APRIL 10, 2010 -- MINNESOTA 2, CHICAGO 1

The winning ways continue in Chicago, as Jason Kubel bails out the rest of the lineup by smashing a two-run home run for the lone Twins scores of the game, and Scott Baker pitches well enough to pick up his first victory of the season. For the majority of seven innings, the Twins were handcuffed by White Sox retread fifth-starter Freddy Garcia, who has been reduced from the sometimes-dominant pitcher he once was for the Mariners and Chisox to a slop-throwing Quadruple-A pitcher who probably would be a better fit with his neighborhood beer-league softball team. Instead, the Twins looked baffled by Garcia, which is truly pitiful, but not as pitiful as the White Sox lineup, which appears to have lost nearly all of its potency that it had for years. But Kubel did the job, and the bullpen preserved the lead, including Jon Rauch, who picked up his fourth save of the season with relative ease.

Ron Gardenhire cannot escape the long arm of the MTRC, however, for his mismanagement in the top of the eighth inning. The Twins had the bases loaded and nobody out and Michael Cuddyer at the plate. Ozzie Guillen brought in reliever Scott Linebrink to pitch to Cuddyer, who predictably didn't get the job done. Cuddyer's one of the most un-clutch hitters around, and whenever there are runners in scoring position, Cuddyer seemingly always either pops up or strikes out. Cuddyer's patheticness cannot be attributed to Gardenhire. But the next at-bat absolutely must. Gardenhire let Alexi Casilla hit. Casilla, who had entered the game for basepaths-clogging Jim Thome an inning before, remained in the game as the DH and hit for himself. WHY? We're not quite sure why any person -- it doesn't even care how much they know about the game of baseball -- would let a guy like Alexi Casilla hit in that situation. What Gardenhire would probably tell you is that they didn't have any left-handed hitting options to face Linebrink, so Casilla was the best matchup for the situation. This, of course, is a self-defeating prophecy, as Casilla is as much a left-handed batter to be taken seriously as I am the star of the next Real World. You might as well put a lamp shade in the batter's box when Casilla's turn in the order is up. Of course, Casilla struck out, and the Twins failed to score after loading the bases with no outs. In a different game, when you're actually facing a quality opponent, that kind of managerial blunder costs you games. And when you're in a tight division that has necessitated the playing of a 163rd game the last two seasons, one game makes the difference. Because Gardy got off the hook with this move, expect it to happen again -- and expect it to backfire big time.

Like most successful seasons, the Twins are winning in spite of Ron Gardenhire's best efforts to lose the game. We'll see if the Twins can complete the sweep on Sunday, with Nick Blackburn facing Twins nemesis Mark Buehrle.

Photos: (1) AP/Paul Beaty; (2) AP/Jim Mone

APRIL 5, 2010 -- LOS ANGELES 6, MINNESOTA 3

With a group of newly acquired players and a brand-spanking new set of road uniforms, the 2010 season got of to an inauspicious start, as the Twins channeled their April-through-mid-September performance of last season in kicking off this year's campaign with a disappointing 6-3 loss to the Angels. I will say that the opener did not feel like a season opener one bit -- it felt as if it were a mid-season game, and for that I will give both teams credit for not looking rusty. It also felt like a mid-season game for the Twins in the respect that their patheticness in not producing clutch base-hits appeared to be in mid-season form. The Twins didn't get a clutch hit in the late innings from their big stars, and the team went a true-to-form 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position. In probably the biggest at-bat of the game, Justin Morneau hit a scorching line-drive to first base with two outs and the bases jacked in the seventh, one inning after Seldom Young ended the sixth with a bases-loaded flyout. Also in mid-season form: the bullpen surrendering key insurance runs late in the ballgame to stretch a one-run deficit to a three-run deficit. Jose Mijares gave up two solo home runs in the eighth that pretty much sealed the deal for the Angels. Mijares is quickly becoming a left-handed version of Matty Guerrier and Monday's opener may be a harbinger of things to come in 2010.

Scott Baker pitched poorly in the opener, staying consistent in that he neared the 100 pitch count in the fifth inning before getting lifted. Falling behind hitters all game long, Baker put the Twins in an early hole after surrendering two runs in the first inning. Baker is like Johan Santana in the respect that it will take Baker a month or two before getting into his groove. Santana classically struggled in April before getting into lock-down mode once the second half of the season started. Now, Baker's second-half success isn't nearly the same as Santana's post-All Star Game domination of the league, but historically Baker's been much better in the latter half of the season. With the Twins having a tough early schedule, having a struggling Baker may sink the Twins into a deep hole in April. Surely his approach of "let's get behind every hitter I face and lack poise and confidence at every step of the way" is a loser's mentality, and for the Twins to go to Baker on Opening Day, telling the league he's the best we have -- that's a "gulp" moment if I've ever seen one.

Now it's Nick Blackburn's turn in the rotation, and out of all of the pitchers on the starting staff, I have concerns that Blackburn's sinker is going to flatten out this season and hitters will start to drill his pitches with consistent authority. This is a guy who gives up a ton of hits but seems to avoid big innings because he doesn't walk many batters. That control might come back to harm him, as he can't blow away anybody with pure stuff, and hitters may just sit back and wait for a hittable pitch to drive out of the ballpark. We'll get a good indication of how Blackburn's going to be tonight as he faces a patient team in the Angels. They certainly aren't free swingers, and they're the type of team that Blackburn could easily get shelled by. Joe Saunders goes for the Angels.

OCTOBER 1, 2009 -- MINNESOTA 8, DETROIT 3

Scott Baker and the Twins stave off elimination for one more day, as they beat the Tigers in a messy affair that featured a bench-emptying non-skirmish over some hit batsmen. Baker was classic Baker, throwing 105 pitches to get through five innings, but it was good enough as the Twins bats were alive against Nate Robertson and the Tigers. Thirteen hits were spread throughout the Twins lineup, including three by Seldom Young and two by Nick Punto. Orlando Cabrera busted the game open in the eighth with a bases-clearing double that extended the lead from 4-1 to 7-1. For the Twins to win a game in which they committed four errors in the field is miraculous in its own right. All in all, it was a sloppy game, but one in which the Twins absolutely needed to win, and the tease will continue until the final weekend of the year.

The scenario is this: if the Tigers can merely take two out of three this weekend playing against the White Sox at home, they're in the playoffs, no matter what the Twins do. The Twins need to win at the very least two games against Kansas City and hope that the Tigers either get swept or win one game. The problem is for the Twins that Zach Greinke pitches on Saturday, and the way the Twins' bats were not producing in pressure situations against Greinke last Sunday, it's going to be extremely tough for them to win that ballgame. So if you can assume that Greinke will lead the Royals to victory on Saturday, that means that the Twins must hope that the White Sox sweep the Tigers. Hey, it's happened before -- remember 2006, when the Twins won only one game against the Sox in the last series of the year, but still won the division thanks to the Royals sweeping the Tigers at Comerica? And Jake Peavy pitches tonight against Detroit, and he shut them down with relative ease last week. So the Twins have a chance, and the last series at the Metrodome will have at least something on the line for the many fans that will choose to attend. It will be a little different scenario than in 1981, when the Royals helped turn out the lights at Metropolitan Stadium. In those days, guys like Hrbek and Gaetti were just getting their first taste of the bigs, while veterans like Pete Mackanin and Rob Wilfong got the majority of the playing time. Nick Punto would've fit right in on that squad.

