123 thoughts on “May 3, 2012: No-Hitter”

    1. career rWARs of the players in the Angels' lineup that day:

      Player Position rWAR
      Jeff Davanon rf 5.8
      Orlando Palmeiro cf 2.3
      Todd Greene lf -3.0
      Troy Glaus 3b 34.5
      Steve Decker dh -0.4
      Matt Luke 1b 0.6
      Bret Hemphill c 0.0
      Trent Durrington 2b -2.3
      Andy Sheets SS -1.9

      1. That was one awful lineup. Mauer alone has a higher rWAR than that entire lineup.

  2. I've always been on Team Jeff in the Weaver Wars. So much scuzzier. (It's like grittier but it makes people more uncomfortable in one's presence.)

  3. That is not exactly what I expected to wake up to. Combine that with the no-hitter through 7 ⅓ for Hammel in B'More, and that's not so good.

    I wonder if sean can work his BRPI magic and find the most times a team has been no- , 1-, and 2- hit in a season.

  4. You know, the Twins could just as well have forfeited last night. The score would have been the same, and they'd have gotten the same number of hits.

      1. I seem to have blacked it out of my mind despite not drinking a drop of liquor.

        I have fuzzy memories of balls being popped up all over the infield.

  5. I know it's not Monday yet, but I'm gonna put this out there before I forget

    Neal Pollack's Jewball is $1.99 for Kindle through the end of the month. I got the sample a few weeks ago, and I had been considering it at full price. I haven't read any fiction in awhile, so I'm definitely going to get this one.

      1. not quite as awesome as fate, but close enough. here's a taste:

        httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GCAJpx4JFo
        (i love this video)

  6. the last time the Twins had a hit was the 3rd inning Tuesday, 15 innings ago.
    Twins score 3 runs in 27 innings against the Angels.
    Twins pitching gave up 17

    1. It was one of yesterday's headlines. MLB.com probably wants robo-umps because it will be run through their system.

    2. Looks like he had the wrong angle to see Helton's foot on the bag. Why doesn't the home plate ump give him some help on that? It should have been really obvious from the home plate ump's angle to see Helton's foot off the bag.

      1. He could but Welke has to ask for help. It's not like a check swing where they have to ask on appeal either.

        1. It's too bad that Welke didn't ask for help, I guess. In a way, managers put the umpires in a tough spot by arguing the way that they do. If Welke asks for help and overturns his call, then it almost encourages managers to go out and yell at him. But Welke has to know that he didn't see Helton's foot on the base--he couldn't have, it wasn't nearly close to the base.

          I could also just as easily argue that maybe it's Mattingly's fault, I suppose. A better negotiator might have been able to run out and quietly suggest that he consult with the home plate umpire, without being as demonstrative and without showing up Welke. Now, maybe Welke would still have been unwilling to ask for help, and then you've got a pretty legitimate beef I think, but that doesn't look like how it went down.

      1. I am seriously concerned in the back of my head that many of us might be hunting for our food for a while if things peak that badly again...which they could.

        1. We have better warning and notification systems now though. If we are willing to shut down everything for a short time, it might not be so bad. Whether that's actually possible, I don't know.

          1. disconnecting the grid for a massive CME is the main recourse, but even though predicting is better, the actual time of the CME impact is still a pretty large window, and I doubt anyone will shut everything down for that amount of time

  9. The accident free banner just came up. Can we change it to a "hit-free" banner. 🙁

  10. Who said it:

    The problems faced by today's NFL makes the notion of ballplayers inflating their muscles in an attempt to hit baseballs far almost charming.

    Spoiler SelectShow

        1. Same here. Though in my malcontented state these days, I find it a little obnoxious that he's propagating the idea that hitters were the guys on steroids and no one was "inflating their muscles" to throw the ball harder.

          1. Not to mention that it appears much of steroid taking was in order to recover from injuries faster.

            Twins don't need that. They just play terribly and wonder why.

