sorry, you guys. totally forgot about the recap. i must have thought it was a dream or something with capps (barely) shutting the door (here's proof if you don't believe me). the twins rallied from behind, tying the game on a ball that the mountie knocked the crap out of, and donut gave them the lead with a ball that was about 50 feet from being a home run. twins baseball!
i’m sticking with the “When will teh suck end” tag as i’m unconvinced, but this is an important first step.
The Tigers complete the three-game sweep in Minnesota. It's easy enough to pin this one on Capps. After all, he did snatch a win out of P.J.'s (and the Twins') hands by giving up the go-ahead runs in the top of the 9th. However, it was his first blown save in 10 chances and the boys missed plenty of opportunities with men in scoring position (3-10) today. They had their chance again in the 9th. DSpan led off the home-half with a single but then Revere popped out on his bunt attempt and Mauer lined out to left for the 2nd out. Willingham managed a walk after Span had stole 2nd. 1st and 2nd, two outs and Mountie strode to the plate 0-for-the-day. He promptly flied out to right to end the game. Again, if Capps takes care of business, none of that matters. But bagging on him is just too easy. I don't think it's too much to ask of the top of the order to push one run across, especially when the first man up reaches base. If you disagree, that's fine (I'm know the probability of scoring a run improves with the lead-off man aboard, but I don't know what the chances of scoring a run in any given inning is - and I'm just too tired to go find out). Either way, this game weekend season sucked.
P.S. Kundos to Padre & NBB for holding down the game log!
PJ pitched 9 strong innings and the Twins hitters gave him plenty-o-run support, banging out 9 hits.
points finger Gavin Floyd lost. Ha-ha!
After a very nice start to the roadtrip, I kind of expected the Twins to lay an egg here. I just didn't expect it to be an ostrich egg. Marquis hasn't exactly been a model of success and his mound opponent, Zack Greinke, hadn't lost a home start in Milwaukee (14-0). He wouldn't lose today either. The Twins managed to plate a run in the top of the 1st after a Revere double and Willingham RBI single, but it was all Brewers after that. Hart and Lucroy smashed solo shots in the home half of the 1st and Milwaukee added 6 more in the 2nd. To be honest, I mentally checked out after that, only tuning back in when I heard that Butters would be pitching in the 8th. I enjoyed this years installment of "The High Point of..." even more than last years. He also picked up an RBI today, taking a bases loaded walk in the 9th to push across the Twins' 4th run. Oh, yeah - the singles hitting pussy only managed to go 4-5 today, pushing his average back up to .293.
With the Twins' season on life support, the best hope for this team lies in the future. Unfortunately, their best prospect is at least a couple years away, even in the best-case scenario. As most avid fans know, that top prospect is Miguel Sano, who is dominating in the minors at a young age in a way not seen since a certain young catcher was drafted No. 1 by his hometown team, but even that catcher did not show the power Sano has. Of course, Sano hasn't shown the defensive skills and baseball instincts that Mauer had.
Still, Sano has me thinking what could be in a couple years. Sano is dominating at Beloit, so he should be promoted to Ft. Myers before too long. He could conceivably start 2013 in New Britain and the Twins have shown they are willing to skip AAA for the right prospect (such as Mauer), so Sano could be up in 2014. Mauer will still be under contract and if he is still catching, that could be a dynamic duo to build around. I thought I would look at the team the Twins could put around him.
Those under contract in 2014: Mauer, Willingham, Span and Perkins. So, that is a nice start. The Twins have an option on Blackburn, but I can't imagine them picking that up.
Arb eligible: Duensing, Valencia, Burnett, Swarzak, Gray, Maloney and Butera. One solid reliever but not much else. Valencia might be worth keeping in his first year of arbitration.
Serfs/Prospects: Sano, Dozier, Plouffe, Revere, Diamond, Hendriks, Walters, Parmelee, Benson, Arcia, Guerra, Waldrop, Manship, DeVries, Levi Michael, Wilkin Ramirez, Gibson, Wimmers, Rosario, Florimon, Carlos Gutierrez, Slama, Chris Herrmann.
So, here's what I'm looking at:
C: Mauer, Herrmann
1B: Parmelee (Arcia? Sano? Valencia? Plouffe?)
2B: Rosario (Michael? Dozier? Florimon?)
3B: Sano (Valencia?)
SS: Dozier (Michael? Florimon?)
OF: Willingham, Span, Benson, Arcia, Revere, Hicks, Plouffe
DH: Willingham? Plouffe? Arcia?
