so many pitches up or else guys like Chone Figgins will continue to get extra-base hits at an extreme clip. And Jesse Crain seems to be J.C. Romero's replacement. (By the way, J.C. hasn't changed. 14 pitches, 7 strikes. Still hasn't learned control.) Crain came in with two outs in the ninth and promptly allowed an inherited runner to score before actually getting the last out. Needless to say, he doesn't seem to be able to handle much at all right now. If the Twins aren't going to use Fransisco Liriano in the rotation, they might as well use him in the seventh and avoid Crain for now.
And the hitting wasn't much better. Before the game, Ron Gardenhire decided it would be a good idea to bat Tony Batista cleanup and move Rondell White to the seventh spot, as White has struggled mightily for two weeks. It didn't work out that well, as White still looks lost, despite his single during the game, and Batista went 0-for-4 while leaving a running in scoring position with two outs.
This was just one of the many issues the Twins had at the plate. In general, they didn't seem aggressive enough at the plate. When they were, specifically in the third, they got three singles in a row and got a runner in. When they weren't, plate ump Jerry Meals' ever-expansive strike zone came back to haunt them (with Luis Castillo and Joe Mauer striking out looking back-to-back in the 5th). And leaving thirteen runners on isn't much to be proud of either, as the Twins continously failed to do much with men aboard. Some things were positive, as Juan Castro went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Lew Ford scored two runs along with his two hits during his start in right.
The only other positive is that the game went quickly, especially with Silva on the mound, lasting only 2 hours and 24 minutes. Looking ahead to today, it feels like a must-win situation even though its April. I have a lukewarm feeling about Batista's new batting spot, it's hard to tell which Kyle Lohse will show up today, and Erwin Santana is the kind of young pitcher (hard fastball, good breaking stuff) that dominates the Twins. Lets hope things drop in our favor, but the Twins are going to have to be a lot more aggressive today.
Carlos Silva had a fairly horrible start (8 2/3 innings with 8 earned runs is not exactly a common box score line) and his problem right now doesn't seem to be so much his control but his location. With his stuff, which is all-too-hittable, he cannot leave so many pitches up or else guys like Chone Figgins will continue to get extra-base hits at an extreme clip. And Jesse Crain seems to be J.C. Romero's replacement. (By the way, J.C. hasn't changed. 14 pitches, 7 strikes. Still hasn't learned control.) Crain came in with two outs in the ninth and promptly allowed an inherited runner to score before actually getting the last out. Needless to say, he doesn't seem to be able to handle much at all right now. If the Twins aren't going to use Fransisco Liriano in the rotation, they might as well use him in the seventh and avoid Crain for now.
And the hitting wasn't much better. Before the game, Ron Gardenhire decided it would be a good idea to bat Tony Batista cleanup and move Rondell White to the seventh spot, as White has struggled mightily for two weeks. It didn't work out that well, as White still looks lost, despite his single during the game, and Batista went 0-for-4 while leaving a running in scoring position with two outs.
This was just one of the many issues the Twins had at the plate. In general, they didn't seem aggressive enough at the plate. When they were, specifically in the third, they got three singles in a row and got a runner in. When they weren't, plate ump Jerry Meals' ever-expansive strike zone came back to haunt them (with Luis Castillo and Joe Mauer striking out looking back-to-back in the 5th). And leaving thirteen runners on isn't much to be proud of either, as the Twins continously failed to do much with men aboard. Some things were positive, as Juan Castro went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Lew Ford scored two runs along with his two hits during his start in right.
The only other positive is that the game went quickly, especially with Silva on the mound, lasting only 2 hours and 24 minutes. Looking ahead to today, it feels like a must-win situation even though its April. I have a lukewarm feeling about Batista's new batting spot, it's hard to tell which Kyle Lohse will show up today, and Erwin Santana is the kind of young pitcher (hard fastball, good breaking stuff) that dominates the Twins. Lets hope things drop in our favor, but the Twins are going to have to be a lot more aggressive today.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Credit Where Credit's Due
Ron Gardenhire, Terry Ryan, and the rest of the Twins' brain trust frequently draw the ire of Twins bloggers. Heck, disagreeing with the moves those guys make is the sole reason many Twins blogs exist in the first place. Much of the time, when the majority of Twins fans vehemently disagree with a move the Twins make, they end up being right. For instance, keeping Corky Miller on the roster out of spring training last year was a terrible decision, and taking Joe Mays out of the rotation a couple months earlier than they did probably could have prevented a few losses. It doesn't take a pro baseball analyst or sabermetric genius to realize these things ahead of time. Read entries from this blog (or almost any other) from around those times and you can see that even the casual fan could easily predict the bad outcomes of these decisions.