Photos: (1) AP/Duane Burleson; (2) AP/Paul Sancya

SEPTEMBER 26, 2009 -- MINNESOTA 11, KANSAS CITY 6

The Twins continue their hot streak, as Denard Span carries the team to its eleventh win in its last twelve games. There really needs to be more extolling of Span's value to this team, as I think he should be considered as valuable to the Twins' success than Mauer or Morneau is or was. From the leadoff spot, Span goes 4 for 5 with six RBIs, doing more than just setting the table for the Twins offense. He's putting dinner on the table and doing the dishes too -- in other words, he was like a 19th-century housewife on Saturday. Span was one of the major reasons that the Twins were as close as they were last season, doing everything that Carlos Gomez could do and a whole lot more. He's now got the eighth-best batting average in the AL and he's on the leaderboard with his stellar .393 on-base percentage. Quite simply, the Twins wouldn't even be close without Span, especially considering the cavity that the 2 hole has been all season long.

Scott Baker struggled early, giving up two home runs to the Royals in the second inning, but then settled down and pitched into the seventh inning, notching his fourteenth win on the season. The key play in the entire game was in the top of the fourth inning, when the Royals' patheticness shone through, when their version of Orlando Cabrerror, Yuniesky Betancourt, committed an error that directly led to four runs scoring. Instead of getting out of the inning ahead 2-1, Lenny DiNardo and the Royals were down 5-2, the big hit coming on Span's bases-clearing triple. Again the opponent's futility opens the door for the Twins to take advantage. The thing is, nowadays the Twins are capitalizing on those mistakes, whereas just a few weeks ago they would have let them slip through their fingers. The Twins are actually fun to watch right now, and they'll give Zach Greinke a run for his money this afternoon. The way the Twins' bats are swinging right now, they might be able to hit Bob Gibson. Francisco Liriano doesn't strike any fear in anybody right now, however, and the Royals will be glad to see him.

Photos: AP/Ed Zurga

SEPTEMBER 25, 2009 -- MINNESOTA 9, KANSAS CITY 4

You know you're going good when you score four runs in an inning and get exactly one hit in that inning. That was precisely the case Friday night against the lowly Royals, and it led to the relatively easy 9-4 win against Kansas City. Orlando Cabrera had the lone hit of that fifth inning -- a single to right field -- and then the Twins took three consecutive walks with the bases loaded, just a sampling of the five free passes the Royals surrendered in that inning alone, and eight walks altogether on the evening. Considering that the Twins were facing that kind of talent, you damn well better win the ballgame, and with the Tigers losing to the hands of Jake Peavy and the White Sox, the gap is narrowed again to two games. Michael Cuddyer hit his thirtieth home run of the season (who woulda thunk it?) and Seldom Young added an inconsequential dinger in the ninth (who really woulda thunk that?) to help propel the offense, and Carl Pavano won his fourth game as a Twin, going six innings that would have been great had it not been for two Billy Butler home runs. It really doesn't matter how the Twins do it at this point in the season -- as long as there are wins, the improbable comeback can live for another day.

Saturday's game has a whole lot of importance attached to it, what with the fact that Zach Greinke, who has arguably been pitching better in the last month than he was in April and May (and that's really saying something), is pitching on Sunday afternoon. As long as the Twins don't completely lose it before they get to Detroit on Monday, they'll have a chance, and that's better than what they could have said just two weeks ago. Scott Baker has cooled off considerably since his 10-1 stretch that he compiled from June through August, and he's actually pitched pretty poorly as of late. He's the only Twins pitcher to lose a game since the 12th of September, and that was the finale of the Tiger series that may end up being the costliest loss of the year. Sure, his mound opponent is the retread Lenny DiNardo, the owner of some pretty ugly 2009 numbers and some pretty humdrum career marks, but the big key in Saturday's game is Baker. If the Twins lose, it's because Baker again lost all that mound presence that we all know he can show, and starts nitpicking with his pitches. Let's hope Baker hasn't lingered on Sunday's pathetic start and he can put up some zeroes for the Twins tonight.

Photos: (1) AP/Charlie Riedel; (2) AP/Paul Battaglia

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009 -- DETROIT 6, MINNESOTA 2

A huge win for the Detroit Tigers, and a hugely deflating loss for the Twins. Scott Baker fails miserably to take the Twins to the next level (that sounds familiar), and in a two-game swing, the Tigers come out of Minnesota with a lead just one game less than when they came in. And if not for the Don Kelly-meets-the-Metrodome-roof incident on Saturday, the Tigers could have easily won the series. As it stands, the Tigers win a game that division champions win, taking the momentum right from the Twins' hands and sending a clear message: this little "comeback" of yours isn't going to come easy. In a devilish twist of fate, the only game the Tigers win in the series is compliments of spot starter Nate Robertson, and the Twins revert back to their old ways by sucking up the stadium with runners in scoring position. The only hit the Twins got with a guy in scoring position was little Nicky Punto, who raised his average to .227 with his run-scoring hit in the fourth inning. But it was all for naught, as Baker would fail to survive the fifth inning, and the Tigers' bullpen sealed the deal on a potentially fatal loss for the Twins.

The Twins now embark on a 10-game road trip, one in which the Twins need to at least go 7-3 if they want a shot at Detroit. With thirteen games left and three games back, the Twins are running out of time. If the Tigers were to go 7-6 in the last thirteen, the Twins would need to go 10-3 just to tie them. But if 2008 taught us anything, it's that Central Division teams don't like to win a whole lot down the stretch, so expect the Twins to go 5-8 and the Tigers to go 3-10. Nick Blackburn pitches for the Twins tonight.

Photo: AP/Paul Battaglia

SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 -- TORONTO 3, MINNESOTA 2

So the Royals do the unthinkable and sweep the Tiggers, and the Twins are able to gain one whopping game off their insurmountable lead because they lose two very winnable games against the lackluster Blue Jays. In a dastardly twist of fate, they actually win the game that they virtually should have no chance to win -- the game that Roy Halladay started. Continually the Twins have frustrated their fans by juxtaposing huge, seeming momentum-building wins with pathetic, effortless losses to the hands of Brett Cecil and company. On Thursday, the Twins get yet another solid start from Scott Baker, but the offense falls asleep against southpaw Cecil, and the Toronto bullpen slams the door on any potential comeback. Five and a half games back with twenty-two games left -- dare I say they need a 9-0 homestand to make things interesting?

