A great win by the Twins on Wednesday, as they come back on the Oakland bullpen and win with three runs in the top of the ninth inning. Jason Kubel had a huge hit, a pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning that tied the game for the Twins, and Seldom Young came through with the game-winning hit in the next inning. Joe Crede tripled for the Twins to lead off the ninth against Oakland closer Andrew Bailey, and after a predictable Michael Cuddyer pop-up, Young came through with an unpredictable clutch hit. Young had been making up for lost time for most of the game when he struck out twice -- no doubt starting a new streak after his 13-game run with at least one strikeout was snapped on Tuesday. The bullpen inexplicably did its job on Wednesday, as Matt Guerrier picked up the cheap win. It was perhaps the best win of the season for the Twins, who won back-to-back games on the road for the first time in a month and a half. They go for the series win on Thursday afternoon, with staff ace Nick Blackburn opposing rookie Trevor Cahill.Carlos Gomez started the game in the leadoff position, which is as dumb a move as Ron G
ardenhire can do at this point. What attribute, aside from Gomez' speed, makes Gomez a legitimate lead-off hitter? Certainly not his hitting -- he's hitting a measly .216. He can't get on base to save his life either; he rarely takes pitches in an at-bat, has the second-worst on-base percentage on the team (to Alexi Casilla), and has drawn only ten walks in 125 at-bats. Definitely not his ability to bunt, either, as he displayed in the fifth inning. The Twins had runners on first and second and nobody out, and Gomez came to the plate in an obvious bunting situation. The A's had just taken a 3-2 lead and it was imperitive for Gomez to lay down a sacrifice. Once again, Gomez failed at the easiest thing to do in professional sports when he bunted back to the pitcher and Oakland was able to get the force out at third base. I understand that Denard Span is going through these dizzy spells and his lead-off spot was up for grabs, but why Gomez, Gardenhire? The guy is one of the worst players on the team, and the lead-off position is a vital spot in the lineup. I might have put Joe Mauer in the leadoff position for the mere reason that he gets on base, which is the primary function of a good lead-off hitter. But, in Gardenhire's demented mind, he feels that the equation should read [lead-off position = speed], so he put one of the worst options in the lead-0ff position. At least Gardenhire knew when to take Gomez out of the game, as he pinch-hit Kubel in the eighth inning for him and Kubel came through with the tying home run.
ardenhire can do at this point. What attribute, aside from Gomez' speed, makes Gomez a legitimate lead-off hitter? Certainly not his hitting -- he's hitting a measly .216. He can't get on base to save his life either; he rarely takes pitches in an at-bat, has the second-worst on-base percentage on the team (to Alexi Casilla), and has drawn only ten walks in 125 at-bats. Definitely not his ability to bunt, either, as he displayed in the fifth inning. The Twins had runners on first and second and nobody out, and Gomez came to the plate in an obvious bunting situation. The A's had just taken a 3-2 lead and it was imperitive for Gomez to lay down a sacrifice. Once again, Gomez failed at the easiest thing to do in professional sports when he bunted back to the pitcher and Oakland was able to get the force out at third base. I understand that Denard Span is going through these dizzy spells and his lead-off spot was up for grabs, but why Gomez, Gardenhire? The guy is one of the worst players on the team, and the lead-off position is a vital spot in the lineup. I might have put Joe Mauer in the leadoff position for the mere reason that he gets on base, which is the primary function of a good lead-off hitter. But, in Gardenhire's demented mind, he feels that the equation should read [lead-off position = speed], so he put one of the worst options in the lead-0ff position. At least Gardenhire knew when to take Gomez out of the game, as he pinch-hit Kubel in the eighth inning for him and Kubel came through with the tying home run. Not much else to discuss here today. Though this blog does tend to take a pessimistic view of the Twins, it's refreshing to see a game in which most aspects of the game 
were clean. Sure, I disagreed with Gardenhire's management (why you pinch-run Casilla for Joe Crede at third base in the ninth inning I still don't know -- you're only gaining a step or two with Casilla running ninety feet, and there's a limited amount of plays that that move is going to advantage you, like a medium-deep fly ball. A grounder to the drawn-in infield and a cheetah would be thrown out at the plate, and anyone can score on a base hit. Plus, you sacrifice defense when you put Casilla on the field in place of Crede). But overall, it was a good win that secures at least a split in Oakland, and the road-trip, once in danger of being another nightmarish stretch of games, is now 3-3. With Blackburn on the mound, the Twins have a good chance of taking the series and giving the team a good head of steam heading to Wrigley Field. Though I am critical of the team and sometimes harsh, it needs to be said that I am a true, die-hard fan, and my frustration that I exude on this blog is but an indication of my undying passion for this team.
were clean. Sure, I disagreed with Gardenhire's management (why you pinch-run Casilla for Joe Crede at third base in the ninth inning I still don't know -- you're only gaining a step or two with Casilla running ninety feet, and there's a limited amount of plays that that move is going to advantage you, like a medium-deep fly ball. A grounder to the drawn-in infield and a cheetah would be thrown out at the plate, and anyone can score on a base hit. Plus, you sacrifice defense when you put Casilla on the field in place of Crede). But overall, it was a good win that secures at least a split in Oakland, and the road-trip, once in danger of being another nightmarish stretch of games, is now 3-3. With Blackburn on the mound, the Twins have a good chance of taking the series and giving the team a good head of steam heading to Wrigley Field. Though I am critical of the team and sometimes harsh, it needs to be said that I am a true, die-hard fan, and my frustration that I exude on this blog is but an indication of my undying passion for this team. 
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