With that said, I think now is a good time to step back and applaud Gardenhire and Ryan for a couple controversial moves they made during the offseason and spring training. These moves were widely met with disgust and criticism from the Twins blogosphere, yet both have really turned out well, at least to this point. Many were appalled when Ryan signed Tony Batista in the offseason and essentially handed him the job of everyday starting third baseman. The move seemed bizarre considering Batista's paltry career on-base percentage and the fact that he couldn't even land a gig in this country last season. Likewise, there was a great deal of disgust felt by Twins fans everywhere when the young and promising Jason Bartlett was sent down to the minors just before the start of the season and Gardenhire dubbed light-hitting Juan Castro the starting shortstop on a team desperately in need of more offense.
Personally, I was never all that worked up about the Batista signing. I didn't expect much from him, but I recognized the fact that he could provide some much-needed pop at the bottom of the lineup and would at least be a better defender at third than Michael Cuddyer was last year. Still, the signing received a lot of harsh criticism from a number of bloggers and analysts. The decision to name Castro the starting shortstop while sending Bartlett back to the minors (again) after hitting .382 in spring training did bother me quite a bit, and both Mr. Mosvick and I were quite vocal in our disagreement with the decision.
As it turns out, the moves have made the Twins' management look pretty smart up to this point. Batista has been hitting the ball extremely well, posting a .297/.366/.568 line with two home runs and six RBIs through his first 11 games. He's also been steady with the glove, and has shown surprising patience at the plate, drawing four walks in 41 plate appearances. For those keeping track, that gives him the same number of unintentional walks as Joe Mauer, the Twins' poster boy for patience at the plate.
Castro, on the other hand, hasn't been as flashy at the dish, but he has been extremely solid overall. He has been steady defensively at shortstop, making all the necessary plays plus a few outstanding ones; he has also shown some very nice chemistry with second baseman Luis Castillo. Castro hasn't delivered any extra-base hits but he has looked quite a bit better offensively than he ever has in the past. He is hitting .355 at this point in the young season, and he's been stinging the ball pretty well. Oftentimes when a guy who historically hasn't done much at the plate has a hot streak, you can easily attribute it to luck -- bloop singles falling in the right place and grounders squeezing through the infield. Castro's offensive production hasn't struck me that way. He's had some great at-bats and come through with some big hits, routinely driving the ball to the opposite field.
Based on the long major league histories of both of these players, it is unrealistic to think that this level of play will continue much longer for either. Castro is a .230 career hitter who has never posted an on-base percentage higher than .290 in a season -- right now his OBP is nearly .400. Batista's career OPS is .757, and right now it's a monstrous .934. One has to expect these guys are going to come back down to Earth, and perhaps pretty hard. Still, it is undeniable that both players have been invaluable to the team's early success. At the very least they should continue to provide defensive stability at a couple positions that were highly unstable throughout last season. Should either one continue to produce at even close to the level they have so far at the plate, it will be a huge bonus at the bottom of the batting order.
Gardenhire and Ryan should sit back and enjoy this moment. Who knows how long it will last, but for now, they are looking mighty wise and we who criticized them so ferociously could all stand to eat some crow.
With that said, I think now is a good time to step back and applaud Gardenhire and Ryan for a couple controversial moves they made during the offseason and spring training. These moves were widely met with disgust and criticism from the Twins blogosphere, yet both have really turned out well, at least to this point. Many were appalled when Ryan signed Tony Batista in the offseason and essentially handed him the job of everyday starting third baseman. The move seemed bizarre considering Batista's paltry career on-base percentage and the fact that he couldn't even land a gig in this country last season. Likewise, there was a great deal of disgust felt by Twins fans everywhere when the young and promising Jason Bartlett was sent down to the minors just before the start of the season and Gardenhire dubbed light-hitting Juan Castro the starting shortstop on a team desperately in need of more offense.