The Twins offense sure had their chances, but they were crippled by a lack of two-out clutch hitting (what's new) and weren't helped by the fact that Nick Punto is absolutely dreadful at everything he does in life. Seriously, I'd be surprised if Punto can pee standing up, because everything he does on the baseball diamond is below Little League caliber. Case in point his bunting prowess, which the entire Rogers Centre crowd got to enjoy. In the seventh inning and the Twins down a run, Punto was asked to bunt pinch runner Matt Tolbert to second. Punto, of course, openly defied that command and failed to do the easiest thing in professional sports. He bunted the ball way too hard back to the pitcher, and Jeremy Accardo was easily able to throw out Tolbert at second base. Add Punto's standard failure to get the bunt down with Denard Span's failed sacrifice attempt earlier in the ballgame, and that made it two times that the "fundamentally sound" Twins failed to get down fundamental elements of the game. Especially if your whole team is hitting .237 for the month, you need to do the little things if you want to win these games. Like Michael Cuddyer -- don't ground into double plays just before Seldom Young hits a double! That damn well lost the game for you right there.

The vaunted combo of Blackburn (one win since Ron Gardenhire benched him for ten games straddling the All-Star Break) Manship (Triple-A level pitcher) and Douchebag (Triple-A level pitcher) will be on the hill this weekend whe the Twins face the A's. With Blackburn going tonight, here's hoping there's no redux of the Oakland Disaster.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2009 -- MINNESOTA 4, CLEVELAND 1

Scott Baker extends his great run of pitching since a disastrous first two months of the season, as he notched his eleventh win in his last twelve decisions, beating the lackluster Cleveland Indians 4-1. Baker labored through six innings, throwing 100 pitches, or what's known around the Twins clubhouse as "time to throw in the towel," and Baker kindly obliged, letting the bullpen finish the task and help Baker secure his 13th victory of the season. Things must have been clicking for the Twins, as even Nicky Punto got two hits, including the game-tying double in the fourth inning that also scored the eventual winning run due to a Jamey Carroll error. Coupled with the White Sox dominating the wild-card leading Red Sox and the Tigers mounting a terrific comeback against the defending American League champions, not only does the Twins win against lowly Cleveland look like small potatoes, but they were unable to make up any ground on Detroit or extend their lead over third-place Chicago. Six games out with 27 games to play, it's becoming increasingly clear that the Tigers are going to win this division. Expect the bottom to fall out on the Twins not here in Cleveland but in Toronto, which has been nothing short of a house of horrors for them the last three-four years. Dropping at least three of the four games against the Blue Jays will likely put the nail in the coffin for the Twins.

For the Twins sake, they would like to hope that their ultimate collapse doesn't come until a week from now, for the mere reason that football season has officially started and with the Gophers opening TCF Bank Stadium and the Vikings employing the Brett Favre circus, Minnesota sports fans' attention is going to quickly divert from the Twins. The Gophers' overtime win against Syracuse on Saturday was a good game to watch and breeds hope for Brewster's Millions, who perenially come into every season with high hopes that are traditionally dashed by mid-October. And with this season being perhaps the most-anticipated Vikings season since perhaps the arrival of Randy Moss, people are going to drop the Twins like a sack of potatoes here in a week or so. It's the general psychology of being a sports fan in a prime market -- you follow the teams that you can when they're in season, and when there's an overlap, you focus more intently on the club that's less likely to rip your heart out. Now I know that there are some folks out there that would like to argue that the Vikings are more classic heart ripper-outers, but around here at the MTRC, it's nice to know that the pressure of sucking isn't relegated to Ron Gardenhire's bunch.

Nick Blackburn tries to follow up his only good start of the second half today against David Huff, a guy who the Twins have twice burned and then were burned by him in his last appearance against them. Considering the embarrassment that's going to happen north of the border, the Twins better win today to save face.

Photos: (1) AP/Mark Duncan; (2) AP/Kevin Rivoli

AUGUST 19, 2009 -- MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 4

Yet another shocker on Wednesday, as the Twins come back from a 4-0 hole this time around, scoring the final five runs to beat the wild-card competing Rangers by a run. The resiliency shown by the Twins has been honorable, and it's nice to see that the Twins haven't completely thrown in the towel at this point of what has been a lost season. It's pretty hard to carry over momentum from one season to the next, but at the very least the Twins can find out who belongs on their roster and who they can easily dispatch. That would at least be the logical thing to do, but when you're confident playing Nick Punto on an everyday basis, that sort of undermines your talent-appraisal skills. And it's sorry to say that these wins might not be the best thing for the team right now. They are in limbo as an organization currently. They're five and a half games behind first place, but they're also four games below .500. It's hard to gauge whether the team can actually pull off a run and compete for the division or whether they aren't suited for a race in the first place. If it were up to me, I would start the 2010 rebuilding process right now. Let's face it; even if the team were to make the playoffs, there's absolutely no way they can beat anyone in the playoffs, and a division title would likely mean they may win 83-85 wins, which in any other division in baseball would have put them in third place at best. But it's tough for Bill Smith to wave the white flag at this point, however, with the Brett Favre circus in full gear, now might be the best time to do that. Get rid of stopgaps like Crede and Cabrera and get the young kids up here to get their feet wet, the Danny Valencias and Anthony Slamas of the world.


Another encouraging sign in Wednesday's win was that the Twins offense came back largely without the help from Joe Mauer, who went hitless in three at-bats, drawing two walks. The sixth inning in which the Twins scored four runs to take the lead was that much more astounding when you consider that the last three runs scored with two outs and runners in scoring position, just the sort of situational hitting that the Twins have really struggled with this season. Nick Punto may have gotten the biggest hit of the bunch, as he drove home the second run of the inning with his single, and that perhaps sparked Denard Span and Orlando Cabrera to follow up Punto's knock with two hits of their own. It was yet another discouraging loss for Ranger fans, who have been pleasantly surprised with their pitching staff this season, only to see that Achilles heel of years past come back to haunt them the past two nights. And again, the Twins have lucked out two nights in a row here after getting poor starts by their starters. Scott Baker was able to pitch into the sixth inning, but did put the Twins in a 4-0 hole. Though these two comeback wins were refreshing to see from the Twins, the fact remains that that sort of starting pitching will not consistently win you games. And there's no reason to think that Anthony Swarzak can post good numbers on Thursday, which probably means he'll pitch a gem. The team continues to be a head-scratcher.
Photos: AP/Tony Gutierrez.

