Category Archives: WGOM

2011 Twins Game Recaps

2011 Game 36 Recap: Toronto Bautistas 2, Minnesota Replacement Levels 0

4 Comments

Weather: 54 degrees, overcast
Wind: 13 mph, L to R
Time: 2:58
Attendance: 38,809

Box Score
Fangraphs

Right now, the Minnesota Twins are the worst team in baseball, and it's not even that close. Twelve games under .500 and 11.5 games out of first place. A paltry .333 winning percentage and a losing streak that now runs to six games. Watching this team play baseball is about as much fun as growing up in a Dickensian orphanage. It's damp and drafty, it's cold, the beatings are frequent and severe, and there's never enough gruel in your bowl.

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WGOM Videos

Zola Jesus — Night

Video 7 Comments

Live at Blast House Studios, two weeks ago in Madison.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi394sJ3tWI
Originally from Wisconsin, she recently moved to LA to get married. I regret that work responsibilities kept me from her concert two weekends ago at the Seventh Street Entry. I imagine she'll have bigger venues to play soon.
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8 votes, average: 8.50 out of 108 votes, average: 8.50 out of 108 votes, average: 8.50 out of 108 votes, average: 8.50 out of 108 votes, average: 8.50 out of 108 votes, average: 8.50 out of 108 votes, average: 8.50 out of 108 votes, average: 8.50 out of 108 votes, average: 8.50 out of 108 votes, average: 8.50 out of 10 (8 votes, average: 8.50 out of 10)
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2011 Twins Game Logs

2011 Game 36: Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins

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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.

WGOM Videos

ASKO|Schönberg & Synergy Vocals — Tehillim (Steve Reich)

Video 4 Comments

The full piece, with special lighting. Performed on March 31, 2001 n Muziekgebouw aan't IJ, Amsterdam, as part of the Minimal Music Festival 2011. Directed by Clark Rundell.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjnVN6-Wx08
Depending on my mood, this might be my favorite Reich.
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6 votes, average: 7.67 out of 106 votes, average: 7.67 out of 106 votes, average: 7.67 out of 106 votes, average: 7.67 out of 106 votes, average: 7.67 out of 106 votes, average: 7.67 out of 106 votes, average: 7.67 out of 106 votes, average: 7.67 out of 106 votes, average: 7.67 out of 106 votes, average: 7.67 out of 10 (6 votes, average: 7.67 out of 10)
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2011 Twins Game Recaps

Game 34: Detroit Tigers 10, Rochester Red Wings 2

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I'm not even sure what to say to this one. Monday's game was a heartbreaking loss despite the inability to get any runs across the plate. To get blown out and burn up two starting pitchers the next night is like salt in the wound. Also we got skunked by Rick Porcello. I only paid partial attention to the game, and I instead spent my time on more worthwhile ventures. I think it was for the best.

I still think it's too early to freak out too much but I'm getting pretty close to giving up. Delmon's supposed to be be back on Friday, so I hope that's the start of us getting some of the regulars back. But who knows if that will be enough to counteract The Curse of #6org.

I apologize for the half-baked post, but really, it's hard to give full effort when Matt tolberting Tolbert is batting second.

Final Score: Detroit Tigers 10, Minnesota Twins 2.
Twins Record: 12-22, 11.0 GB in the AL Central. Worst record in MLB.
WP: Rick Porcello (3-2) | LP: Francisco Liriano (2-5)
Witty Remarks?: I'm all out of them. The Twins are terrible right now.

2011 Twins Game Logs

2011 Game Logs: Game 34 Detroit v. Minnesota

74 Comments

Rick Porcello

@

Francisco Liriano.

 

I might be wrong here but I am pretty sure that Francisco Liriano, when starting on Tuesdays in 2011, only throws no-hitters.

Sorry for the shortness of this preview but I am going to be spending most of the week in Rochester this week. I will come back with scouting reports on Ray Chang, Chase Lambin, and Toby Gardenhire to make up for it.