Personally, I was never all that worked up about the Batista signing. I didn't expect much from him, but I recognized the fact that he could provide some much-needed pop at the bottom of the lineup and would at least be a better defender at third than Michael Cuddyer was last year. Still, the signing received a lot of harsh criticism from a number of bloggers and analysts. The decision to name Castro the starting shortstop while sending Bartlett back to the minors (again) after hitting .382 in spring training did bother me quite a bit, and both Mr. Mosvick and I were quite vocal in our disagreement with the decision.
As it turns out, the moves have made the Twins' management look pretty smart up to this point. Batista has been hitting the ball extremely well, posting a .297/.366/.568 line with two home runs and six RBIs through his first 11 games. He's also been steady with the glove, and has shown surprising patience at the plate, drawing four walks in 41 plate appearances. For those keeping track, that gives him the same number of unintentional walks as Joe Mauer, the Twins' poster boy for patience at the plate.
Castro, on the other hand, hasn't been as flashy at the dish, but he has been extremely solid overall. He has been steady defensively at shortstop, making all the necessary plays plus a few outstanding ones; he has also shown some very nice chemistry with second baseman Luis Castillo. Castro hasn't delivered any extra-base hits but he has looked quite a bit better offensively than he ever has in the past. He is hitting .355 at this point in the young season, and he's been stinging the ball pretty well. Oftentimes when a guy who historically hasn't done much at the plate has a hot streak, you can easily attribute it to luck -- bloop singles falling in the right place and grounders squeezing through the infield. Castro's offensive production hasn't struck me that way. He's had some great at-bats and come through with some big hits, routinely driving the ball to the opposite field.
Based on the long major league histories of both of these players, it is unrealistic to think that this level of play will continue much longer for either. Castro is a .230 career hitter who has never posted an on-base percentage higher than .290 in a season -- right now his OBP is nearly .400. Batista's career OPS is .757, and right now it's a monstrous .934. One has to expect these guys are going to come back down to Earth, and perhaps pretty hard. Still, it is undeniable that both players have been invaluable to the team's early success. At the very least they should continue to provide defensive stability at a couple positions that were highly unstable throughout last season. Should either one continue to produce at even close to the level they have so far at the plate, it will be a huge bonus at the bottom of the batting order.
Gardenhire and Ryan should sit back and enjoy this moment. Who knows how long it will last, but for now, they are looking mighty wise and we who criticized them so ferociously could all stand to eat some crow.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Sweepless
Its unfortunate, but the Twins couldn't pull off a sweep yesterday afternoon, as the Yankees offense finally came out and crushed them 9-3 on Easter Sunday. Brad Radke apparently has fixed his "first-inning woes," but now he's replaced those issues with second-inning problems. Yesterday, he gave up three runs in the second, which he also did in the start before that. Whatever it is, he's having problems with the gopherball, as he has now given up a total of seven home runs in three starts. (That would mean if he makes 30 starts, he'll be projected to give up 70 HRs. Dang. That would make his former teammate Eric Milton proud.) In other words, it was an ugly start and despite his 2-1 record, he has a 6.63 ERA.
And, to make matters worse, the offense wasn't too great yesterday and didn't give Radke the type of help it gave him in his other two starts (the Twins scored 20 runs in his two previous outings). The offense managed three runs off of Chien-Ming Wang, one of them being unearned due to the horrible defense Hideki Matsui plays in left field (just like Saturday night. Nice throw, Hideki). In seven innings, the Twins had seven hits off of Wang, but struck out eight times. You can thank Rondell White in large part for that. Four trips to the box and three return trips due to K's. Folks, I think its about time to let him sit a little. Rondell is trying WAY to hard and that would account for the disgusting .085 average he holds.
