k-bro's baseball blog

Revenge of Moneyball, Series Recap, and Other Notes

2012-05-30T23:02:00.000-05:00

A SWEEP! A real, honest to goodness, three-game sweep! A fun come-from-behind win! An even funner walk-off win! And a strong-pitching-performance win! Yay, winning!

And all these wins came with the classic "M" caps. So you know that we'll be seeing more of them. I like the "M" logo and all (even though I still prefer the "TC" logo), but I do worry about unilaterally embracing a throwback item; last year was the old cream uniforms, and we all know how that went. But, as Crash Davis said, "respect the streak," so they may as well go with it for a while.

A couple notes:

Josh Willingham wants each and every one of us to love him.
A note to Mr. Revere: Benny, honey, every one already pretty much loves you because you're fast, and scrappy, and smiley and all, but really, you need to work on that bunting thing. Seriously. I know bunting is hard, but dude...
If I were to give this series a title, it would be "Building Pitchers' Confidence"

~~~
In the movie Moneyball, Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) said something like (I'm paraphrasing here, I don't really remember the quote word for word, and I tried to look it up on IMDb, but I couldn't find it, and I don't feel like putting the DVD in and waiting to hear it again, and it might have really been said by Jonah Hill's completely fictional character, so just go with me here)... "How do you win ballgames? By scoring runs. How do you score runs? By getting on base."

Ha!

So on Tuesday, Cole De Vries allowed a bijillion A's to get on base. Not one of them scored runs. And ultimately, they didn't win the game. So there.

Ok, I know, that game was more of a fluke-fest than a commentary on on-base percentage, but it also demonstrates how truly bad Oakland's offense really is.

I suppose I shouldn't get too gloat-y about the sweep, huh?

~~~
Notes
Jason Marquis signed with the San Diego Padres.

Erik Komatsu cleared waivers has been returned to the Washington Nationals.

Phil Dumatrait, who has spent the season in AAA Rochester, has decided to retire. He's been battling a shoulder injury all year. The Twins released him rather than have him complete retirement papers so he can sign with another team if he changes his mind after a while.

Homework and Catching Up on Other Notes

2012-05-28T21:27:00.000-05:00

Sometimes writing a blog feels a little like homework. Especially when the topic of the assignment is so hard to watch sometimes. I've already failed to turn in the Chicago and Detroit series assignment, and since it's too late to get any credit for those, I may as well move on. Like the Twins pitchers.

I was going to write about Matt Capps and trust, but since he pulled off a save on Monday, I don't want to jinx anything. Besides, it would probably have been a C+ effort on my part anyway. (For what it's worth, I really do want to be able to trust Matt Capps, but he still has a ways to go before I get there. But I'm trying. I know he is too.)

I feel like my grades are slipping. I'd better try to get some extra credit. Sometime.

I mean, it is summer now, and even though baseball is the quintessential summer school topic, it's also hard to concentrate on class when you're daydreaming of other summer things. Much like the Twins pitchers.

So, anyway, sorry. I'll try to do better next time. Just like the Twins pitchers.

~~~
Injury watch
Nick Blackburn is set to begin a rehab stint in Rochester on Tuesday.

~~~
Roster moves
I have some catching up to do here...

The Twins designated Jason Marquis for assignment. They tried to trade him, but couldn't, so they put him on waivers. He cleared waivers, and both the team and Marquis declined a minor league assignment, so he is now a free agent. As much as I cringed whenever he pitched, I do wish him the best. That story about his daughter's bicycle accident tugged at my heart, and I image he still has a bajillion dollars left in hospital bills to pay.

To replace Marquis on the roster, the Twins purchased the contract of Eden Prairie, MN native Cole De Vries. I don't know too much about him; he wasn't even a spring training invitee (didn't the Twins invite like 174 pitchers to spring training? And De Vries wasn't one of them? And they mentally checked off all the other ones to get to him? Wow). He already made one start, and he did so-so. Call it newbie nerves. It'll be interesting to see how he does in front of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and everybody.

The Twins have recalled pitcher Jeff Manship from Rochester. He will be assigned to the bullpen to take the place of Francisco Liriano, who is moving back to the starting rotation.

To make room for Manship, the Twins have designated OF Erik Komatsu for assignment. He was acquired off waivers from St. Louis, who selected him in the Rule 5 draft from Washington. He now is exposed to waivers again; if he clears them, he must either be offered back to the Nationals or, if the Twins want to keep him Rochester, a trade must be worked out.

Handcuffed Arms, Brewers Series Recap, and Other Notes

2012-05-20T22:31:00.000-05:00

On Friday when the Twins were beating up on the Brewers, for as much as I was enjoying the production, I was thinking to myself that they should save some of their hits for another day when they needed them. It's a cliched joke, I know, but considering how shaky this season has been, I worry about such things.

But I'm reasonably pleased that the Twins still took the series, and things have been looking less glum. And, yeah, Sunday was pretty ugly; fortunately it only counts as one loss.

A few notes about the series:

After the game on Mother's Day, Trevor Plouffe cut off his flowing long hair for charity. It's a great story. Before then, he hadn't hit any homeruns; since then he's hit three, including the game-winner in extra innings on Saturday. Maybe his bangs were in his eyes. Maybe all that hair made his helmet too tight. Maybe he's more aerodynamic now. Whatever -- keep it up, Trev.
I think Matt Capps's new pitch -- it's a splitter / chageup combo that he calls a "splange" -- is flirting with me. I think it's kind of sexy.
I thought it would have been safe to take a nap on Sunday afternoon when the Twins were down 11-2. I was more than a little annoyed that no one woke me up when Drew Butera pitched the bottom of the 8th.
I don't think Jason Marquis wants any of us to love him.

~~~
The Twins are sure handcuffed when it comes to dealing with their struggling pitchers. Hendriks was sent down to Rochester, Liriano was sent to the bullpen, and Blackburn was placed on the DL. Pavano has been fighting discomfort in his shoulder, and even though he looked pretty good on Saturday, the Twins would like to push his next start back a day. And then there's Marquis.

The Twins are running out of options to fill in while the starters get on track. Swarzak could have made a spot start on Thursday to allow Pavano an extra day, but he pitched a ton on Sunday in relief of Marquis. Duensing could do it too, but it seems like he's been used a lot out of the pen lately.

So, the Twins are stuck praying that batters haven't figured out Diamond and Walters yet, and then, after that, who knows? Liriano? Duensing? Call up Hendriks again? Someone else? Oh, and there still isn't anyone to replace Blackburn.

Gardy said earlier this season that he can't replace the whole starting staff. But, man, he might have to. It's a bummer that it's come to this.

~~~
Injury updates:
Carl Pavano received some extra treatment on his shoulder earlier this week, and was able to make his start on Saturday. He was pretty effective, and his velocity seemed better that it had been. The Twins still want to push his next start to Friday to let his shoulder get back to normal.

According to Sports Illustrated, Ryan Doumit tweaked his calf muscle last week by leaping in the air celebrating a win. I didn't know that's how it happened. Anyway, I think he'll be fine. By resting for the most part during National League play (he did make a pitch-hitting appearance on Saturday, walked and got pulled for a pitch runner), plus the off day on Monday, he should be good to go again soon.

