2011 Twins Game Logs

2011 Game 36: Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins

309 Comments

Ricky Romero vs Carl Pavano.

Number of teams to make the postseason since 1995 that started at 12-23: one. The previous team to do that was the Blue Jays in 1989. In 1981, the Royals made the postseason with a worse record after 35 games, but unless the players plan on striking for a third of the season, I don't think it's a good model. After that, just one more team* did it: the 1974 Pirates.

It doesn't look good my friends.

* Caveat: I only checked for the years since divisional play started.

309 thoughts on “2011 Game 36: Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins”

  1. I'm impressed you were optimistic enough to look into it. I just figured it's really, really low odds, and left it at that.

        1. I'm not ready to write a team off this early, unless it's the Detroit Tigers and this is 2003.

          1. I would feel a lot worse if I had good reason to think the Indians and Royals were really, legitimately good. (Or if I thought the White Sox and Tigers were really all that good.) I think the Indians and Royals are improved over last year, but remain unconvinced as to how much improved they are. Get healthy, win games against AL Central opponents, see what happens.

  2. In the end, team record doesn't matter as much as game's back, and the Twins aren't as far back from first place now as they were in other years later in the season they made the playoffs. Of course, being double-digits out of first place this early in the season with four teams ahead of you is bad no matter how you spin it. The odds are certainly against them, but the scenario is favorable for a miracle comeback. The Twins have key players coming back from injury, they have a favorable schedule and what appears to be a weak division with the first-place team appearing to play well over its head. Plus the Twins have many players who have experienced many turnarounds and miracle comebacks, so they know its possible, but they need to start doing it soon.

  3. I initially saw "Ricky Romero vs. Carl Pavano" and "It doesn't look good my friends." The actual content which doesn't look good is somehow even more sobering.

  4. I'm really getting tired of all of the talk about Mauer's toughness, or lack thereof. I suppose it is my own fault for listening to talk radio.

    1. Once the radio talked at me and I responded. It rudely ignored my comments, so I shifted the dial elsewhere.

    2. I've pretty much stopped listening to the media at all, except to watch highlights. The point of those things is to entertain and not necessarily to be objective. As a result, most of everything said is completely baseless.

      1. I could live with it if they weren't trying to be objective but were at least trying to have some fun. I understand sports can be an outlet to vent some of life's frustrations, but at some point the negativity detracts from my enjoyment of sports.

        1. There we go. I can bear (and even enjoy) some bonehead analysis, but if I stop enjoying the product because of the coverage, it's time to ignore the coverage.

              1. Click through for the photographer's idea of the "fun". Hint: it's Dread Pirate approved.

  5. Hey all!

    It's been a while since I've gotten to watch a full game with you guys, so I'll hang around tonight. Here are some bullet points from my trip report--in no particular order:

    I miss Hardy. He is better than almost everyone currently playing for the Twins.
    It was funny seeing Hardy get Ullgered as the winning run in the 9th inning. That play wasn't even close.
    I had to leave after the 11th inning so I could catch the light rail back to my hotel.
    By the time I left, I was so close to the filed that I could have spit on Luke Scott.
    Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted most of the pictures I had from Baltimore. The only ones I still had were the ones I took during the afternoon.
    I got to the game early and saw all of BP. I stood up in that right field area. I caught a ball that went over my head, bounced on the concrete and then hit the back wall. Another guy had a chance at it, but blew it and that opened the door for me to snag it.
    I feel like I could average at least one BP ball per batting practice if I got there early enough and had a glove. One dude there managed to catch 3.

      1. Looks like he didn't come up to the right field area while I was there. Otherwise, I could have been the dude who outweighed him by 75 pounds and slammed into him.

    2. I like Hardy, but I can see how as a GM it would be hard to keep him around while paying him much of anything, given his propensity for injury. I see Gomez is up to 1.3 fWAR early in the season. I liked having Gomez around because he was a character. (For the same reason, I'm sure Gardenhire likes having him gone.) Plus, I loved when we had Jones-Hunter-Lawton/Kielty in the outfield and it would be fun to see Revere-Gomez-Span in the same outfield.