AUGUST 14, 2009 -- MINNESOTA 11, CLEVELAND 0

Well, the Twins won on Friday, so that must mean two things: one, that they won by six or more runs, and two, that they'll likely lose on Saturday. The Twins haven't won back-to-back games in the month of August, and again there's nothing that can signal to Twins fans that Friday's 11-0 romp is a harbinger of future success. On Friday, they were clicking on all cylinders: Scott Baker pitched an outstanding two-hit shutout (which likely means that his next start will be as frustratingly horrendous as this one was terrific), and the hitting was both timely and came from all parts of the lineup. Hell, even Alexi Casilla had two hits, including a bunt single that Dick Bremer blew all out of proportions, basically saying that it was the hit of the year and it likely will spark the Twins to overtake Detroit and win the division -- in fact, they probably won't lose another game the rest of the way because of Lexi's awesome single that raised his batting average to a still paltry .179. Jason Kubel continued his dominance over Cleveland, driving in five runs and hitting his sixth home run this season against the Tribe. When you win 11-0, most fans will condone such failure as two inning-ending double plays with runners on third and one out (compliments of Justin Morneau, and, not surprisingly, Michael "I Live to Fail in the Clutch" Cuddyer, whose lone contribution to the scoring came when the game was out of reach). People who follow this blog know that I'm not that forgiving. That kind of crap won't be tolerated here at the MTRC, and if they want to go anywhere, their "star players" need to get the job done in those situations. This is a team that hasn't won a close ballgame in over two weeks; if you're going to make a run at the division, at-bats like those are going to be the difference in games and perhaps the season. If I'm Ron Gardenhire, I -- wait, wait, wait. I'm not Ron Gardenhire and I don't even like the thought of being that weasel. Forget it.

Thanks to Dick Bremer's delusions, the broadcasters kept us well apprised of the goings-on in Detroit, where the Tigers won a classic pitcher's duel with a walk-off home run in the ninth inning, so the Twins' victory only prevented them from falling further behind the Tigers. The fact that anyone seriously believes that a team that came into Friday's action four games below .500 could actually win a division or even play consistent baseball is proof enough that Bremer belongs in a straitjacket. But I've heard this garbage for more than twenty years with this fool, and it ain't gettin' any better. I'd love to be able to mute the TV and flip on the radio for the play-by-play, but John Gordon and the Wrench, Danny Gladden, continue to yuk it up on the radio waves. One thing I will give the radio guys credit for (and especially Gladden) is that it doesn't appear that they're being paid to wax poetic on the heroic exploits of losers like Casilla and Punto. Gladden will tell you exactly what he thinks, which is a good thing when he's rightfully doing color, but it is a formula for disaster when he's calling the action. My vote is for Jack Morris to do Twins games more often -- anybody with me?

Any time that I have to criticize the broadcasters more than the players must mean that the Twins did well, and that they did. But as I said after Wednesday night's blowout win over the Royals, this team has done nothing to prove to their fans that they can ride these wins and start a winning streak. Most importantly is the fact that Anthony Swarzak gets the ball on Saturday afternoon, and he has lapsed into the scared rookie that most people figured he would be when he was first called up. David Huff, whom the Twins have roughed up twice this season, gets the ball for the Indians.

AUGUST 4, 2009 -- MINNESOTA 10, CLEVELAND 1

Perhaps the Twins exorcised some of the demons (or, more appropriately, the team's many weak spots) that came into full view when they were pasted by a top-flight team over the past weekend in their 10-1 win over Cleveland on Tuesday. I half expected Randy Quaid to be desolately pounding a bongo drum in the sparse left-field bleachers, because these Indians are very reminiscent of that sad-sack bunch immortalized in the Major League series. This is a bad team right now, and if the Twins don't sweep the Tribe, they should be kicking themselves like the Tigers probably did after losing two out of three last weekend. The Indians have two players in their lineup that have done good things in the past, and Grady Sizemore is having an awful season, and Travis Hafner continues to be hampered by injuries. Shin-Soo Choo (bless you!) has always hit well against the Twins, too, but other than that, the Indian offense doesn't really scare you anymore without Victor Martinez, but that really isn't the problem -- it's the pitching. The Indians, shockingly, are sixth in the majors in runs scored but are, not surprisingly, second to last in runs surrendered, and guys like David Huff certainly aren't going to set the world on fire with that kind of stuff. It's a formula that the Twins have too followed this season -- good offensive production, horrendous pitching; the Twins pitching has just been a little bit better at times (it helps to have a good closer) and that's why the Twins are at .500 and "competing."


Most importantly for the Twins in this game was that Scott Baker put in his fourth straight "quality" start for the Twins (I know, his start in Anaheim wasn't technically a "quality" start, but compared to his early-season efforts, and especially in comparison with the quote-unquote pitching that the Twins have gotten of late, it was just fine). Seven innings, three hits, and zero runs for Baker, who lowered his ERA to a somewhat respectable 4.59. Unless Baker continues this run of brilliance, the Twins will continue to languish without a solid ace on their staff. Nick Blackburn had assumed that role up until Ron Gardenhire and the field staff decided that he should get two weeks between starts and screw up his rythym, and now it appears that Baker has stepped up. Jesse Crain even got through an inning without giving up a run, and the run that Bobby Keppel gave up in the ninth was great -- so good, in fact, that it was worth losing the shutout for the mere fact that Keppel's ERA is now over 5, which is only about a run or two lower than what Keppel's career track record had indicated he was worth before the season. Keppel needs to give up some more runs and quickly, because Ron Gardenhire's a manager that likes to lose a lot with one guy (see Henn, Sean) before finally cutting ties with him (see Ayala, Luis). A bullpen pitcher with a 5.01 ERA is a godsend to Ron Gardenhire. Those kind of pitchers don't grow on trees, you know, and you know that Ron Gardenhire's going to get as many losses out of Bobby Keppel as he can get.


Francisco Liriano will return to the mound on Wednesday (that is, unless Ron Gardenhire asks some doctors their opinion and then hedges on those trained, medical opinions like he did last week). Liriano's got some of the ugliest stats of any pitcher in baseball, and I wouldn't expect that to change. Unfortunately for the Twins, they face southpaw Aaron Laffey, who, for whatever reason, has been tough on the Twins in the past. It actually makes perfect sense for the Twins to struggle against Laffey, as they seem to pick guys out of midair to have fits against (Daniel Cabrera, anyone?). With eleven more games remaining on the schedule against the lowly Indians, they're going to have to feast on their pitching, and also get good pitching in return. The inconsistency which the Twins have shown in spades this year needs to change, as seemingly they can morph from a playoff team to an also-ran in a matter of a day and vice versa.

JULY 22, 2009 -- OAKLAND 16, MINNESOTA 1

The Oakland Athletics came into the series with the lowest batting average in the American League. They were twelfth in the league in runs scored. If it weren't for their pitching, which has actually been pretty decent this season (middle of the pack in ERA), the A's might be challenging the Nationals for the worst record in baseball. The Twins, on the other hand, are "competing" for a division title, and had just taken two out of three from the "competing" Texas Rangers. What happens in the three game series? The Twins lose two out of three, give up an incredible thirty-two runs in three games to the offensively-challenged Athletics, and leave the Bay Area on the losing end of a 16-1 ass-whoopin' at the hands of the last-place A's. Twice in the series -- twice -- the Twins gave up seven runs in an inning against Oakland; prior to the series the A's had scored seven runs in a game only six times in their previous thirty-six games. On Wednesday, it was Glen Perkins that gave his best impression of pitching, giving up eight runs and getting three outs, raising his ERA nearly a full run to 5.55. The key at-bat for Perkins was a bases-loaded, two-out walk to back-up catcher Landon Powell, who at nearly 300 pounds is surprisingly a light-hitting Puntoesque hitter. Perkins had Powell 0 and 2 and then dicked around with him, walked Powell to make it 2-1 in the first, and the next batter, the weak-hitting Rajai Davis, cleared the bases with a triple to make it 5-1.