        2. Yeah, its sort of a deflating feeling agreeing with the guy, especially the day after the Twins season officially took a dump.

  12. I generally don't stay up for left coast games but felt a brief compulsion to watch the game last night. For once in my life, I resisted that compulsion and I'm glad I did. Two no-no's this year - both with ties to the Twins but neither by a Twins pitcher. Over/under on a Twins' no-no this year? 🙂

        1. A Twins no-hitter would probably require the incredibly unlikely occurrence of a Twins starting pitcher not allowing 3 runs in the first two innings.

          2. Twins starting pitcher not allowing 3 runs in the first two innings.
            Baby steps, eh?

  13. I had a thought about carrying a third catcher last night while watching the Sounders beat the LA Galaxy. The Sounders had to sub off their starting keeper at halftime because he had a hip injury. So the backup came on in the second half and since soccer teams only put two keepers in the 18, at that point there was no backup goalkeeper. Where does losing the DH rank relative to subbing in a field player at goalkeeper? I would argue that losing the DH is not as much of a problem, and yet teams don't ever consider putting a third keeper in the 18.

    1. euro-commie sports don't count.

      of course, the relevant comparison is the NFL. Pretty much every team carries a third quarterback clipboard guy, who is suited up, but only plays in "emergencies".

      1. Until a year or two ago, the third quarterback didn't count against the roster. However, if he came into the game, the starting QB could not return to the field. Maybe baseball could add a third catcher rule like this. If he enters the game, it can only be at catcher and the catcher he replaces has to be subbed out, not moved to another position.

          1. I love the idea of the bullpen catcher being the emergency catcher. I suppose in most cases the bullpen catcher likely doesn't have the arm to try and throw out players attempting to steal, but it sounds like a perfect position for Butera, who doesn't have the bat to be useful as anything but an emergency catcher.

              1. co-sign.

                The whole concept of emergency catcher is too sensible for MLB to adopt.

      2. I can spot your joaks a mile away, but one of the reasons I found it to be an interesting comparison is that a soccer bench turns out to be pretty close to the same size as a bench in baseball, and in both sports players can't re-enter after substutiting. I guess soccer benches are a little bigger, with 7 subs available, whereas even with a reasonable 11-man pitching staff, an NL team would have 6 position subs available and an AL team would have 5 position subs available and the Twins would have 2 position subs available.

        1. I remember John Terry having to play goal for Chelsea a few years ago when Cech got hurt and they had already made their three subs. He didn't embarrass himself as much as he did in Moscow.

          1. He didn't embarrass himself as much as he did in Moscow.

            Touche'

            For those unfamiliar with the reference:

            httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb0Cc4u4b_k

            2. Of course, those who didn't understand the reference might also not understand the stakes. If he makes that shot, Chelsea wins the Champions League.

              1. If he makes that shot, Chelsea wins the Champions League.

                I try to block that part out.

          2. I always enjoy a outfield player playing keeper in an emergency. Edit: Chris Klein Mike Magee did it for the Galaxy a few years ago in a playoff match regular season match vs. San Jose. He did keep a clean sheet for 48 minutes. The game ended 0-0

            1. That was just last year. And Steven Lenhart got an elbow to the face, so it was a good game all around.

              1. Eh, I got the basics right. I remember it being pretty tense and I was actually rooting for the Galaxy (yeesh) because I wanted to see Magee get a win, as it were.

                2. Yeah, I mainly just wanted to point out that Lenhart got an elbow to the face. (Hate that guy.)

                  (You're probably familiar with this, but speaking of emergency substitution rules and Mike Magee...)

                  Magee was playing for Bob Bradley's MetroStars back in 2003, when MLS allowed a fourth substitution, but only for a keeper. So Bradley swapped Mark Lisi from the field to keeper and Howard from keeper to the field, then subbed on Eddie Gaven for Lisi, then swapped Howard with Gaven at the first stoppage. Gaven scored the game winner. Just Bob Bradley doing his part to move MLS in compliance with international standards!