It was good to see Denard Span back in the lineup.

~~~
Tweet of the series:
We've all seen Drew Butera make strong throws from behind the plate. I guess he carries that skill to the other side of the battery as well. From blogger, and noted stat-head, Parker Hageman:

@drewbutera hit 94.4 mph on the radar gun today pitching. Sick nasty filth. brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/pfx.php?…
— Parker Hageman (@OverTheBaggy) May 20, 2012

He links to the Brooksbaseball.net site that tracks Drew's pitching performance. Cool stuff.

Blackburn or Doumit, Tigers Series Recap, and Other Notes

2012-05-17T22:36:00.001-05:00

I know it was another short series, and I know the wins weren't pretty, but it still counts as a series sweep, so I'm breaking out the broom, mostly because there's a real chance that I won't be able to break it out any more the rest of the season.

Some notes from the series:

Hits. Hits. Hits.
Taking advantage of errors.
Who's this Trevor Plouffe? I like this Trevor Plouffe. To be clear, I like this homerun-hitting Trevor Plouffe.
Brian Dozier keeps flirting. I think I have a crush on him.
I think the entire bullpen is flirting with me.

~~~
After Wednesday's game, the Twins announced that Ryan Doumit was going on the DL with a right calf strain. They also mentioned that Nick Blackburn was hurting as well. They called up OF Ben Revere to take the roster spot.

Wednesday morning, Doumit had an MRI and it revealed that the strain wasn't serious. So, because Ben was already on his way, the Twins decided to place Blackburn on the DL instead.

The Twins have placed RHP Nick Blackburn on the 15-day DL with a left quad strain.

Blackburn reported a stabbing pain in his leg in his last two starts. His performance during those starts proves the point.

It's unclear who will be used to start in his place. They can skip his next scheduled start because Monday is an off day.

I just hope that Doumit's "mild" strain is really just that and the Twins don't have to put him on the DL in eight days.

Other injury updates:
Denard Span sat out both games of the series with a tight hamstring.

Matt Capps was unavailable Wednesday due to a sore arm. He pitched on Thursday, and he was fine.

~~~
Tweets of the series
On Thursday, Glen Perkins came in to the eighth inning with a one-run lead and served up two walks before snapping out of it and getting Prince Fielder to strike out and Delmon Young to hit into a double play. Whew.

After the game, he tweeted:

You guys weren't nervous, were you?? #Twins
— Glen Perkins (@glen_perkins) May 17, 2012

Heh.

Even funnier was Brian Duensing's reply:

@glen_perkins someone was. At least it smelled like it in the pen
— Brian Duensing (@BrianDuensing52) May 17, 2012

And funnier still was Matt Capps's addition:

@BrianDuensing52 @glen_perkins yea that's my bad
— Matt Capps (@MattCapps55) May 17, 2012

How mature.

Short Indians Series Recap, and Other Notes

2012-05-15T21:53:00.000-05:00

Short series; short recap; short paragraphs.

Men left on base.

Leaving pitches up.

Shin-Soo Choo.

Homerun.

Homerun.

Homerun.

Grounding into double play.

Grounding into double play.

Grounding into double play.

Grounding into double play.

Groan.

~~~
Injury update
After Tuesday's game, Justin Morneau was activated off the DL. He's been swinging in batting practice for the last couple of days. The Twins optioned Chris Parmelee to AAA, so that means Justin will be back at first base.

Carl Pavano's shoulder is still bugging him, even though he seems committed to keep pitching through it. He's going to hang back in Minneapolis while the team travels to Detroit so he can do some more work with a soft-tissue specialist. He'll meet the team in Milwaukee before his next scheduled start. I admire his willingness to play through this. He's not really helping the team, but he's certainly not hurting it. And it's not like he's blocking anyone who could do a better job.

Denard Span was held out of the lineup on Tuesday due to a tight hamstring. It didn't sound serious.

~~~
Tweet of the series
ESPN1500 writer and radio personality Phil Mackey had this little nugget of information after Tuesday's game:

Holy crap. Derek Lowe threw 127 pitches today and 115 of them were sinkers. He threw the SAME pitch 115 times!
— Phil Mackey (@PMac21) May 15, 2012

Way to learn how to make adjustments, Twins.

Living Well, Blue Jays Series Recap, and Other Notes

2012-05-13T22:41:00.000-05:00

After a truly awful, embarrassing effort by the Twins on Thursday, they got it together and acted like a big league team the rest of the series. A split of a four-game series against a pretty good team isn't bad, and Saturday's loss was at least somewhat respectable (if there is such a thing as a "respectable loss").

A few notes:

Brian Dozier keeps flirting with me. I was happy for him for his first big league homer, and his defense makes me smile.
Scott Diamond is flirting with me too. Another super-duper-quality start out of him.
Speaking of Scott Diamond, there is one drawback to him pitching well: all the reporters use some kind of lame "Diamond/gem" play on words. Yeah, we get it.
I've been pleased by Matt Capps performances lately.
Speaking of Matt Capps: the lame name play on words trick applies to him too (Capps off the game, et. al.), but maybe not to the Diamond extent.
PJ Walters didn't look too bad on Saturday. Too bad the Twins decided to be really good at leaving men on base that day.
I don't have a problem with Willingham's defense lately.

~~~
Mother's Day weekend was very nice for me. I took my mom and a couple of friends to the Twins game on Saturday, and we had a unexpectedly great time. We were treated especially well, and we loved it despite the loss.

Sunday was fun; I had the Twins game on the TV in the garage as I planted my flowers around the yard. My kids treated me like a queen. And the Twins won!

I've got a good life, and I'm grateful for it.

~~~
Injury watch
Justin Morneau hopes to begin swinging a bat again soon and try to return soon.

Carl Pavano's velocity is noticeably lower this season. He had an MRI recently, apparently to see if there was an obvious cause. It's unclear if he's suffering any pain or discomfort. The MRI revealed some inflammation and a strain to the interior shoulder capsule (the front of the shoulder). He still plans to start on Monday, but I'm sure the long-relief guys have been put on alert. If things don't go well, he said he'll try a cortisone shot.

Scott Diamond took a line drive off his shoulder area during Sunday's game, but he remained in the game and pitched well. He might feel it in the morning.

Kyle Waldrop, who was placed on the DL (strained UCL) during Spring Training, has begun a rehab stint in Fort Myers. He'll need a few more starts before he's activated; the Twins will decide at that time where he'll report (I predict AAA at first).

Newbies, Angels Series Recap, and Other Notes

2012-05-10T22:34:00.000-05:00

Turns out the only guy who can breathe some life into the Twins' anemic rotation is a rookie. In fact, Scott Diamond is so magical, he even breathed some life into the Twins' hitters too. Alas, his magic only lasted one night.

Some notes on the series:

I'm so happy that the Twins are done with the Angels, and more specifically Albert Pujols. I love Albert, I really do, and I'm happy that I can start rooting for him again, but, lord, I'm tired of all the broadcasters trying to break down his swing. I don't care why he's struggling; I can't do anything about it anyway. He's Albert Freaking Pujols -- he'll figure it out. And I'll be cheering him on.
I think Scott Diamond wants me to love him. Also Jared Burton.
I'm not sure yet, but I think Brian Dozier is trying to make a case to get me to love him, too. Also Anthony Swarzak.
Apparently, all the boys think that growing creepy mustaches paves the the path to victory. So far I've noticed Ryan Doumit, Carl Pavano, Trevor Plouffe, and I think Willingham (it's hard to tell). Also, Jamey Carroll had a classic truck driver 'stache for one day.

I have my doubts that the ugly 'staches are actually effective.

~~~
Roster moves

The Twins made a few roster changes after the Angels series. I'll try to explain; try to keep up.