Now, at 5-1, the Twins were out of the game. Never mind the fact that the Oakland A's came back from a ten-run deficit just two nights before. The Minnesota Twins are just not the kind of team that likes to come back from any deficit over three runs. After one inning of play, the Twins basically gave up, and it was reflected in Perkins' demeanor in the second inning, when the first two batters reached on a single and a walk, and Scott Hairston brought them home with a three-run home run that sent Perkins to the showers. Kevin Mulvey came in and did almost worse than Perkins, surrendering four more runs to score in the second to make it 12-1 before the Twins could catch their breath. Now remember -- that's about the score that the Twins were up on the A's at about the same spot in the ballgame on Monday. But did the Twins want to come back? Did it appear that they even wanted to be on the field at that particular point in time? Absolutely not. Only three times in the game did the Twins mount a rally with two runners on base, and their only run came on a solo home run by Justin Morneau in the first inning. The game was an absolute embarrassment. I wonder, though, which is more embarrassing -- losing a ten-run lead or losing 16-1. What do you guys think?

Now the Twins have to actually face a talented team in the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who are streaking with a six-game winning streak after sweeping the lowly Royals in Kansas City. The Twins swept the Angels early in the season, but that was when Los Angeles' pitching staff was heavily depleted by injuries. The three starters that the Twins saw in that series were Dustin Moseley, Darren Oliver, and Shane Loux. It was Oliver's first start in four years and the only start he made for the Angels this year; he's back in the bullpen. Moseley's been on the disabled list for most of the season and Loux was just recalled by the Angels after spending two months in Triple-A. This time around, the Angels are hurting from the other side of the diamond, as both Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter (in the midst of a career year, by the way) are on the mend. But their pitching is back, and the Twins will be facing some tough hurlers this weekend in Anaheim. Jared Weaver pitches tonight for the Halos, and he faces Scott Baker, whose first start after the break was a phenomenal success. Baker's start Thursday will be as important, as he looks to get the Twins off the mat following a disastrous series against Oakland.

JULY 18, 2009 -- MINNESOTA 4, TEXAS 1

Another key win for the Twins against the Rangers, and Scott Baker throws by far his best game of the season. I said it yesterday and I'll say it again: if the Twins plan on doing any contending in the second half of the season, Scott Baker must pick it up. He pretty much sleepwalked through the first half of the year, and part of that may have been due to his arm injury that he had to begin the season, but at many times in the first few months of the season, what was so disappointing about Baker was that his demeanor just wasn't there on the mound. He looked as if he didn't want to be pitching, period, and that killer instinct that he appeared to have last season looked non-existent. But maybe with Saturday's eight-inning performance, Scott Baker can turn the corner, and with that the Twins may be able to mount a rally to win what is a pretty winnable division.


The offense again did just enough to win on Saturday, as Michael Cuddyer got two hits that were as clutch as Cuddyer can get -- a run-scoring double and a solo home run that was reminiscent of a Tom Watson golf shot. Usually Cuddyer's production comes in blowout victories or failed comeback wins, but with half of the team's RBIs on Saturday, that damn near qualifies as clutch in Cuddyer's book. Alexi Casilla went 1 for 4 out of the #2 hole, making him 1 for 8 since his call-up, but that didn't stop certifiable idiot Dick Bremer from beatifying Casilla for that one hit. It was a two-out, nobody on base single in the eighth inning, and Casilla ended up scoring that inning. I was just waiting for Bremer to lay the praise on Casilla for that one hit, and sure enough, there's Bremer putting Casilla into the Hall-of-Fame because of a 1 for 8 weekend. I can somewhat understand now what I think Ron Gardenhire might be thinking when he puts guys like Casilla and Matt Tolbert in the second hole. Take a look at that lineup -- Casilla is protecting Joe Mauer in that lineup. With Mauer, Morneau, and Kubel following Casilla, pitchers are going to give whoever hits second a lot of fastballs, and perhaps Gardenhire is putting Casilla there to make him prove to the on-field staff that at least he can hit hittable pitches. If he doesn't produce in the #2 hole, really where will Casilla get hits? In a way the #2 hole in the lineup is an express lane to finding out who's good on the team. There's a few problems with that philosophy, however -- first off, this isn't spring training or tee ball, this is the majors and you can't cripple your team by putting minor leaguers near the top of the order, and secondly, Casilla has hit in the #2 hole everytime he's been on the club and he's hitting .170. The experiment has failed, Gardenhire, three times in fact, so now you quit the whole experiment and cut ties with Casilla. The guy just can't get the job done. Case in point, the ninth inning on Saturday, when Casilla had the bases loaded, two outs, and had the count full. With Joe Mauer on deck, everybody in the ballpark knows a fastball is coming, and what does Casilla do with that fastball? Pop it up to second base. That's it Gardenhire -- that's the real Alexi Casilla.


I'm going to make a first here at the MTRC -- I'm going to give Ron Gardenhire props. I'm going to give him props about his tantrum he threw in the ninth inning which resulted in his getting ejected from the game. Gardenhire is good at acting like a six year old whose mom has sent him to the corner. It's extremely entertaining, in fact, and I got a good chuckle out of Gardenhire and first base umpire Gary Cedarstrom pointing fingers at each other and bitching back and forth. That's the one trait that Gardenhire has that is from the old school -- too bad that his unwavering 100-pitch count philosophies, coddling of sucky players like Casilla and Nick Punto, and consistent dicking with professional hitters' swings is terribly new school and pathetic. I'm not sure what school he belongs to that adheres so closely to Gardenhire's philosophy of "we can never win in the playoffs" -- that one must be unique to Gardenhire and Gardenhire alone.


Speaking of the umpires, I was getting a little restless watching home plate umpire Brian O'Nora run off the field every fifteen minutes to ice his midsection. He got hit in the cubes by a foul ball early in the game, which is something I don't wish on anybody. But the joke got pretty old by about the fourth time that O'Nora had to run to the clubhouse to fix his jock strap. Of course Dick Bremer was busy heralding O'Nora's "perseverance" and "toughness," but c'mon -- you're an overweight umpire who not only got hit in the nuts but was obviously struggling to survive the Texas heat. It was a three-hour game to begin with, and then because of O'Nora's stubbornness to stay in the game (not perseverance, but stupid insistence) the game drug out another half-hour. It should not take anybody three and a half hours to play a 4-1 game, and thank you Brian O'Nora for "persevering" through it all.