Of course, seventeen men left on-base isn't a great stat to see either, even if the Yankees did the same. The Twins had their chances and don't let Luis Rodriguez's or Justin Morneau's two-hit days let you forget about the strikeouts they had in key situations.
But, let's not forget this is the Yankees offense and coming out of the last two series 5-1 and owning a .500 record are great things to have. Just a week ago, the Twins were 1-5 and things looked awfully grim. Of course, the next two opponents (Angels at home, White Sox on the road) aren't exactly slackers either. the Twins can take two of three from the Angels and at least one at U.S. Celluar, that would be an accomplishment. A sweep in either series would be particularly helpful in this rough early-season schedule. Let's just hope the Twins can keep playing with the flair and energy they played their last six games with.
And, to make matters worse, the offense wasn't too great yesterday and didn't give Radke the type of help it gave him in his other two starts (the Twins scored 20 runs in his two previous outings). The offense managed three runs off of Chien-Ming Wang, one of them being unearned due to the horrible defense Hideki Matsui plays in left field (just like Saturday night. Nice throw, Hideki). In seven innings, the Twins had seven hits off of Wang, but struck out eight times. You can thank Rondell White in large part for that. Four trips to the box and three return trips due to K's. Folks, I think its about time to let him sit a little. Rondell is trying WAY to hard and that would account for the disgusting .085 average he holds.
Of course, seventeen men left on-base isn't a great stat to see either, even if the Yankees did the same. The Twins had their chances and don't let Luis Rodriguez's or Justin Morneau's two-hit days let you forget about the strikeouts they had in key situations.
But, let's not forget this is the Yankees offense and coming out of the last two series 5-1 and owning a .500 record are great things to have. Just a week ago, the Twins were 1-5 and things looked awfully grim. Of course, the next two opponents (Angels at home, White Sox on the road) aren't exactly slackers either. the Twins can take two of three from the Angels and at least one at U.S. Celluar, that would be an accomplishment. A sweep in either series would be particularly helpful in this rough early-season schedule. Let's just hope the Twins can keep playing with the flair and energy they played their last six games with.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Comeback Kids
The Twins' offense has shown tremendous resiliency in each of their wins this year, consistently falling behind early and hitting their way back into the lead. Last night's comeback was much more dramatic. Down 5-4 going into the bottom of the ninth against arguably the greatest closer in baseball history, things looked pretty grim. Instead of laying down and taking the loss, the Twins pieced together an incredible rally to capture their fifth straight victory.
Against Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera, Luis Castillo reached on an infield single to start the ninth. Joe Mauer followed this with a great at-bat and ended up knocking the ball down down the left field line, advancing to second on the unsuccessful throw to get Castillo at third. This put runners on second and third with no outs. Rondell White and Torii Hunter both went down on ugly strikeouts. This brought Justin Morneau up with two outs. Morneau laced Rivera's first pitch into right field for a game-winning 2-run single.
It was invigorating to see the Morneau come through with such a huge hit, capping off a 2-hit, 3 RBI night for him. Castillo had 4 hits, including a triple -- he has been fantastic. The great thing about Castillo is that he puts the ball in play, and when you put the ball in play anything can happen. He had one at-bat earlier in the game with the bases loaded where he drilled the ball into the ground and it ended up probably 5 feet away from home plate, but a run scored and Castillo safely reached first.
Unfortunately, the great victory was marred by a couple of really ugly performances that nearly lost the game for the Twins. The most disconcerting was that of White. I was a huge defender of his signing during the offseason, and I have stuck with him through his slow start this season, continually assuring myself that it's only a matter of time before he breaks out of his slump. However, my patience with White is giving way to frustration. He had another absolutely terrible night. He did have a base hit to right field in the 3rd, but outside of that he went hitless with two strikeouts, including a crucial one with no outs and runners on second and third in the bottom of the ninth. Opposing teams are starting to use White's ineptitude in the cleanup spot against the Twins. Last night, the Yankees intentionally walked Mauer with two outs and a runner in scoring position on two occasions, and both times they easily dispatched White to escape the inning unharmed. He left seven runners aboard tonight and killed a couple rallies. This has got to stop.