The Twins have optioned Danny Valencia to AAA Rochester. He hasn't been hitting well at all (he has 23 strikeouts to only one walk this season), and his defense could still use a little work. I'm sure he'll be back soon enough. They called up OF Darin Mastroianni to take his roster spot.

The Twins have also designated LHP Matt Maloney for assignment. They purchased the contract of PJ Walters to replace him. They've also moved Francisco Liriano to the bullpen.

Mastrioanni came to the Twins in February when the Twins claimed him off waivers from Toronto. In Rochester, he was batting .283/.341/.345. He's 26.

Walters was signed in December to a minor-league contract. I honestly don't remember seeing him in spring training. He pitched .270 in AAA. He's 27. He'll start on Saturday.

~~~
Injury watch
Denard Span missed a game during Angels series, a day after he ran into the outfield wall making a catch. Gardy said that he had planned to give him the day regardless. Span is fine and has been back to play.

Josh Willingham also missed a game. It was originally reported as flu-like symptoms, but then it was amended to a skin thing near his lip. I don't think I want to know what it really was. He's fine and playing as well.

Justin Morneau had another opinion on his wrist by a specialist in Cleveland. He offered the same diagnosis -- post surgical swelling and soreness. Justin got a cortisone shot. He hopes to be ready to play again next week.

Morneau, Series Recap, and Other Notes

2012-05-06T21:59:00.000-05:00

Remember back in late April when the Twins faced the Red Sox and Royals and lost like 6-7 and I said "if you score six runs, you ought to win the ballgame" (well, I didn't actually say it so you could hear it, but my husband heard it, so just work with me here)?

I miss those days.

The Twins have officially become "that" team. You know, the team that all other teams, even if they're bad teams, look forward to facing because they know they'll win the series.

"That" team starts trading off all their good players. Yup...no one wants to be a fan of "that" team.

Home stand coming up; let's hope that helps.

~~~
Injury Report

The Twins have placed Justin Morneau on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 1, with soreness in his surgically-repaired wrist. I'm about 90% certain that it's his left wrist, even though the Twins transaction report on their website, and several news outlets, say that it's the right wrist. He had surgery on his left wrist during the off season. I'm going with left wrist. Justin, if you're reading, can you verify?

It's not such a huge problem to put Justin on the DL; everyone wants him to get healthy. We all get that surgery is a trauma to the body, and sometimes the body fights back during the healing process. We're all also hoping that it's just that -- healing -- and that it's not something that requires re-doing. Putting Justin on the DL was the right move.

The wrong move, however, was waiting until Sunday to make the move. The whole point of the DL is the ability to call up another man to replace the injured player. It's entire reason for being is to make sure teams aren't short-handed when someone gets hurt. So, every day the Twins waited to put Justin on the DL was a day they were short-handed. And with a 13-man pitching staff, their bench was already thin. It's never a good day when the entire available bench is comprised of Drew Butera.

This isn't the first time that the Twins have gotten burnt by waiting. It happened several times last year. It may have been a little forgivable last year, because the Rochester team had been so ravaged by the number of DL stints by the big league club, there was no one left to call up at times. That is not the case right now.

Here's a tip for the Twins: if you deem it necessary to fly a player back to Minnesota to have a specialist evaluate what hurts, it's probably necessary to put him on the DL. That day.

~~~
Roster Moves:
The Twins claimed OF Erik Komatsu off waivers from the Cardinals. St. Louis acquired Komatsu as a Rule 5-draftee from the Nationals. Rule 5 rules still apply: he must remain on the big league club for the rest of the season. If the Twins want to send him down, he must go through waivers, and if he clears them, a trade must be made with the Nationals in order to keep him. The Twins designated OF Clete Thomas for assignment to make room for Komatsu. Thomas has cleared waivers and will report to AAA Rochester.

The Twins have purchased the contract of INF Brian Dozier to replace Justin Morneau on the 25-man roster. Dozier's line is .276 BA / .339 OBP / .371 SLG in AAA Rochester this season.

The Twins have optioned RHP Liam Hendriks to AAA Rochester and have called up LHP Scott Diamond. Diamond's stats in Rochester are: 2.60 ERA, 1.212 WHIP, and 3.71 K/BB ratio.

Sean Burroughs has cleared waivers and has accepted the assignment to AAA Rochester.

Tears, Series Recap, and Other Notes

2012-05-03T22:48:00.000-05:00

Oy. That was a punch in the gut. Followed closely by a knockout punch to the jaw.

There's no need to go into detail about how awful that was. Not only has the starting pitching failed to improve to a satisfactory level, but now the offense has taken a break from acceptability. Let's hope that a day off in beautiful Seattle helps matters. Although we all said that for the last off day...

Just keep fighting.

A few notes:

I don't think Clete Thomas wants us to love him anymore. At least hes' not acting like it. Guys who want us to love them don't strike out 15 times in 28 at-bats.
If anyone needs some time away, it's Gardy. He'll get to miss the Seattle series to attend his daughter's college graduation. Maybe hanging out with his family and forget about baseball for awhile will add a new spring to his step.
I think I know why Albert Pujols didn't hit any homeruns during the Twins' visit -- it's kind of hard to swing a bat with Roy Smalley's lips firmly placed on his butt. Ok, I exaggerate, but Roy really, really needs to use fewer words. And he really, really needs to stop saying "really, really." I never thought I'd say so, but I'm really, really looking forward to Bert coming back.

~~~
It's been well-documented that I love excellent pitching. Few things in life exhilarate me more than a well-spun no-hitter, or even a beautiful shut-out, except when my team is on the received end. Normally, when an historic pitching happens, I'll buy that man a beer. But not for Jered Weaver; not today. I'm just too sad.

In fact, there may have been tears flowing in my house right after Torii caught Casilla's fly ball for the final out on Wednesday. Real tears. (In my defense, three day's worth of frustrating west-coast games leads to sleep deprivation, and sleep deprivation usually leads to over-the-top emotions.)

Clearly, I'm not the only one who's upset. I didn't stay up late enough to see Gardy's post-game interview, but all the reporters say that he was raging. Who can blame him? It's his job to get these guys to play well enough to win, and, for whatever reason, they're just not doing it.

A lot of fans believe that perhaps Gardy should be fired in the face of this debacle. I don't agree with that sentiment, mainly because I don't see how it would help. Who would they get to replace him? The problems feel deeper than just the manager. This is a team comprised mostly of replacement-level players, but even so, they need to own their work ethic. The team needs a shake up, but I don't think firing the manager is the ticket. Especially with no clear successor in mind.

Unfortunately, however, is that this is beginning to look like another "great sucking period" -- like the '90s. And there's not much anyone can do about it in the immediate future. Thus, we're all very rage-y. Or sad.

So, no, Jered Weaver, you'll not be getting a beer from me, even though you deserve one. Sorry. Perhaps a nice Phillies or Cardinals fan out there would be willing to do so in my place.

~~~
Injury watch
Justin Morneau left Monday's game early due to soreness in his surgically-repaired wrist. He flew back to Minneapolis to have it checked out. Fortunately, it sounds like it's just some fluid build up and swelling. He's still day-to-day.

Danny Valencia sat out on Wednesday with tightness in his back. He should be fine.

Joe Mauer's leg is still pretty sore from taking a foul ball off it during last series. He's been limited to DH or first base duties for a few days.

~~~
Roster moves
With Joe Mauer unable to catch for a few days, the Twins really needed a third catcher for a while. Drew Butera has been recalled to the Twins. Infielder Sean Burroughs has been designated for assignment to make room for him.

