Hey, hey! The Twins are back in the win-column, thanks to Francisco Liriano's first win of the season, a 7-2 victory over the Tigers at Comerica Park. The game was certainly a rarity for the 2009 Twins -- a game in which they never trailed, and won it with a five-run seventh inning, which amazingly included Alexi Casilla driving in two runs (!!). At least for this writer, the hit did not make up for Casilla's mental mistake in the first inning, when he pathetically popped a bunt in the air, and, due to Casilla's lack of running to first base, was smartly turned into a double play by pitcher Edwin Jackson. It's that kind of crap that gets you benched with any other manager, but with Ron Gardenhire, c'est la vie.In reality, this is troubling for Twins fans, as this all but assures Casilla at least another week in the starting lineup. It's strange, but in Ron Gardenhire's demented mind, one hit can buy you playing time. Except if you're Jose Morales, whose sixteen hits in forty-seven at-bats (.340 average), who was sent down today in order for the Twins to activate Jesse Crain from the DL. Terrible decision by Gardenhire and the front-office; Mike Redmo
nd has absolutely nothing left in the tank, is hurt and hasn't played in weeks, and he can't hit and can't throw. Gardy and the gang will spin it as "we need Red Dog's veteran leadership with our young pitchers," which is laughable, really. Hey, I'm all for Redmond -- he's certainly a guy I'd love to hang out with and shoot the breeze -- but the "value" he has for a major-league team at this point in his career is as a coach. Hell, I think Redmond would probably make a damn fine manager at some point down the road. But a hobbled Redmond serving as the backup to a fragile Joe Mauer is a liability. Put Redmond on the DL and keep Morales on the team -- he's shown he belongs in the bigs and he's displayed surprising poise.
nd has absolutely nothing left in the tank, is hurt and hasn't played in weeks, and he can't hit and can't throw. Gardy and the gang will spin it as "we need Red Dog's veteran leadership with our young pitchers," which is laughable, really. Hey, I'm all for Redmond -- he's certainly a guy I'd love to hang out with and shoot the breeze -- but the "value" he has for a major-league team at this point in his career is as a coach. Hell, I think Redmond would probably make a damn fine manager at some point down the road. But a hobbled Redmond serving as the backup to a fragile Joe Mauer is a liability. Put Redmond on the DL and keep Morales on the team -- he's shown he belongs in the bigs and he's displayed surprising poise. Getting back to the game, Matty Guerrier cleaned up the eighth and th
e ninth innings tonight, no doubt providing fans with a false sense of confidence in the beleaguered reliever. All indications are that Ron Gardenhire is set on using Luis Ayala to lose leads late in ballgames rather than Guerrier. You know you're bullpen sucks when you're so glad that Jesse Crain is back of the disabled list. Talk about a guy with a lot of promise -- Twins fans will remember Crain as one of the Twins' top prospects in 2004, but injuries and a flat fastball have plagued Crain throughout his career. It got so bad for Crain that he was teaming up with Guerrier last season; often Guerrier would start the mess by putting the runners on base and Crain would bring 'em home, thereby inflating Guerrier's ERA and keeping Crain's ERA deceivingly low. For what it's worth, Crain's activation from the DL is a glimmer of hope, as it may cut into Luis Ayala's workload. I'm pretty sure my late grandmother could get guys out more consistently than Luis Ayala.
e ninth innings tonight, no doubt providing fans with a false sense of confidence in the beleaguered reliever. All indications are that Ron Gardenhire is set on using Luis Ayala to lose leads late in ballgames rather than Guerrier. You know you're bullpen sucks when you're so glad that Jesse Crain is back of the disabled list. Talk about a guy with a lot of promise -- Twins fans will remember Crain as one of the Twins' top prospects in 2004, but injuries and a flat fastball have plagued Crain throughout his career. It got so bad for Crain that he was teaming up with Guerrier last season; often Guerrier would start the mess by putting the runners on base and Crain would bring 'em home, thereby inflating Guerrier's ERA and keeping Crain's ERA deceivingly low. For what it's worth, Crain's activation from the DL is a glimmer of hope, as it may cut into Luis Ayala's workload. I'm pretty sure my late grandmother could get guys out more consistently than Luis Ayala.Nick Blackburn on the hill tomorrow against twenty-year old Detroit phenom Rick Porcello. He's one of these flame-throwers without a gameplan, so expect the Twins to be frustrated at the plate.
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