Jesse Crain had a terrible night as well. Johan Santana had worked through the first six innings having only allowed two runs to the potent Yankees lineup, but he ran into trouble in the seventh. With one out and runners on second and third and the Twins up 4-2, Ron Gardenhire went to Jesse Crain. Crain promptly allowed three straight hits, resulting in three runs and a 5-4 Yankees lead. Hopefully Gardenhire learned his lesson and will not use Crain in high-leverage situations in the future, as he has been just awful this year. Fortunately, the amazing Francisco Liriano came in and pitched 1 and 2/3 innings, allowing no hits.
Crain and White's struggles aside, this was a great ballgame and another extremely impressive victory. The Twins go into today's game against the Yankees with a chance to pick up their sixth straight victory and second straight sweep against an outstanding ballclub. Even if the Twins lose, they will come out of this 12-game stretch against the Blue Jays, Indians, Yankees and Athletics with a .500 record. I don't think anyone can complain too much about that, particularly after the team's slow start.
Against Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera, Luis Castillo reached on an infield single to start the ninth. Joe Mauer followed this with a great at-bat and ended up knocking the ball down down the left field line, advancing to second on the unsuccessful throw to get Castillo at third. This put runners on second and third with no outs. Rondell White and Torii Hunter both went down on ugly strikeouts. This brought Justin Morneau up with two outs. Morneau laced Rivera's first pitch into right field for a game-winning 2-run single.
It was invigorating to see the Morneau come through with such a huge hit, capping off a 2-hit, 3 RBI night for him. Castillo had 4 hits, including a triple -- he has been fantastic. The great thing about Castillo is that he puts the ball in play, and when you put the ball in play anything can happen. He had one at-bat earlier in the game with the bases loaded where he drilled the ball into the ground and it ended up probably 5 feet away from home plate, but a run scored and Castillo safely reached first.
Unfortunately, the great victory was marred by a couple of really ugly performances that nearly lost the game for the Twins. The most disconcerting was that of White. I was a huge defender of his signing during the offseason, and I have stuck with him through his slow start this season, continually assuring myself that it's only a matter of time before he breaks out of his slump. However, my patience with White is giving way to frustration. He had another absolutely terrible night. He did have a base hit to right field in the 3rd, but outside of that he went hitless with two strikeouts, including a crucial one with no outs and runners on second and third in the bottom of the ninth. Opposing teams are starting to use White's ineptitude in the cleanup spot against the Twins. Last night, the Yankees intentionally walked Mauer with two outs and a runner in scoring position on two occasions, and both times they easily dispatched White to escape the inning unharmed. He left seven runners aboard tonight and killed a couple rallies. This has got to stop.
Jesse Crain had a terrible night as well. Johan Santana had worked through the first six innings having only allowed two runs to the potent Yankees lineup, but he ran into trouble in the seventh. With one out and runners on second and third and the Twins up 4-2, Ron Gardenhire went to Jesse Crain. Crain promptly allowed three straight hits, resulting in three runs and a 5-4 Yankees lead. Hopefully Gardenhire learned his lesson and will not use Crain in high-leverage situations in the future, as he has been just awful this year. Fortunately, the amazing Francisco Liriano came in and pitched 1 and 2/3 innings, allowing no hits.
Crain and White's struggles aside, this was a great ballgame and another extremely impressive victory. The Twins go into today's game against the Yankees with a chance to pick up their sixth straight victory and second straight sweep against an outstanding ballclub. Even if the Twins lose, they will come out of this 12-game stretch against the Blue Jays, Indians, Yankees and Athletics with a .500 record. I don't think anyone can complain too much about that, particularly after the team's slow start.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Taking Down the Bombers
The Twins are finally at .500, as they took down the New York Yankees last night in a 5-1 victory. That makes four straight victories at home to bring the Twins within one game of first place. That's a heck of an improvement considering how things looked Sunday. Scott Baker, following the lead of Kyle Lohse's quality start Thursday afternoon, was not intimidated by the Yankees lineup filled with big sluggers and run-producers. With four Ks, a walk, three hits allowed, and only one earned run in seven innings, Baker looked great on the hill. But, beyond the pitching performances (four hits allowed total) and solid defense turned in by the Twins, the offense was just as much of a surprise.