2011 Twins Game Recaps, View from the Ballpark

2011 Game 33: Red Sox 2, Twins 1 (11)

45 Comments

Weather: 60°F, cloudy
Wind: 16 mph, in from CF
Attendance: 37,276
Time: 3:55

Twins record: 12-21 (tied for last in AL Central, 10.0 GB)
Fangraphs boxscore | MLB Game Wrap

Highlights:

  • Highest WPA, hitter: Span .150 (2-4, R, BB) | Highest WPA, pitcher: Mijares .299 (2.0 IP, H, BB)
  • Outfield defense - Revere's diving catch and Span's sliding catch

Lowlights:

  • Lowest WPA, hitter: Tolbert, -.346 (0-5, 1 SO) | Lowest WPA, pitcher: Hoey, -.350 (0.1 IP, H, BB, ER)
  • Tolbert: still batting second
  • MLB's continued employment of Angel Hernandez and Joe West

BOSTON -- The latest rumblings out of the Twins' clubhouse are something else indeed. General Manager Bill Smith accidentally ran his iPhone through the visitor's clubhouse washing machine in Chicago last week after spilling a Chicago-style hot dog on his pants. Smith immediately put the device in a box of rice, to no avail, and had to reluctantly borrow infielder Matt Tolbert's phone so he could make some calls and find a new catcher. Steve Holm wasn't quite Corky Miller bad in his brief appearance, but Bill Smith eventually figured out he wasn't an answer to any question worth asking. Tolbert reportedly told Smith he doesn't make enough for the Twins' GM to call 411 and ask for the Rangers' front office (more on this in a moment), but could swing a call to AAA Rochester as long as it happened on his plan's nights & weekends minutes.

Red Wings infielder Toby Gardenhire is apparently #3 on Tolbert's speed dial, right behind Voicemail (#1) and former teammate Nick Punto (#2). Smith accordingly placed his call to Gardenhire the Younger, who relayed the request for a catcher to Red Wings manager Tom Nieto. Nieto, himself a former Twin, initially volunteered his own services, but apparently requested a few days to iron the fungoes out of his swing, time that Smith just wasn't willing to waste.

In his first season with the Twins, Nieto briefly served as Tim Laudner's backup and outhit regular backup Sal Butera late in the season (.071/.188/.143 for Nieto vs. .063/.118/.125 for Butera in Sept/Oct) before being inexplicably left off the playoff roster. Nieto actually paced Twins catchers in hitting and on-base percentage that year, posting a .200/.276/.314 line to Laudner's .191/.252/.389 and Sal Butera's .171/.217/.243 mark. Overall, Nieto posted an OPS+ of 17 in his Twins career, which spanned 183 plate appearances between 1987-88. When reached for comment, Nieto said, "I out-hit Sal Butera in 1987, and I believe in the depths of my soul I can out-hit his son in 2011." Drew Butera currently owns a positively Buterian .172/.213/.251 line. "But the Twins value defense behind the plate," Nieto continued, "and I accumulated -0.2 dWAR in my Twins career, so Bill Smith elected to pursue other options."

So, that's why Rene Rivera is now with the Twins. But why Rivera instead of, say, Rangers catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli, who has only 63 at bats (but 6 HR) this season despite a career 119 OPS+ and a .238 ISO? Napoli, only 29, is likely still in his hitting prime, and despite whatever Mike Scioscia - Napoli's former manager - thinks, he appears to be a serviceable catcher. Unfortunately, Smith laundered his iPhone and apparently hasn't yet worked up the nerve to tell Jim Pohlad, Dave St. Peter, or Wade Navratil, the Twins' Senior Director of Technology. Of course, Smith could always look up Rangers GM Jon Daniels' number in his laptop's address book, or drop Daniels an email for that matter, but an unnamed source in the Twins' front office divulged that Smith has forgotten how to turn his laptop on. According to another source in the Twins' front office, former Twins GM Terry Ryan and former Twins manager Tom Kelly have offered to call former Twins GM Andy MacPhail, currently the Orioles' President of Baseball Operations, about the availability of Matt "Mauer with Power" Wieters, but Smith has repeatedly expressed the desire to put his own stamp on the club.

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This week's View from the Ballpark:

photo by Flickr user LugoLounge
I know at least 5 6 7 10 Hall of Famers played here. | photo by Flickr user LugoLounge

Remember, no embiggening.