      1. Propensity for injury? Before last season he hadn't spent any significant time on the DL as a major leaguer since 2006 - he played basically the full seasons of 2007 through 2009. The only Twins I can think of who've played basically three full seasons without getting significantly hurt that I can think of recently are Span and Kubel (and Kubel's spent plenty of that time not playing the field). And it's not like the injuries he had with the Twins were chronic-types. Basically, all guys get hurt, but I don't really see how he's got a proven track record of being more likely to get hurt than most anybody else.

        2. I'm just projecting injury-proneness on everyone these days, I guess, since the Twins and the Sounders seem destined to end the season with half a roster of walk-ons.

          1. It's cool, I just get a little peeved at the idea of him being especially injury-prone since that was one of the main party lines propagated before/after the decision to trade him was made, and I've never seen the evidence for it - again, any more than pretty much anyone else.

        3. Hardy had plenty of nagging little injuries that didn't send him to the DL, but had him missing plenty of games. Games played per season since 2006- 151,146,115 (with Mil), then 101 with Min. For the record, I'd still like to have him here, but it's not a stretch to say Hardy gets dinged up pretty easily.

          1. +18 games in the minors in 2009. He was probably benched a few times because of performance.

          2. Well, the reason his games played is lower in 2009 was because the Brewers sent him down for a month, not because he was hurt for a month.

            And again, find me a Twins guy the last few years who has averaged more than 146 games per season, other than Span. Everybody gets dinged up pretty easily.

            1. Answer: 0. Since 2007, Kubel has averaged 139.5, Young 137.7, Morneau 134, Mauer 132.5, Cuddyer 131.3, Span 130.3.

              1. I'd count Span's 40 games in Rochester to start 2008, too, which would put him at 143 and two/thirds. But otherwise, exactly.

                  1. Nope, forgot about that. Didn't include the minor league games for anyone else either.

                    1. Yeah, I don't think they'd apply to anyone else here other than pre-mid-2008 Span and August-2009 Hardy. I'm just willing to count non-rehab minor league stints for those guys since to me they're positive evidence of playing, that is, not being hurt.

            2. Yea, I have a hard time saying that playing 151, 146 and 115+18 games at SS is evidence of injury-prone-ness.

              In 2009, games played by month: 21, 22, 26, 25, 8 (+18), 13

  6. I have an irrational(??) dislike of the Blew Jays these days. They seem to pwn the Twins well beyond their true talent level. So it would be cool to actually win a series against them.

  7. From west central MN: I hear the Twins want to wear the throwbacks every game the rest on the home season in honor of Harmon. Jack Morris just expressed his dislike for them. Too bad, Jack.

      1. how the hell could a guy who grew up in f-ing St. Paul be opposed to the throwbacks? I mean, the guy was 10 when the Twins played in the 1965 World Series. He should have been all over that concept.

        1. Maybe he liked the Tiger whites. To be fair, he did not make his comments in the context of the tribute info.

    2. That'd be a bummer. I enjoy the variety. I wouldn't mind them wearing them more often, but not every single home game.

    1. I have some pizza and a Red Chair, based on your recommendation. Weird to be home for the start of a game.

      1. Sooooo glad Red Chair has not only been kept around as a regular but that it's migrated west. I'm taking credit, Deschutes. Thank me with cash.

  9. mm. Jack advocating the brushback against Bautista. He's probably got a point -- better Pavano hit him next time than he hits a gapper.

  14. Ted has already worked in two "fisteds" on the first two Twins batters. I am rapidly coming to despise Ted.

  16. Melky Cabrera just ended Verlander's no-hit streak at 15.2 IP with an RBI triple.

        2. Another site I post at uses the [] brackets, so it's just a force of habit. I should be more careful.

      2. I don't know if it was a limited run or if they are going to make it every year. It is pretty terrific after spending the year behind some pots and pans.

    2. The last time I found I beer I had forgotten about was a dubbel I had made. I misplaced an entire case for a whole year, found it when moving, and it was amazing.

      1. A year and a half ago, I was shopping for winter ales at my local grocery, and discovered that THEY had somehow gotten a few sixers of the previous year's Anchor Christmas Ale. I scooped 'em up after asking the beer guy to go to the storeroom and check for more. Winner!!