Facing Mike Mussina, who came in 20-4 against the Twins, things did not look too great. However, the Twins managed to put together a few solid innings and showed patience and an ability to get some big hits with two outs. Things were nothing near the way they were all of last year. With nine hits on the night, the most impressive performances came late, in the seventh and eight innings. Juan Castro had a 10-pitch at-bat against Mussina that resulted in an RBI single and the next inning, Torii Hunter and Tony Batista had doubles and Justin Morneau had an RBI single.
Needless to say, the offense did its part, as it has for the last four games. It seems safe to say there are definite improvements we've seen. Extra-base hits, two-out hits, well-placed sacrifices, and of course, home runs. And now, the pitching staff is coming around, with great performances from all last night.
With Johan on the mound today, a sweep may be possible, but at the least, the Twins should come out of series with the Blue Jays, the Indians, the A's, and the Yankees with a .500 record and to do so would be a accomplishment and a sign that they can be a contender.
Facing Mike Mussina, who came in 20-4 against the Twins, things did not look too great. However, the Twins managed to put together a few solid innings and showed patience and an ability to get some big hits with two outs. Things were nothing near the way they were all of last year. With nine hits on the night, the most impressive performances came late, in the seventh and eight innings. Juan Castro had a 10-pitch at-bat against Mussina that resulted in an RBI single and the next inning, Torii Hunter and Tony Batista had doubles and Justin Morneau had an RBI single.
Needless to say, the offense did its part, as it has for the last four games. It seems safe to say there are definite improvements we've seen. Extra-base hits, two-out hits, well-placed sacrifices, and of course, home runs. And now, the pitching staff is coming around, with great performances from all last night.
With Johan on the mound today, a sweep may be possible, but at the least, the Twins should come out of series with the Blue Jays, the Indians, the A's, and the Yankees with a .500 record and to do so would be a accomplishment and a sign that they can be a contender.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Power Surge
I titled Wednesday's post "Home Sweet Home" in celebration of the Twins returning to their home park with a victory Tuesday night. Perhaps a more fitting phrase with regards to their opening series against the Athletics would be "Homer Sweet Homer."
The Twins hit 6 home runs in their home-opening sweep against Oakland, which they completed with an 8-2 victory yesterday afternoon, and those homers accounted for 11 of the 21 runs they scored in the three-game series.
What's so encouraging about the team's performance in this series is not necessarily the fact that they scored so many runs, but the fact that they did so against good pitching. Esteban Loaiza is no good, but Dan Haren and Joe Blanton are two of the game's better young pitchers. Blanton was coming off a first start against Seattle in which he pitched 8 innings and allowed just two hits and no runs. The Twins shelled him for 11 hits and 7 earned runs in 6 innings.
Meanwhile, Kyle Lohse delivered the Twins their first quality start of the year, though he wasn't fantastic by any means. Lohse gave up a couple runs in the first inning on a Frank Thomas double, but then settled in and ended up pitching six solid innings. He still seems to be struggling a bit with his command, and his 6 to 10 ground ball-to-fly ball ratio seems to go against the philosophy he was trying to instill for this year, but the results were good.
A few thoughts on yesterday's sweep-clinching victory:
* It's not very often that you'll see a team's backup catcher hitting third in the lineup. It worked out for the Twins today though, as Mike Redmond went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs as Joe Mauer took the day off. In our position analysis series in March, I said, "Catcher is easily the team's strongest offensive position coming into the 2006 season." So far, that assertion has held true. Redmond has 5 hits in 8 at-bats -- including 3 doubles -- and Mauer is hitting .333 in seven games.
* Francisco Liriano had another brilliant outing out of the bullpen. He struck out 5 batters in 2 innings. Here's a nice detailed analysis from Roger in Seth's comments section yesterday:
* Michael Cuddyer hit a solo home run in the 8th inning with the Twins up 7-2. It was a very typical Cuddyer homer: Nobody on base and with the game already long since decided.