                  Nine years later, Magee is in LA, Gaven is in Columbus, Timmy is at Everton, and Bradley is in Egypt. Go figure.

                  1. I remember something along those lines, but not all the names. It was sort of like a double switch, but for MLS' crazy ass substitution rule.

        2. an NL team would have 6 position subs available and an AL team would have 5 position subs available and the Twins would have 2 position subs available.

          ubes is on snarkfire!

        3. Like I said last night in the game log, on KSTP last night Tom Pelissero was interviewing an orthopedic surgeon re: Morneau's injury, which the Twins were saying was not a serious thing. He said that this is undoubtedly very painful on every swing, that he needs time to recover and he's very surprised that Morneau didn't go on the DL.

          I expect that Morneau will sit a few more days, play in a game or two, sit some more, and then go on the DL.

          1. The inability of this team's non-player personnel to deal with injuries in a non-stupid manner makes it very difficult for me to generate any sort of future enthusiasm. If they can't handle the DL any better than they currently do, none of the best players in the world will make them a winner because they'll be unavailable anyway.

            1. I suspect that it's more desperation than stupidity, not that it makes it any better. If this was back in '03 and Mientkiewicz had a wrist injury, it's easier to DL him because you can bring up a Canadian hotshot to fill in for him to see what he's got.

              Of course, I happen to think that Parmelee is a not-embarrassing option at first base, and they should probably just bring up some kind of a utility guy, and then ditch a pitcher when Morneau comes off the DL.

              I've never been a big "FIRE GARDY" guy, but at this point, it doesn't seem like he trusts anyone on the team, and I don't know that anyone can effectively manage a team that they don't trust. Certainly his players don't seem to trust him, even though by most traditional measures, he's been pretty successful.

              There's also a problem in having so many players get injured enough to go on the DL. I wonder if the Twins don't need better strength and conditioning coaches to get the players strong enough to withstand the rigors of a 162-game season. Sure, diagnosing the players has been bad, and the use of the DL has been bad, but maybe that's not all that's been bad!

              1. I've never really been a big FIRE GARDY guy either. But I don't know. I'd give him a decent pitching staff next year and see what happens, unless somehow they can convince Francona to take over the team.

                  1. speaking of Adelman, was anyone else mildly annoyed that he got ZERO votes for Coach of the Year? Seriously?

                    Or were the voters just indicting Rambis for so woefully under-performing with much the same talent?

    2. It's not as big a deal because the most likely scenario of having an outfield player come into goal is when you are out of subs and your keeper gets injured/red-carded. So having another keeper on your bench is useless in that situation.

  15. One year ago today, Liriano pitched a complete game without giving up a hit.
    Today, the Twins' staff won't allow a hit either.

  16. Dr. Chop and I are going to be in the LA area for 3-4 weeks this summer, and we're looking for suggestions on things to do that don't involve a library. I'm planning on making it to a couple of ballgames most likely the dodgers and padres. Other than that I don't have much of a plan.

      1. also, keep me informed via teh Email. I would be more than happy to connect you to my UCLA buddy, who is a beer snob like me. He knows where to get what's worth getting in the LA area, is a big Dodgers fan and all-around good guy. You, Dr. Chop, he and his wife undoubtedly would hit it off.

        1. Yeah, the cultural stuff is on the map already. Dr. Chop is studying at the Huntington, and I'm going to tour printshops and galleries. I'm looking for suggestions like the link you provided.

    2. Make sure you take in the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. A staggering collection of amazing work amassed by one dude.

      If you like Thai food, by all means get thee to Thai Town. You can't swing a cat around by the tail without hitting a wonderful (and cheap) little hole in the wall treasure of savory delight. The less glitzy the location, the better the food.

      And last but not least, an old school cocktail at Musso & Frank would be a nice way to end (or start) your evening in bygone Hollywood style.