JULY 17, 2009 -- MINNESOTA 5, TEXAS 3

Glen Perkins opens the second half of the season by giving up a two-run home run to the third batter he faces, Josh Hamilton, and it would appear that the crucial ten-game road trip is off to a horrendous start. Collectively, it seemed as if Twins fans everywhere muttered, “Here we go again.” But then the Twins picked themselves off the mat, tied the game in the very next inning thanks to a two-run triple by Carlos Gomez, and then rode Jason Kubel’s three-run home run in the third inning to a 5-3 victory. Perkins really struggled through five innings, throwing over one hundred pitches in getting the undeserving victory. Again, Bobby Keppel pitches the six and the seventh and mows down the opposition, striking out three of the six batters. Though Keppel’s done a yeoman’s job in this sort of role, I still think that the jury’s out with this guy. The bad thing is, we’re going to have to find out about Keppel’s real lack of talent the hard way, because all indications are that Ron Gardenhire is going to not only continue to put Keppel in games, but continue to put him in close games. Sooner or later, Keppel’s gonna go Sean Henn on everybody’s ass, and Gardenhire was willing to lose games with Henn a handful of times. So when Keppel finally implodes, it’s going to be ugly, I guarantee that much.

Alexi Casilla came into this season coming off a career year in which he hit close to .300, played stellar defense, provided a speedy option at the top of the order, and even hit a few clutch home runs during the year. That being said, Casilla fell back to earth so hard this year that it was just one month into the season that Casilla was sent down to the minors, and quite frankly that decision was a few weeks too late. Casilla’s been recalled and sent back again this year, and now he’s with his third go-round with the club. He’s back to square one, needing to earn playing time, a la spring training, which for Ron Gardenhire means that Casilla starts at second base immediately AND bats second in the lineup. What the hell Gardenhire? What is with his whole “the second baseman must hit second in this lineup regardless of how low that average sinks?” Matt Tolbert was hitting there for a while, too. The only guy that has really flourished in that spot is Joe Mauer, but Gardenhire would rather have Mauer hit third, for good reasons. Brendan Harris was spanking the ball until a recent slump, which has precipitated his move to the bottom of the order. Do you see the logic in that? Harris has one bad week (lowering his batting average to a mere .270) and he’s relegated to the #8 hole; Casilla and Tolbert have sucked all year long and have not had their averages above the Mendoza Line since, well, Opening Day, and they’re plugged into the #2 hole like that’s how it’s always been. That just makes a whole hell of a lot of sense.

Scott Baker is definitely one of the keys for the Twins in the second half if they plan of making a push for the divisional title. He’s been wildly inconsistent this season and if the Twins want to go anywhere, Baker’s going to have to pitch like the ace pitcher he was last season. He pitches tonight in Texas, and he opposes Rangers righthander Scott Feldman.

JULY 7, 2009 -- NEW YORK 10, MINNESOTA 2

An absolutely humbling ass-kicking by the Yankees leaves the Minnesota Scaredy-Cats reeling. Sure, it's only one game, but to lose at home by such a margin to any team is not what you're looking for from a "competing" team. Again, it's Ron Gardenhire "motivating" his players to play the Yankees -- which doubtless includes scare tactics, psychological terror, and perhaps even death threats. Gardenhire might even pop in an old VHS copy of The Deer Hunter and fast forward to that whole Russian Roulette thing before the Twins play the Yankees, because it's getting to that level of absolute ridiculousness. The games are pretty much over before they even start, and when you have a starting pitcher like Scott Baker throw 86 pitches and get nine people out, you're not going to have much of a chance to win. Couple that patheticness with the fact that the Yankees had C.C. Sabathia on the mound, and by the third inning, the Twins were done. Stick a fork in them, they are done.

The Yankees are the team that has introduced this audience to the idea of sore-thumbs getting key hits, and Tuesday was no exception. The bottom three in the Yankee lineup -- Robinson Cano, Brett Gardner, and Francisco Cervelli -- went an astonishing 7 for 14 against Baker, Brian Duensing, and R.A. Dickey. Hell, even Gardner and Cervelli alone had more hits combined than the entire Twins lineup. If you want to have a chance at beating the Yankees, guys like Francisco Cervelli -- maybe the only guy that the average fan goes, "Who?" when he looks at the lineup -- need to be retired. The only reason I know who the hell Francisco Cervelli is is that the Twins did this last time they faced the Yankees, in that nightmarish four-game sweep in the Bronx. The Twins were giving up clutch hits to Cervelli then and they do it again on Tuesday at the Metrodome. What was really bad about the Twins is not that they gave up sixteen hits to the Yankees -- that's almost a given nowadays when the Twins play the Yanks. It was the seven walks that they surrendered that was the real back-breaker. Case in point, the fourth inning. Baker gave up a single and two walks to load the bases before leaving the game with zero outs in the fourth. Brian Douchebag came into the game, allowed a pop-out and a sacrifice fly and appeared to be working out of the jam by giving up only one run. Then he walked two guys in a row, the second free pass bringing in a run. After the fifth run scored, it was pretty much a sealed deal that the Yankees won the game. It didn't help that the vaunted combo of Duensing and R.A. Dickey imploded in the sixth, when the Yankees scored five more runs to make the game a laugher.

The Twins' first run was driven in by Michael Cuddyer on a -- wait for it, wait for it -- solo home run (!!!) in the second inning. This seems to be the only way this guy does anything at the plate. I was talking to a friend who happens to be a Brewers fan the other day and I had mentioned my frustrations at Cuddyer, who is dangerously close to being in The Doghouse. He looked at Cuddyer's stats and wondered why I had it out for him, and then I had to explain the method to Cuddyer's madness. It was the same with Torii Hunter when he played here (though Hunter was a much more beloved player, something I'll never understand. The guy never had a clutch hit in his entire career, but he made great defensive plays. I just goes to show you that it's not the long ball that the chicks dig but the defensive plays -- Carlos Gomez is a horrendous offensive player but people are fans of him because he can make a diving catch. People like Hunter and Gomez can consistently wilt in the clutch at the plate but because they can cover some ground in the outfield, they've got in made in the shade, complete with a mega-million-dollar contract). Cuddyer's production is based mainly on tacking on meaningless runs in blowout wins or by hitting homeruns when the team is down by a ton. The two best games for Cuddyer were back-to-back games in late May, when he had four hits in two straight games, one of which was a cycle. The Twins won those games 20-1 and 11-3. Nine of Cuddyer's 14 home runs are of the solo variety, and not many of his home runs have really factored in a game (I'd say two or three). Yeah, he might have "good" numbers at the end of the season, but can anyone remember a clutch hit that this guy's ever had? By clutch I mean a two-out hit that either ties the game or puts the team ahead late in the ballgame (seventh inning and later). I'll be delighted to hear from anyone who can remember such an instance.

Now the Scaredy Cats have to face A.J. Burnett, who's been pitching very well as of late for the Bombers. Burnett's one of those guys that can be simply overpowering at times, and we all know what the Twins like to do against those guys (namely, nothing). Soft-tosser Glen Perkins goes for the Twins -- the last time Perkins faced New York, he didn't make it out of the first inning, and he had to go on the disabled list with suckitis after the game it was so bad.