* After nine games, Rondell White is hitting .088. He has not drawn a walk while striking out 10 times in 34 at-bats and grounding into two double-plays. I remain confident that White will come around and become a good hitter, but it's pretty difficult to accomplish much offensively when you're getting that kind of production from your cleanup hitter.
The three-game sweep brings the Twins' record to 4-5, which is a lot better than the 1-5 record they sat with after their opening road trip. They are hardly in the clear at this point though; tonight they open a three-game series against the Yankees. Winning the series would leave the Twins with a .500 record, but taking two of three against New York is a pretty tall order. Should be a fun series.
The Twins hit 6 home runs in their home-opening sweep against Oakland, which they completed with an 8-2 victory yesterday afternoon, and those homers accounted for 11 of the 21 runs they scored in the three-game series.
What's so encouraging about the team's performance in this series is not necessarily the fact that they scored so many runs, but the fact that they did so against good pitching. Esteban Loaiza is no good, but Dan Haren and Joe Blanton are two of the game's better young pitchers. Blanton was coming off a first start against Seattle in which he pitched 8 innings and allowed just two hits and no runs. The Twins shelled him for 11 hits and 7 earned runs in 6 innings.
Meanwhile, Kyle Lohse delivered the Twins their first quality start of the year, though he wasn't fantastic by any means. Lohse gave up a couple runs in the first inning on a Frank Thomas double, but then settled in and ended up pitching six solid innings. He still seems to be struggling a bit with his command, and his 6 to 10 ground ball-to-fly ball ratio seems to go against the philosophy he was trying to instill for this year, but the results were good.
A few thoughts on yesterday's sweep-clinching victory:
* It's not very often that you'll see a team's backup catcher hitting third in the lineup. It worked out for the Twins today though, as Mike Redmond went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs as Joe Mauer took the day off. In our position analysis series in March, I said, "Catcher is easily the team's strongest offensive position coming into the 2006 season." So far, that assertion has held true. Redmond has 5 hits in 8 at-bats -- including 3 doubles -- and Mauer is hitting .333 in seven games.
* Francisco Liriano had another brilliant outing out of the bullpen. He struck out 5 batters in 2 innings. Here's a nice detailed analysis from Roger in Seth's comments section yesterday:
Liriano was unhittable. 3 K's on 12 pitches in the 7th without anyone toucching a pitch. In the 8th, he had 1 K and an easy fly...with Swisher swinging late and getting a double. Game wasn't in jeopardy, however, runner on 2nd with 2 outs and the Big Hurt up. Pitch 1 a 97mph fastball for a called strike. Pitch 2 a 84mph change that he was way in front and ticked foul off the end of his bat. Pitch 3 a 90mph slider that he took a huge swing and wasn't anywhere near the pitch. 2 innings, 5 K's and 1 hit...this kid has to get into the rotation.I concur.
* Michael Cuddyer hit a solo home run in the 8th inning with the Twins up 7-2. It was a very typical Cuddyer homer: Nobody on base and with the game already long since decided.
* After nine games, Rondell White is hitting .088. He has not drawn a walk while striking out 10 times in 34 at-bats and grounding into two double-plays. I remain confident that White will come around and become a good hitter, but it's pretty difficult to accomplish much offensively when you're getting that kind of production from your cleanup hitter.
The three-game sweep brings the Twins' record to 4-5, which is a lot better than the 1-5 record they sat with after their opening road trip. They are hardly in the clear at this point though; tonight they open a three-game series against the Yankees. Winning the series would leave the Twins with a .500 record, but taking two of three against New York is a pretty tall order. Should be a fun series.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Loving the Three-Run Jack
The last two Twins games have been won in a way we may have never expected last year: clutch three-run home runs. Tuesday night, Tony Batista was the hero with the big blast. Last night, it was Justin Morneau. Morneau came up after Joe Mauer singled, Rondell White flew out (he was hitting hard, but he just can't do very much at all right now), and Torii Hunter walked, with two outs in the inning. Justin came up and blasted an Estaban Loaiza pitch over the baggie in right.