  22. I'm going with the "have a bad feeling about this game." This is looking like way more Twins bullpen than I'll feel comfortable with.

  23. Great moments in Gameday History. Two of those "balls" to Arencibia were right at the knees. Those should be strikes.

    1. Radio guys were all over that. Black Jack saying earlier that the strike zone should be bigger.

    2. This is looking like it could be a gold mine game for Great Moments in Gameday History.

  27. I wasn't paying attention and gameday seems to be malfunctioning... who were Pavano's baserunners that inning?

  33. I see elm'n had no problem getting back into game shape.

  34. Pavano at ~100 pitches. This game is about to go over a cliff into the bullpen.

  39. DID YOU GUYS NOTICE THE MINNESOTA TWINS HAVE NOT REGISTERED A BASE HIT YET DURING THIS BASE BALL CONTEST?

    1. HAVE THEY NOT BATTED A BALL INTO PLAY THAT WAS NOT TURNED INTO AN OUT? I WAS NOT AWARE OF THAT

  41. Dazz: "Both pitchers are dealin' a little bit."

    Me: Are you WATCHING this game, Dazz?

    1. This OKC-MEM game is starting to look like it deserves my undivided attention more and more.

      1. You gotta wait until somebody scores, cheaptoy. Otherwise it will be your fault.

        1. Before when I would say a guy was going to hit a HR, they'd do something sucky. I'm trying a new approach.

    2. so, you have a shunt into your brain that allows you to think text messages?

      *b!tch-slaps Stick*

        1. I saw I could download an app for that when I was going through my menus seeing if I could get MLB audio.

  43. Oh, great. Burnett warming up. Can't he wait until we're down by five or six?

    1. I'd like to know what hit him in the head that he thinks bringing Burnett into a game with a crappy, small strike zone is a good idea.

      1. If we're not going to use him in that spot, I don't know when we're ever going to use him.

          1. This was under the assumption that he would be starting the next inning.. so much for that.

  46. "daylight" play with the 2b? Huh, Jack? There is ALWAYS daylight between the runner at 2nd and the 2b.

    1. I would say something more like, "Butera is the perfect guy to not swing, ever."

      1. There's a South Park episode where the boys are playing Little League, and all the teams are trying to lose so they don't have to play all summer. The pitcher of the other team is good enough that when the worst player is up, the pitcher nails his bat. The terrible player then runs around the bases and scores, forcing the South Park team to have to play more games. Ironically, their worst player was not Butters.

  49. Dazz: "Drew 0 for his last nine...due for a hit"

    Me: he's hitting .109, so I guess, technically, you are correct.

      1. Dazz lost me on that when he started talking about Butters touching homeplate. Butters gets hit-???- Profit!

  53. I was ready to fully abandon this game for hoops but then I realized that the score is still 0-0. What the hell?

  56. Heh, Gameday gave me a live look-in just in time to see the worst base "hit" I have ever seen.

    1. At least Plouffe's wasn't the hit that ended the no-hitter. That wouldn't have been classy.

      1. Eh, I don't think you could have called it "not classy". Not classy would have been ending it on a bunt single.

  59. Ok, I gotta go home. Plus, I can't bear to listen to another Russian Roulette Inning with Burnett.

  61. Oh that sequence was an emotional roller coaster.

    HELL YES! Burnett is coming out.
    OH NOOOOOOOOOOO it's Hoey!

    🙁

      1. O/U for total number of runs scored by the BJs in the rest of this game--6.5.

        1. I'd take the under but I wouldn't feel super comfortable about it.

    2. What? Is Gardy playing for the Draft picks?
      /Remembers cupboard is bare anyways
      Nevermind
      [baby swimming.jpg]

      1. I know I broke the rules but this book needed to be shown.

    1. Oof, not only are you joining this game, but you also have to be in Tennessee? You've been dealt bad cards, man.

      1. I'm just passing through, in a rather nice hotel for the night. In that regard, it's not so bad.

        1. I've only been to Nashville once, but have spent many nights in Memphis so I will always hate Tennessee based on that city.