Soggy, Series Recap, and Other Notes

2012-04-30T20:57:00.000-05:00

The Twins and the Royals share last place in all of MLB with a .286 winning percentage. It's a good thing they have each other to beat up on.

Quick notes about the series:

Our old friend Jose Mijares earned the win for KC on Friday. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Jason Marquis earned a "quality start" for the Twins on Sunday. I'm also not sure how I feel about that -- namely because I really don't like the criteria for "quality start" (6 or more innings with 3 or fewer earned runs). But, hey, it's still better than the all-too-familiar "crappy start."
Josh Willingham wants us all to love him.

~~~
Early last week, when I discovered that I didn't really have plans for the weekend, I decided to hit up StubHub for some Twins tickets. Of course, I picked Saturday's game.

When my family and I left for Target Field, it was raining and we knew there was a chance that the game could be delayed.

Sure enough, when we arrived, the game was in a delay. So we found a dry, wind-protected place to stand. We ate some garlic fries (ok, kind of cold and a bit too garlicky) and drank some hot chocolate (excellent) and hung out. We talked to other fans and some vendors. And by the time they officially called the game, we realized that we'd had a really good time.

So the moral of the story is that Target Field is awesome, even if you don't get to see baseball.

~~~
Injury Watch
Joe Mauer took a foul ball off the inside of his knee on Sunday. It looked like he was in quite a bit of pain. He had been in every inning of every game so far this season, but he'll miss Monday's game. Hopefully, he'll be available to pinch hit if necessary. He's hoping to be in the lineup again on Tuesday.

Glen Perkins was unavailable out of the bullpen on Friday because he had fallen down the stairs at home and banged up his leg a little. He's fine; he pitched on Sunday. He tweeted a little update for everyone:

Yes I fell down the stairs. No I wasn't drinking (10am). Yes I'm ok. Thank you.
— Glen Perkins (@glen_perkins) April 28, 2012

~~~
Roster Moves
Ben Revere was optioned back to AAA Rochester on Saturday to make room for the return of Josh Willingham from paternity leave. The timing kind of stunk; Sunday was the Ben Revere autographed bat giveaway day.

Genies, Series Recap, and Other Notes

2012-04-26T23:01:00.001-05:00

Sometimes a baseball team loses games, and sometimes it refuses to win. And this series showed us perfect examples of both.

Tuesday's game was a genuine clunker by the Twins. It happens. No biggie.

Monday's and Wednesday's games, however, were totally winnable. And the Twins...didn't.

As much as leaving men on base drives me nuts, that's not the Twins' biggest problem. Obviously, the starting pitching is in a shambles.

We all knew that the problems weren't going to be all fixed this season, but, man, this it getting hard to watch.

But rather than whine and puzzle about the whole thing, I think I'll try to come up with some positive baseball things to remember about the series.

How about those awesome defensive plays, on Monday? Denard in the outfield, and then Carroll to Plouffe to Morneau in the infield. Hot.

Wednesday featured a really fun rally and almost made up for a bad start. And the bullpen was amazing.

So let's hope the starting pitching gets it together. If they can do that, the rest of it will fall together

~~~
Obviously, like the rest of us, Gardy is very frustrated with the starting pitching. Clearly he's tired of answering questions and criticisms about it. Probably because he's out of ideas.

I love Gardy's witty retorts in interviews, and his latest one is probably my favorite, even though he probably didn't mean it to be.

He said with exasperation, "we can't go out and buy people. We've got to make this work. I can't rub a bottle to make somebody pop out."

So what if he could invoke a pitcher-genie from a bottle? Who would it be? Would it be a genie who could actually pitch, or would it be a genie who could magically fix the guys Gardy has? Are there only three wishes, or is this the Barbara Eden-type genie who just blinks magic whenever?

So many questions. If you happen to run across a magic bottle next time you're antiquing or garage-saleing, pick it up and send it to the Twins.

Or maybe he just needs a bottle of good Scotch.

~~~
Injury watch
Chris Parmelee was hit in the head with a pitch on Wednesday. It was a very scary moment because he dropped to the ground right away and stayed down for quite a while. On Thursday, the Twins reported that he's doing better and he's listed as day-to-day. I certainly hope he'll be ok soon.

~~~
Roster moves
Josh Willingham was placed on paternity leave to be with his wife, Ginger, for the birth of their third son. And from the picture that Ginger posted on her twitter account (@gjwillingham), it looks like everyone is happy and healthy.

Ben Revere was called up to take Willingham's roster spot. And it sounds like he'll be given every opportunity to stick -- Terry Ryan and Gardy told him they didn't know how long he would be staying and it could be the rest of the season.

Memories, Series Recap, and Other Notes

2012-04-22T22:39:00.001-05:00

Yeah, this series could've been uglier, but it wasn't pretty.

Friday's game was nice and smooth on all levels -- Matt Capps even delivered an uninteresting save for smiles all around.

Saturday's game was a fun pitchers' duel -- until a really ugly sixth inning. And the Rays had smiles all around.

Sunday...ugh. Just...ugh!

Notes from the series:

I think the brief love affair with Clete Thomas may be cooling off. Turn out he strikes out a lot. Like, a lot a lot. So, while hitting a home run in his first game as a Twins was totally crush-worthy, strike outs are a total turn-off. Ew.
Don't look now, but I think Joe Mauer is healthy. So is Denard Span. They've both played in all 16 games so far this season (along with Josh Willingham and Jamie Carroll).
Nice job Josh Willingham on his 15-game hitting streak, tying with Kirby Puckett as the longest to start a Twins season. Too bad he couldn't extend it on Sunday. And, as the cliche goes, he can start a new one tomorrow.

~~~
Memories of Kyle Loshe
Francisco Liriano has me remembering back to 2006 -- the days I would shudder whenever Kyle Lohse took the mound for the Twins. I was so relieved when they traded him to the Reds. And, now he's doing all right for himself with St. Louis.

Liriano has a ton of talent, but Twins staff continues to struggle to get through to him -- similar to Lohse.

Sometimes a different coaching staff has success with a guy with a strong head. I'm just sayin.

~~~
Injury Watch
Justin Morneau took a nasty foul off his foot on Wednesday, so the Twins are being extra cautious about having him return to first base. It's probably pretty sore. Hopefully it'll feel better soon.

~~~
Roster Move, Sort Of...
After Luke Hughes was designated for assignment by the Twins last week, we was claimed off waivers by the Oakland A's. Best of luck to him.

I'd Like to Buy a Beer For...

2012-04-21T20:10:00.000-05:00

White Sox pitcher Philip Humber for pitching a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners.

Yes, this is the same Philip Humber that was in the Twins system for awhile, acquired in the Johan Santana trade. At 29, he must have been a late-bloomer; he was a minor-league quality player until he hooked on with the White Sox last year. Since then, he's been a pretty good pitcher.

Today, his stuff was on and he was dominant.

So, as much as it pains me to buy a beer for a White Sox player, I'm a good baseball fan, and a big fan of perfect games, and I congratulate Philip Humber.

Shaking Pitchers, Series Recap, and Other Notes

2012-04-19T22:29:00.000-05:00

Did you know that it was possible for the Twins to win multiple games at Yankee Stadium? During the same year? The same series?

I bet you thought that only happened in video games. But it really happened. Really.

Not only did the Twins exceed expectations with this series, they also made it fun to watch. All the hitting is great. I like a lot of Twins hitting. Keep hitting, Twins. And if you want me to pick which kind of hitting I want, I'll take more of the homeruns, please.

Defense -- solid. I don't care what you say, Jamey Carroll is cool.

Yeah, the starting pitching was pretty shaky, but I liked how Carl Pavano and Jason Marquis outwitted their own demons and figured things out. Now they just need to teach the other starters how to do that. And then they all need to learn how not be shaky in the first place. Baby steps.

And the bullpen was actually pretty good. Although, I think Matt Capps should hand out oxygen masks and defibrillators to fans with every save opportunity.

Is it too soon to believe that the Yankee Stadium gremlins that have bothered the Twins that past decade-plus are finally getting old and weak?