Now, to be fair, I figured the Twins could knock Loaiza around because he looks awful so far this year. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that these kinds of comebacks and big homers just didn't come up last year. Morneau hit half his home runs last year with the bases empty, after all.
The point is, it's very exciting to actually have that kind of power to come back, even if it means having Tony Batista in the lineup. That's a lot more power than you can say for Michael "Takes-Lots-of-Pitches-to-Try-to-Walk-But-Strikes-Out-Anyways" Cuddyer.
Other observations:
* I was actually at the game last night and some things came to mind while watching. For one, Joe Nathan looks just great. Definitely a top-three closer in this league. Hard fastball, nasty breaking stuff, goes right at hitters. It's all there.
* I have to wonder if there was a reason Tony Batista tried to steal third base in the third inning. He has no speed at all! Seems like he saw a shot to get over there, but its too bad he looks slower than Bengie Molina. Worse yet, why was Joe Kennedy trying so hard to keep him at first in the seventh, despite the fact that he was only about a foot off the bag?
* Good to see Juan Rincon out for the eighth instead of Jesse Crain. Strikeout and a double-play grounder. Looks like Juan is coming back.
* Juan Castro did have a good day at the plate and in the field, making plenty of good defensive plays while going 2-for-4 at the plate. Still, I'm missing Bartlett's offensive potential and hate seeing it go to waste in the minors...
* Speaking of Morneau, gotta love the walk he coaxed when the A's brought in lefty Brad Halsey. Ignoring that he struck out against Kennedy in his next at-bat, he was looking at lot better at the plate with plenty of patience. A good step, since now he has 4 HR and 9 RBIs.
* Can't forget Torii Hunter. He hit a high home run to left-center in the fifth that ended up being the difference in the game. The .258 average isn't great, but he's hitting with power again.
* Lastly, Carlos Silva didn't have much last night, showing signs of control issues still, as he hit Milton Bradley but didn't walk a man in seven innings. Thats a total of eight Minnesota starts without a quality start. Not a great sign at all and I don't know that the number will change any with Kyle Lohse facing Joe Blanton tommorow at noon.
Now, to be fair, I figured the Twins could knock Loaiza around because he looks awful so far this year. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that these kinds of comebacks and big homers just didn't come up last year. Morneau hit half his home runs last year with the bases empty, after all.
The point is, it's very exciting to actually have that kind of power to come back, even if it means having Tony Batista in the lineup. That's a lot more power than you can say for Michael "Takes-Lots-of-Pitches-to-Try-to-Walk-But-Strikes-Out-Anyways" Cuddyer.
Other observations:
* I was actually at the game last night and some things came to mind while watching. For one, Joe Nathan looks just great. Definitely a top-three closer in this league. Hard fastball, nasty breaking stuff, goes right at hitters. It's all there.
* I have to wonder if there was a reason Tony Batista tried to steal third base in the third inning. He has no speed at all! Seems like he saw a shot to get over there, but its too bad he looks slower than Bengie Molina. Worse yet, why was Joe Kennedy trying so hard to keep him at first in the seventh, despite the fact that he was only about a foot off the bag?
* Good to see Juan Rincon out for the eighth instead of Jesse Crain. Strikeout and a double-play grounder. Looks like Juan is coming back.
* Juan Castro did have a good day at the plate and in the field, making plenty of good defensive plays while going 2-for-4 at the plate. Still, I'm missing Bartlett's offensive potential and hate seeing it go to waste in the minors...
* Speaking of Morneau, gotta love the walk he coaxed when the A's brought in lefty Brad Halsey. Ignoring that he struck out against Kennedy in his next at-bat, he was looking at lot better at the plate with plenty of patience. A good step, since now he has 4 HR and 9 RBIs.
* Can't forget Torii Hunter. He hit a high home run to left-center in the fifth that ended up being the difference in the game. The .258 average isn't great, but he's hitting with power again.
* Lastly, Carlos Silva didn't have much last night, showing signs of control issues still, as he hit Milton Bradley but didn't walk a man in seven innings. Thats a total of eight Minnesota starts without a quality start. Not a great sign at all and I don't know that the number will change any with Kyle Lohse facing Joe Blanton tommorow at noon.
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