JUNE 30, 2009 -- MINNESOTA 2, KANSAS CITY 1

Well, that's about as cheesy a win as you'll ever get. Justin Morneau, a few innings after belting his third home run in three games, grounded a surefire double play ball to first baseman Mike Jacobs, who promptly Cuddyer'd the ball into right field, allowing Joe Mauer to gain third base. Mauer would end up scoring what turned out to be the winning run of the game on a Cuddyer sacrifice fly, and the 2-1 margin would hold up. Scott Baker labored through five innings, and now we know what it takes to be a crucial member of the bullpen -- one good appearance. Because Bobby Keppel went four solid innings in relief of Kevin Slowey on Saturday, Ron Gardenhire entrusted Keppel with the sixth, seventh, and part of the eighth inning on Tuesday. Keppel did a fine job, but seriously, Gardenhire? Bobby Keppel's your new eighth inning option after one appearance? Let's not forget that Keppel sucks so bad that he hasn't even pitched in the big leagues for two years, so obviously a scouting report isn't out yet for teams to hit his stuff. Once Keppel got out of the sixth and seventh unscathed, I figured he did his job in his new R.A. Dickey-esque role; even though he didn't allow a run, why are you starting the eighth inning with Bobby Keppel on the mound defending a one-run lead?


At least I've seen the move that Gardenhire made later that inning a million times -- Matt Guerrier coming in with the game on the line. With two runners on and two outs, Gardenhire called upon Guerrier instead of Joe Nathan for the umpteenth time, and in essence gave the assignment of getting the most crucial out of the game to one of the worst pitchers on the team (that's really saying something). But I've accepted that stupidity because I saw it a mile away and Gardenhire's done it constantly. But starting the inning with Keppel? I don't even care that he was effective, that's just plain stupid. I thought that Gardenhire was precipitous in his handling of Sean Henn from minor-league journeyman to eighth-inning "specialist" (by that I mean he specialized in losing games), but the ascent of Keppel from starter in the minor-leagues to eighth-inning pitcher in 2-1 ballgames after one game is puzzling even considering Gardenhire's idiocy.


The bullpen's lack of talent and Gardenhire's lack of wiles when it comes to managing that bullpen with continue to cause problems. Statistically, the 'pen and in particular Matt Guerrier have done a decent job this year, but last year the bullpen didn't lose games regularly until the second half of the season. Considering this year's bullpen is actually much worse than last year's, it will likely be the Achilles heel for the team again. It doesn't exactly exude confidence when guys like Bobby Keppel are called up for the big leagues and thrown right into the eighth inning. What's worse is that the Twins apparently have some big-time prospects in the minor leagues that are tearing it up down there, namely Rob Delaney and Anthony Slama. If ever there's an organization that would rather call up a minor-league wash-up with a 8+ ERA in the big leagues than either one of two guys that have electrifying stuff that could eventually be future closers, it's the Minnesota Twins. I wouldn't be surprised if the deciding factor was financial; calling up Slama or Delaney now would mean that their service time would start earlier than expected, which would mean they would be eligible for arbitration sooner, which would mean that they could demand more money sooner than they planned. With Keppel, the guy's just happy to be in the big leagues, and the Twins have no future invested in him, so he's the cheap (and bad) option for now.


If the Twins win today, that means they would have won each of the three road series on this trip, certainly a success compared to their early season road woes. Glen Perkins pitches for the Twins against nemesis Gil Meche.

JUNE 25, 2009 -- MINNESOTA 6, MILWAUKEE 4

The Twins pick up a nice win in Milwaukee, winning two out of three games at Miller Park. That seems to be the protocol for the Twins against the Brewers the last few years -- they've fared quite well against their neighbors to the east. Scott Baker pitches five solid innings and then hits the wall like he usually does in the middle innings. Fortunately, the Twins lead was such that his two home-run, three-run sixth inning did not give up the lead, and the Twins would tack on a couple of runs the following inning and extend the lead to a safe 6-3 margin. Denard Span had a marvelous return from the disabled list, reaching base four times and really providing that spark that was desperately missing for two weeks. Brendan Harris was doing a fine job there until Ron Gardenhire inexplicably changed things up and put one of his worst players in that spot (either Matt Tolbert or Carlos Gomez). Span is really the only guy on the team who's a natural fit in the lead-off position, and him being healthy means that Ron Gardenhire doesn't have to exercise any more of the all-too seldom brain cells that he has in order to decide who will lead off. For those who didn't think Span was invaluable to the team were supremely educated on Thursday. The Twins won't be winning a division title this season, but Span's presence can at the very least preserve a .500 record.

The bullpen has continued to pitch decent enough, and Ron Gardenhire surprised me by putting R.A. Dickey into the game in the seventh inning. All indications are that it might be Dickey after all who could assume the role that Luis Ayala had on the club (seventh-inning guy), and it appears that Dickey is not as hellbent on extending leads as Ayala apparently was. He's a junkballer, yes, but he's been an effective one at that, and he might as well assume the eighth inning role as well. Matt Guerrier's been garnering some favorable press as of late, but let's remember that he started last season off pretty well too. The cookie that Guerrier threw to Ryan Braun in the eighth inning -- you could see Braun's eyes pop when he saw that pitch -- that's the real Guerrier, folks. He cannot be trusted with leads; well, apparently Ron Gardenhire has faith in Guerrier. He had so much faith last year in Guerrier that he chose the right-hander to be the guy to block them from making the post-season. The frequency of which Gardenhire chose to put the ragged-armed Guerrier into close ballgames last year should raise red flags to gambling monitors. By September if Guerrier was brought into the game it was 100% certain that he was giving up runs. The lingering resentment of one lost division title is the main reason that Guerrier has a permanent spot in The Doghouse, and even if he pitches to a 1.50 ERA this season, he's there for life.

Now the Twins will stop in St. Louis for a three-game series, and will be playing their first games in the New Busch Stadium, which if anything is good for the Twins. The Old Busch Stadium was a bit of a nightmare for Tom Kelly, who went 2-10 there (including, of course, the 1987 World Series). Ron Gardenhire will be managing against the Cardinals for the first time in his career, and it's a long time coming, because Tony LaRussa is probably the manager that Gardy takes after the most. It's LaRussa, after all, that is primarily responsible for introducing the concept of the modern bullpen to the game, wherein the team's designated closer rarely goes more than one inning per appearance, and set-up men, previously a role unheard of, bridged the gap from the starter to the closer. It's revolutionized the game, and no doubt LaRussa has his critics, but you can't argue with two World Series championships, five Series appearances, and umpteen playoff appearances. Pretty sure Ron Gardenhire won't touch that.