~~~
How Do We Fix Liriano?
Francisco Liriano is back at doing his inconsistent pitching thing. In fact, his pitch selection and execution have been so aggravating, we should begin wondering if he's doing this on purpose or something. Is it his mechanics? Is it his head? Is it his arm? Is it the coaching?

We've been asking these questions for years, pretty much ever since he returned from his Tommy John surgery in 2008.

Unfortunately for him, he's on his last chance with the Twins. He's due to be a free agent after this season, and he may wind up sucky-pitching himself out of nice contract.

And, unfortunately for the Twins, there aren't many options to deal with him. They can't really send him to the already full bullpen because they don't really have any other starters to replace him with. I guess they could try to trade him, but frankly, I don't think they'd really get anything valuable for him. And I'm pretty sure they've already tried all they can to fix him.

He just makes me want to walk up to him, grab his shoulders, and shake him. Then flick him on the forehead.

~~~
Injury Updates
So, after Scott Baker assured everyone that the surgery he was having on his flexor tendon had nothing to with his ulnar collateral ligament, he wound up having to have that ligament replaced after all...in other words, he indeed needed Tommy John surgery.

It turns out that Tommy John surgery was kind of always a possibility. If it hadn't been, the doctor and his team would have performed the flexor tendon procedure arthroscopically. However, they did a full-on, cut him open operation in case they found a surprise in there, which they did.

I'm not so annoyed with the misdiagnosis. It happens. As great as MRIs are for visualizing tissue structures, they are still only pictures. Sure, there are ways to render the images to make things easier to see, but they're still only pictures. If the ligament damage was hiding, it's not like the doctor can go inside the picture and move things around to get a better look; he actually has to go inside the patient and move things around.

No, the misdiagnosis isn't so bothersome. It's the fact that no one seemed to take this injury too seriously for two years now. Especially lately. As Baker was pitching a rehab game during Spring Training, Rick Anderson and Gardy were calling him out telling him he should "air it out" more.

It's particularly bad timing for Baker because of his whole contract status. The Twins have that $12.5 million option on him for 2013, and that's way too much money for him. So, he'll hit free agency while still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Not exactly a recipe for a fat contract.

In other injury news, Glen Perkins missed a couple of games with a sore arm, but he seems to be fine now. Also, Nick Blackburn missed a start with a sore arm, but he's hopeful to make his next one.

~~~
Roster Moves
It's great news that Jason Marquis's daughter is getting better. So Marquis was able to finally join the Twins and make his first start. He had been pitching at AA, so they technically had to call him up.

In order to make room on the 25-man roster, the Twins designated Luke Hughes for assignment. Since Hughes is out of minor-league options, they have to pass him through waivers if they want to send him to AAA. They may also release or trade him. They have 10 days to decide.

I feel really bad for Luke. When Spring Training broke, he tweeted how happy he was that, after 10 years, he finally landed on a big league Opening Day roster. Now in the last few days, he's tweeted how surprising and strange this whole thing is. I hope he lands somewhere and has a great season.

Stranded, Series Recap, and Other Notes

2012-04-15T22:51:00.001-05:00

So much for the Texas Rangers not being able to win in Target Field. Prior to Friday, the Rangers were 1 - 9 in Target Field.

Looks like they got over whatever was bothering them.

The Rangers didn't really blow the Twins away; the Twins failed to capitalize.

Key Notes from the Series:

That relay play on Sunday by Thomas to Casilla to Mauer to mow down Adrian Beltre at the plate was a thing of beauty. I love things of beauty created by the Twins; I want more of them.
I'm glad that Joe Nathan received a warm, but not overwhelming, reception as he came out to pitch the ninth on Saturday and Sunday. I didn't attend the games, and I'm not sure how I would've reacted (I gave a standing ovation to Mike Redmond when he came to Minnesota as an Indian -- the only person in my section to do so but I didn't care). But I'm not sure that I'd be terribly excited to cheer for Joe, because the Twins really needed a rally. I probably wouldn't done anything.
I don't like Glen Perkins any more. (That's not true. I think I jinxed him when I said that I thought he wanted me to love him, so I figured I'd try to reverse it...just don't tell the baseball gods.) I wonder if we need to be concerned about him because he just doesn't seem like himself.
Liriano. What the hell?

~~~

A Case for Clutch -- My Aggravation with Men Left On Base
A common debate in my household is whether there is really such a thing as a clutch hitter. I am quite adamant in my belief that the idea of a "clutch hitter" is a myth. There is no such thing as clutch.

Yes, I agree that there are timely hits that make a baseball game exciting, but they're just that -- timely. While it's true that hitters change their approach a bit depending on the situation (score, inning, number of outs, and count), there is really very little affect on the outcome. A good hitter will likely have the same result in "clutch situations" as he would in regular situations. If a hitter really could "turn on a switch," he'd have it on all the time. Guys want to get hits every time they come to the plate -- or at least they should (unless they've been asked to sacrifice, which is a rant for another day). I wouldn't want a guy on my team who was only a good hitter if there were men on base.

With all that being said, after the Twins left 15 (!) baserunners stranded during Saturday's game, I'm pretty much begging for clutch.

~~~
Roster Update
The Twins claimed OF Clete Thomas off waivers from the Detroit Tigers. Gardy wasted no time putting him in the lineup, and Thomas wasted no time making an impression by hitting a big homerun.

Scott Baker was moved to the 60-day DL to make room for Thomas on the 40-man roster, and Ben Revere was optioned to AAA to make room on the 25-man roster.

I've gotta admit that I'll miss watching Ben Revere play, but I do understand the reasoning. He's too young to be sitting here and wasting away on the bench, and he needs to become a better batter before he can play every day here. Consider this an investment in his future.

~~~
Injury Watch
Nick Blackburn left Saturday's game early after experiencing discomfort in his shoulder. He had an MRI, which came back normal. The Twins are calling it a cramp. Let's hope so.

Fun With Ridiculous Stats, Series Recaps, and More Notes

2012-04-12T22:49:00.000-05:00

The Twins have completed two series now, and after completely embarrassing themselves from the gate, they've rallied to make their record somewhat more respectable.

I'm going to ignore the Orioles series because, frankly, I was unable to pay a lot of attention to it. I had to watch the three games in bits-and-pieces. Apparently, I didn't miss much.

I was lucky enough to attend the Twins home opener. I was happy to be back at Target Field, even though I didn't partake in any of the new food items (I stuck with a good old reliable brat). I did partake in some delightful hot chocolate. Twice. Because it was damn cold.

Here's a picture I took from our new season ticket seats.

It was fun to see the 2006 Division Champ Twins throwing out the first pitch, especially Brad Radke, but as you can tell from the picture, I didn't really get a good look. I did, however, get enough of a look at the actual game. It wasn't my favorite.

What is my favorite? Twins wins, of course. And, I was beginning to get a nagging feeling that that they didn't remember how to do that. I'm so glad that they didn't forget.

Notes From the Series:

I'm glad to see Justin and Joey finally hitting. Things are exciting when they're both in the lineup and hitting well.
I think Josh Willingham wants me to love him; that's why he keeps hitting all those huge homeruns. I'm also not too worried about his defense; I think he'll get better at that.
I also think that Glen Perkins wants me to love him. Did you see how he made a fool out of Albert Pujols? O...M...G...
I wish that Matt Capps wanted me to love him. I'm trying as hard as I can to give him a chance, but he's making it really hard. He's serving up way too much interesting.
I can't think of anything bad to say about Chris Parmelee. Not that I want to or anything, but I just thought I'd note that. Keep it up, rook.