  17. I just updated my spreadsheet for projecting the Twins' end-of-season win total. It's down to 63.9 expected wins now--down from 71.8 to start the season.

    On the one hand, I want to say that the pitching ought to get better--or at least not be so consistently bad, so as to give the team better chances to win every now and then--but then again, I don't feel very good about any of the Twins' starting pitchers.

    1. The race to 100! The Twins need to play .413 ball the rest of the way to avoid 100 losses. That's a 67 win pace for a 162 game schedule. The Twins need to play .543 ball to reach .500. That's an 88 win pace.

      Things are still early, but I think they'll be closer to 100 losses than 81 losses for sure.

      1. BP has their 3rd order winning percentage at .328. That's a 53-109 pace. Sweet.

        1. I don't think that their 3rd-order winning percentage takes into account number of games played, so I suspect there's not quite enough regression to the mean in their formula. But your point is taken that all signs currently indicate terrible.

  18. This doesn't count as teh Forbidden Zone, does it?

    When the National Enquirer broke a story that presidential candidate John Edwards was having an affair, Edwards' campaign was worried by mistress Rielle Hunter's initial reluctance to issue a denial. Instead, she wanted to put out a flip statement that she was "abducted by aliens."

  19. Verdict reached in Amy Senser case: jury to come back in about 30 minutes.

    My prediction: she's gonna be convicted on at least one felony count.

    1. Here's why I think it: those jurors are never going to buy her "I didn't know what I hit" when they heard that he flew over the hood.

      1. Not a surprise she was found not guilty on gross negligance. Guilt on failure to stop and careless driving.

  20. Hopeful Twins stats of the day: The Twins' pitchers have the best line drives allowed percentage in the AL and the best walk rate in the AL. They also have the worst infield popup rate, but I'm not sure what that would mean. Also, they have a better than average groundball rate. I think they are fifth or sixth in the AL.

    1. opposing hitters are going up there hacking.

      according to Statcorner, the Twins' starters are -25.5 pRAA, bullpen -3.4. In comparison, the Royals are -3.9 and -0.6, Tigers +14.2 and +0.8, Indians -9.8 and +0.3, and Whities +15.6 and +1.1, respectively.

      Twins are next to last in the AL in HR/FB allowed (16.3 pct; Blew Jays "lead" at 17.5 pct). Twins opponents have the second highest O-swing pct (outside-of-zone swing pct) and highest O-contact pct (and second-highest overall contact pct), while Twins' pitchers are 12th in first-pitch strike percentage. Overall, Fangraphs says the Twins' pitching is worth a negative $4.5 million so far -- below replacement!!! -- the only team in the AL with a below-zero value and some $26 million behind the AL-leading White Sox.

    2. Line drive rate is possibly the one skill that pitches have no control over. Infield popup rate is inversely correlated (kinda mostly) with groundball rate. Some pitchers are particularly good at it, like Baker.

    3. I have a vague recollection that IFFB% correlates to K%, but I'm too lazy to look it up. I also have half-assed ideas that IFFBs have to be related to throwing high fastballs, which the Twins seem diametrically opposed to.

    1. My masters was almost entirely paid for by my employer. In hindsight, the opportunity cost still shows that it was a waste of money (and I figured that out within about six months).

    1. Hmm? A new closer I should pick up in fantasy baseball, you say?

      Holy crap, do not read the articles on Rivera's injury. Yeah, he's a great guy who's had a great career, but losing him is not going to make the Yankees into a mess of a team, as much as I wish it would. F**ing stupid save stat.

    2. MLB Network is reporting torn ACL.

      I'm not a Yankees fan but that sucks. Especially if he can't come back from that. I think he was planning on retiring this year.

  23. The New York Knickerbockers are the Minnesota Twins of the NBA playoffs.

    2. They aspire to that level. No playoff games won, at all, in eleven years.nduring most of that time, they had the highest payroll in the entire league.

      Carmelo Anthony has the worst winning percentage of any player with fifty playoff games played in the history of the league.

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