JUNE 9, 2009 -- MINNESOTA 10, OAKLAND 5

If ever there is a team that needs to sweat through a game in which they led by ten runs going into the bottom of the ninth inning, it's Ron Gardenhire's Minnesota Twins. Four pitchers later, Joe Nathan was in the game for a save situation, and did the job with two quick strikeouts. The pathetic ninth inning sort of ruined what was a stellar ballgame up to that point, as it featured some of the most shocking developments that have occurred all season long. Carlos Gomez had a big two-run double. Seldom Young had two hits, three RBIs and ZERO strikeouts, ending that pathetic streak at a mere thirteen games. Scott Baker didn't implode until the ninth inning, and the ten-run cushion made the bullpen's equal patheticness not matter as much. Bert Blyleven seemed to ascribe Baker's inability to get the shutout was the fact that his demeanor expressed no desire to be on the mound. This can be chalked up to Ron Gardenhire and the coaching staff's philosophy of "give me seven innings and you've done your job." The eighth and especially ninth innings are foreign territory for Twins starters, thanks to the "gameplan" instilled by the coaches. They don't want to be out there because they've been told that they shouldn't be out there -- it's as if they've been told a horror story about the ninth inning, that there are monsters and aliens out on the field in the ninth inning and only the bullpen can take care of it. Baker needs to grow a pair and get out there and shut the door and make his team get in the clubhouse and enjoy a much-needed win. Instead, the A's perhaps gained some momentum for Wednesday's game.


The only reason Joe Nathan had a save opportunity in the ninth inning to begin with was because of two misplays by Alexi Casilla, and judging on the reaction of Ron Gardenhire, I'm pretty sure I know who's being sent down on Friday when Nick "Superman" Punto is activated from the disabled list. Casilla's hit the ball a little bit better than when he was first with the club this season (it's not difficult to do better than .167, however) but the thing that has always infuriated Gardenhire is defensive lapses like the ones Casilla showed in the ninth. On both plays, Casilla was looking to turn a double play when the team just needed one out; he received an error on the second play but not the first. The funny thing is, Casilla was put into the game after Joe Crede was hit by a pitch -- he was mainly in there to give Crede a rest and to play defense. We know that Casilla's offense is not the reason for him to be sent down, as Ron Gardenhire has a fascination for letting guys hitting under the Mendoza Line bat second in his lineup (see Tolbert, Matt). But when the defense betrays you, and you have zero skills to offer a major league club, even Ron Gardenhire has no place for you on a ballclub.


I'd just like to comment on the fact that the Casilla error in the ninth was the only error given the entire night for both sides. Whoever was the official scorer in Tuesday's game needs to get their head examined, as Casilla deserved two errors in the ninth inning, and the Twins were given plenty of runs by shoddy Oakland defense. Seldom Young's first hit in the game was a gift, as Orlando Cabrera misplayed what would have been an inning-ending double play; Young got a hit on the play. The key play in the ballgame was compliments of an Adam Kennedy misplay in the sixth inning. The play was more of a mental error than a physical error, as Kennedy fielded a Michael Cuddyer ground ball and started to chase Jason Kubel back to first base. He did his job, but then did not throw to first base in time to get Cuddyer, and only got one out on the play. Had Kennedy thrown to first in time to get Cuddyer, they would have easily had Kubel hung out to dry and gotten the double play to get out of the inning (the Twins were only leading 2-0 at the time). Three straight hits later and the Twins were up 5-0. Contrary to Dick Bremer saying that Michael Cuddyer going from first to third on a hit in the second inning was the "key" play in the game (I know -- what??!), Kennedy's miscue, though it did not show up in the boxscore, directly led to three runs scoring. Compound that mental mistake with Kennedy's boot in the seventh inning which was inexplicably ruled a single for Justin Morneau -- the next batter, Jason Kubel, hit a game-sealing three-run home run. That's four runs that Kennedy let score because of his defense.


It's just too bad that the Twins had to make the game close in the ninth inning, because the Twins really needed a blowout win for their on-the-road mentality if nothing else. They've been struggling mightily with the bats on the road and they need to use all the momentum they can get at this point. Oakland ace Dallas Braden pitches tonight against Francisco Liriano, who turned in a pretty good pitching performance on Friday against Seattle. The Twins get another youngster, Trevor Cahill, in the series finale on Thursday afternoon, and then get to face a couple of tough Cubs hurlers at Wrigley Field this weekend, Rich Harden and Ted Lilly. Wins are going to be at a premium on the road all season for the Twins, and they'll be needing to beat some good pitchers as well as some young, inexperienced pitchers whom the Twins always seem to struggle against.

MAY 3, 2009 -- KANSAS CITY 7, MINNESOTA 5

Scott Baker takes a no-hitter into the seventh inning, promptly loses the no-no, the shutout, and the game within five batters. The Brain brings Luis Ayala yet again and again he delivers the Matt Guerrier Special. Ayala is doing his best towards renaming the Matt Guerrier Special after himself, as he continues to show Twins fans that he consistently gives up hits. Today it’s Alberto Callaspo (who?) that drives home the winning double in the seventh.

Then it’s the R.A. Dickey show, and for the second game in a row, Dickey turns a close game into an insurmountable lead for the Royals. In the eighth, Dickey gives up the critical insurance run to make it 6-4 (a seventh run was cut down at home plate). For some reason Dickey starts the ninth and gives up another run, making it a three-run game with Soria coming into the game in the bottom of the ninth. The Twins scratch together a run, but, thanks to R.A. Dickey, the gap was too large to make up. You know it’s bad for a Twins fan when you’re begging to see Matt Guerrier come into the game.

Let’s not forget that the Twins did get four runs off of nemesis Gil Meche. “Seldom” Delmon Young came through with an RBI hit, and Justin Morneau had three hits. Joe Mauer delivered a meaningless pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth, putting his season average at an astounding .700. The Twins do have a pretty decent lineup, notwithstanding constant rally killers Carlos Gomez, Nick Punto, and Alexi Casilla. Brendan Harris rightfully started at second base on Sunday, and Seldom Delmon started in left field and produced a few hits. Though Young is very much deserving of my not-so-affectionate nickname, he is leagues better than Carlos Gomez, who belongs in Double-A. A lineup with Harris and Young rounds out the lineup pretty well; it’s a real good National League batting order when you consider Nick Punto batting ninth is comparable to the pitcher hitting. In reality, pitchers Yovani Gallardo of the Brewers or the C.C. Sabathia of the Yankees are better offensive threats than Nick Punto.

Scott Baker pitched pretty well through six innings; his no-hit effort was deceiving, as some balls were getting hit pretty hard, and he had only one ground-ball out through six innings. Combined with Francisco Liriano, the Twins’ 1-2 starters are now a combined 0-8 through the first twenty-five games of the season. This statistic actually can give Twins fans some hope – seeing as the Twins are only a game under .500 and Baker and Liriano are eight games under .500, it is reasonable to expect that trend not to continue. Once these two pitchers get back on track, expect the Twins’ record to improve.

The Twins get ready to go on the road for four games: two in Detroit, two in Baltimore. The quirky schedule means that the only time the Twins visit the Orioles are for two games at one of the best ballparks in the country.