~~~
Jeff Gray Knows How to Win

Right-handed reliever Jeff Gray leads the club in wins. In fact, he has all of them. Well, both of them.

And the amazing fact is that his combined pitch count for his two wins is ... three. He earned the win on Wednesday after recording an out with a single pitch. On Thursday, it took him twice as many pitches to complete the same feat.

Obviously, the Twins batters sitting in the dugout while he's on the mound are so inspired by his efficient pitching that when they finally come to the plate, they are compelled to take the lead and not let go.

Or, it could be that the pitchers' win stat is really dumb.

~~~
Injury Update

Scott Baker announced that he will have surgery to repair his flexor pronator tendon, an injury that has been bothering him since last season.

This is not the same injury that requires Tommy John surgery. That is a ligament replacement. This is a tendon.

Ligaments connect bone to bone; tendons connect bone to muscle. Also, tendons communicate with the brain causing the muscles to react. This particular tendon allows the forearm to rotate while the arm is flexed (imagine flexing your arm, keeping your shoulder and elbow still, and rotating your palm).

The recovery time for this is likely to be six months, so his season is over. And his tenure with the Twins is likely over too. The Twins have a team option on his contract for 2013, but it's for $9.25 million, which is probably too spendy for a guy just coming off a significant injury. So he'll be a free agent trying to convince teams he's fine. Bummer.

A Fan Base Divided

2012-04-10T22:13:00.000-05:00

So, the Twins have had a bit of a tough go of the start of the 2012 season, huh? And, apparently, there's nothing like going winless for the first four games to divide the fans.

The optimists insist that four games is too small a sample size to get too worked up about yet, and the pessimists see that all the flaws aren't being fixed. And each side keeps insisting that the other is nuts.

Who's right?

Well, both.

After suffering through a despicable 99-loss season, fans are understandably eager to see signs of improvement. Spring Training may have had some glimmers of promise, but many of those glimmers have snuffed out now that the season is here. Batters are still banging the ball into the ground for outs. Defenders are still fumbling about. Pitchers are still serving cookies. It's hard to find anything to hope for.

However, with 158 games left in the season, there is still plenty of time to make adjustments and improvements. The health is better. Certain positions are better. It won't take much for a few key guys to find their groove. The luck is certain to change soon.

I guess the real picture is somewhere in the middle. It's important to remember that, while the mess of 2011 won't likely be completely solved in one year, the playoff teams aren't so far away that there's no going back.

Don't Worry, Be Happy -- For Now

2012-04-05T22:03:00.000-05:00

Happy New Years' Eve, Twins Fans!

Tomorrow at 2pm Twins Territory time, Denard Span will dig in the batters' box at Orioles Park at Camden Yard against RHP Jake Arrietta and begin the 2012 Twins season.

And it's been a looong time coming. We all endured a long, cold off-season trying to remove the stench of the 2011 season from our collective memories.

But now that's over. Now, ... today, ... none of that matters. We get to be excited. We get to be optimistic. We get to be confident.

Today, we don't worry about records, or injuries, or errors. We don't fret about bobbles or blunders. We don't even consider that our hearts may get broken.

Today, we think that anything can happen. We dream of great things.We hope for the best.

Today, it doesn't matter that the experts don't expect much of this team.

Today, ... we believe.

I Like the Roster, Even If I Wouldn't Have Predicted It

2012-04-02T22:33:00.000-05:00

The Twins 25-man roster has been set, and I'm pretty excited about it. However, there are some surprises (at least for me) on it. Namely:

There are only two catchers on the roster and neither of them are named Drew Butera. We all know that Gardy loves having three catchers on hand in the miniscule chance that one of them gets hurt while the other one is the DH, or something like that. But no more of that. Joe Mauer needs to stay healthy and Ryan Doumit will get his at bats as a bench catcher, first baseman, and outfielder. The Rochester Red Wings will enjoy the talents of Drew Butera.
Justin Morneau is not the Opening Day first baseman. After what I'm sure was much thought, reflection, and deliberation, Justin decided that it would be in his and the team's best interests for him to be a full-time designated hitter, at least for awhile. And it looks like Chris Parmelee will be up to the task to be a decent first baseman, jumping up from AA last season and sticking.
It looks like Jason Marquis will start the season on the Bereavement List (3 to 7 days). He's been away from the team for a couple of weeks to see to his daughter who was seriously hurt in a bicycle accident. Fortunately, her condition is improving and he will be able to rejoin the team in time to break camp. However, since he's been away a pretty long time, he's probably not stretched out enough to start a game for awhile. A combo of adding Liam Hendriks and using a four-man rotation for awhile should allow Marquis enough time to catch up.
A couple of non-roster invitees actually made the roster: infielder Sean Burroughs and RHP Jared Burton. That had to be cool for them.
And the Twins have already invoked the Disabled List. Maybe this is a good thing -- last year, the Twins proudly didn't use the DL coming out Spring Training, only to use it eleventy-billion times during the season. Maybe using it a little before the season will be a good sacrifice for the actual season. Or something.

And since I brought up the DL, you know what that means...

RHP Scott Baker has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 26th, with tendonitis of his right elbow.

Baker's elbow has been troublesome for awhile now. He missed 58 days last season with a forearm flexor strain. I don't know if this tendonitis is related, but I wouldn't doubt it.

It sounds like he may back as soon as he is eligible and that the Twins are being cautious. They have the luxury early in the season, with a lot of off days, to do without him for a little while.

RHP Kyle Waldrop has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 30th, with a right elbow strain.

This must have been crushing news to Waldrop, who was having an excellent Spring Training and was set to break camp in the majors.

His injury doesn't sound serious, and again, it seems as if the Twins are being extra cautious with him.

It's unclear whether he'll be added to the 25-man roster once he's healthy, but there's no reason to believe he won't be.

Catching Up on My Filing

2012-03-25T22:47:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've kept up with the Twins news. I figured I'd go back and see what I missed and file the info away as needed.

File under: Recognizing a Good Thing While You Have It
Glen Perkins signed a 3-year, $10.3 million extension with an option for 2016. Twins fans remember that things weren't always so rosy between the Twins and Perkins, dating back to 2009 and 2010. In fact, I'm guilty of losing my fandom of him, too -- regrettably. He's matured and proven himself. The Twins have allowed the ugly past to stay there. And I've changed my mind. Everyone's cool now.

File under: I Didn't Really Think They Would
The Twins optioned Tsyoshi Nishioka to AAA Rochester. Last fall, I asked that the Twins admit their mistake regarding Nishioka, but I kind of figured they wouldn't listen to little ol' me. He's been in the MLB for a year now; the adjustment period has been more than generous. While it's true that he had a tough go with a new country and a broken leg and all, it's alarming that during his second spring training with the Twins he still didn't know fundamental stuff such as where to position himself to be the cut-off man. According to several writers and baseball analysts, he's been lost and the plate and lost-er in the field -- literally out of his league. He has bigger baseball problems to solve than some culture shock and a (should be healed by now) fractured fibula.

File under: On The L Back To Chicago