SP: Gibson, Hendriks, Wimmers, Diamond, Swarzak/Walters/Manship/DeVries/No. 1 pick
RP: Perkins, Duensing, Gutierrez, Slama, Guerra, Waldrop, Burnett
I think that would be a fun team to watch. At least more fun that what we saw the first six weeks of this season or all but a couple of weeks of last season. The starting pitching looks to continue to be a concern along with the second catcher and first base. Rosario at second is a stretch and Michael has struggled in Ft. Myers, but both have higher potential than most of the prospects. Of course, the injuries to Gibson and Wimmers are real concerns. I'd like to think a top college pitcher could make it to the majors quickly, but 2014 would be pushing it. Even if the Twins get him signed quickly, I doubt they'll have him pitch more than a handful of innings after a full collegiate season, so he'll probably still start 2013 in Ft. Myers. The Twins have had a few college pitchers go from Ft. Myers to Rochester in one season, but that's asking a lot. The good news, is that this roster would be well under the current $100M payroll. The Twins only have about $41M committed to 2014 and Duensing and Butera would be the only players in their second year of arbitration (none in their third), and I doubt either will command much money. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Doumit was re-signed or given an extension. This is a perfect situation for him. A lineup could look like this:
Span
Dozier
Mauer
Willingham
Doumit
Sano
Arcia
Benson
Rosario
That could be fun to watch.
first and foremost: i am extremely far down on the list of analysts of our hometown squadron. faaaaaar down. that said, i'd like to query the nation: is it time for regime change? and if so, how far up the ladder?
it's been noted that there are questions about the medical staff. the training staff. the front office. the management. up and down the farm system. what changes are needed?
all of those are valid questions, and a debate in themselves. in what we can more immediately see, how about gardy? he was given the dreaded vote of confidence by the ownership, but is it time for a change to be made? how much of gardy's success has been a fertile farm system that continually supplied him with major league talent?
please don't misunderstand me, i'm not saying that it's time to FIRE GARDY AND VARVA!, but i think we're reaching a point where it's becoming a valid conversation. to be fair, he's had to deal with an antietam of injuries (again, medical staff? training staff?), and bare cupboards in the farm system (front office? farm management?). however, that is nothing new for a lot of baseball teams.
personally i feel that, yes, gardy doesn't have a lot to work with. even so, or maybe even more importantly, he doesn't seem able to manage what he has. gleeman's been banging the platoon drum for years. the rigid lineup by position has been in effect for just as long. why does he (if it is him) have an insistence on redundant pitchers, extra catchers, non-boat rockers, and scrappy middle infielders to the detriment of the rest of the roster? is it time for a manager with a more savvy, problem-solving approach to take the reins? new blood instead of old guard? as an honest question that i'm not quite sure how to answer, what strengths does gardenhire bring to the table in dealing with the situation he has in front of him?
again, i'm not advocating a position, just a conversation...
Twins winning hand includes the Ace of Diamonds
The Twins find a Diamond in the rough.
Diamonds are forever.
Diamond pitched a real gem.
Diamonds are [a] Gardy's best friend.
Blue Jays cut down by a Diamond.
Forget it. I'll just go with "A very nice outing by Scott Diamond." 0 runs on 5 hits over 7 innings while walking none, striking out 4 and calmly taking a screaming liner off the back of his throwing shoulder.* He gets the W and is now 2-0. The Toronto Ace Opening Day Starter, Ricky Romero, picked up his first loss of the season.
Offense couldn't help but score some runs off of 8 walks (Pussy with 3!) and 10 hits. Unfortunately, they only plated 4, leaving 11 men on base and hitting into 3 double plays (Plouffe! with 2 of them). In the end, 4 was enough to get the win.
I used a random number generator to pick a season from the past with the idea that I would quickly highlight the Twins history that occurred today in that year. The generator sent me to the year 1972.
Twins 4, Yankees 2 - BR Boxscore
Other Twins notes: Just 6,446 fans - the smallest ever to see the Yankees play in Minnesota - attended the game. Bill Hengen of the Minneapolis Star lamented that there simply was no longer a thrill having the Yankees in town because the team was no longer "menacing or arrogant" like in the 1960s.
Kaat and Roof roomed together on the road (along with Bert Blyleven). Kaat and Roof were such good bridge players that teammates Eric Soderholm and LaRoche never allowed the two to be partners.
Other history notes: Without venturing too much into the forbidden zone, the news on this day forty years ago was full of interesting stories for a history nerd. For example, seventeen people were arrested during a protest in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood against both Vietnam and "urban renewal." Also, the Duluth Board of Education announced it was dropping its plans to desegregate the school district that fall because of public pressure. Five different schools in Duluth failed to comply with state guidelines for integration, and the abandoned plan would have required busing 900 more children than the status quo. Sometimes it is hard to believe that school desegregation was an issue a) in Minnesota, and b) eighteen years after Brown v. Board of Education.
Along the same lines, reigning NFL MVP Alan Page was frustrated that he had not received a single endorsement offer during the offseason. Quarterback Fran Tarkenton, on the other hand, received an offer "just seven minutes after the season" (whatever that means). The Minneapolis Star worried that Page was being harmed because of his race.
Blackburn is 0-4.
Ryan Doumit hit 2 home runs. They accounted for the only 2 runs and, with his 4th inning single, he accounted for 60% of the Twins' hits in the game. EDIT - He also walked.
Mountie to the DL.
Dozier & Diamond up from Rochester tomorrow.
Butters on a major league club is beyond ssstupid.
That is all.
I lied, that is not all. I don't like having to work at watching baseball...but I'm almost there and we're only 27 games in.
