103 thoughts on “Game 162: Twins @ Blue Jays”

  1. We should probably do something similar to last year, where we crowned our favorite moment of the year. Not as much to choose from as last year (Thome #600, Liriano no-no, etc)

    1. I am wracking my brain to recall something, anything from this season. I'm sure a lot of things happened, and a number of them were good, but no moment stands out to me.

      Gross.

      1. If I could think of something, I'd have nominated it, myself. Right now, about all I can think of is Willingham's game winning home run (sort of lame as a "best of the year" moment) and Butera pitching (no......just..no.)

    3. One of my favorite moments was hearing that Blackburn was DFA. Yeah, that's pretty sad.

      1. I think my favorite was probably where I spent all week telling my buddy how bad Deduno was and how the game we were going to was going to be a trainwreck, only for him to throw one of the best games of the season (and my first attended Target Field win).

  2. last year's starting 9 on game 162

    Ben Revere CF
    Trevor Plouffe SS
    Michael Cuddyer RF
    Chris Parmelee 1B
    Danny Valencia 3B
    Rene Tosoni DH
    Brian Dinkelman 2B
    Joe Benson LF
    Drew Butera C

  4. since this is Omar Vizquel's last game (he wants to be a coach. I think the Twins should make him one) he should have been the leadoff hitter, or cleanup.

  9. From LEN3:

    Just spoke with GM Terry Ryan. He was asked if the team was better off than it was a year ago. "No." he said. "We're still in the same spot, last place."

  10. Shockingly, Dick and Bert stumping for Cabrera to win the MVP. Bert (I think) said that for many years they will remember Cabrera's historic season. But not going to remember the 20-year-old Trout having one of the very best seasons ever?

    1. I just had a conversation with a friend on the way home, and he made the exact same "history will never forgive us if we don't vote the triple crown dude as MVP" argument.

      Because rookies routinely post 30-50 seasons while batting .320+ and providing elite defense.

      2. If Trout steals one more base, he will become the third 50 SB, 30 HR player since 1901. Looks like he was caught-stealing today already, so he's probably going to finish just short of this arbitrary benchmark.

    2. I dont mean to turn this into a heated discussion or anything, but a person wouldnt be totally boneheaded to vote Miggy Cabrera as an MVP, right?

      1. No, I suppose not. Miguel Cabrera is probably the best hitter in baseball. It's just that Trout has certainly been the best player in baseball.

        1. I would dispute that actually. Trout has 53 batting runs compared to 54 for Cabrera. That's not even counting runs from base-running, where Trout is +12 compared to -5 for Cabrera. Adding just offensive measures, Trout leads easily: 65 to 49.

      2. I went to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday and it reminded me about how arbitrary these sorts of awards are.

        I think trophies for objective stats are much more valuable in the long run.

        1. Did you read that article a while back where some dude had made up (and sold for lots of cold cash) fake baseball paraphernalia (H. Wagner socks from his widow, etc.)?

      3. I would put it this way: Cabrera is top 3 in AL fWAR this year and I have trouble getting too worked up when a top 3 guy gets votes. Personally, I like Trout as AL MVP and I think he has a big edge over Cabrera and Cano, but at least Cabrera is having an exceptional season. Unlike, say, the Morneau MVP or the Rollins MVP.

    1. "Jason Marquis didn't work out."

      No [redacted]. Just about anyone could have predicted that.

            1. But against the Pirates.

              His K/9 in San Diego was a career high and his BB/9 a career low. He seems an obvious cheap started for an NL team with passable defense* and a pitcher's park.

              * 42 earned runs, but 53 total runs. That's his highest difference since 2007 with the Cubs, where he had a 13 run difference in 191 innings.

      1. Next August, after a .220/.280/.315 season, in which he started all but three games before the trade deadline.

  19. Tim McClelland has been an umpire longer than I have known and loved baseball. He started in 1983.

  22. Dick N Bert really pumping out the 'Denard Span is probably going to be traded' talk. That makes me sad 🙁

  25. Hey, Scioscia, you've got company on my list.
    Ventura giving Dunn the day off, prevents him from setting a new single-season K record. Screw you, Ventura!

    1. With Huff starting, I think Dunn would have broken the record. He'll have to settle for the AL record.

    1. OK, if Escobarr rreaches had rreached, thenn maybe Garrdy will would have pinnch-hit Herrmann forr Buterra.

      Fixed it forr me beforre I posted it.

    1. I'm starting to come around to this opinion. I would like eleventy-five more games of data to be sure.

  34. most intriguing Twin of the year: Samuel Deduno. Amazingly, he gave up 16 more hits than walks (69-53), yet was competitive in a lot of games. He'll probably be another Nick Blackburn, but a faster fastball.

    second place: Casey Fien. A bullpen of Perkins, Duensing, Burton, and Fien could be pretty damned good if the Twins acquire starting pitching that can go 7 innings on a regular basis.

        1. He's awesome against lefties. I think Robertson should be the lefties-only reliever while Duensing is the mostly-lefties and bad righties reliever.

          1. Even better. Besides, it doesn't hurt to have multiple lefty-getter-outers in the pen, right?

            Do we even need to sign any relief pitchers?

            1. Do we even need to sign any relief pitchers?
              Alex Burnett.
              Luis Perdomo.
              Matt Maloney.
              Jeff Gray.
              Matt Capps.

              Nope, they're good.

  35. The most losses in a two year period, ever. The fourth most losses in franchise history. The most home losses in franchise history.

    Blow this mess up. I am so glad it's over.

  36. Game over. Season over. We have to settle for 66-96. *sigh*

    BUT JUST WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR!!!! 162-0, BABY!!!!!!

    1. BUT JUST WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR!!!! 162-0, BABY!!!!!!

      You've been waiting a long time to post that.

  37. I wasn't happy that I couldn't join in with the last two Twins games, but the Twins did their best to ease the disappointment.

    I REALLY wanted the Yanks to have to travel to Oakland.

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