The Twins sent Rule 5 draftee, RHP Terry Doyle back to the White Sox. The deal with Rule 5 drafts is that if the drafted player can't make the 25-man roster for the whole season, the drafting team must return the player to the original team or work out a trade. The Twins claim that they couldn't find common ground with the White Sox, so they sent him packing. He made a memorable first impression with me -- memorable for all the wrong reasons. He was largely responsible for a 10-run first inning for the Pirates. Doyle couldn't find the strike zone, and when he did, he grooved the ball in the heart of the plate.

File under: Better Luck Next Year, Kid
The Twins are beginning to cull their Spring Training roster. They've optioned several players to the minor leagues:

Arcia, Oswaldo (OF)
Diamond, Scott (LHP)
Guerra, Deolis (RHP)
Gutierrez, Carlos (RHP)
Mastrionni, Darin (LF)
Nishioka, Tsuyoshi (IF)
Oliveros, Lester (RHP)
Robertson, Tyler (LHP)
Tosoni, Rene (OF)

How Brad Radke Crosses Generations Through Spring Training

2012-03-22T21:22:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed that every time I talk about attending Spring Training games, I mention that I like to visit with the other fans, especially the retirees. I like the retirees because they always seem so happy. Since the game doesn't matter so much, it's pretty easy to develop a great, interesting conversation.

Such was the case on Thursday the 15th, during that 15-7 debacle against the Pirates. My husband and I, along with our friends Mr. and Mrs. P, sat in the shade down the third-base line, while our kids sat in another section. Behind us was a pair of retired couples who clearly lived in Florida (they were happy and tan). As we took our seats, always the goofballs, Mr. P and Hubby started apologizing ahead of time for the other's behavior, and our game-neighbors laughed and the guys' lame joke. The four of us had hit it off with the four of them right away.

We got the small talk stuff out of the way -- "are you from Minnesota?" "yeah, you?" "yeah, where abouts?"...etc. After a very short time of this, one of the fellows noticed my Radke jersey and asked if I was a fan of his. I confirmed that he's my favorite all-time player, and my new friend dug out a piece of paper and a pencil and asked me to write down my address. He wanted to send me a Brad Radke bobblehead. I tried to politely decline; I couldn't accept such a nice gift. He insisted, and eventually his wife plead with me because it would really be doing her a favor. Well, in that case...

I did, however, have to earn my prize. I had to demonstrate some Twins knowledge. His first question was "Who's #8?" I knew who he meant, but I wanted to play along. Jamey Carroll just happened to be running sprints in front of us, so I pointed to him. He said, "No, before that." "Nick Punto" I said with a wink. "No...Before that." Of course he meant Gary Gaetti; I was just showing off.

He asked me several other questions, mostly about the off-season moves, and I answered to his satisfaction. However, he did cheat -- he had a team roster that he printed off at home. But I did all right with the top of my head.

Throughout the rest of the game, we all chatted about all of life's important stuff -- baseball, Florida, Minnesota, food, beer, kids, knitting, Brian Dinkelman, etc. What a delightful distraction from the disaster on the field.

When we parted ways, I really didn't expect to receive the bobblehead. I wanted to give him the opportunity to change his mind (or not be able to find it, or forget) without being bummed out.

Silly me. Look what came in the mail today:

Amazing. He also included a very nice note that made me smile.

Yes. I put a handwritten thank you note in the mail -- thanking him not only for the bobblehead, but also for the happy memories.

k-bro's Lame Spring Training Report: 2012

2012-03-20T22:03:00.000-05:00

To be clear, the word "lame" in the title modifies "report" and not "Spring Training." Spring Training is always cool.

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you may have noticed that I took a nice vacation in beautiful Fort Myers, Florida. It was an amazing trip, and I had a great time.

I was lucky enough to attend three Twins Spring Training games -- against the Yankee, the Blue Jays, and the Pirates.

And here's the lame part. I don't really have a scouting report for you. I didn't keep a scorebook. I'm not sure who pitched. I didn't even manage to get to the ballpark as early as I wanted to. I only accomplished to take a few crappy pictures with my phone.

But that's not to say that I didn't enjoy the baseball -- everything except that 10-run first inning by the Pirates on Thursday. I really enjoyed sitting in the Florida sun and visiting with other fans -- especially the retirees because they're all so happy.

The phrase of the games was "give me the book." As soon as the lineup started turning over to the rookies, I'd dig out Seth Stohs's MN Twins Prospect Handbook and look up the replacement guys. The fans around me wanted to borrow it and pretty soon, it was being passed around faster than a church basket.

Anyway, here are some of the pictures I took.

Sunday:

Hammond Stadium is beautiful on the outside.

The Twins take the field to face the Yankees. I think it's Nick Blackburn pitching, but I don't really remember.

The bullpen. I'm not really sure why the banner behind it is advertising MLB '11 The Show. MLB '12 The Show has been out for a couple of weeks now. Besides, the Twins should know that 2011 baseball season never really existed.*

*Delusional Twins fan talking.

A win over the Yankees! Whee!

Tuesday:

Nice seats for the Blue Jays game.

This is the "Richard Simmons Burger": a cheeseburger topped with a bratwurst, a chicken breast, and bacon. Probably could have fed the whole row. $10.50

TC being TC.

Francisco Liriano pitching.

Joe Mauer batting.

Thursday:

Tony O working with Danny Valencia in the cage.

It's hard to tell, but this is Alexi Casilla taking liners from the pitching machine.

A gaggle of pitchers waiting their turns to do their pitchers' fielding practice drills.

I don't think Gardy liked what he saw.

The kids couldn't get any Twins' autographs, but they did get Andrew McCutchen from the Pirates.

And with that, I didn't take any pictures of the game on Thursday. It's just as well; it wasn't really worth the pixels.

The baseball was fun, but I have to admit that I enjoyed this just as much:

I miss it already.

Empty the Bucket

2012-03-06T22:06:00.002-06:00

If I think of my brain as a bucket, I sometimes imagine that it begins to overflow and I have to intentionally get some of my thoughts out of there before they just spill over and are gone forever.

Here are some baseball-related bucket thoughts:

Denard Falls Down
During Saturday's Spring Training game, Denard Span fell down twice while making fly-ball catches in the outfield. If this had been a year ago, everyone would be thinking "ha ha, at least he made the catch" and had gone on with the game.

This year, however, I have to admit, every time he falls down, crashes into a fence, or makes a diving catch, I worry. Why did he fall? Is he dizzy? Can he see alright? Did he bang his head? Did he whip his neck? Is he ok?

True, I'm especially prone to worrying, and that's fine. It's no big deal if I sit here and think all these things. But, unfortunately, I'm not the only one; the media asked him about it all the time. And that has to be annoying for him.

It's not the writers' fault for asking him questions that everyone wants answers to, but it must be difficult to have to make the same assurances all the time. Yes, having to address the media comes with the territory, but I bet he's looking forward to when he can simply talk about the game and not his head.

I'm hoping, for both his and the fans' sake, that very soon, he won't have to address these issues every time he has a tiny stumble or makes a difficult play. I'm sure he hopes so too.

Your New Voice of Summer
I had a chance to listen to the Twins new play-by-play announcer Cory Provus a couple of time, and he made a very nice first impression.

His voice is rich, smooth, and easy to listen to, and he calls the game well. If he's telling a story or anecdote while the play is going on, he'll interrupt himself to call the play -- like he should. He's well prepared for the games, and he doesn't give the impression of being the new guy at all (not bad for calling Spring Training games when it's likely there'll be guys coming to bat that even Gardy doesn't know). He already sounds comfortable, as if he's always been here.

I'm not sure that it's really possible, but I think he even makes Dan Gladden better. Well done, Cory, well done.

The Zumaya Decision
After thinking about his situation a few days, Joel Zumaya decided to go ahead and have Tommy John surgery and attempt a comeback. Right after his elbow blew, it sounded like he was leaning heavily toward retiring.