          1. Oh, goody! I'm in Memphis a week from today! (And it's not a just passing through visit, either.)

            1. I can recommend the Flying Saucer, both for the german potato salad and hot waitresses in short skirts. I never did find any good bbq, though, but that was mostly because I was thirsty and outside of the Flying Saucer, they have no beer.

    2. I've heard good things about Nashville from a number of people--meat Printer being one of them.

      1. In Nashville's defense, its not Memphis.

        On a more serious note, I was only in Nashville for one night and it wasn't that bad. I had a decent meal and some good beer here.

        1. I've never been, but my painter friend Jim and his wife went down for a Wild/Predator game, spending the weekend. They ended up being thrilled with the food, hospitality, and especially the old school country & western music they heard in a couple of unassuming little bars they happened into. While I realize that's of no interest to you, there's lots of old studio cats in Nashville that gig all over town, making for a Nirvana Valhalla Nashville for fans of the genre.

  63. The question is: Should I wait for the inevitable extra base hit here, or just go lay in bed and watch basketball?

    The answer: Yes, I will get more beer.

        1. Pete and Re-Pete got in a boat, Pete fell out, who was left?

    4. While the audio didn't match the visual, it did very much encapsulate the 2011 campaign thus far.

    1. To be honest, giving up only one run in a tie game is way better than I expected out of AJ & Hoey.

      1. AJ & Hoey sounds like a crappy pitching department store.

  73. It wouldn't have been so bad to bring Hoey in if there weren't runners on. Basically what I'm saying is F.U. Burnett.

            1. Then they could pick up a copy of the Show for $10 off and stick it behind home plate. It'd hit better than Butters, I have no doubt.

  77. When Dick Bremer is having trouble hiding his disdain at the team's suckiness you know things are in a bad place.

  78. i think the baseball play that best encapsulates this season is the infield popup. lord knows we've seen enough of them.

  79. Radio guys keep talking about the Blew Jays getting that extra run across. Like the Twins are going to manage to score a run.

  80. mcdonald does the little things right, bert? i thought the twins were the only ones that did that.

        1. Radio guys suggested that the dugout told him to do so based on his disgusted demeanor afterward.

  83. The fake squeeze! I've always considered that to be the most underutilized play in all of baseball.

  84. holy shit:

    Russostrib Awful news: Derek Boogaard was found dead today in his Minneapolis apartment by members of his family. He was 28.

  86. Bautista swung at a ball a foot off the pla...... and it looks like it caught a little bit of it.

    Well, he will never go into the broadcasting hall of fame.

    1. the foxtrax, or whatever, made that statement look all the more ridiculous.

  88. Well, that was obvious somehow.

    One run deficits are bad for these Twins. Two run deficits are almost enough to turn the game off.

  90. Blah, I've wasted too much time on this crap already. I'm going to go drink some beer and watch basketball.

  94. Has Morris ever watched Nathan pitch? He thinks 17 pitches to two batters is unusual for Joe.

  95. For an infielder Cuddy doesn't look too awkward in right field.

    2. No, the ball doesn't look real. It's probably one of them sports drinks ads.

    3. Looks pretty real to me, but it's got to be fake. I don't see how he could've seen that ball coming, and at best, he'd have deflected it, not caught it.

  99. Nathan's gameday pic looked funny to me. Then I realized it was because gameday doesn't show a mustache.

  100. For dudes who hate pitch counts Dick and Bert sure are talking a ton about Nathan's pitch count.

    1. Twinsesque, of late. Or maybe I just mean the last game we played. I'm a little toasted and this team is bad right now, so who cares?@!

  107. What does Bert add to the broadcast?

    "Believe me, no one would love [getting a walk-off hit] more than Cuddyer."

    Shit, who wouldn't? Isn't that what every baseball player dreams about, all the time?

  114. Ricky Romero vs Carl Pavano.

    ...

    It doesn't look good my friends.

    Prophetic words, sean.

        2. Ugh...

          0 runs: 4 occurrences
          1 run: 4 occurrences
          2 runs: 4 occurrences
          3 runs: 12 occurrences
          4 runs: 5 occurrences
          5 runs: 4 occurrences
          7 runs: 1 occurrence
          9 runs: 1 occurrence
          10 runs: 1 occurrence

          Bad bad bad.

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