I imagine this decision came with much thought, prayers, and even tears. This will be his sixth surgery, and the rehab that will come with it will most likely be the most difficult. Plus, there's no guarantee on the other side that he'll even be able to pitch again in the Major Leagues (he'll be a free agent when he's ready to come back, and he'll need to convince a team to sign him). No one would have blamed him if he had just wanted to forget it all and walk away.

Instead, he'll take a huge leap of faith and go for it. And I'm kind of happy for him.

I certainly wish him all the best.

Explaining Expanded Playoffs Using Spreadsheets With Pretty Colors

2012-03-04T12:41:00.000-06:00

You may have heard that MLB has changed the playoff scheme starting with this season by adding an additional Wild Card team to each league. Some people like it; some people hate it. I really don't have an opinion of it yet, because, honestly, I don't really understand it. I've read a lot of stuff about it, and it all makes my head hurt. I figured I'd map it out on some spreadsheets to see if that helps.

Yes, I know, I'm supposed to be afraid of spreadsheets. I am. But if they have some pretty colors on them, they're not so bad.

Ok, so lets take the standings from the 2010 season and pretend that 2012 will be exactly the same (I chose 2010 because, as a Twins fan, I'm going to delusionally believe that 2011 didn't exist). Here they are:

The Rays, Phillies, Twins, Reds, Rangers, and Giants all won their divisions and the Yankees and the Braves won the Wild Card spots (with the Yankees settling for the Wild Card just so they could play the Twins -- they even admitted it).

Ok, so for 2012, there will be two Wild Card teams for each league, and they'll have a one-game play-in for the Divisional Series. Here's how that would look:

So the four Wild Card teams will battle on October 5th to get into the playoffs: the Yankees versus the Red Sox (which will probably last 5 and a half hours), and the Braves and the Padres (which would actually be the more interesting game to watch, but, of course, not the one that will be televised during prime time).

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that the Yankees and the Braves win the games (sorry Padres) and move on to the LDS. Now the team with the best league record will play the Wild Card winner and the other two division winners will play each other.

In the past, the team with the best league record would face the Wild Card team, unless those teams were from the same division. In that case, they play the division leader with the worse record.

Now, they're doing away with all that. No more regard to who's in what division. Straight up, the first seeded team plays the Wild Card, and the second and third seeded teams play each other.

Well, that would turn out a little different, huh?

There's also discussion about where and when the LDS games will be played with regard to which team gets home games blah blah -- 2012 will be different than 2013 and beyond merely because the schedule was already set when they figured all this out. Honestly, though, I'm not really concerned about any of that because I'll be sitting on my recliner in front of the TV watching the games -- it doesn't really matter to me which park they're in.

So, is this better? I get it now.

As for my opinion, I'm not a big fan of a one-game play-in. Way too stressful for fans of those teams and it really messes with the pitching alignments, giving an (unfair, in my opinion) advantage to the league leaders. Also, things will get really mucked up if divisions end in ties; there'll be more one-game play-ins just to get to the one-game play-in. But, there should be more motivation for winning and less intentional tanking towards the end of the season and settling for Wild Card berths, and that's kind of appealing. And, of course, it's just more baseball, which is never a bad thing.

I see both sides of the argument. I guess I'll just roll with it.

Spring Training Games Fans' Guide

2012-03-01T21:20:00.000-06:00

Twins 2012 Spring Training games start on Saturday! Isn't it wonderful that they figured out to have practice games in Florida right at the time when baseball fans can't stand not having baseball anymore and Minnesotans want to go somewhere warm?

If you've never been to Fort Myers for Spring Training, I highly encourage you to go. It's a great family vacation, whether you love baseball, the beach, or both.

I've been to Fort Myers once, and I'm going again this year. I know several fans who've gone many times. If you're one of those fans, you can probably go on to read the next blog on your list because you already know everything I have to say (probably much better than I do).

But, if you've never been, and would like some tips on the baseball part (the beach part you can figure out on your own), well then, read on.

First of all, I'll refer you to fellow blogger, Thrylos98. He's written up a very nice Spring Training Guide to Fort Myers and a Fort Myers Culinary Guide (with a curve). Be sure to check them out.

I will focus on what to do once you're at Lee County Sports Complex.

The complex is comprised of several practice fields and the main field, Hammond Stadium. Hammond Stadium is the home of the Fort Myers Miracle Single-A affiliate and it's where the Spring Training games are played. It's kind of funny because it has a beautiful exterior, with a fountain and nice landscaping, but then the inside is really boring.

As you would expect from a minor-league stadium, it's pretty small. Which means there's not really a bad seat in the house. Even up in the second level, you're still pretty close to the action. Keep in mind that most of the Spring Training games are day games, and that the seats near the field are in the sun (hot!) and the seats "up high" are in the shade. There is also a grassy area where you can sit on a blanket and have a baseball picnic -- perfect if you have little kids who would rather run around than sit and watch baseball.

If you go to the complex in the morning, you can catch the players doing their drills or hitting BP. The minor league affiliates have their Spring Training there too, so there are a lot of players. They usually have a table set up near the entrance with roster sheets. Each group of players wears different uniform combos -- blue and red tops, blue and gray tops, white pants, gray pants, etc. -- and the roster sheet will tell you who's who (there may be a total of four or five guys who wear #7 and there are no names on the jerseys, so you want to be sure). Get a new roster sheet every day because the groups change their uniforms every day. Also, you should probably bring Seth Stohs' Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook with you so you're armed with information about these guys.

The atmosphere around the complex is relaxed and casual. Fans can wander from station to station watching players do their thing or even take some pictures. However, you have to remember that they're doing their jobs, so they may not have time for chit chat. They don't want to get in trouble with their manager after all.

You may be able get some autographs before games or walking around the practice fields, and while a lot of players will be as accommodating as they can, it's not really an autograph signing event. Many players will limit their autograph signing for kids, and other guys prefer to wait until after the game to sign.

If you're lucky enough to get a player willing and able to sign, be sure to help him out by having your item and pen -- cap off, ink flowing, and handed to him properly -- ready to go. Use a blue ball-point pen for baseballs (ball-point won't bleed into the leather, and blue won't fade like black does) and a Sharpie for everything else. Be nice; if he can't sign, he can't sign. Also, know who you're asking -- just because a guy looks like Jason Kubel doesn't mean he is Jason Kubel (yes, this actually happens more than you'd think).

Don't be in a hurry to leave after a game, because if you hang out near the exit where the players park (it's a fenced-off lot), you might see a player who is willing to hang out in his car and sign autographs for a while. But don't expect premier players like Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau to be doing this -- there is just way too much demand for their autographs.

Above all, relax and have a good time. Don't worry about the score of the game -- no one else does. Visit with folks. Enjoy the sunshine. Notice how everyone is happy.